Easter Thunderball 2009 Page 2 of 4
	"I lightly touch the accelerator pedal and the motor instantly responds, going from idle to 6000 rpm in an instant"
As we inch closer to the end of the pairing lanes the team make a final check on tyre pressures, remove the safety pin from the fire system and hook up the window net. I am fully geared up and ready to go. Simon drives the tow car around to the side road and we are ready. We get the signal from the marshal to start up, so it's on with the fuel, ignition, set the kill switch to 'run' and prime the oil from the accumulator. Outside the car, James opens the throttle flaps and primes the motor with petrol, closes the flaps and gives the thumbs up to crank the motor over. Almost immediately Nosferatu fires up and I lean the fuel off to avoid over contaminating the oil with methanol. Foot on the brake I select second gear from the powerglide (Nosferatu only has two gears) then ease off the brake to start moving. There are loads of people to my right behind the fence watching as I pull away. I turn the car towards the strip and see for the first time the thousands of people on the bank, grandstand and along the pit fence. Also all of the photographers lined up behind the wall come into view, that is a great sight. My focus is now on Ray. He is the director and I follow his instructions to the letter and ignore everything and everybody else. As far as I am concerned he is in charge. He brings me slowly through the water and then instructs me to stop. I know that I am in the perfect position to start the burnout, but only when he says. Ray gives me the signal and still in second gear I lightly touch the accelerator pedal and the motor instantly responds, going from idle to 6000 rpm in an instant at a tenth of the throttle… Previous Page Next Page