Ben Evans Racing

Mallory Park last Sunday was as good a start to the season as I could realistically have hoped for with 4th place matching my best finish of 2006.

Qualifying was good in that I made it straight through to the final, but frustrating in that I only qualified 10th, having traded tows with Jake O for the whole session. Also given the obvious pace of some of the other cars I was concerned about how much progress I would be able to make in the race.

At the start I made the perfect getaway to be 4th into the first corner carving through and around the six cars in front of me. At the red flag I was placed 4th, and fortunately the race had been underway long enough for me to take the restart from the second row. This time I was 2nd into the first corner, but unfortunately lost the tow of the leaders coming out of the hairpin for the second time (a late gear change), which meant that the onus was on me to defend 4th for the remaining laps.

The rest of the race is a blur of side by side action and late braking and I was extremely glad to see the chequered flag. However the race was extremely clean and enjoyable, although I think I went through Gerrards two abreast too many times for comfort.

 4th place is a strong springboard for the remainder of the year and I’m confident that the next two meetings Lydden Hill and Castle Combe will play to the car’s strengths. At Lydden the premium is on handling and corner speed, something the Scarab excells in, whilst the high speeds of Castle Combe suit the car superbly (see Thruxton and Silverstone from last year).

It was also great to see a large (for 750mc anyway) crowd at Mallory, and hopefully some of the other circuits we visit this year will similarly promote the meetings. £12 for all the action on Sunday was a bargain and proves once again that 750mc continues to provide the most exciting and best value racing for spectators and competitors alike.

Paradoxically after what seems like an endless winter break Mallory Park has arrived very quickly. It’s hard to belive that the first race of 2007 is less than a week away, and I can’t wait.

Pre-season testing kicked off last Tuesday with a very positive test in the wet at Snetterton and the car is working better than ever. By maintaining the exact same support set-up and car for this year (with the usual RSS tweaks) I’m confident of a very strong season. Whereas in 2006 I was coming to each track blind and still learning my way around the car, in 2007 we’ll have done all that legwork and can build on the outright pace we showed throughout 2006. More personally pleasing was the fact that my race suit still fits and that my seatbelt settings are as they were at Oulton Park - clearly the offseason beer has been offset by the offseason running.

 Sunday won’t actually be my first race at a racing circuit in 2007 as a couple of weeks ago I finished 8th in the Brand Hatch 5k around the Grand Prix circuit - a result I was delighted with. That said I can’t wait for the engine to start doing the hard work once again.

Overall 2007 promises to be a great one for Vee - all of last year’s big names are back, it’s the fortieth anniversary and the series profile is ever rising. However there are a couple of points for concern. Firstly the calendar this year is not special - the double header at Lydden springs to mind and secondly I hope that budgets are kept under control - Vee is fabulous for not having a directly proportional spend to speed ratio and I hope it stays that way.

Well this week its going to be non-stop yoga and protein drinks (translation - Chinese and Beer) ahead of the first race, and it will be great to see everyone again, at what will undoubtedly be a cold, wet and windy Mallory Park on the 11th.