Lydden Race Report
24th July 2004
Qualified 8th with 52.12. Heat winners Andy Burgess and Ian Laughton just behind me on grid, Paul Tibbs and Richard Kingsnorth the row ahead. Beside me is Matt Lewis.
Start well and follow Paul Sheehan and Martin Boon, Lewis just behind me. Lap 2 and Sheehan and Boon make contact but I am unable to capitalise, into lap 3 and I'm running 5th. Lap 5 and Lewis tries to pass in Devil's Elbow, we give each other room and I defend into North Bend to hold the place. Lap 6 and I am swept up by Lewis and Kingsnorth, lap 7 and I lose out to Tibbs and Burgess. I defend from Malcolm Russell and hold the place. Tibbs is defending hard to keep Burgess behind and I catch them but can't overtake, and in lap 18 I work hard to keep Russell behind, and keep 9th place. Pete Morgan wins from Craig Shepherd and Martin Boon.
25th July 2004
Top 8 on grid the same, but behind is Burgess and Russell. At the start Kingsnorth is blocked by Sheehan, I get squeezed and pushed into Tibbs, who collects Sheehan, bringing out the red flags.
Restart and I get away 5th behind Lewis after defending from Tibbs. I hold position until lap 12 when Burgess comes through into Devil's Elbow. On lap 16 Simon Hunt, who has been moving up through the pack, gives me a shunt into Elbow, but I hold position. A lap later I'm unable to hold, and Hunt goes through. Laughton gets me in the same place on lap 18, and despite a late challenge from Stuart Pearson, positions remain the same, and after 23 laps I'm 8th. Morgan wins from Boon, Shepherd.