THE CHAMPIONSHIP - Race by Race
| Plymouth - 5-6 August Well, back at base, we mended the damaged hull - we adjusted, tweaked, modified and polished the boat to within an inch of its life. We moved the seats and the fuel tank, overhauled the engine and re-worked the prop. Surely that would do the trick.... Lee took charge of the cleaning and maintenance and was very proud of the way the boat looked. It was carefully wrapped in polythene to protect it from the motorway dirt on the journey to Plymouth. The journey from Lingfield proved to be eventful. Derek's car was not really built for trailing boats, so it was agreed that he would meet Vernon at the motorway services on the M5 near Exeter and he would trail the boat from there. In the event, near Honiton, one of the trailer tyres burst and we had to jack up the trailer complete with boat to change it. The combination of the Honda Championships, the Class 1 Grand Prix and the scorching weather really drew the crowds and there was a real party atmosphere on The Hoe. First up on Saturday was the 150 class, followed by the 225s and then the trials for pole position in Class 1. |
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In the 150 race, 'Honda
Happiness' again romped away well in the lead, but this time the racing
was more exciting, with several battles going on further down the fleet.
'Neptune' overtook 'Team Mermaid' and then had a real dice with 'X Pole'
for most of the race.
Derek, Madeline and Big Al hitched a ride on the media boat with the Dream Team TV cameraman - only for the boat to be refused entry to the race circuit because they were not flying the correct flag! So all the photographs had to be taken at a great distance, along with all the other spectators. Thank heavens for zoom lenses! The TV crew were less than impressed as they had to rely on the footage from the helicopter. |
| 'Neptune' overtaking 'Mermaid' and taking on 'X Pole' |
| Sunday saw Dream Team 'acquiring' an enormous Honda flag and this proudly streaming from the stern of the boat, gained us our entry onto the race circuit. We had a sensational position near the breakwater, just inside the first mark of the course - resulting in some spectacular pictures. Big Al managed to capture the moment when Vernon almost lost control of 'Neptune' rounding the mark - but at least the crew managed to stay in the boat, unlike some of the unfortunate competitors in the 225 class. | ||
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| James Sheppard and Chris Parsonage managed to wreck their Class 1 boat 'King of Shaves' when they overturned during the Grand Prix. There was some amazing underwater footage from their on-board camera as they made their escape - with only a few bruises. They also made the pages of the national dailies. | ||
| In spite of still being further down the fleet than we would have liked, at least the team did achieve a podium appearance, as they were awarded the 'Concours d'Elegance' for the best presented 150 class boat - so all the attention we gave it didn't go to waste. Saturday's race also marked Vernon's 50th Formula 4 race - some achievement. When Honda's General Manager, Martin Saunders asked him why he still did it, Vern's reply was "Because I'm mad!" He did add that he still enjoyed the competition and all the camaraderie - a sentiment that all the new members of 'Team Neptune' heartily endorse. |
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Vernon being interviewed by Martin Saunders with Lee (left) and Alan (centre) |
The podium presentation: left to right: Lee, Vernon (with the award) and Alan |
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Newcastle - 22-23 July An intense heatwave greeted the teams assembling on Tyneside. The boats were berthed in Royal Quays Marina, which meant an extra half hour to get through the lock and down the river to the race area off South Shields. A re-calculation was needed of the amount of fuel to be carried - on one hand enough fuel for the race and the journey to and from the pits - on the other, too much would slow the boats down. Poor 'Quality Job' got their sums wrong on Saturday and ran out of fuel on the very last lap... 'Neptune' opted to run with Alan as driver on both days, as he had studied at Tyneside College and knows the area well. Vernon was set to navigate. The boat was handling better than in the Isle of Man, but the team were still not satisfied, because the top speed they had achieved in practice in Southampton and at the Lowestoft Boat Show was still not there. |
| Again, being boxed in at the start it
was difficult to force a way through the fleet. Around one of the
marks, with 'Neptune' having the inside line, a collision with the Honda
owned 'Honda Happiness' caused a split in our boat's side - luckily
above the water line. A protest was lodged, but was rejected by
the adjudicators as no-one else appeared to have witnessed the incident. Still, we finished Saturday's race in 8th position - but in front of some very experienced crews who have also not hit their usual form this season. |
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'Neptune' rounds the first mark |
| Quite a few 'post mortems' were held over a pint or three of ice-cold beer on board the Pub/boat in the marina. |
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Another scorching day on Sunday saw a
mini crisis in the 'Neptune' camp. A problem with an old shoulder
injury meant Vernon was unable to race and Lee was propelled into his
debut with a couple of hours' notice. No pressure there then!
