The UK’S fastest laps of 2017
No prizes, just bragging rights. Our annual look at who set the fastest laps in car races on each circuit in the British Isles, plus some stories behind them
KNOCKHILL
Jamie Caroline “We were in the groove that weekend – we had four test sessions before the event and we were fastest in three of them and in the other one we used old tyres. [For race two] I had the pole from [the postponed race at] Oulton Park and just drove away. It’s such a short track but in three laps I had something like a six-second lead. It’s a shame the safety car came out because I was pushing and pushing to get a big lead. The team were telling me to slow down but I just wanted to rub it in! If you’re coming into the hairpin and can’t see a car behind you, you know you’ve done a good job. It’s one of my favourite circuits and suits my driving style – you have got to be fully committed and take every inch of kerb and have confidence in the car.” SL
DONINGTON PARK NATIONAL
Cian Carey “My first weekend with Chris Dittmann Racing was at my favourite circuit so I was confident going into the meeting. Our driver coach previously held the lap record there with CDR so it was cool to beat it and have some bragging rights. Redgate is difficult because you need to carry good speed on exit and the twisty Craner Curves are all about scrubbing as little speed as possible. Climbing the hill towards Coppice is my favourite part of the lap; it’s blind on entry, but where the corner opens up on the exit you can really get on the throttle early and when you get it right it’s so sweet! I definitely had more time in the car; the lap record was set in traffic and on tyres that were getting tired after doing both races. I’m confident next year I’ll be able to improve on that.” JJ
CADWELL PARK
Jeremy Timms “You just go for it! With the Cadwell Park one
I was trying to break the outright lap record. With that circuit it’s very undulating, and you’re very close to the tyre barriers and trees. But the car is really suited to that with the bike engine, which allows you to dip in and out of the corners. The Dallara is a bit bigger than the Jedi [which Timms has raced], which holds the lap record there, but I think it’s a case of when you’re doing the lap record everything has to be right on the day with the temperature and no rain. It’s difficult to get that year after year.” RM
SILVERSTONE NATIONAL
Martin Short “Midway through the race [the Allcomers Closed Wheel race at the Walter Hayes Trophy, which Short contested in his V10 Judd-engined Dallara SP1], I decided I’d have a crack at just enjoying myself. I tried on a number of laps to get a fastest lap, but there was a lot of traffic. Coming down the National straight on the 24th lap I had a good gap in front, so came into Luffield and went for slightly more of a qualifying-lap entrance, going quite deep and turning the car and getting on the power early, rather than a tighter entrance. I probably braked the latest and carried the most speed through Copse. I got a little bit on the exit kerb. I came into Becketts and there was still no traffic. I got a really good drive out of the corner, a little bit over the exit kerbs again. Into Brooklands I had to overtake a car that was on the righthand side. I was a little bit compromised, but not massively.
I had a good run through Brooklands and Luffield. I did think at the time, ‘That one was all right’.” AL
BRANDS HATCH GRAND PRIX
Chris Dittmann “I was really pleased to set the lap record at Brands as I hadn’t driven there for over five years. It’s one of my favourite circuits and in an F3 car it’s a phenomenal experience. With no testing there you need a lot of confidence to push to the limit, especially with small margins for error. My fastest lap was set towards the end of race one after a safety car period. I managed to get a fantastic restart and from there I worked really hard to build up a 7.5s gap, setting a new lap record in the process. I felt I got the maximum out of the car on that lap, but the conditions were slightly better at other times during the weekend. I was nearly a second faster in qualifying and there was potential to go faster; a sub 1m19s would have been more than possible.” JJ