It is quite a long time since we had championship races two weekends running but after the poor entry at Rockingham it was good to return to a fuller grid for Round 9 at Snetterton on 25th July. Dropped scores had already started to influence the top of the points table and although Andy Inman had taken the overall the lead on total points scored, the reality was that Chris Healey was still ahead after missing Rockingham and being able to discard a zero. Battle was joined for third place between Sarah Heels and Mel Healey.

After their 1-2 win at Rockingham, Neil Smith and Steve Dymoke had high hopes of repeating their success at Snetterton but this time they had to face the re-engined Lahoma 33 16v of April winner Chris Snowdon and the rapid 147 GTA of Alastair Iles, having only its second run of the year. However, the earlier race had also been at Snetterton and Alastair had chased Chris home on that occasion. It was expected that Neil's 156 would be by far the quickest car out there but he had never been very competitive with his old car on the Norfolk circuit and it was going to be interesting to see what Steve Dymoke could do with it. A1 was completed by Chris Oxborough and Bryony Snowdon. "Oxo" was also having his first outing since April in the Avon Racing prepared supercharged 75 3 litre although the car had been driven into 3rd place at Rockingham by Clive Hodgkin. Chris Snowdon's 18 year old daughter Bryony was entered in Chris's 75 3 litre 24v, perhaps not the easiest car with which to make your racing debut but, on the other hand, she was not having to face unrealistic expectations in a Class E car and had been able to test the 75 on several occasions.

John Griffiths returned after missing Rockingham, his Class B 156 having been the subject of a gearbox and diff rebuild, while the persistent misfire had also been sorted out. Just driving around the paddock it sounded much more purposeful. Robin Eyre-Maunsell was hoping to repeat his Anglesey and Rockingham successes while a newcomer to the championship, and Class B, was Mario Lavergata, one of the partners in Avanti Autos, Alfa specialists in Ipswich. He was driving a 33 8v that had seen service in years gone by in the hands of Jonathan Walter and John Norrington. After her storming drive in the last round, Sarah Heels would have liked more of the same at Snetterton with her 147 GTA but she knew she was up against the GTVs of Shaun Hazlewood and Chris Healey plus that of Ron Davidson, who always goes well on the Norfolk circuit, and the new, blue, Aspin Group car of Barry McMahon. While the GTV was being built, Barry had been away doing Fiat Challenge races with his two brothers, much enjoying the experience.

How times change! The only Class D car at Snetterton was the 33 of Leon Bailey whose last outing, on the same circuit, had seen a wheel flying off towards the spectator enclosure on the outside of Russell. However, Class E was stronger again, the 156s of Paul Plant, Mel Healey (with new clutch), Andy Inman and Chris Finch being joined by the 145 of Martin Jones and Andrew Bramah's 147.

Even before arriving at the circuit, Alastair Iles had had a minor panic, deciding that the state of his (Dunlop) tyres was not quite up to the job but fortunately Graham Heels was able to get the Michelin fitters, who were there for the Porsche Club GB Championship, to sort it out for him. Bryony Snowdon was looking extremely nervous, not moving down to the assembly area until Chris had led the way while there was some last minute work on the brakes of Paul Plant's 156. Dark clouds had made their occasional appearance during the morning but, unlike in April, never came to anything and the track was dry as the cars came out to qualify. Neil Smith wasted no time in putting himself at the top of the list, ending with a 1'17.444",  but it was Steve Dymoke who was rapidly into the "groove", reeling off a series of laps in the 1'21s and 1'22s with a best on his 9th lap of 1'20.591". Chris Snowdon was pushing hard and eventually beat that with a 1'19.592" while Alastair Iles popped up third quickest before the end with 1'20.236", demoting Steve Dymoke to fourth. Chris Oxborough was one of the most consistent drivers out there, nine of his fourteen laps being in the 1'24s with a quickest, half way through the session, in 1'23 346" to grab the inside of row three from Chris Healey's Class C leading GTV. In Class B, all John Griffiths' laps from his sixth to lap fourteen were all within 0.7" of each other but his best (1'25.175") was not quite quick enough to pip Robin Eyre-Maunsell's 1'25.084", leaving them occupying the fourth row.

A puff of smoke at Riches heralded the end of Shaun Hazlewood's day, a gearbox oil seal (probably) having failed but Ron Davidson was again going well, ending up 10th quickest well ahead of the new GTV of Barry McMahon. Barry was very happy with the handling of the car but felt he was down on power. The final car in C was Sarah Heels who we had expected to move further up the times but somehow it was just not happening for her and she was seen afterwards in deep discussion with brother Graham. In E, Paul Plant was leading the way. 0.7" quicker than Chris Finch with Andy Inman a comfortable third, with over half a second in hand over Mel Healey. Martin Jones is still feeling his way back into racing after his bout of chicken pox earlier in the year and his 145 was no match for the 156s here while Andrew Bramah had pulled off on the Revett Straight with strange noises coming from under the bonnet. Bryony Snowdon had seemed quite at ease with her 75 and had kept well out of everyone's way to complete her first qualifying session. Leon Bailey had suffered a puncture half way through the 20 minutes and Mario Lavergata had failed to complete a lap, pulling off after Sear with a blocked carburettor. Fortunately, he was able to do a couple of laps behind a Safety Car to qualify.

It was good to see a number of familiar faces around the paddock during the longish break before the race. James Ford was telling us that he had bought another 156 to turn into a new race car but the likelihood of seeing it this year was slim. Martin Parsons was seen chatting to old "team mate" from the Gatwick Alfa days, Ron Davidson (if you wondered who it was with Ron in the photograph). Martin had been competing in the previous day's Britcar race with Nick Gooch in a diesel BMW entered by Brunswick Motorsport. John Norrington was there to support Ipswich "local" Mario Lavergata while successful past 33 racer John Strickland had come along to help Leon Bailey.

