I ran with the BMWs at Puke yesterday. Bearing in mind that I haven't raced there since the Grand Prix in 1979 and had a few demons to exorcise I really enjoyed it despite having a mixed day.

Apart from the new complex at the back which is as if someone has parachuted the Taupo infield in, the track is as daunting as it always was. As there were passing rain squalls all day the track was very slippery in all the usual places, especially railway and there was standing water on the inside of turn one. I didn't see the accidents (was a bit busy changing gearboxes) but the damaged barriers and tyre marks on the approach to the hill and on the hill suggest that both cars went straight in or close to it so the position of the barriers would not have made a difference. To be honest I didn't feel the barriers were intrusive from a driving perspective at all but my spectators complained they blocked the view pretty much everywhere except in the stands.

It is hard to see where all the money has been spent, that's for sure. Its still bumpy, the drainage is crap and the new complex had standing water at the apex of the left hander all day. Interestingly, I felt that the grip levels were poor there during testing on Friday in the dry but were better than the rest of the track in the wet. These three new corners are quite slow, especially the second left hander (exacerbated by the standing water at the apex) and it has certainly slowed the maximum speed down. I fitted my longer diff for this meeting which was a mistake.

All in all, I was pleasantly surprised, there are certainly more passing opportunities now, especially for people reluctant to launch around the outside of turn one!