Wednesday August 20, 2014 at 11:01am
Another tremendous meeting, with more championship twists and turns, but after two 21- minute races, it was Gary Bryan and Jamie Winn who wore the biggest smiles, with 50 championship points gained, while a couple of their rivals slipped out of contention. Gary and Jamie won the opening race on Saturday but had to give way to Lee Crawford and Stuart Ramsay on Sunday, who scored a VERY impressive win, but as wildcards, were not eligible for championship points. Qualifying first: Ian and Carl Bell had lapped in 1m 31.47 in ‘untimed practice’ and took exactly a second off that to take pole an hour or so later, with Gordon Shand and Phil Hyde second from Bryan/Winn, Carl Fenwick and Ashley Moore fourth and Crawford/Ramsay fifth though they were only doing the Sunday race. Dean Lindley and Rob Bell had had an earlier spin at the Hairpin but a few laps later overturned it exiting onto the straight, the ‘Doc’ ruling out Rob from any further action. Race One: Bell led after the opening lap from Bryan, Fenwick, Shand and John/Jake Lowther but the main talking point was the retirement of joint championship leaders Conrad Harrison and Lee Patterson, who’d qualified sixth but had not been too confident they’d cured a misfire problem. Alan Founds/Tom Peters were sixth followed by Steve and Mattie Ramsden, Roy Hanks/Kevin Perry, Thomas and Tom Quaye, with Tony and Fiona Baker completing the top ten. No changes in that order for three laps, but then the Bells with a one second lead went off at Tower, they rejoined in 7th, lost two further places and then retired – a puncture the cause of their problem. And so, Bryan and Winn led, and continued to for the remaining ten laps, the maximum gap being 1.36 seconds after lap 11. Shand and Hyde kept the leaders more than honest and were over 10 seconds clear of the third placed crew. That was where the interest lay, Fenwick leading from Lowther and Founds. Founds took fourth on the 6th lap and hounded Fenwick in the closing stages. Into the Complex on the penultimate lap, there was a gap, but two doesn’t go into one and both outfits slithered onto the grass. The Lowthers moved into third and on to their first ‘Senior’ podium, and it was Founds who regained the track before Fenwick to take fourth. The Ramsdens were a lonely sixth with Quaye the leader of a pack of four, Hanks, DaveWallis/Ben Weston, and the Bakers completing the top ten. Matt Dix and Shaun Parker were 11th ahead of Dave Lillie/Ben Chandler who won the Bedlington ‘Derby’ from Phil Bell/Ben Hughes!! Rob Fisher/Rick Long, Howard Baker/Mike Killingsworth and Scott Parnell/Dean Kilkenny completed the points scorers and so, with 9 races down, 3 to go Bryan now led the table with 137 from Founds on 135 and Fenwick on 133. If the opening laps of race one hadn’t seen enough drama, then race two made up for it! Off they go on the warm-up lap, Ian and Carl exit from the Jim Clark Esses in a cloud of dust and disappear into the cornfield, the chain had snapped, then Conrad and Lee tour into pit lane, still a misfire…the Quayes had run out of room when Tony Baker had run out of room when……This all gave Fenwick the chance and he led after the opening lap by a second from Bryan and wildcards Crawford/Ramsay, Shand, Founds and Lowther completing the top six. Crawford nabbed second place on lap two and that became the lead a lap later when Fenwick and Moore had a ‘front wheel bearing’ issue going into Sunny One. At last, there was an air of calmness, Crawford led by a second or so from Bryan, Shand was comfortable in 3rd, likewise Founds, Lowther and Ramsden in 4th to 6th. Lillie had retired, wildcard Kev Thornton had lost passenger Wayne Kemp at the Complex, while Phil Bell toured into pit lane. The closest battle was for seventh between Daves, Wallis and Atkinson. DA got by on lap 8 and held it but there was just half a second in it at the flag. Dix was 9th ahead of two ‘oldies’ refusing to age, Hanks nabbing 10th from Tony Baker. Rob Fisher/Rick Long were 12th, their 10th finish in 10 races and ninth points-scoring finish, while Howard Baker, Rob Handcock/Carl Morgan, and Scott Parnell/Dean Kilkenny completing the points scorers. A delighted Gary and Jamie were presented with the Steve Norbury Trophy, and now lead the table by 11 points from Founds, 162 from 151. Fenwick and Harrison on 133 and 122, Shand now on 118, the only other driver who can mathematically win the title. In the F2 Cup following Dean Lindley and Rob Bell’s mishap, Alan Founds and Tom Peters secured the championship, 230 to 139 but Steve and Mattie Ramsden’s good form continued and they are now third on 114 from the Quaye’s 111. The one other topic being discussed was the exciting prospect of Fenwick, Founds, Lowther and Crawford challenging for this championship for many years to come. The ‘Young Guns’ have certainly made their mark this season. Seven weeks to the season finale, at Cadwell on Oct. 4th-5th. Report from John Newton, Photos by Derek Mushet and John Donsworth.