It was nearly 4 o'clock before the 19 remaining Alfas came to the grid - missing were the GTV of Shaun Hazlewood and Andrew Bramah's 147. Neil Smith was cautious getting away as the red lights went out, Chris Snowdon and Alastair Iles making the best starts but by the time the cars appeared out of the Bombhole and into Coram, Neil Smith had already, as expected, established himself at the front of the field. Chris Snowdon crossed the line 2.2" adrift with Alastair Iles 3rd,  a second clear of Steve Dymoke. Chris Oxborough was an already lonely 5th, while Barry McMahon had got away well and was running just ahead of Chris Healey and in front of a closely knit bunch with Ron Davidson leading Robin Eyre-Maunsell, who had slipped past a "helpful" John Griffiths at Russell. Sarah Heels who seemed much more "on it" than in qualifying was sitting on the tail of this trio. Paul Plant and Leon Bailey had both gone straight on at Russell, which lost Paul the class E lead to Andy Inman and dropped Leon to the tail of the field and eventual retirement with a gearbox issue. Chris Finch completed the opening lap just ahead of Mel Healey while Martin Jones found himself with Bryony Snowdon on his tail in the powerful 75 3 litre.

There was no holding Neil Smith who set the next three flying laps in 1'16s - quicker than he had ever managed in his old 156 but perhaps not quite where the potential of the car lay. But then he didn't need to push as Chris Snowdon was already 13" adrift by the end of lap 4. The battle between Alastair Iles and Steve Dymoke was pretty intense, however, and would last the whole race although Steve didn't help his cause by overshooting his braking point at Russell on several occasions. Chris Oxborough still held his secure 5th place but it was still very tight behind him. Chris Healey had swapped paint with Barry McMahon at the Esses as he dived past on lap 2 but Barry had retired shortly afterwards when an alternator belt broke and found its way into the cambelt with predictable results. Ron Davidson was driving extremely well, holding on to 7th place ahead of Robin Eyre-Maunsell, a resurgent Sarah Heels and John Griffiths. Paul Plant had wasted no time in returning to the front of E, setting a new lap record in the process, and Andy Inman now had to watch in mirrors for Chris Finch and Mel Healey.

Chris Healey wasn't pulling away quickly from Ron Davidson but John Griffiths had achieved his aim of passing Robin Eyre-Maunsell for the Class B lead on lap 3. Chris  then had a dusty moment at the Bombhole on lap 4 dropping five places and delaying Ron Davidson who now found himself behind John and Robin although still ahead of Sarah - just! Paul Plant now led Class E by 4.5" from Andy Inman who had a 1.5" cushion to Chris Finch who had a similar gap between himself and Mel Healey. On lap 6, Chris Healey gathered himself up and rushed past Ron Davidson on the Revett Straight to regain the Class C lead while Sarah Heels was fancying her chances of passing Ron into Riches.

While all this was going on, Neil Smith had eased back into the 1'18s and by the end of lap 7 had already lapped Martin Jones, Bryony Snowdon and Mario Lavergata who retired a lap later. The gap to Chris Snowdon was now over 20 seconds while Steve Dymoke continued to chase Alastair Iles, although it was beginning to look as though Alastair had this under control. Further back, Ron Davidson and Sarah Heels were alternating quicker lap times while Mel Healey had eased onto the back of Chris Finch and, more than once, positioned herself to challenge.

Over the last 5 laps, Neil Smith had dropped his times by a further three seconds a lap as there was no point in straining the car. He would come home to his fourth win of  the year 37 seconds clear of the Lahoma 33 while another grassy moment at Russell had robbed Steve Dymoke of a realistic chance of taking away third place and he drifted back from Alastair over the final lap. Chris Oxborough came home 5th, although John Griffiths had closed the gap to 5.1 seconds by the finish. John, in his turn had pulled away from Robin Eyre-Maunsell. Chris Healey crossed the line only 2 seconds clear of Ron Davidson and reckoned he was lucky to get there at all. A hole in his gearbox casing was discovered after the race. Sarah Heels had eventually settled for 3rd in C, 7 seconds behind Ron but over the last few laps Class E leader Paul Plant was making a determined effort to catch her but she saw him coming and speeded up for her last 2 laps. Andy Inman drove a consistent race to emerge an untroubled 2nd in E but Chris Finch and Mel Healey battled through to the end, receiving plaudits from Autosports Ollie Timson,  just 0.66" dividing them as they crossed the line with Chris ahead. Martin Jones and a happy Bryony Snowdon were the final finishers. She was somewhat relieved to have got through it all but was already looking forward to her next opportunity to race.

There was some drama in the scrutineering bay afterwards when Chris Finch's 156 was found to be 6 kg underweight. It then emerged that the calibration certificate for the weighbridge had been "lost" by the circuit and the scrutineers were unable to issue paperwork to the Clerk of the Course which would have seen Chris excluded from the results and Mel Healey lifted to third place. Understandably, Mel was extremely upset by this, and although it appeared that there was nothing we could do on the day, we subsequently asked the BRSCC to put in a strong complaint to MotorsportVision, owners of the circuit. Since then, MSV have indicated that the certificate has now been found and they have expressed their regrets that its "absence" should have resulted in a race/championship result being affect. Nonetheless, it seems there is nothing further we can do which rather makes a mockery of the rule book!

Alfashop's Philip Clay presented the race trophies at the Prize Giving while John Griffiths receiving the MMC Motorsport Insurance Driver of the Day award from Angela Dymoke The free entry draw resulted in success this time for a delighted Steve Dymoke.

