So, I've not long been back in England after an enjoyable 10 days over seas with the Minicross crew - racing at two tracks which were completely new to me. The first being Maasmechelen in Belgium and the second being in Valkenswaard in Holland - both of these tracks were completely different to anything which I was used to or have seen in the UK with challenging corners, chicanes, loose areas and hills. Despite the huge difference in track style and lay-out and the fact that I'd never raced at either track before, unlike the other drivers, I managed to gain some good positions. For example. a first in heat three in Holland. There were also some complications however, as you will be able to read about below in more detail.
Maaschmechelen - Belgium (July 8th)
My racing day in Belgium was fairly successful and enjoyable on the most part, despite a slight mishap in the final caused by a bent steering arm which led to my only DNF of the day. The track itself, was as I mentioned earlier, completely different to anything which I've raced on previously and so was a huge challenge to me, but after a couple of practices I'd learnt my way around and was chasing the others and really giving them a challenge - despite their prior experience of this track!
As you can see from the birds eye view of the track, it really is a challenging place where there is no time to relax once the lights are on! The joker was also quite a challenge and livened up the racing - showing who had thought through their racing tactics and who had not, as the case may be. The hill was also quite a challenge as you had to be very precise on your racing line, to ensure that no accidents occurred and so I feel that this helped to improve my accuracy and driving and gave me a new experience - having four wheels off the ground and still being the right way up (you can find a picture of this in the Gallery).
The racing here at Belgium was very close and definitely reassured the other drivers that I wasn't going to give up without a fight - this racing season will be mine!
As you can see from the birds eye view of the track, it really is a challenging place where there is no time to relax once the lights are on! The joker was also quite a challenge and livened up the racing - showing who had thought through their racing tactics and who had not, as the case may be. The hill was also quite a challenge as you had to be very precise on your racing line, to ensure that no accidents occurred and so I feel that this helped to improve my accuracy and driving and gave me a new experience - having four wheels off the ground and still being the right way up (you can find a picture of this in the Gallery).
The racing here at Belgium was very close and definitely reassured the other drivers that I wasn't going to give up without a fight - this racing season will be mine!