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Northampton "International" Raceway was the destination this week ("International", as in "in the middle of no-where, in a field"). An oval track, a burger bar, and a toilet shed, we were spolit this weekend! Smile

Unfortunately things didn't go well for Damian either, 7th in his first heat, didn't finish the 2nd, and came somewhere near the back in the Final. A new engine, a new tyre, and lots of adjustments between heats saw an underperforming car that pretty much summed up the drab and uninspiring racing on offer.

Still, some of the other forumlas were good for a laugh, the Modstox for some reason reminded me of a sea-side Kart track. I wouldn't say they were slow but the victory lap on the back of the pace car was probably the fastest a Modstox driver went all afternoon.

So lacking in anything exciting to write about this weekend am I that I'll leave you with this quote of the day:-

Quote:

"Did you see that puddle at the far bend, it's full of water!"

"Yes Damian, puddles usually are"

Saturday 19th July 2008 saw the Legends descend on Foxhall Stadium, Ipswich, Damian's "home" ground, and the title being contested this time being "British Championship". Damian came 3rd in this event last year, was he destined to go any better this time round?

Heat 1 was OK, Damian finished 5th after starting mid-grid, and was then bumped up to 4th when the race winner was disqualified for an in-correct wheelbase measurement. The Legend series is based on identical cars, with almost every aspect subject to tolerances that ensure the only distinguishing feature between drivers is skill, not how much money they can throw at the car or how "creative" they can be in the pits. The car has to be 100% setup correctly or they're out!

There was only a 2nd heat to decide final placement, not enough cars to warrant a 3rd, so Damian just needed a good finish in this to bag himself a decent grid position for the final, but unfortunately it wasn't to be. He bumped another car in mid-race, lost his front bumper and was disqualified (those rules again!).

So the final, and Damian's first heat finish was enough to get him to 12th on the grid, but it was always going to be an uphill struggle with some very quick drivers in front. However as always Damian put on a spirited performance, with a couple of spin-outs in front of him (how he missed being taken out in the one of them God only knows, watch the video for the Final and tell me how car #64 flying across the track in mid-air in front of him managed to miss him!) he managed to bag himself a respectable 4th. Not enough for a trophy, but not bad considering the disaster in heat #2. With a decent grid position he could've been a real contender for this race.

All in all though, another great night's racing, Damian perhaps feeling the pressure a little as so many family and friends were there to cheer him on, but a solid performance on the night, we just need a break now, and some consistant heat results to get in with a shot at winning something.

Birmingham, scene of Damian's Triple Crown triumph from last season, and the total washout that greeted the start of this season. Once again we made our way up the A14 hoping it wouldn't rain as forecast this time!

The racing got off to a pretty rubbish start, and went downhill from there! Damian started in heat #2, at the back. He finished heat #2, at the back! And in heat #3 Damian decided to try a radical new overtaking manoeurve, going OVER the car in front, rather than around them!

In heat #3 Damian was making decent progress, working his way up the pack with his usual any way round will do technique, when he found himself behind car #614. Not a problem, except car #614 decided on the back straight to break it's throttle cable, Damian slammed into the rear wing and was launched into the air, coming down with a bang that bent various parts of the chassis, and his steering column!

It was doubtful he'd make the final, this being the last heat he only had the time it took for the other 2 forumulas at the meeting to have their last heats to get the car track worthy. A bumper was borrowed, a foot plate vigourously jumped up and down on to get in back into shape, various things hit with various hammers and other large objects to make the car roughly the shape it was supposed to be, and some last second adjustments to make the wheels point roughly in the same direction, and off he went to the final.

Placed pretty much last on the grid, this looked like being a "let's hope he gets round in one piece" kind of final. But Damian doesn't do "best of a bad show", he goes for it whatever the circumstances, and with some 30 odd cars on the track he clawed his way up to finish 8th in a typical gutsy performance.

All in all an eventful meeting, and some good driving on display, and for once the wheather didn't spoil things. Well, it is July after all, some people even claim it's summer!

After a long absence Damian was back on track this weekend at Arena Essex, a new circuit for Oval Track Legends this season. With a re-built engine and a new track it was anyone's guess what this weekend would hold in store. Fortunately the weather was perfect and there was plenty of time for a few practise laps before the racing got under way.

Damian came out in heat 1 and from 12th on the grid finished a respectable 5th (or there abouts). Particularly as the new circuit proved quite a challenge for many of the drivers, being quick and tight it made overtaking difficult. Damian wasn't happy he'd got the tyre pressures right, and so it proved in the 2nd heat when he started mid-grid and finished there.