On the total overall points table, Chris Healey had reduced Andy Inman's lead to 5 points but was still ahead once dropped scores were taken into consideration. Sarah Heels was still ahead of Mel Healey before points were adjusted, a 22 point lead for Sarah becoming a 5 point lead for Mel!

The plan that resulted in race meetings on two successive weekends was an effort to safeguard the number of rounds in 2010 with the strong possibility, as it seemed back in November, that Donington would be out of action for the whole of the year. The offer of a grid at the Snetterton Britcar meeting was a "bird in the hand". A solution for Donington has meant that we should, after all, be racing there in the middle of October and we have ended up with one more round than we needed. Inevitably, some people were going to make a choice between Snetterton and Rockingham, with the latter being the loser. It was a case, then, of "we happy few" who assembled for round 9 on the "Rockingham Speedway" as part of the British GT/Formula 3 programme.

However, there were some plus points - for the first time this year we had the two Neil Smith prepared 156s on the same entry list and both duly appeared, making a fine sight in the paddock. Neil's car was his ex WTCC example that had already taken two easy wins at Anglesey three weeks before while his 2004/2008 Championship winning car was in the hands of its new owner, Steve Dymoke. So far, Steve had only managed two tests sessions, and 6 laps of qualifying at Cadwell before trouble intervened but both he and Neil were keeping their fingers hard crossed that all would be well. On arrival, Neil was pleased to find that he wasn't the sole entry in A1 as Clive Hodgkin was giving Chris Oxborough's supercharged 75 3 litre a run, using slicks on the car for the first time. Steve Dymoke was alone in A2 as was Robin Eyre-Maunsell in B, Robin hoping to continue his already successful season.

The strongest class was C despite the absence of all the GTVs apart from that of Graham Seager who was making his first appearance since Oulton in May. Chris Healey, Shaun Hazlewood, Barry McMahon and Ron Davidson had all opted to enter for Snetterton, Chris reckoning that work came first and that he could afford to use up one of his dropped scores. Sarah Heels arrived at Rockingham lying third overall and second in class with her 147 GTA but knowing that however good her result, that is where she would probably stay at the end of the meeting if Andy Inman had a good day. Dave Messenger was back with his smart 75 3 litre while the class was made up by Andy Robinson's ex Graham Seager/Roger Evans 155. Andy, having made his debut at Anglesey, was confident that he had now got over his first race fears and could give a good account of himself with advice from Roger and Kevin Evans to help him along. The only Class D car present was Matt Abell's 33 8v while E was unusually thin with only the 156s of Paul Plant, Andy Inman and Mel Healey. Paul's black car was making its first appearance, the old car that was crashed at Cadwell having been sent to the crusher. The only driver to test on the Friday was Andy Inman, benefitting from some Race Data analysis from an onboard camera offered by Paul Granger who will be out himself in his 2 litre GTV at Oulton in September.

Dark grey clouds had been lurking around Rockingham during the morning but the track was dry when qualifying got underway just after 12.00 pm. Neil Smith took a couple of laps to re-acquaint himself with his 156 but then flew round to set a best of 1'30.522" before a spattering of rain brought him into the pits to see if it would be shortlived and the track would dry out. Looking out of the commentary box window, the rain didn't look too bad but out in the midfield sections it was obviously worse and we soon had several cars pulling back into the paddock, including Steve Dymoke, Clive Hodgkin, Robin Eyre-Maunsell and Andy Inman. By that time, however, Steve was comfortably 2nd quickest and would share the front row with Neil Smith who did one more lap before the flag came out, the rain having stopped as soon as it had arrived. As at Snetterton in April the session had been spoilt by sudden rain although admittedly the level of water was somewhat less on this occasion - just enough to make it very slippery though.

Graham Seager and Sarah Heels had both stayed running, completing 12 laps each and sandwiching Clive Hodgkin, 3rd and 5th fastest respectively with Robin Eyre-Maunsell's best lap good enough for 6th. Paul Plant led Class E, despite the car appearing to be running hot as it made a precautionary pit stop. Paul was a second quicker than Andy Inman and well clear of Mel Healey on this occasion. Between Andy and Mel came the very evenly matched Dave Messenger and Andy Robinson. Final qualifier, but well in touch with the three cars ahead of him was Matt Abell's 33.

Interesting at these larger meetings are the sector times offered by TSL. Neil Smith had been some 3 seconds quicker than Steve Dymoke in the first sector, going from the start line to a third of the way round the circuit approaching Gracelands Bend. In the shorter second sector approaching Brook, the gap was a second, and from there to the finish line just 0.2". Neil's fastest sectors added together would have given him a best lap of 1'30.207" as against the 1'30.522" that he actually achieved. Steve's perfect lap would have gained him 0.7". Neil's only frustration was that he hadn't bettered the sub 1'30 lap he had achieved in qualifying last year. Looking further down the list, it was clear that Sarah Heels was quicker than Graham Seager in the first sector, very close in the second sector but 0.8" slower in the final sector.

Steve Dymoke reported that his 156 was suffering from a misfire but Neil Smith waved his magic wand (or replacement electrical bits!) and a run up and down the paddock approach produced a thumbs-up. Avon Racing came to the aid of Dave Messenger whose 75 had suffered the well known curse of a split propshaft doughnut. Matt Abell's windscreen wipers had packed up and Mel Healey had a small petrol leak to cure but otherwise it was case of general fettling before the late afternoon start.

