Well, Monza was unbelievable. Next time I bump into Lewis or Kimi in the local pub, I'l be able to nod sagely and say "Oh yes, I find inducing a little oversteer in Lesmo 1 creates a better entry line for Lesmo 2." Been there, done it, got the T-shirt!

Entertaining drive down included the car falling off the trailer, a puncture before we got more than 30miles from home, and only finding a hotel by the skin of ur teeth. Compensated by the Autoroute des Titans, the Mont Blanc Tunnel and a dead-ringer for Jeremy Clarkson running a hotel on the outskirts of Geneva! I'd never been to the Alps before, and it was all "Heidi" and snow-capped peaks, just what I expected.

I've read about Monza slipstreaming batles, but to be involved in them is something else. Race 1, Fred (Elite), Joop, Chris and I were swapping places three, four times a lap. Side-by-side in Parabolica, two/three/four abreast on the straights. Real racing! Sadly it all ended when my throttle cable snapped.

Race 2, and David Smith & I were hammer and tongs all over again, making a quartet with Ian Permain and Ben Kap. Running in the slipstream of the quicker cars, I was FOUR SECONDS faster than in practice, running on my own just a couple up. I could see the whites of David's eyes in his rear view mirror, yet we never touched in a huge battle that was decided in my favour when his fuel pump stopped. I was out of reach of Ian and Ben, so backed off to bring the temperatures down - I gained 10 degrees in traffic.

Race 3. I couldn't quite keep on the tail of the quicker cars which got a break when I had to back off to avoid debris in the first chicane. Running without a temp gauge or a rev counter, I just cruised to the finish to protect the failing oil pressure.

So how did the engine do? Well, for a "spare" it was stunning. At least 20 brake down on the opposition, I could out-turn them but found it hard to make the move stick as we came onto the straights - see the video which I'll upload soon.

Was it worth the 2000 mile round trip? You betcha! The experience of a lifetime, and I'm still bubbling, three days later. Now to get ready for Snetterton and the MGCC 4-Hour Relay Race on Sunday...but it won't be quite the same.

More as I think of it.