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Snetterton
May 28-29th This weeks race race report is by Anthony Wills:
When asked to write the race report for the CFFR website I had such high hopes for my foray into motor racing journalism. My preparations had included producing a list of the drivers so that I could interview each one and make sense of what is often a confusing (and sometimes rather partial?) view of the dramas at a day at the races for the CFFR boys. My plan was immediately scuppered because there were loads of late entries – good for the racing, bad for amateur journalism, some numbers were wrong but most importantly the stars of the show themselves were particularly inarticulate. It was best summed up by Colin Williams when asked to describe his qualifying performance. He said “I drove like a wanker” and when I told him Alan Williamson had already claimed this phrase in relation to his own driving, Colin was completely stumped. So there you have it; 15 minutes at 85.25 MPH in practice and the result is complete brain fade. In fairness there were some interesting stories from the qualifying session. Albert Clements was out in his Lotus 51 after his spectacular accident at Silverstone which badly damaged his Merlyn. He has apparently owned these cars for 25 years so when asked how it was going he was able to say “much the usual really”. Admitting to a need to play himself back in slowly, his two cars are set up much the same (by a vastly experienced friend) and this allowed him to feel at ease in the car. For those who have not yet managed to set up one car properly this may be an indication that more work is needed. Jeff Palmer had had a difficult time. He had come upon a cautious John Hesp who was taking it steadily as it was his first full outing of the season and spun. Unfortunately the closely following Dave Malpas drove over Jeff’s nose, destroying the nosecone and damaging the radiator. Some handy work by the ever helpful band that support us all saw Jeff ready for the race. Before moving to the guys at the front a few others deserve a mention. Matthew Edwards qualified 14th on his first outing in his RF79. He has come from the more urbane milieu of “Highway Saloon” racing which appears to be rust buckets with roll cages so the delicacy of a Van Diemen must have been a real pleasure. This was a good effort. Steve Pearce is improving ominously and looks as though his mongrel RF78/80 will be dicing for the lead soon. Doug Kibble and Keith Ward both had problems which I was not able to understand although Keith kept talking about slaves and clutches so perhaps he is a potential Big Brother contestant of the future. At the front Steve Bradley and James Denty were 5th and 6th in an RF80 and Royale RP16 (lovingly prepared and looking gorgeous) respectively and seemed relatively hopeful for the race. The Race All journalistic credibility disappears now. Whilst I think the above is vaguely accurate the following is based on a kind of dreamlike existence which we should call the race but appeared to be more like a war zone. Admittedly much of it seemed to be happening in front of me and others probably had a more sedate time, but I started 7th and came 3rd without nearly overtaking anyone. Here is how it happened with surnames used in the complicated bits to make this easier to type. Bradley and Denty had a very spirited dice in front of me
and early on in the race Denty dived on the inside of Bradley at Sear and a
rapidly diminishing gap diminished to the extent of me seeing the underside of
Bradley’s car and both drivers spinning off. Denty was out but Bradley continued
much further down the field The front 4 of Davey, Walton, Nash and Lowe went at it like hammer and tongs for the first few laps. The lead changed hands regularly and for those of a more sensitive disposition (i.e. me) there was a feeling of relief that they were not quite fast enough to keep up with them. On the back straight (Revett) the slipstreaming was hypnotic but they all seemed to be on the left hand side of the track when they reached the Esses to prevent anyone going up the inside. After a few laps what seemed to be inevitable happened. Walton was in the lead, Davey had overtaken Nash into the first left hander (3rd gear) of this double bend. As he braked for the right hander (2nd gear) Nash hit him squarely from behind and went right over the top of him and carrying on into a series of end-over-end rolls. (An enterprising photographer was able to produce pictures of the accident, including one with the Nash car squarely on top of the Davey car.) The race was stopped as Nash was upside down in the car and for those who had the discomfort of driving past the scene of the crash with ambulances, rescue trucks everywhere and the driver still in the car it provided some food for thought. Nash had some colourful lumps and grazes on his legs and was walking a little gingerly but was otherwise OK. I suspect the next few days will allow more bruises to appear. Everyone else was fine in bodily terms. A restarted race of 5 laps saw Lowe challenging Walton in a forceful but polite manner with Walton eventually taking the honours both of them taking fastest lap in their respective classes. Dave Malpas drove another one of his stormers and came home a chuffed 4th. Of the others I am afraid I am able to report very little. Keith Ward and Doug Kibble both had car problems and Jeff Palmer and Alan Williamson did not finish but I have no idea what happened. Paul Mills came 10th after starting 18th so this was a particularly impressive performance for his introduction to Snetterton. After the race he was glowing with enjoyment and reminded some of us that this is supposed to be fun. Jon Davis won the novice award again for another professional drive. Finally the Cobra Beer Driver of the Day award went to Matthew Edwards for finishing 11th at his first race amongst real racing drivers. As a footnote I am going to indulge myself and add an introspective note. A think piece I believe they call it, amongst the pretentious end of the journalistic world. Is life in the CFFR getting a little too dangerous? Very close racing has been closely followed by some spectacular accidents. Two cars upside down this year. And from personal experience the attendant publicity does not make up for the damage to car or courage. We are paying professional prices for an amateur sport and I cannot but help think that we should not try to win the race at every corner. 15 minutes is not very long and chances have to be taken when offered but is there room for a slowing of the heart, a pride in 2nd rather than a non-finish and a little more room for your racing colleagues on the track? You decide.
Cobra Driver of the Day - Matthew Edwards | |