The two factory liveried 156s made an impressive sight on the front row of the grid as they lined up for the 20 minute race on a now dry track. Behind them were Graham Seager and Clive Hodgkin, with Sarah Heels and Robin Eyre-Maunsell on row three. As the red lights went out, Neil Smith was cautious getting away and Clive Hodgkin reckoned he led the race for a few feet, before joining a wedge of four cars going into turn 1 as Steve Dymoke already appeared in trouble and Sarah Heels was on the inside attacking Graham Seager. Once in front, there was going to be no stopping Neil so all eyes were fixed on a quickly developing battle between Sarah Heels and Graham Seager for 3rd and 4th places and the Class C win which was to go on throughout the race, giving us some great entertainment and not a little nail biting! Steve Dymoke was dropping quickly down through the field, losing some 12 seconds to Neil on the first lap alone as he wrestled to find a solution to a return of the misfire. Somehow he did and by the end of lap 2 he had roared back to from 10th to 5th place! Paul Plant had made another of his electric starts and was ahead of Robin Eyre-Maunsell while Dave Messenger was also quick away leading Mel Healey who had, in her turn, got ahead of Andy Inman.

Sarah Heels managed to pull away slightly from Graham Seager on lap 2 and the situation would see-saw as one, then the other, put in a quicker lap. The 147 GTA looked better on the brakes into the crucial Dene hairpin at the end of the Oval section, added to which Sarah was positioning herself very carefully to withstand Graham's efforts to get past. By the end of the third lap, Neil Smith had built up a 15" lead over Clive Hodgkin but Steve Dymoke was now third and began eating his way into the 9 second gap to the white and green 75. Paul Plant was gamely holding on to the Heels/Seager battle, just a couple of seconds back but he was now having to keep his eyes on the rapidly approaching Robin Eyre-Maunsell.

For the next three laps Neil Smith started to push the WTCC 156 a bit more, all of them being sub 1'30" with a best of 1'29.415" which would become a new Alfa lap record. By the end of lap 6 his lead was over 40" while Steve Dymoke, having done a 1'33.546" in his older car was now right on Clive Hodgkin's tail as they passed the pits. Robin Eyre-Maunsell had managed to get past Paul Plant and was now closing in on Graham Seager which would start to complicate Graham's attempts to pass Sarah Heels.

Steve Dymoke had quickly taken over 2nd place from Clive Hodgkin but there was never a chance that he could do anything to close the gap on Neil and he now settled back to concentrate on getting to the finish. In any case, commentators (and most of those looking on!) were taking advantage of being able to see most of the lap and watching to see if Sarah Heels could hold on to take her first ever class win. By the end of lap 9, Robin Eyre-Maunsell had put his 75 between the 147 GTA and GTV, giving Sarah a small breather but a lap later Robin was ahead of the 147 as well, and battle was re-joined. A lap later, we almost missed Mel Healey coming in to the pits to retire with a broken clutch - a shame after a good race running 2nd in E. It would also use up her second dropped score in the Championship. Almost unnoticed had been the progress of Andy Robinson who had moved ahead of Dave Messenger, lapping consistently quicker than he had in qualifying.

Despite his overwhelming lead, Neil Smith had continued to lap very quickly and was closing in to lap second place man Steve Dymoke. At the end of the 13th and final lap this caught out the finish marshal who mistook Steve's 156 for Neil's which in the old days could have caused a problem as Steve and the rest of the field should have continued for another lap but were waved into parc ferme instead, the finishing order staying as it appeared. All eyes had remained on Sarah Heels' efforts to keep Graham Seager behind her but over those last couple of laps it was obviously becoming increasingly difficult. Unknown to us, she was suffering from fuel surge and trying to work out how she could position herself in the most defensive way. With just a lap and a half to go, to the disappointment of Sarah's growing fan club, Graham made his expected move and took away the class lead although the 147 was hanging on, crossing the line a mere 0.6" adrift.

The final order was, therefore, Neil Smith, Steve Dymoke, Clive Hodgkin, Robin Eyre-Maunsell, Graham Seager and Sarah Heels. Paul Plant returned to the Class E winner's circle, 7th overall and well clear of Andy Inman who now took over the overall championship lead from Chris Healey. 9th was Andy Robinson, the final finishers being Dave Messenger and Matt Abell who was only 2 seconds behind Dave at the end.

Once again it was interesting to look at the sector times with Steve Dymoke notably closer to Neil than in the truncated qualifying and the only driver whose actual fastest lap and perfect fastest lap were identical.  Neil's ideal fastest lap, taking all the sector's into consideration should have been a 1'29.119" as against the 1'29.415" that he actually achieved. Sarah Heels had the satisfaction of making fastest lap in C although her best was only faster than Graham Seager's in the middle section. And well done Andy Robinson whose ideal and actual fastest times were only separated by .074"

Emma Karwacki was there to watch Neil win and she joined Philip Clay from Alfashop to present the trophies afterwards. It came as no great surprise that Sarah Heels received the MMC Motorsport Insurance Driver of the Day award. The free entry draw was won by Dave Messenger after Paul Plant was disqualified for not having his entry in before the closing time the previous Monday.

Our thanks to SRO and the Midland Centre of the BRSCC for an enjoyable day, and we hope that we can produce a somewhat bigger grid for them when we join the British GT cars again at Donington in October.

Those who raced on the full circuit at the new Anglesey circuit back in September 2008 were greeted by a soaking wet track, low cloud and a flooded paddock. Thankfully this visit, on the excellent Coastal circuit that includes the “Corkscrew”, was rewarded with blue sky and sunshine for the weekend.

Championship leaders “the Healey’s” and Ray Foley had been testing at the circuit on Friday. Chris suffered some further driveshaft problems on his GTV and Mel only managed one session before she was sidelined with a brake master cylinder problem. Ray, who only raced on the wet Saturday in 2008 before handing over to son Steve on the Sunday, reported that the circuit felt very different in the dry!

