Donnington Track Day with the RS Owners Club 2008

We left from Exeter at 3.30am with the track car tucked up safely on the trailer. After a gentle drive we made it in one piece still relatively early at 7.30am giving us time to check the car over (although we did have prior knowledge that the gearbox wasn't to well). All seemed ok so we were raring to go.

After our safety briefing we headed out for our two learning sessions, getting to know the track behind the safety car. It took us round on the racing line letting us get a feel for how best to really attack the course.

Our first fast track session went with no hiccups although the usually noisy track car was worse than ever as the gearbox really started to whine. (That's what happens when you use second hand Fiesta parts)

The second session left me with a warning from the fire marshall as I was leaving smoke trails behind me (proper thick black stuff) But... The car was still running.

The third track session was less smokey as I had found the cause to be oil on the exhaust which I had promptly cleaned up.

However.... on the way round the track the car was fine but as soon as we were finishing the session we went to put the car in reverse (having left the track) but it wouldn't go. Things were beginning to look interesting with another track session to go.

At this point most sensible people would think better about going back out for another session but not me... the car was still going forwards and that all that mattered.

The fourth and final session saw the track car losing 4th gear. The noise from the diff was getting unbearable too. It certainly sounded like we were on our last legs.

Not one to be beaten I carried on only to find the situation worsen as the final laps drew closer. The gearbox started to randomly allow or disallow gear selections as it pleased and then finally as the session came to a close and we were leaving the track it finally locked up and overheated.

Having completed all the track sessions we were more than happy to push the track car back onto the trailer and ferry it home for a bit of TLC (and a new gearbox).