In the feature final Damian started 7th on the grid. There had been a few collisions in the heats and the Final was no exception, Damian managed to claw his way to 4th with some superb driving, and then narrowly missed being spun out himself as he passed 4th and 3rd on the 5th from last lap to get into 2nd place. Unfortunately there was a 5 car shunt on the same lap and the race was first of all stopped, and then abandoned due to excessive oil on the track. The final result was based on the last full lap completed, and because Damian's manoeuvre to take 2nd had come on the final lap deemed to have not been completed he was awarded 4th instead of 2nd.

Still, an impressive return to the oval tracks having missed several fixtures this season. Let's hope Damian can get back to winning ways at Birmingham, scene of last season's Triple Crown winning performance.

Photos from this event can be viewed in the Gallery here:-

http://www.legend114.co.uk/index.php?name=Picture&aid=10

Videos of the event should be uploaded within the next few days, all 3 heats and the Final.

Hednesford was the venue for Bank Holiday Monday, March 24th 2008, and with a couple of inches of snow in Ipswich the day before we wondered what was in store for us this week, after the washout in Birmingham. As it happens despite being bitterly cold the sun was out for most of the day, the track was dry and the racing fast and furious like Legends racing should be.

The preceedings were a little rushed, no practise lap and Damian hardly had time to put his new tyres on then take them off again having changed his mind to use them when the 1st heat was called. There was incident in the race as well when a couple of cars spun out, but Damian survived the heat albeit with the exhaust making his car sound more like a Banger than a Legend.

What is an Oval Track legend Car?

Well, it's a custom built racing car designed to look like a 1930's Ford / Chevy sedan / coupe. There are several body styles used, but the idea is they look like "legendary" pre-war US cars. However they're built to a 5/8th scale and were originally created by 600 racing in North Carolina USA to meet the need of cost effective racing.

All Legends cars are built to the same tightly controlled specification, which ensures drivers are distinguished on skill rather than how much money they can throw at the car.

They use a 1250cc 125HP Yamaha bike engine, have a purpose bulit racing frame and roll cage, and with a locked differential and tight sterring they are extremely responsive racing cars, capable of 0 - 60 in 3.5 seconds. With the tight control on car specification, and based on a non-contact formula Legend racing is fast and skillful.

Well the new season has started, at the same circuit last season ended, Birmingham Wheels, but this time things didn't go quite according to plan.

The good news is the car looks superb with it's new paint job -> click here <- but the race itself was a washout, literally!

The heavens opened as soon as we arrived, and just got worse as the evening wore on. Damian didn't even complete the first heat as he had no grip on the wet circuit, and although he made it through the second heat after several adjustments to the set up he decided the Final wasn't worth participating in. Although most other cars came out for the Final it was a case of who could stay out of the puddles which by now were small lakes!

We returned home drenched to the skin and writing this event off as something to forget in a hurry.

The fixtures for 2008 have been released. We've entered them into the Racing database on the site, view them here:-

Fixture List

Remember to check the official Oval Track Legends website from time to time for any updates to this schedule:-

Oval Track Legends

In the meantime, Damian's car has been re-built, given a shiny new lick of paint, and we're raring to go. See you on the race track !!

Peggyann Lilley has uploaded photos of the end of season awards party held in Birmingham on 24th November 2007. The full gellery can be viewed here:-

http://www.flickr.com/photos/plilley/sets/72157603302552356/

The few that feature Damian have been added to the Gallery, specifically these :-

Last night Damian Wright arrived at Birmingham with a points lead in the Birmingham Championship and a possible shot at the Triple Crown. The Birmingham Championship might have been on the cards, but standing in the way of the Triple Crown were Steven Dakin, Northampton Champion, and Ian Hales, Hednesford Champion, both on more points, and both consistently quick drivers. A tough task even for the young pretender!

What's more the evening didn't get off to the best of starts, shunted from behind in the practise laps he found himself replacing a bumper and a spring and the spares cabinet was looking pretty empty should further problems present themselves.

After starting mid-grid in both heats Damian came a respectable 4th in both, with an aggressive drive in the 2nd heat to claw his way past some tough and committed competition. The car however was now really starting to show the battle scars and Damian found himself lining up 5th on the grid for the Final with both wings and front grill holding each other in place with some strategically placed cable ties. Everyone in the pits had everything crossed and Damian knew he had a mountain to climb.

The stage was set, 5th on the grid but with the mighty Ian Hales right next to him. Off to a flying start Damian fought his way to 2nd and stayed there with an aggressive performance whilst Ian was stuck back in 5th/6th for most of the race.

The chequered flag saw Damian storm in 2nd, enough to not only take the Birmingham Championship but to also overtake Steve and Ian to take the coveted Triple Crown!

For photos of this event click here. Unfortunately not many on-track shots as my camera is pretty rubbish at taking pictures at night!

Update: Trackside photos from Pete Thompson, the official Oval Track Legends photographer, have been added to the Gallery (those with Damian in them, more are available on the Oval Track Legend website)