All 14 cars made the start of qualifying although Neil Smith, fresh from a successful Wednesday morning test at Mallory Park, had a bit of a scare when cold tyres caught him out at the Corkscrew on lap 1. Neil re-joined but had managed to crack his front bumper during his “off”.

Being a new circuit to most it was not surprising that many posted their fastest lap towards the end of the session, despite the warm conditions. There were no reports of other major dramas although Mel was still suffering with some brake issues and Ian Brookfield, in his first outing in the 164 since the Silverstone GP round at the end of 2008, thought he had a problem with his steering but it turned out to be some issues with his tyres.

Robin Eyre-Maunsell’s tyre problem was that he had never driven on slicks before. Despite this Robin was very pleased to qualify 2nd to the very rapid Neil Smith, his ex-WTCC 156 at last running properly and lasting through the session. A sign of things to come we all hope!

John Griffiths was on good form to qualify just over a second behind Robin. Next up were the Spur cars of Chris Healey and Ian Brookfield followed by the Class E runners with Sarah Heels in her Class C 147 GTA and sole Class D runner Matt Abell in the mix.

At the back was racing newcomer Andrew Robinson in his ex-Roger Evans / Graham Seager Class C 155. This was Andrew’s first ever race and despite being last his lap timed were more than respectable.

Saturday’s race started in hot and sunny conditions. There was a minor panic in Neil’s ex-WTCC 156 as he stalled the engine just as the red lights came on. Quick work by Neil got the car re-started just in time for the lights to go out and for him to lead the pack of Alfas into the first corner. A poor start by John Griffiths meant that Ian Brookifield had to react quickly to avoid him and Sarah Heels got held up by the white 156 allowing many of the Class D and E field by.

John Griffiths limped round with what turned out to be a broken gear selector. An early retirement for “birthday boy” John had its benefits as John retired and headed for the bar!

Much of the excitement in the race came from the race long battle for second place that involved Robin Eyre-Maunsell, Ian Brookfield and Chris Healey.

A missed gear by Robin on the run up to Rocket enabled the other two to close in fast.  The places changed on numerous occasions before the inevitable coming together.  With the three of them coming to a halt at the slowest part of the track they all recovered to find themselves in the middle of the battle at the front of Class E. Ray Foley and Andy Inman took avoiding action, leaving Robin and Ian to resume their battle, with Chris just dropping back from the two of them for the remainder of the race.

In Class E Ray had managed to hold on to his lead from the start but Andy Inman chased him hard for the entire race – despite giving Ray a little rest when Andy was held up by the incident between Robin, Ian and Chris!

Mel Healey was never far behind the Class E leaders and by the end of the race Sarah Heels had recovered from her disrupted start to finish right with Mel in her Class C 147 GTA. Once Class D runner Matt Abell had pulled away the remaining Class E cars had a good close race throughout – with Keith Williams narrowly beating Martin Jones and Andrew Bramah. Andrew Robinson successfully completed his first ever race in the black Class C 155.

After the race Neil Smith reported that he’d really enjoyed the race and was relieved to finally see the chequered flag in the 156. He immediately set a target for Sunday – to go faster and break his newly set lap record!

Driver of the Day for Saturday went to Ian Brookfield for his performance in his Class A1 164.

The Bianco team (well just Harry actually this weekend) had an early start on Sunday as Harry set about rebuilding John Griffiths’ gearbox – thanks to Jess Evans after Kevin persuaded her to drive up to Anglesey with the parts!

Sunday was a bit cloudier, windier and cooler than Saturday but it remained dry and bright as all 14 cars assembled for the early afternoon race.

Neil had a slightly calmer start to the race and got away cleanly – as did the remainder of the grid.

Both Andy Inman and Mel had managed to get past Saturday’s Class E winner Ray Foley and fairly soon Sarah Heels had also found her way past Ray.

Up ahead Ian Brookfield managed to open up a bit of a lead on Robin Eyre-Maunsell whilst Chris Healey, no doubt with an eye on the Championship table, had a far less hectic race but still comfortably lead Class C.

A mistake by Andy Inman on lap 6 going into the left hander at Rocket saw him messing up his corner entry and presenting an opportunity to Mel. Mel turned into Rocket only for the recovering 156 of Andy Inman to head for the same piece of track with the inevitable result – heavy contact between the front left hand corner of Andy’s car and the rear right hand corner, and in particular the wheel, on Mel’s 156. Andy managed to continue despite the damage but Mel’s race was over.

All of this action brought Ray Foley back into second place in Class E but just as he set about chasing down Andy Inman a holed radiator put him out of the race and he parked up on the grass, keeping Mel company!

This allowed the Keith Williams, Martin Jones, Andrew Bramah battle, along with Matt Abell in the sole Class D 33 and John Griffiths in his now misfiring Class B 156 to have what would now be the main battle of the race. After 15 laps of racing they finished in that order with just 3 seconds covering all 3 cars. Keith was awarded with driver of the day after his excellent drive in Sunday’s race – Anglesey was his first race meeting of 2010.

The battle at the front of Class E resulted in a visit to the Clerk of the Course by Andy and Mel. After much discussion and the viewing of in-car videos etc the result was left unchanged.

Neil broke his day old lap record on the way to a second comfortable win. Chris Healey extended his overall championship lead by scoring the maximum points available to him. Andy Inman has now moved in to second in the Championship battle with Sarah and Mel back in third and fourth and currently separated by just a point.

Thanks to all the BRSCC team at Anglesey. We now have a couple of weeks off before a busy eight day period in July that will see races at Rockingham and Snetterton. Saturday July 17th is the day it all starts at Rockingham.

