Race Report Snetterton October 2009

Carrot Cruncher ploughs on to Victory as Cripps bales out.

Greetings Race Fans!

Well where do I begin?

The season finale showed how to end the year with a bang, quite literally! But more of that later.

Saturday started with yet another freak weather condition that could only happen at Snetterton.

Last year we had the monsoon, this year we had gale forces winds and a sandstorm.

This wasn’t the first time competitors had suffered from bad wind, however this normally occurs in the bar the night before the race. This time the elements conspired to slow down the practice times as huge clouds of dust engulfed the circuit.

So it was with gritted teeth and grim determination that the Peter Besters set about putting in their fast lap times all the while facing up to headwinds that tried to push the cars off course.

It was business as usual here as Lofty Cripps took overall pole, with Walpole pole for class A and Peter Andrews back on form taking the class B pole in the Roadster he seems to have on permanent loan.

Kermit took pole for class F who were missing Dave Brown who was saving himself for the relay.

John (don’t forget my middle name) Bussey led the T types with Steve Dowler the sole representative in class E.

Primrose car 18, boiled up with a suspected blown head gasket putting the Church Lane Racing Team towards the back of the grid……it was divine intervention for me perhaps?

Pat Fenn was still struggling to get his V8 to perform as was Brian Ratcliff in car 61.

RACE 1

Conditions had improved slightly come race time and 32 cars looked to the lights with Ratcliff the only no show if the time sheets are correct.

The pack moved off as one on lights out and I found myself having made an uncharacteristically reasonable start.

This meant I was squashed between my arch rival Brooke Junior in his Dog-kennel and Kevin Stibbards in his recently repaired F.

Turn 2 was soon upon us and the pack held together jostling for position as everyone tried to weave their way through the dust and tyre smoke.

I managed to get past car 51 and tussled along the back straight with car 44, with Wreckitt and the Silver Fox in the mix for good measure.

Brooke tried his familiar “no-brakes” cornering technique and the usual dog-fight ensued.

I managed to pull ahead, but lost ground to 51 who powered past. From then on the race settled down relatively speaking and we all held station, save for the occasional wave from Lofty in car 66 as he lapped us.

The trusty B was behaving herself this time out only displaying a little clutch slip towards the end of the race.

I thought it was all over, but as I went round The Esses on the last lap I was astounded to see a stranded pensioner in the middle of the track.

Yes, gentleman racer Lew Bergonzi had suffered a cruel blow of gearbox failure on the very last lap which gifted 3rd place to me. Sorry Lew but……..YEEEHAAA!!!

A very quick 20 minute race was soon over….well it was over in 17 minutes actually, apparently the timekeepers were using egg timers and what with all the extra sand blowing about they called time early.

Victory to car 66 overall with class A to the Carrot Cruncher in 15 closing in on the overall title.

Class B fell to Long Haired Dave car 11, F to The Trombonist in 76 and class T to “any more fares please” Bussey in car 2.

It was nice to see the annual appearance of Dallas…some of you may know him as our official eligibility scrutineer.

He gave the cars a good going over and we all managed to scrape through the weigh in….although some scraped it more than others ay Pete????

A gaggle of us then headed off to the nearest hostelry (that would still allow us in) to go over the day’s events in the minutest detail - only interspersed by some sort of money-laundering activity being conducted by the Team Neaves “new boys”.

RACE 2

Sunday dawned clear and bright, if only the same could be said for my head. The dust and grime of Saturday had been washed away by the overnight rain and the track looked set to deliver some action packed racing and quicker lap times.

Patt Fenn and Simon Tinkler were both back having worked on their cars over night.In fact MG Mecca had been doing a roaring trade all weekend it seems with several drivers whizzing off to replace the bits they had managed to break.

This time 31 cars made it out and another frantic start ensued.

Having taken Dave Brown’s advice, I had given my slipping clutch a bit of a beasting on the green flag lap, in an attempt to burn off the gearbox oil that had smeared itself over the friction plate.
This seemed to do the trick as I made another reasonable start only to get squeezed off towards the infield, so much so that I ended up driving along the pit lane exit as I tried to keep up with the pack.

By the end of the pit lane I had made up about 4 places, only to give 6 of them back again as I ran out of track at the first corner.

Car 71 was soon past me and off into the distance but I found myself racing against Weasley in the yellow peril midget, which was obviously suffering from some intermittent power issue.

In my mirrors I also saw Primrose making up ground fast having started way down the grid.

Not sure what happened to car 51 this time out….would that have been a spin by any chance?

Before I knew it Tinkler was breathing down my neck looking to pass. I was pushing the trusty B to the limit…..brakes went to jelly, tyres squealed and all the time those cold staring eyes filled my mirror. Yuk!

I used the entire track and fought Simon for the whole race coupled with Weasley slowing down and then nipping past me on the corners…..where was that chequered flag????

Primrose was getting alongside me now as we approached the final lap….this is it I thought he’s got me this time, but as we rounded The Esses for the last time I was greeted with the tyre bale facing me in the centre of the track. @*X*!!!

Lofty Cripps had tried the old shift from 4th to 1st routine and had made a massive impact with the tyres, pushing the whole tyre wall onto the track.

That must have hurt.

As we resumed race speeds round Coram there was just time for Weasley to dive in front of me before Russell Bend as Tinkler and I floored it to the line…..the flag was out and third was mine!!!!!!

An utterly exhausting but enthralling end to the season with one of, if not the, most spectacular race of the year.

Sincere congratulations must go to the Carrot-Cruncher James Walpole who once again has won the overall Championship and of course Class A honours.

Dave Brooke took the Class B victory and is a respectable 2nd overall with Simon Cripps third.

I have to say that respect is due to the remarkable, but well deserved, winner of the final race of the year. Team Neaves prodigy Ollie Neaves who in only his fourth race drove to a magnificent and convincing victory.

Well done Ollie. (PS You still owe me a fiver)

Class C rightly took the top three places on the day, with the welcome return of Beaker in car 43…or perhaps we should call him Pingu now?

Old Man Neaves took third in car 7….the manual labourer having lost out to his pen-pushing offspring.

Legs of Doom having failed miserably to take last place on Saturday excelled himself with a magnificent last race last place on Sunday….good to see he is back on form!

An absolutely fantastic race and a brilliant end to the season…..as always a clean and very sporting day was had by all.

I must say I really need the 6 months break before the next season to recover!

All eyes now turn to the Annual Dinner & Dance -HOORAY- and the annual drivers meeting (groan).

As I understand it an agenda is already being set as several points for discussion have already been submitted.

Hopefully the provisional running order can be published in advance on the official site ( or here if you prefer) to allow us time to consider any proposed rule changes etc …..I know it will never happen but I live in hope, as at the rate we are going we might as well have the meal in there as well if it goes on as long as last year.

I will churn out a little preamble to the D&D a week or so before so if anyone does want to post any information, comment etc., feel free.

And finally…..

PITLANE GOSSIP

Lord God Frank Thompson prepares for return to PBIC in 2010.
Legs of Doom abandons last place tactics and aims for Class A title next year.
Pete Burchill over does it on Redbull consumption , unable to sleep for a week.
Church Lane Racing remove sticker from rear of car as no-one reads it.
John Wreckitt on crash diet for 2010 season…only crash part completed to date.
Wilson finds too much orange peel in recent re-spray.

Jonesey