 |
Parts enquiries
Engineering enquiries |
|
|
2005 Race results
ROUNDs 11 & 12, With a double-header and double points final round, it was all to play for as the K&N backed championship came to its season close. 20 cars set out for qualifying, but for Martin Brockhouse’s Skoda it lasted only one lap. “I nearly lost the front wheel going into Island Hairpin, a wheel nut split. Al I heard was a big bang,” he explained. Pole went to Ian Hall’s Darrian by only 0.012s from Michael Blomfield’s Sierra. “We overcame pre-session clutch problems and there were no other dramas,” said Hall. “The session was Ok, but we had a split gearbox cooler on the way to scrutineering,” Blomfield replied. Robert Pritchard was disappointed to be over two seconds down in third with his Caterham. “The session was too early for me, I’m not a morning person even though the car seemed to go very well,” he said. Although he only managed five laps, Simon Allaway was alongside in his Wildcat Esprit. “I blew a seal on the oil filter, the pressure was dropping so I came in early,” he explained. Fifth best Kevin Cryer also had oil pressure problems with his Caterham. “It just went through the roof, I think I know what’s caused it though,” he reckoned. Mark Primett was fractionally behind, “I am still surprised to be so far up as it’s my road car engine still,” said the Banks Europa driver. Heading the fourth row was returnee Nick Cresswell, his first race since 2001 with a Caterham. “It’s my first time out with the car really, it’s fun,” he declared. John Garnett’s BMW M3 completed the row, “after the season I have had I am saying nothing and keeping everything crossed,” he said. Down in ninth Dennis Crompton’s BMW M3 was “OK but not fast enough.” Tony Brass’s M3 completed the top ten, while behind the Banks Europa pairing of Nick Pakes and Richard Winter shared row six. “I still had a problem with second gear, but otherwise it was Ok,” said Pakes. “Mine was just comfortable and boring,” replied Winter. Graham Taylor’s Westfield headed Duncan Aukland’s Rover 3500SE on the next row, “it was alright, just further back than I would have liked and Tony Brass is decidedly quicker than me in the class,” said the outgoing champion. Chris Maries continued to struggle with his Locost Seven Ninja. “I went out on old slicks, they worked OK but the gearing was all wrong for them, so I am changing back,” he explained. “I had a few disturbing noises from the rear end and gearbox, but excellent otherwise,” said Jeremy Coates of his Rover. Just behind was Phil Simpson who reckoned his Sierra XR4i was “running Ok but a bit oily.” Phil Hall enjoyed “a Saturday morning drive” in his Banks Europa and Alan Collinson managed to his Rover’s exhaust manifold. “I bent it on the kerb at Lodge, I had already been off at Druids and think the tyres were still damp,” he explained. GRID *I. Hall Cryer Crompton Taylor Simpson Pritchard Cresswell Pakes Maries Collinson Blomfield Primett Brass Aukland P.Hall Allaway Garnett Winter Coates Brockhouse The red flags were out before the field had cleared Old Hall on the opening lap. Hall sprinted away from pole to lead, while Pritchard attempted to slip between the Darrian and Blomfield’s Sierra. There was contact and Blomfield’s car weaved dramatically. Despite a huge effort to control the Sierra, the luckless Primett was caught and sent spearing heavily into the barriers. There was further contact behind when Brass slowed and was hit by Aukland. “I went for the gap and Mike caught my front wheel. It was only a very light touch,” said Pritchard. “I didn’t see any of it,” commented Hall. “The car is shagged,” replied Primett, nursing a sore neck and shoulder. “A gap appeared and I went for or it, Mike then dug in and hit me, that was it. All four wheels are wrecked too,” he added. “I was unsighted when Tony went for the brakes, so was just grabbing second and I hit him,” explained Aukland. Both Brass and Aukland made the restart, but the Europa’s of Pakes and Phil Hall didn’t after breaking driveshafts. From the restart Hall had the advantage again, as Pritchard and Allaway came desperately close to more contact. Cresswell slipped past Cryer for fourth down the Avenue, but was given a 10 second penalty for jumping the start and had changed places again before the end of the lap. As the lead pair had fled the pack by the end of lap two, Allaway was left solo in third, as Cresswell retook Cryer in a wheel to wheel duel for fourth. Crompton, Garnett, Taylor, Maries and Aukland occupied the rest of the top ten, but Brass and Winter soon started to threaten. Hall seemed unable to shake off Pritchard, while down in sixth Crompton had Garnett on his tail after three laps. As Maries started to slow, Taylor pulled clear and left his former sparring partner at the mercy of Aukland, who had his mirrors starting to fill with Brass and Winter. Allaway’s hold on third started to