There are good days and bad days in motorsport and, as in life, it is often difficult to predict when either will occur. Over the weekend at Cadwell Park we had both but not perhaps in the circumstances we might have predicted. Saturday was a hot and dry day which appeared to have a detrimental affect on the performances of some cars and, more importantly perhaps, drivers but Sunday was dismal overcast and damp. Everyone drove with the conditions in mind and the cars reciprocated with total reliability!

The outcome produced back to back victories for Chris Snowdon in the Lahoma 33 but not without some opposition on Sunday in particular from Shaun Hazlewood and his GTV. Chris Healey went well enough to retain his Championship lead despite only three starters in his class while daughter Mel scored enough points to stay second despite a lack of power steering in Sunday's  race. Class E was highly competitive once again and wins were fairly shared between Ray Foley and Andy Inman. Highlights were the drives by Robin Eyre-Maunsell in the 75 3 litre he shares with Peter Sloan.

If anyone wants a challenge in their racing, they can hardly do better than Cadwell Park. Over its 2.17 miles, the track actually goes up and down hill, for goodness sake, and going off doesn't always land you harmlessly in a gravel trap. You may end up hard against a barrier, so it requires some circumspection. But if you are a genuine racer and you were offered Silverstone National or Cadwell Park, I know which I would choose! Sadly, though, we were missing a number of expected entries with the modified cars in various states of disrepair as has been the case for most of this season. However, you had to feel sorry for Neil Smith who had been waiting for some new pistons and rings to arrive so that his engine could be rebuilt. They arrived in time, only for the rings to be the wrong size despite being in the correctly marked box! Maximum frustration in Pershore……. On the plus side, Neil's championship winning 156 was ready for Steve Dymoke and he duly appeared on Friday afternoon to test it. The only worry was a gearbox or diff grumble over 6500 rpm but after a phone discussion with Neil, Steve decided to start qualifying on the Saturday morning.

Apart from the 156, running in A2, the fastest cars entered were going to be the Class B 75 3 litre of Sam Laird and the A2 Lahoma 33 16v to be driven by Snetterton winner Chris Snowdon. There had been a great deal of work on the suspension and steering geometry of the 33 since its last outing and Chris was eager to see if the car would now go where he wanted. Class B was strong here, as Sam Laird was joined by the 75 of Robin Eyre-Maunsell, Nev Simpson's Alfetta GT 2.5, John Griffiths' 156 and the smart black (ex Gareth Haywood) 156 2.5 now owned by Ian Fisher but to be driven by Peter Sloan on this occasion. Peter had tested at Silverstone in company with Ian and Clive Hodgkin and was looking forward to his first race in a front wheel drive car. John Griffiths was hoping to hold onto his third position in the overall championship points table.

A sad sign of the times was that Steve Fletcher's 33 16v was the only Class D entered but he was determined to have a good race with the Class E cars. Ray Foley and James Ford had both overcome their Oulton Park adventures, their 156s looking pristine again, Ray as the result of ministrations by Peak Alfa. They had Paul Plant's example, which needed more comprehensive surgery after its Tin Tops Brands accident, and the other 156s of Andy Inman and Mel Healey for company plus the newly re-liveried 147 of Andrew Bramah. Looks like a proper racing car now in its blue livery with yellow and silver stripes plus a large Alfa badge on the roof.

The 20 minute qualifying session had hardly got underway before red flags brought the action to a stop and, as the cars returned to the start/finish line, we looked anxiously to see who was missing. Half way round their second lap, it appeared that Paul Plant had suffered a mechanical breakage, probably a front wheel, and had slammed into the side of Nev Simpson's Alfetta GT. Both cars were very seriously damaged but happily both drivers emerged unhurt. After a 10 minute delay, qualifying resumed and straightaway it was a battle for pole between Chris Snowdon and Sam Laird. Chris looked safe half way through the session but a couple of quick laps by Sam wrested it the 75's way and it was only a final effort by Chris after a swift visit to the pits that left the red 33 on top of the timesheets. Afterwards Chris expressed himself very happy with the changes made since Snetterton. "It goes in a straight line now" he said afterwards.

Comfortably third quickest was Steve Dymoke (who had assumed the pseudonym of "Chris Dymond" on the list of times) and he was certain that he could have gone quicker. However on lap 6 the car was sliding about at Mansfield and Steve saw a trail of oil smoke, returning to the paddock immediately. It was clear that all was not well - oil spread liberally over parts of the engine - and that Steve's race weekend was probably over. The cause was later traced to a stripped oil pump drive, the casing also being split. Fourth fastest was the Class C GTV of Shaun Hazlewood, the new airflow meter seeming to have cured his problems at a stroke, but he was only a fraction quicker than the flying Robin Eyre-Maunsell's 75 which led class B from John Griffiths 156. There was an intense battle for the Class E pole between Ray Foley and James Ford, Ray grabbing it on his final lap by almost three quarters of a second. A surprised Peter Guy L'Amie was third quickest in the Avon renta' 156, heading both Andy Inman and Mel Healey although Mel's car had a number of niggling problems including the need for a new rear exhaust. Steve Fletcher had placed himself right in the middle of the Class E cars, so it was likely that he would  have some influence on the result as he fought for a good overall result. Third quickest in B and C respectively were Peter Sloan, settling in well with the 2.5 156, and Sarah Heels, feeling a little tentative with her 147 GTA, not having had the opportunity to test before the meeting. Championship leader Chris Healey had suffered a driveshaft problem, would qualify out of session and start from the back of the grid, not for the first time, just to give us some added excitement!

