Reporter: Anthony Wills

Photography: Roger Newman

So here we are at the last race of what has been a great season despite the consistent speed of one Rory Farrell (Jnr). Both he and Andrew Smith came to Castle Combe as acknowledged and worthy champions but both remained determined to perform to the standards they had set from the start of the year.

There was an end of season feel to the whole affair. People were starting to look towards next year and trying to find budgets for all, or at least some of the season.

The main contenders missing from this race were Stuart Kestenbaum who had apparently entered but not arrived, Steve Pearce who had lent his car to Andy Hodson and Matt Johnson. This latter chap, known for many spins during the season, was still leading the novice challenge and Michael Burdon was hoping to finish well enough to overtake him and get the free engine rebuild from BBE Engineering.

Andy Hodson deserves a paragraph of his own. This was his first race since blowing an engine in his Van Diemen at Oulton Park in 2002. He has been thinking about getting back in his car all year but no engine has made that a little difficult. Steve Pearce’s generosity led to a test at Mallory Park and as he did not disgrace himself there Steve allowed the plan for a race here to go ahead. Interestingly enough the car looked as though it had actually had a polish and had its number 1 nosecone on so Andy, whose Van Diemen always looked immaculate, was in familiar surroundings.

Steve Pearce didn't trust AH with his shiny new nose for the race...!

Those in the pits, although initially impressed by the facilities, were struggling to get the pit boards out to their drivers (does anyone actually look at these?) as the walls were so high. Some of the female supporters have promised to wear stilettos if we come here again…………..

Qualifying

Rory headed the times in his older Crossle 30F without appearing to break into a sweat. Through Camp he simply did not look as fast as Simon Davey or Joe Walton who were next up. As this corner is before the very long run down to Quarry it is incredibly important to get it right. This reporter commented to Rory that he had not looked as quick as the afore-mentioned Simon and Joe but the results told a different story. Rory was 1.3 seconds quicker than anyone else and proved comprehensively that people writing about races should not make judgements until the times are out. Simon was next. His style was more interesting for onlookers as he uses a kind of muscle bound lurch into corners. He really does have great car control but rallying may be calling as these are the only cars that seem to adopt the same angle as his Van Diemen. After the session he claimed his gestures when overtaking a tailender was just banging the wheel in frustration and I am sure he is right.

Joe was next, a fraction slower than Simon and he did look quick and smooth through the corners. He was followed by Andy Powell with a good performance. Another half a second then to Mac McKillop in his first race with the CFFR all year.  

Paul Walton was singularly unimpressed with his performance in qualifying and was a good second away from the people he would normally expect to be competing against. Dave Lowe was very close to Paul (just a few hundredths) and beat Andrew Smith by a similar amount. Dave had obviously come here to prove a point and Andy was a little more relaxed than has sometimes been the case this year and was probably not pushing as hard.

Peter Lavender was out for only the second time and was quietly pleased with 9^th just ahead of Bernard Baxter who had grabbed the opportunity for a 30 minute test on Thursday before having to strip and rebuild his gearbox on Friday. Michael Burdon was the class of the novices but realised that the circuit did not take too kindly to him trying to wring its neck in the first four laps and a slower, gentler, smother approach worked better. He has to finish today and this was uppermost in his thoughts.

Jeff Palmer has had some engine trouble recently but a carburettor overhaul allowed him to drive more pacily that has been possible for some time and he was very pleased with 11^th – despite it leaving him at the mercy of the middle of the pack Some people say the only safe place is at the front or the back of the grid and he hopes they are not right.

Michael Whitehead did very well on one of his rare outings and was ably assisted by a motley crew, some on crutches, who seemed to be of more moral support than mechanical. Michael found the hump just before Quarry had an effect on both his car and his digestive system but managed to survive both experiences. Andy was next in 14^th, achieving about the same times as he did here about 6 years ago. He certainly looked like a racing driver (as his partner remarked) and was clearly enjoying the time back in a car but did feel he was “bloody slow”.

Of the rest most had a quiet time of it. Michael Valentine had radiator cap problems but with no damage to engine. Jeremy Bouckley was racing the only Mallock FF after a crash earlier on in the season in his Formula Junior at Pau, and Jackie Meek turned out in a relatively rare Merlyn Mk20A. Her time was by no means the fastest but she is expecting to go a little faster in the race and is claiming that being slim and lithesome is a definite advantage in these cars. Exactly what Simon Davey always says.

So front to back of the grid saw a difference of some 19 seconds. Lap four could be interesting.

(Just a note to those who worry about the cost benefit analysis type of thing. The session was cut short by about 4 minutes (from 15) and this seems unacceptable bearing in mind the fees charged and the expectation of the drivers. Apparently they had had to fit another qualifying session in but bad planning by the organisers should not penalise the customers – should it?)

The Race

Some have asked the point of spending a fortune to race, suffering the aggravation of preparation, the ignominy of being lapped and never getting any of the silverware. Well ask Jackie Meek, only in her 7^th race and with a delightful grin, who did not even finish. This race saw people of comparable abilities (or at least speed) racing against each other and having a bloody good time, regardless of the end result.

It all started relatively sedately with Rory storming into a lead which was always about 3-4 seconds from Joe Walton. His serene progress was less serene inside the cockpit. A broken engine mounting on the warm up lap meant changing gear was variably successful. After some experimentation he realised that as long as the car was pointing straight ahead it worked.

And of course he won the race.

Rory slides the Crossle 30F through Quarry

Rory moves on to a newer car next year having added real verve to the championship this season. He has been a great competitor and addition to our meetings. We wish him and his rather charming family well.

Next up was Joe who slightly pegged Rory back but not enough to get on terms but, as ever this was a mature drive from the ski instructor of the year 2008, despite feeling a little “tired” (!). He may come back to the CFFR half way through next season when he has completed his slope posing and perhaps the win that he deserves will come then.