Boy, what a day’s racing! Driving home it was hard to believe it hadn’t been a 2-day meeting. Starting at the beginning: QUALIFYING: Free practice had seen 42 sidecars out on track, fortunately qualifying for ‘our’ races saw just 23. Howard Baker/Mike Killingsworth, Tony Thirkell/Nigel Barlow, Rob Handcock/Basil Bevan, Dave Atkinson/Mike Aylott and Pete Alton/Keith Brotherton had all missed Brands while Dave Wallis had Ben Weston on board. Carl Fenwick/Phil Knapton took pole, a quarter of a second less than Ian and Carl Bell with ‘home’ boys Alan Founds/Tom Peters third on their first proper Oulton outing.
RACE ONE: Our opening race was the first after the lunch break scheduled around 2pm. But 2pm came and went and no tannoy call, at least for some! Approaching 2.20 most teams made their way to the holding bay and were then ushered out on track. From the vantage point of the media centre I noticed the non-appearance of Founds and Peters. What could have gone wrong? No sign of them looking down the row of garages, but then Tony Baker/Fiona Baker appeared followed by Matt Dix/Shaun Parker and then Founds/Peters. Meanwhile the other 21 were on their warm-up lap so three very agitated teams were preparing ‘their heads’ for a back-of-the-grid start. What had happened? Well, while it is the responsibility of every team to be ready and we all know you can’t rely on tannoys especially if the wind is blowing away from you, it was particularly strange that all three teams had been ready since 2 o’clock, but had neither heard anything or seen anyone making their way across the paddock to the holding bay. At least two subsequent races were similarly affected. The circuit manager obviously needs to get the matter sorted but none of this was going to change things for Tony, Matt and Alan.
Bell led Fenwick after the opening lap, Conrad Harrison/Lee Patterson, Gary Bryan/Jamie Winn, Dean Lindley/Rob Bell and Gordon Shand/Phil Hyde completing the top six. Shandy was just in front of Rob Fisher/Rick Long, and Atkinson, the Lowthers and Sean Reeves/Ted Hills made up the top ten. Both Howard Baker and Tony Thirkell retired on the opening lap with engine problems but the next departure from the scene had a vital effect. Coming up from Lodge Corner, the Bells peeled off into pit lane with an overheating problem. Within a lap, ‘stablemates’ Dave Lillie/Ben Chandler retired and they were soon to be joined on the sidelines by Handcock, Reeves and Pete Alton/Keith Brotherton. Meanwhile the ‘latecomers’ were all making progress. By lap five of the seven, Dix was 17th, Baker upto 14th while Founds was ‘on a mission’ and had charged into 6th. At the front, Fenwick took control after Bell’s departure but Harrison closed on the last lap and the gap was just a quarter of a second, Bryan in third. Founds had got past Lindley and Shand to take 4th. Fisher was a good 7th, Atkinson, Lowther and Hanks completing the top ten. The other finishers were Tom/Thomas Quaye, T.Baker, Nev Jones/Joe Gaunt, Wallis who had had to recover from a first lap ‘derailment’, Dix, Steve and Mattie Ramsden and wildcards Gerry Flynn and Dave Clark. Carl’s first British win after 8 second places and 5 thirds!
Our second race began at two minutes to five, several teams arriving in the holding bay VERY early!. Thirkell, Howard Baker, Reeves and Lillie were all absent while Alton ‘borrowed’ a bike needing to get a TT signature. Bell was obviously hoping for the race one problem had been cured – points wise, his 25 wasn’t looking too good next to leader Harrison’s 58. Still, with 9 races still to go, there’s plenty of time……..isn’t there? Another point being discussed was what would Founds do now that he could start from Row 2. He’d been 16 seconds down on R1 winner Fenwick, all down to the back-of-the-grid start?? After the opening lap, Bell led Founds with Fenwick, Harrison, Lindley and Bryan 3rd to 6th. No change a lap later but Founds was barely visible as they came up to Deer’s Leap, so close was he to Bell and when
they got down the S/F straight, he dived inside and held it! Wallis was 7th from Shand, Fisher and Atkinson. Founds’ lead over Bell increased a little on each of the next two laps, and then Bell retired, the same problem as race one. Founds with no signals, pressed on, his fastest lap of 1.51.674 over a second faster than the field and he took a memorable win by over 4 seconds from Harrison who’d got past Fenwick on the last lap. Just a second separated 4th to 7th, Lindley continuing his good form leading home Bryan, Wallis and Shand. Atkinson and Fisher were 8th and 9th while Ramsden secured 10th (and 3rd in the Cup behind Founds and Lindley). Baker, Hanks, Dix, Jones and Quaye all earned championship points while Alton and Handcock completed the finishers. I ventured to suggest it was the first time we’d had two first-time British Championship winners at the same meeting – but no, back in 2004 at Cadwell, Peter Williams and Tony Elmer both took their first wins.
The championship leaders are: Harrison 78, Founds 68, Bryan 63, Fenwick 58, Lindley 50 and Shand 43, while in the F2 Cup Founds on 95 leads from Lindley on 85, Quaye 51, Reeves 32 and Ramsden on 29. Round 3 is at Cadwell next Sunday and Monday, 4th-5th May.
John Newton, FSRA Press Officer.
Photos courtesy of John Mushet.