My surprise at the BTCC

Hello!

In my last blog post I ended with a promise that I would write about a surprise that was deliberately leaked to me just before we went to see the touring car championships at Oulton Park in Cheshire.

Before I tell you about the surprise I will tell you a little bit about my interest in motorsport (but mainly the BTCC). Firstly I am a bit of an adrenaline junkie, I love near enough anything fast, high and a little bit dangerous as long as it doesn't involve breaking any law. I don't have the chance to experience fast first hand since my illness was diagnosed but it doesn't stop me from loving the sounds, sights and smells (and occasionally the ground shake) from fast things.

Touring cars is my most recent interest really, well motorsport as a whole. Dan is really interested in all things car and he has been to see the touring car championships a few times at our most local track which is Donnington. We decided after my first live experience of motor racing earlier this year (as in not watching on TV) that it was actually quite a good way for us to spend a day together with a picnic and just chill out enjoying the atmosphere and buzz around the event. It's quite hard for me to explain really. At Donnington, my first time, we got a brill spot with a big screen opposite so we saw the TV coverage for the parts of the track that we couldn't actually physically see there. I guess it's like watching a music concert DVD, it's always better to be there in the audience than to be watching it at home! The fresh air also does me some good.

My cousin (confusingly also called Dan) is someone who from being very small I have been close to. There was a huge gap where we didn't see each other for one reason or another (mainly distance as he has always lived in Dorset and I was brought up in Nottinghamshire). Anyway, Dan (husband) and I had a holiday to Dorset not long after we got together which meant that I got to see a lot of the family that I hadn't seen for a long time and Dan (cousin) was one of those people! He's always been into cars, bikes and anything that made his hands oily and dirty! He's now a mechanic (no surprise there) and he's also a Marshall at the BTCC! He has a friend in the west surrey racing ebay motors team and when he found out that (hubby) Dan and I were going to Oulton Park, he managed to get us a garage tour and meet and greet with the drivers. My Dan let me read the message thread from cousin Dan which explained it all! The words he wrote really touched me and my Dan timed it perfectly because I was worried that I was going to be too sick to actually enjoy any of the races! I double checked that all of my meds were packed just because I knew I wasn't "tip - top". When I first saw the paddock at I was like "that's so cool" but when we actually got to the garage and met "little Pete" as he was refered to on the ITV4 coverage I honestly felt like a VIP! There we were having our bags taken off us and being offered drinks, taken around the garage, looking around and touching the cars and then meeting the drivers as if they knew us - well, they kind of did - they had been told about me before I even got there!!! It was insane! I got really weepy when my cousin messaged me with "have you had a good morning then?" I know that to some people it wouldn't be a big deal but for me and (husband) Dan it was just such a lovely thought. It came out of the blue and it is something that I treasure so much.

The whole day was fantastic and I just feel so blessed that I have the best people in my life that drag me through the worst of times even when they aren't always aware of how bad it actually is.

If you want to know the drivers we met then you can search for Colin Turkinton, Rob Collard and Nick Foster BTCC.

Well, can you believe it? Two blogs in one day? I'm going to get working on the getting to know me tag next... I don't know when that will be... It will be soon!

Until next time,

Toodles Noodles :)

Han.xx