Driver profile: Graham Johnson

Managing director at UKIP Media & Events, publishers of PMW magazine and organizers of Professional MotorSport World Expo

Championship: Caterham Roadsport A
Team: Colards Motorsport
Sponsor: Nuffield Press

Graham's blog

Round 4: Rockingham, 3-4 July 2010

I haven’t raced at Rockingham since July 2007, when I had a disastrous race in what was then a fully rebuilt car following a big accident I’d had the round before. I recall that I qualified 19th, and I didn’t race much better, coming home outside of the top 10 in both races. It transpired that the car hadn’t been reassembled particularly well, but the damage to my confidence where Rockingham is concerned had been done – I most definitely was not looking forward to this weekend!

As it happens, testing went very well, and I was fastest in all but one session (although I was still second quickest). Qualifying, however, was not such a triumph, and I lined up 9th – I’d managed the same at Silverstone at the start of the year, but that was with the spare engine following the failure of my race engine. I was disappointed and frustrated, but I was also confused. I blamed myself for not picking up a sensible slipstream…

A decent start in race one saw me vying for the lead with a tightly formed pack of five Caterhams, but it soon became clear that I didn’t have the same straight-line speed as those around me. I’d lose the pack by a couple of car lengths around Rockingham’s long, banked ‘straight’, but then pull them back in through the infield, only to lose ground again on the banking. I crossed the finish line fifth, and, having studied the in-car camera footage, accepted that perhaps my engine simply just was as powerful as those around me.

An even better start in race two, had me in third place at the end of the first lap. Again, I lacked straight line speed, but smart race craft had me well and truly in the five-car scrap for the lead. Places chopped and changed almost corner by corner for over 25 minutes, but then Jonathan Ramsey stuffed it down my inside very late into the last corner, lost control, and his car lay blocking the track. I had to select reverse to get around his stricken car, meaning I fell from second place to 11th in just one corner. I’d lost too much ground and so with just two laps remaining, 11th is where I finished.

The only joy I had from this weekend came after the action when the team, Colards Motorsport, found that the fuel-return pipe was blocked, thus accounting for the lack of straight line speed. It bodes well for a decent result at the next round at Brands in August. And besides, I do currently have a 13-point championship lead, despite my Rockingham woes!

Round 3: Zolder, Belgium, 5-6 June 2010

I’d never watched a race at Zolder before the weekend let alone driven the circuit, so I arrived in a steaming hot Belgium filled with nervous excitement. A quick tour of the track before testing commenced, revealed Zolder to be a world-class race venue with excellent facilities. Indeed, after just one lap of the ex-F1 destination, I was hooked! Probably the best track I’ve experienced, with a wonderful combination of fast-flowing, sweeping corners; very long straights; challenging chicanes; off-camber bends; a sharp rise and steep descent; and a tight hairpin. Great fun – and as it turns out, rather suited to my driving style!

I was fastest in every test session, so I was disappointed to be second on the grid after qualifying (a result of not making the most of slip-streaming rivals). As it turned out, I need not have worried as I took the lead on the first lap and then never looked back. I crossed the finish line first with a seven-second advantage – and that was despite the fact that my left-rear tire turned out to be deflating over the last four laps. (I had wondered why the back of the car was getting quite so lively!) Still, the puncture only cost me half a second or so a lap, so luck was on my side for once!

Race two was altogether more challenging as it started to rain extremely heavily as we commenced the green flag lap and as it was most unexpected, we had a dry setup on the car! The first few minutes of the race were a voyage of discovery as each driver sought the grip, but fortunately I adapted quickly, pulling a 2.5-second lead just four minutes into the half-hour race. Not so fortunate was the fact that several drivers didn’t find grip and crashed heavily enough to bring out the safety car for almost 10 minutes! A good restart saw me build a small advantage for two laps, but following is always easier than leading in such conditions, and so my main championship rival, Jamie Orton, was soon on my tail and then passed me when I made a small mistake in the second chicane.

