Mallory Race Report

14th March 2004

 

With only the top nine finishers from each heat guaranteed a place in the final, I am in the first of two heats back in 17th place. We are the first race of the afternoon, and face a very wet track, rain, and strong wind. I line up behind Terry Roughton, Paul Johnson and Glenn Stokes. At the sharp end, Matt Lewis is on pole, sharing the front row with Simon Howard.

Click here to watch start of heat 1.

Roughton gets away well, and we both pass Paul Johnson. I take to the left hand side of the track and pass Roughton and Stokes on the outside into Gerrards, to follow John Hemming and Phil Smith. Smith drifts wide and loses the back end and comes back across the track, and I narrowly avoid him. Stewart Nind goes off to the inside of the track and I go outside, to join Stebbe Straight in one piece. I follow Hemming and Simon Holloway through the Esses and up to the hairpin.

Lap 2 and I’m close enough to Holloway through Gerrards that I get a tow up Stebbe Straight and can pass inside into the Esses. Hemming goes wide and I’m behind Gordon MacMillan, who moves aside before mechanical problems finish his race. Hemming is still trying, and on lap 4 I am forced to defend very hard into Gerrards. I’ve still got my mirrors full as we catch Robert Foreman and Alastair Boulton into the hairpin on lap 5. We both pass Boulton down Kirkby Straight and spend laps 6 to 9 chasing Foreman, who I pass inside into the hairpin.

Martin Boon leads from Simon Howard, Matt Lewis and David Lewis through lap 10, D Lewis gets a jump out of Gerrards on lap 11 and passes outside M Lewis and Howard into the Esses. I get a tow and pass M Lewis. Lap 12 and I follow Howard through Gerrards and pass on the inside into Esses. Lap 13 and we have waved yellows through Gerrards and we are lead slowly around by Boon. Still under yellow until after hairpin, the racing restarts and I pass Lewis.

I then witness an incredibly stupid piece of driving from a backmarker, as Boon is gradually driven off the track at one of the fastest parts of the circuit, at the end of Kirkby Straight. I go to the right to avoid the potential accident, and get into an interesting slide in Gerrards as a result.

Click here to watch.

I attack Boon into hairpin and follow through Devils Elbow, crossing the line 0.40 seconds behind. D. Lewis takes third, 1.40 behind Boon.

Heat 2 has Paul Sheehan on pole, and leading for much of the race. Ian Laughton denied Sheehan the win, with Stuart Pearson third.
The 10 fastest from the mornings qualifying avoided having to post a good finish in one of the heats. Gareth Wright is on pole beside Peter Felix, champion Paul Taylor the last to make the final automatically. I am 14th, looking between the heat winners, Taylor directly in front.

Race starts and I’m through and past Boon and Laughton. Ahead Taylor moves right ahead of Steve Drewery to follow Paul Tibbs past John Townshend, who has started poorly. Pete Morgan is passing Townshend on the left hand side. Taylor contacts Townshend who makes contact with Morgan who goes into a slide across the front of Townshend. Morgans car, now facing backwards, travels back across towards me and the contact puts me out of the race.

Click here to see my in-car footage of the start of the final start

Wright relentlessly pursues Felix for much of the race then takes the lead to win by 3.72. Felix loses out to Craig Shepherd by 0.10. Andy Burgess and Paul Tibbs complete the top 5.

 

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