reduce on lap four, as the dueling Caterham’s closed in, and with Brass slipping past Aukland, Winter was eager to follow. With five laps gone it was suddenly a five car train for third, with Cresswell again leading the pressure on Allaway. Brass took Taylor for seventh into Old Hall on lap seven, as Allaway peeled off into the pits. “I thought the engine had blown at Cascades, it kept going but the vibration got worse,” he explained. Battles continued to rage throughout the second half of the race, but Hall just kept Pritchard at a safe distance to retain his lead to the flag. Cryer retained his advantage over Cresswell from lap six, but were never more than a length apart. Likewise Crompton just had the edge over Garnett despite a exchange two laps from home. “My brakes kept locking and I kept winding them up, then John got me at Cascades,” said Crompton. “I was pleased to have got by and was protecting my line into Island, got knotted up and lost it,” Garnett replied. With Cresswell’s penalty, he fell to sixth behind the BMW duo. Brass eased away for a comfortable seventh and class win, while Aukland just held off Winter on the line for ninth. Brockhouse was pleased to see the finish in 11th, “I kept out of all the trouble, so it was good,” he said. Coates and Simpson were next up, having relegated Maries to last place, as he struggled home with an intermittent electrical problem. RESULTS ROUND 11 1 Ian Hall (Darrian T98 GTR)12 laps in
17m45.275s (90.27mph); Fastest lap: Hall 1m27.765s (91.30mph). Class A: 1 Hall; no other finishers. ROUND 12 Grid *I.HALL GARNETT AUKLAND SIMPSON BLOMFIELD CRYER BRASS BROCKHOUSE ALLAWAY P.HALL PRITCHARD CRESSWELL WINTER MARIES PAKES CROMPTON TAYLOR COATES COLLINSON
Primett an obvious non starter for the second race was joined by Collinson’s Rover. So 18 cars lined up for their last race of the year in the finishing order from race one, and double points on offer. Pritchard led the first few yards, before Hall scorched back in front to lead into Old Hall. Cresswell was third and Crompton just held onto fourth from a flying Taylor. By the end of the first lap the lead duo were once again in the clear. Crompton managed to not only shake off Taylor but nipped past Cresswell for third too. Cryer and Garnet were both in close contention, as Taylor slipped to seventh. Winter, Maries and Brass followed, with a smokey Allaway just ahead of Aukland. By the end of lap three Blomfield had charged through from the back of the grid into sixth, while Cryer fell back after a spin at Knickerbrook. “Oil and water don’t mix, I found it and spun,” said Cryer. Both Winter and Maries made it past Taylor, as Brass closed in too. Any advantage Hall had pulled out was all but gone by the start of the fourth lap, with Pritchard inches from the Darrian’s tail. Blomfield’s charge took him past Garnett for fifth as Cresswell became the next target. Into Knickerbrook Pritchard dived ahead, while further down the order Taylor fell off on the inside of Lodge. Allaway headed pitwards to retire. “I had a bit of an oil leak, I think most people noticed,” he said. Crompton had found the oil and crashed out at Cascades a lap later, leaving Blomfield a clear third and Cresswell reconsolidating fourth over Garnett. “I just hit the brakes and the back came round and of I went,” explained Crompton. With Blomfield pitting on lap seven after a confusion over black flags, Cresswell was up to third. Winter made it past Brass as the BMW started to slow, and Maries began to slip down the order again. Hall chased hard to regain his lost lead from Pritchard, and came close on a number of occasions. But on lap 11 the Darrian spun at Knickerbrook and gave Pritchard the decisive break. “That was absolutely fabulous, Ian gave me a really good race,” said the victor. But second overall and another class win was all Hall needed to secure the title. “I am delighted, that’s my first overall BARC Championship title,” he explained. Garnett managed to not only reel Cresswell back in, but snatched third from the Caterham driver on lap nine at Old Hall and soon made the place his own. Cryer’s recovery netted him fifth on the last lap, after ousting Brass’s ailing BMW. “The gearbox failed. I lost second and third early on and couldn’t have done another lap,” he explained. Brass still held on for a class win despite slipping behind Winter to take seventh at the flag. Brockhouse claimed eighth after taking Aukland on lap nine, leaving Pakes, Maries and Simpson to complete the finishers. Phil Hall failed to complete the opening lap again, after another driveshaft failure and Coates “overcooked it” at Old Hall chasing Simpson in the early laps. RESULTS ROUND 12 1 Pritchard 15 laps in 22m29.985s
(89.04mph); Fastest lap: Hall 1m26.042s (93.13mph). PUBLISHED BY PETER SCHERER FOR BARC (NW) SEPTEMBER 29TH 2005, CONTACT 01332 362577/07802 853244 or peter@scher.freeserve.co.uk |
|
|