The past few weeks have been nothing short of manic for the Shield Golf team! After suffering a gearbox failure at the previous event, we had to undertake a major rebuild. While that was underway, someone (a real rocket scientist!) decided it was the perfect time to carry out a long-overdue suspension service.
As luck would have it, the shocks only arrived back from Bilstein a day or two before the Zwartkops Inland Series, leaving the team under immense pressure to get everything reassembled and ready for race day.
A huge thank you to Goose Racing, who stepped in after hours to help us pull the spare car out of storage, get it on the corner weights, and dial in the ride height and setup so we could still compete.
Jumping into the blue spare Golf for Zwartkops definitely put me on the back foot — I had to quickly adapt to the different feel of the car. Despite the challenges, I was pleased to come away with second overall for the weekend, all things considered!
Redstar Raceway – Extreme Festival 4th October
The green Mamba was back…
One big takeaway from the experience: after not servicing the shocks for a few years, the improvement in handling was incredible. It really reminded me how easily we overlook gradual wear and tear. I’d strongly encourage everyone to have their road car suspension checked annually — the difference in safety and performance can be massive. With the December holidays approaching and families hitting the road, it’s worth making sure your car shocks are in top condition to help avoid potholes or potential collisions.
Having not been at Redstar for awhile, it took me 2 sessions to get on pace and was great to once again be hovering around the 2min.13 bracket -which is near breakout with a low 2.14 in session 3 using older rubber . I was eager to qualify right upfront and got the pit crew to stick on some new rubber for qualifying before putting the Mamba to bed for the evening.
Qualifying was around 8am so it was an early night for the crew.
Qualifying
Qualifying was nothing short of a disaster! I managed to spin out twice, as I just couldn’t get the new tyres up to temperature on the twisty circuit. It was a big lesson for me — you’re never too old to learn. I ended up third last on the grid, which was both embarrassing and humbling
Heat 1
Heading out for Heat 1, I was determined to get back on track — excuse the pun! I managed to work my way through the field and crossed the line 1st in Class, which was a fantastic result for the championship. Having missed the East London event, this finish was exactly what I needed to stay in contention for a possible Class victory, with only one or two rounds left in the season.
Heat 2
After a major improvement from qualifying and starting further up the grid, I was confident that with the car running well, I could bring home another victory — as long as I kept my cool.
Of course, racing gremlins had other plans. On the warm-up lap, my fuel pump decided to stop working, forcing me to pull over on the straight and watch my race from the sidelines. Unbelievably, a tiny screw had worked its way loose on the fuel pump switch, causing a short. Just my luck!
This mishap meant that Mike O’Sullivan, a seasoned campaigner in a Honda, took the victory and, more importantly, closed the gap on my championship lead. Now, I’ll need to win at Zwartkops if I want to claim Class B this season.
The Shield Golfs are always up for a challenge — let’s keep our fingers crossed
Big thanks to Shield for all the support, and see you all at Zwartkops on the 6th of November!