At least there was no time to be nervous - with all the registration,
signing on and a quick briefing on the layout of the course from Alan
and Vernon. The rules for boats with novices in the crew meant that 'Neptune' was placed on the outside of the starting line-up. This should have given them the advantage of clear water in front, but in practice it was a disadvantage as the sheer number of boats forced them wide of the first mark and it was impossible to catch up. |
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Lee makes his debut |
| Once all the boats had sorted themselves out, the race became more of a procession with 'Honda Happiness' coming from nowhere and romping home clear of the rest of the fleet. There was little in the way of competition. Alan and Lee, well down the fleet, decided that 'I Spy' was the order of the day - every word captured for posterity on the on-board crew cam! |
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Nice work if you can get it! Lee after his race debut with TV presenter Caroline Flack and team member Adam Wood ********************************************************************* |
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Isle of Man - 23/24 June A grey, rainy Saturday with a flat sea for the start of Round 1 of the championship saw a slower than expected start for 'Team Neptune'. With the boat not running as well as it should (Vernon suspected a problem with the propeller) it was difficult for the team to break out of the pack heading for the first mark and find some clear water. |
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As heavy penalties are being introduced this year for 'contact' between boats, and being hemmed in on all sides, Vernon decided to ease back to avoid the boats crossing from the right. A wise move, but one which cost valuable time with the boat's top end speed being lower than it should be. |
| Rounding the outer mark of the course |
| A further disaster when 'Neptune' hit the
wake of another boat and the box containing the on-board television camera
broke free and took the intercom wiring with it. It was left to Alan
to navigate by hand signals. Lucky then that, having raced together
for so long, our crew operate by telepathy! The additional forward looking TV camera on the bow of the boat worked well, however, and Dream Team TV tell us that they are pleased with the footage from that. They have promised us a copy of the tape, which should be interesting. |
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Rough conditions on Sunday |
| Sunday proved to be much brighter, but with a strong wind blowing right into Douglas Bay throughout the morning giving a very choppy sea. The start was delayed while officials met to decide whether it was safe to race - a nerve-wracking time for all the crews, who were already afloat. Eventually with the turn of the tide, the wind also changed direction and the go ahead was given. The sea had flattened out a little but was still rough enough to promise some exciting racing. |
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A change of roles for Sunday's race with
Alan in the driving seat and Vernon navigating. Determined not
to repeat the close encounters of Saturday, the team opted to go wide at the
first mark into clearer water. A much easier ride, but still without
the top end speed, it was difficult to overtake boats, which had taken
a closer line. The race did have some interesting moments though - particularly the duel between 'Neptune' and 'Quality Job' - a new boat in the fleet, crewed by teenagers Thomas and James Plant, making their race debut. In spite of 'Quality Job' having more top speed, they had not reckoned with the vastly more experienced 'Neptune' crew, who had no intention of letting them pass - resulting in 'Quality Job's crew 'hooking' the boat and stalling. |
| Neck and neck with 'Claygate' - last year's champions |
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A triumph of experience over enthusiasm - 'Neptune fends off the challenge from 'Quality Job' |
| All-in-all not a bad overall result. With points deducted from some crews for infringement of the rules - 'Neptune' go into the second round in joint 6th position in the table. Detailed inspection of the boat propeller this week by the experts revealed that Vernon's hunch was correct - all three prop blades were out by a quarter of an inch - due no doubt to the pounding they received over the two intensive days at the Lowestoft Boat Show. This is being rectified before the next meeting in Newcastle. Needless to say, the comms and the television recorder will be re-wired and anything which could become dislodged will be securely strapped down!
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