Sep 7, 20193 min read

Tilly takes on the challenge

So September is here!! Can only mean one thing the season is soon to be over, so while the boys are busy working away in the workshop, preparing the cars for the next event of the season, I thought I’d take some time to let you all in on the adventures the team and Tilly have had so far this season!!

So at the end of last season we had a poorly car a small engine, but with business being very busy racing was put to the back of our minds until it was literally only just around the corner! Thankful we have amazing support with our wild and crazy hobby/life so the mayday button was pressed and as usual our fleet of helpful people came to our rescue! With miles travelled and favours used, hours, days and nights were put in to get her set for the season!!

Event 1 arrived in a blink of an eye, Both Del and I, ready for the unknown, turning up to Walters arena in diagonal rain and gail force winds on the Saturday it’s safe to we both looked at each other, with the look off, are we mad?! Answer to that question is yes, yes we are!! For some stupid reason being totally drenched, covered in mud and frozen to the bone is the most relaxed and at home we both feel! After leaving site for the night and heading back to driving school HQ we discussed our thoughts on what we might expect on the days racing to come!

As usual i had the, calm and collected approach of what will be will be and Del well he’s secretly a worrier!!

Race day come, we’re up early we’re ready, standing around having a team prep with the rest of the driving school group/ teams, Tilly decides she’s has enough and rolls herself off the trailer towards what can only be described as the Beverley hills mansion of lorries! Immaculate paint job beautiful set up and to top it off a racer about the same price as a nice house in wales!!!

leaping to action everyones off to stop her from embarrassing us being the event even starts!!

My family arrive who offered to crew for us that weekend and the event starts!!

We are on the start line the lights red, in 5 in 4 in 3 in 2 in 1 GO! Well that’s how it’s supposed to go!

Instead we poodle our way off the start line with what can only be described as a snail on speed we get less than a mile out and boom no power not even my pretty little lights on my dash!! Nursing her to the edge of the track with dels colourful language we find it’s the Battery terminal coming off the battery putting it all back together we were off! Another half mile a steep incline was to challenge us! And that it did! Getting half was up she stalled and didn’t have enough power to bring herself to the top!!

While nursing her and trying to roll down the hill out of the way a fellow competitor had broken down in the middle of the track behind us! So being the team we are we run down to see if we can help get them going on the hope that maybe they could pull us out the way!! With Del running off to help the lady in distress with her sos board I was faced with yet another grumpy v8! Thinking back to everything my dad taught me over the years I found myself tracing the power source following the mental diagrams and boom with a little bit of hope she started!! Now time to get my team back!!

thankfully we got towed out the way up the hill and Tilly decided she was feeling better after her tantrum and that she would drive herself home now! Back in the pits mad frantic trying to locate the issue quick test drive round the pits issue still not resolved!! back to the drawing bored back to basics and boom there it was!! A wire shorting out!!

We were back in the game lap after lap with soft gentle words to Tilly and encouragement we finished the event!!