Of course I always knew that the time would come for the Championship to arrive in Holland at Circuit Park Zandvoort for Round Two, and I suppose that I always knew I wouldn’t be joining in.  But prior knowledge had done nothing to quell the growing sense of frustration that I was experiencing in late May.  I understood why I couldn’t be in Holland but I hadn’t yet dealt with it.

I suppose that not everyone is aware that there is a nudist beach just 2km south of the circuit at Zandvoort.  Probably even fewer people would know that Jan Lammers (Shadow, ATS, Ensign) was born in this Dutch seaside town.  And fewer still could know that holders of UK National B race licences are not allowed to compete in UK Championship races held outside the UK.  But the thing about facts is that obscurity does not deny veracity; and there is still one more important fact to mention.

Budget restrictions for 2010 always meant that I was unlikely to be able to compete in every round of the Cup.  What’s more, I came into the Championship knowing that with time to get only two races under my Arai, I would still be a long way short of qualifying for the upgrade to an A licence in time to go Dutch.  Undeniably I had plenty of opportunity to rationalize this situation and accept it.

But that was before I scored 14 points at Round One.  It’s not the fact that I have (a modest) 14 points against my name in the Championship Table that excites me, but the fact that I have points at all.  What matters now is the realization that I would very much like to score some more.  And that’s a fact.

Roll on Rockingham . . .

Postscript:  Twenty three competitors did make it to Zandvoort for the Cup’s first ever overseas races.  Congratulations to all of them.