It was a surprise to see Sam Laird's 75 being towed back into the paddock. It transpired that it had overheated at the end of qualifying and he and the Avon team had to wait anxiously for it to cool down before they could top up the water system. This done, Clive Hodgkin attempted to start it but a fountain of water from the header tank indicated that its racing was over for the weekend. This left us with just 14 cars from the original 18 to start the first race. Particularly sad was the sight of Nev Simpson's and Paul Plant's cars, both dropped off in part of the scrutineering area that seems to be dedicated to the results of such accidents.

The grid hadn't been closed up after the withdrawal of Sam Laird and Steve Dymoke and so we had just Chris Snowdon on the front row and Shaun Hazlewood on the second. It was Shaun who made the best getaway and stay in front for half a lap before Chris Snowdon assumed the lead. Thereafter, a win for the 33 was not in question although a couple of slow laps by Chris gave Shaun some hope, as the GTV's deficit was suddenly halved to around ten seconds with 2 laps to go.

Robin Eyre-Maunsell quickly established himself in 3rd place, opening up a 4" lead over John Griffiths in the first two laps while Steve Fletcher had got himself ahead of the Class E battle. Ray Foley led here from Andy Inman and Mel Healey who had demoted James Ford to fourth and Peter L'Amie to fifth, under 3" covering all five cars which made a great sight as they arrived at the left hander before the Mountain. Chris Healey had already passed seven cars by the end of lap 1 and was in front of Steve Fletcher and chasing John Griffiths as they entered lap 3. It was on this lap that Ray Foley made an important move in his bid to win Class E as he passed Steve Fletcher - not without a small exchange of pain on the way! - although Ray almost threw it away later in the race with a bouncing moment on the exit of Barn. Steve, Andy Inman, James Ford and Mel Healey  then entertained us with a great battle, the quartet passing the line at the end of the 5th lap covered by just 1.6". Peter Sloan and Peter Guy L'Amie who had been running with them had a "Webber/Vettel" disagreement at the Mountain on lap 5 as a result of which Peter Guy stopped with a broken steering arm. Chris Healey had moved into 4th place by the end of lap 3 but didn't have the speed to close the gap to Robin Eyre-Maunsell.

On laps 6 and 7 James Ford and Mel Healey exchanged places back and forth, James then consolidating his 3rd in class by a few feet and it looked as this is how it might finish as they entered lap 11. Unfortunately, out at the end of the long uphill straight into Chris Curve Andy Inman ran wide onto the grass at which point he became a "passenger" coming back onto the track as James and Mel tried to hug the inside line. The contact between Andy and James threw the latter towards the barrier, the car rolling before stopping in a sorry mess from which James was recovered and taken to the medical centre for a checkover. Andy and Mel, both shaken by what had happened, carried on but the red flags were quickly out and the race result declared at the end of lap 10.

Chris Snowdon remained the clear overall winner, 8.6" ahead of Shaun Hazlewood who was delighted to have finished his first race since Castle Combe on Easter Monday, taking Class C in the process. Robin Eyre-Maunsell was a fine Class B winning  3rd, 7" clear of Chris Healey (2nd in C) while John Griffiths enjoyed his best race for some time to take 5th (2nd in B). The broad grin on Ray Foley's face said it all as he had dominated Class E from the start and Steve Fletcher had done well to keep Andy Inman and Mel Healey behind him. The final finishers were Sarah Heels, Andrew Bramah and Peter Sloan. After a short delay we were happy to see James Ford returning to the scrutineering bay to take a look at his battered 156 and he was still enthusiastic enough to come back for Sunday's race.

Shaun Hazlewood's partner, Jessica Warwick,  presented Saturday's awards, the MMC Motorsport Insurance Driver of the Day award going to Robin Eyre-Maunsell.

Where Saturday had been a glorious June day, Sunday morning saw the Lincolnshire Wolds in a less attractive light with low cloud, mist, light drizzle and always the threat of the very heavy rain that we had had during the night returning. The combination never made the track really wet, nor was it totally dry either. There had been a great deal of work in the Avon camp, straightening Andy Inman's 156 and fitting a new steering arm to Peter Guy L'Amie's car. The Spur team had returned in to find that, as Chris Healey put it, "the elves had been out in the night" as Mel's power steering pump was not functioning and she would be beefing up her muscles during the race.

The drizzle looked a little more serious as the cars formed up in the assembly area but there was no time for anyone on slicks to make a change which meant that Chris Snowdon, in particular, was going to have to be very careful as there would certainly be no grip on cold rubber. Away from the start, Shaun Hazlewood made another of his excellent getaways and Chris Snowdon had no initial answer. Chris Healey was another to make a good start, jumping ahead of Robin Eyre-Maunsell on lap 1 while in E, a determined Andy Inman having recovered from the Saturday incident got ahead of Ray Foley with Mel Healey in hot pursuit, having demoted Steve Fletcher's Class D 33.

At the end of lap 1 Shaun Hazlewood had already built himself a 7.5" lead which went to just over 9" by the end of lap 2. Shaun had begun to wonder if Chris Snowdon had a problem and admitted afterwards that maybe he didn't push as hard as he might have done at this point. Chris's is only problem was grip and as soon as he was able to get some temperature into the tyres, the chase was on. Nonetheless, it took him until the start of lap 6 to be in a position to pass which he did comfortably at the end of the pit straight. Thereafter, the two cars matched lap times, Chris 6" seconds off his dry pace while Shaun was only a second adrift by the end on his Toyo control tyres. The gap at the flag was just 2.99".

Meanwhile, Robin Eyre Maunsell was chasing Chris Healey extremely hard and the two would eventually cross the line a mere 0.62" apart. Andy Inman had continued to lead Class E but not by much, Ray Foley keeping him right on his toes and setting fastest class lap in the process. Here again the gap was close at the flag - half a second. Steve Fletcher had managed to moved ahead of a tiring Mel Healey and John Griffiths, on slicks, had drifted back behind a resurgent Peter Sloan. And not to be outdone, Sarah Heels, Peter Guy L'Amie and Andrew Bramah enjoyed a close contest, finishing the race in that order.

