The hardcore Girlracer team set-up on South Bank with fab circuit views and consisted of Tiny, (the photographer) Stu (the wife and cook), Bumps and me, Sez (the latest GR t-shirt models!), Bump’s friend Dave (the fab tea maker) and Gaz (HUGE corporate tyre fanatic(!)). We were also joined under the GR marquee on race day by Erms and girlfriend Em, (the ‘Get a Room!!’ couple) and a few new recruits thanks to Dave’s touting at the campsite. GR’s takeover bid of South Bank with marquee, cars and both GR and Dunlop banners was favoured well by Dunlop’s high fliers.

Qualifying day saw well-known ex-Touring Car driver, Tim Harvey, losing his Porsche Carrera in the Porsche Carrera Cup qualifying race in dramatic fashion at the bottom of Hailwood Hill, resulting in a speedy scattering of marshals and expensive Porsche parts. Tim was fine but the car was not, with the driver’s side needing to be rebuilt and revived, ready for race day. GR supported Susie Stoddart in her racing debut driving her 390bhp Porsche number 42 and watched her finish her qualifying respectfully towards the back of the grid, but went on to push up to a clean 7th place overall on race day. Big respect to Susie!

Eagerly watching the British Touring Car races was Fiona Leggate with her mum and dad. Fiona will be testing her new specially adapted bio-ethanol fuelled Works Vauxhall Astra at Snetterton this Friday and we all wish Fiona the best of luck in her future British Touring Car races!

In the quiet periods between races I checked out the very informative BTCC glossy brochure and clocked all the single racing drivers. The most intriguing description must be of Richard ‘short on experience, but big on enthusiasm’ Williams, 28 and single from Tunbridge Wells. His team mate Ian Curley, also in a green friendsreunited Lexus IS200, was probably the most entertaining Touring Car driver of the weekend, spending most of his time at the back of the grid playing chicken with the other drivers or getting stuck head first in the gravel traps. Even when the grid was reversed for the final BTCC race of the day, Curley lost it at the first bend and still ended up last!

Stu and Tiny got some really fab photographs of close-up racing action by hiding in trees and bushes at the Druids Infield (I’m convinced they were perving on the totty really) and when they got bored, decided to entertain the punters at South Bank by swinging me over the barrier and pushing me down the hill! Luckily I got Tiny back by grabbing his legs and pulling him down too. Stu missed taking an action photo due to peeing himself laughing too much.

Gaz (in his very Chav-like Burberry pattern shirt) deserted us for most of Sunday, hob-nobbing with the elite in the VIP Dunlop specially adapted two-tier stand. I hear he was on his best behaviour and put on his best accent. Gaz did promise to throw us peasants a few vol-au-vents from the window, but instead came back to GR base camp with some very inedible Dunlop baseball caps. Well, he did meet Murray ‘it’s go, go, go!’ Walker so he’s forgiven!

Thanks must go to Dunlop for the freebies and Stu and Tiny for their hardwork looking after us all and Stu especially for his culinary skills. The Touring Cars are back at Brands on October 1-2, so make a note now and see ya there!

Sezza