I had planned to re-pass him as I was lapping quicker than him, but then I had the shock of my life to see JJ O’Mallory in my rear-view mirror with two laps to go. It transpired that JJ, who had started the race dead last, decided to stop to swap to wet settings. The safety car put him back in contention and, thanks to his smart decision, he was able to circulate three seconds a lap faster than me. There was no possible way to fight back. The only conciliation was that Jamie couldn’t hold him back either, so Jamie was second while I was third. Still, two further podiums and the championship is looking good thus far: there’s just one point in it behind Jamie and I with four rounds and eight races to go. Cross everything!

Round 2: Castle Combe 3 May 2010

With strict noise regulations in place at Castle Combe in the South-West of England, official testing for races 3 and 4 of the Caterham Roadsport A Championship took place three days before the actual race meeting. Unfortunately, it rained all day on during testing, but come race-day, the track was dry for qualifying, meaning I had just 20 minutes to dial into a track I’d not visited since May 2008. Nevertheless, I made good progress, qualifying third and thus making good use of my now rebuilt engine.

An unusually reasonable start for me during the first race – I rarely get off the line well – saw me in second place for the first three laps, with good pace and the ability to strike for the lead when closer to the end of the 30-minute race. At least that was the plan: the heavens opened up with hail after four laps, making conditions extremely tricky and slippery. Indeed, within three laps of the hail having fallen, seven cars of the 26-car grid were in the wall, many heavily damaged and out of the race. Common sense prevailed as I decided to drive well within my limits to keep my Colards-prepared car on the island and record my first podium of the year with third place.

The track conditions for the second encounter were much more appealing, with brilliant sunshine and a dry surface. I enjoy Combe, and took the lead after just one lap. While I couldn’t shake Jonathan Ramsey or Peter Young for the entire 30-minutes, the three of us did manage to break free of the chasing pack and fight cleanly for the win. Probably the most mentally challenging race of my life to date, but I held the lead for the entire race despite numerous valiant attempts by my pursuers to take the win.

After two rounds and four races – including the two races with the spare, unpowered engine – we’re second in the championship, just two points adrift of Jamie Orton. Next stop Zolder in June.

Round 1: Silverstone 10-11 April 2010

Well, the car may look a bit different and I have a new partner onboard in the shape of the international printer, Nuffield Press, but the luck’s got no better in 2010…!

All was going very well in Friday’s test sessions, with me topping the time sheets in all three sessions, however, during the last test, the cam belt of the K-Series engine snapped, stripping the head and even damaging the pistons and liners. The team, Colards Motorsport, did a great job getting the spare engine ready for qualifying the next day, but their efforts turned out to be a little in vain as the spare wasn’t exactly on a par with the rest of the field – best team estimates put the unit at between 8 and 12bhp down or to put it another way, around 20bhp per ton! Nevertheless, by towing more powerful cars, I managed to qualify 9th on a grid of 22, albeit it a second off pole.

Between quali and the first race, the team took some weight out of the car to leave absolutely no margin for error and they changed the setup, running the front wheels parallel to reduce any friction (any unfortunately reduce turn-in, but desperate times…). It worked to a degree in that I could at least stay with the car in front in their slipstream assuming I was within 5m of them, but then again anyone behind me could simply drive straight past on any of Silverstone National’s three long straights. After the half-hour race, I crossed the line in 7th pace, just 0.053 seconds behind the car in front. A better result than I feared given the hindrance and I can honestly say I don’t think I’ve ever driven better, but unfortunately the only person that knew that was me!

Race two and our expectations weren’t high as the oil pressure gauge now read zero at idle and even went negative on throttle! As it happens, I had a reasonable start and at one point found myself in second place, but it couldn’t last as the others simply drove past me in a straight line. With everything lined up for a fifth-place finish with a move around the outside of competitor Mark Figes on the second from last corner of the race, misfortune struck again when the aforementioned simply turned into the side of my car for the next corner and dropped us both down the order. I crossed the line 200m later in 7th place with a damaged exhaust to add to the parts bill. Frustrating, but driving with less power than those around you teaches one a great deal about making the most of every single horse that is available. Assuming Minister gets my engine rebuilt in time for Castle Combe in the first week of April, it looks like I have a decent chance of success. And being fifth in the championship with 12 races to go could be worse.

Graham's blog archive

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