We were happy to have James Ford to present the trophies for Sunday's race. The MMC Motorsport Insurance Driver of the Day trophy went to Shaun Hazlewood and the free race entry draw was won by Steve Fletcher.

Rounds 5 & 6 will take place over the weekend June 26/27 on the Anglesey Coastal circuit.

Sam Laird returned to dominate Round 3 at Oulton in his Class B 75 but the Healey family continue to head the points table, with Chris now establishing a 2 point lead over Mel after his excellent 2nd overall and a win in Class C. The podium was completed by Nev Simpson's Alfetta GT despite a last minute challenge by Graham Seager's GTV.  Paul Plant took his second Class E win of the year but had to battle hard to keep Mel Healey behind him. Steve Fletcher headed Class D with his 33 16v.

Leaving Snetterton after Round 2, we had the highly unusual situation (perhaps unique in race championships) of father and daughter tied at the top of the points table. Mel Healey had won Class E, Chris had finished a very close 2nd in C. So would Oulton turn the tables one way or the other? Sadly, their nearest challenger, Chris Snowdon was unable to be there and it looked as there would only be one modified car, the ex Neil Smith 156 now owned by Steve Dymoke but with preparation still in Neil's capable hands. However, there were glum faces when we arrived at the circuit on the Friday afternoon. Steve had been testing and settling in well, only to miss a gear and send engine revs somewhere above 10,000 rpm. Bent valves and damaged pistons were suspected and the car was put back into its covered trailer to await another day.

This would leave the race to be decided between the Class B and C cars, led by the returning Sam Laird in the blue and white ex Julian Birley/Enzo Bucaglia Class B 75 now fitted with a 12v normally aspirated 3 litre engine to replace the 24v supercharged unit that had proved impossible to make reliable. Clive Hodgkin had carried out the work and was pleased with the results even before the car turned a wheel on the track although he had tested it (or " thrown it about like a hooligan", if he was to be believed!) at Bruntingthorpe. Opposition in B was going to come from Nev Simpson's Alfetta, the 156 of John Griffiths and the second Avon 75 driven by Peter Sloan. In Class C we had the GTVs of Shaun Hazlewood (a split pipe to the capillary oil pressure gauge that Shaun had fitted being the cause of the fire and smoke at Snetterton), Chris Healey and Graham Seager. Graham was making his first appearance with his GTV that had been rebuilt after its accident on the same circuit last September. Final Class C entry was the 147 GTA of Sarah Heels. Sarah and Chris Healey had both tested (as had Mel) on Friday, everyone complaining about running with the "mad" Caterhams who seemed to be racing already and which prevented the chance of doing any full laps without having to make way.

We had hoped that Leon Bailey would make a late entry in Class D but finally there were just two 33s - Steve Fletcher's 16v and the 8v of Matt Abell, the latter hoping that he had cured the misfire that plagued his Snetterton debut. The strongest class was E with seven cars led by the five 156s of Mel Healey, Paul Plant (in Chris Finch's car which he had borrowed for the day to help sort out the suspension), Ray Foley, Andy Inman and James Ford. Martin Jones was having his first race of the year in his unmissable yellow 145, as was Andrew Bramah in his Avon prepared 147.

Before qualifying even started there was a panic in the Spur Motorsport camp as it was discovered that Chris Healey's GTV had a split driveshaft gaiter. Quick work by Nick Daly and Mel's boyfriend, Brad, sorted out the problem in time but Chris thought he might have to restrict his number of laps. Standing out at Lodge, there was the aural delight of Sam Laird's V6 singing under the roadbridge, with a crisp change down before the corner and then accelerating through the bend and up Deer Leap. It soon became clear that despite his lack of recent track time, he was soon going quickly enough to challenge for pole although to begin with he and Shaun Hazlewood were within a second of each other. Sam's two final laps were under the 2 minute barrier which put him 2.7" clear of Shaun who would share the front row.

The other driver in contention was Nev Simpson but his Alfetta was smoking badly (oil from the engine breather going onto the exhaust) and he was given the black flag just as his times were starting to look interesting. Nonetheless, with oil leak hopefully cured, he would start from the second row with Graham Seager who had quickly got back on the pace. Chris Healey did just 5 laps before pulling in as a precaution and he and John Griffiths would share row three. Sarah Heels had achieved her first aim which was to be quicker than Class E cars but it still left her to be on row 4 with Paul Plant who reckoned the suspension set-up of his borrowed 156 was"rubbish". Ray Foley was content to end the session quicker than Mel Healey (who was complaining of a grabbing front brake), Andy Inman and James Ford. The rest of the grid was made up of Peter Sloan, Martin Jones, Steve Fletcher, Andrew Bramah and Matt Abell. Matt's misfire was still there, much to his disappointment, and more time had to be spent before the race with the carburettors in bits.

All 17 cars that had qualified made it to the grid for the 20 minute (10 lap) race and as the lights went out it was a determined Shaun Hazlewood who made the best getaway while Sam Laird was perhaps understandably tentative. However, half way round the first lap Sam was already ahead with Shaun hanging on as best he could so that they crossed the line just 0.62" apart. Behind everything was more or less in grid order with Nev Simpson third in front of the closely matched Graham Seager and Chris Healey. John Griffiths was initially going well in 6th place and Paul Plant had managed to get in front of Sarah Heels at Cascades, neatly placing her GTA between himself and class rival Mel Healey. However, on lap 2 Sarah asserted herself (aided by the extra power of her 3.2 litre V6) to get ahead, leaving Paul exposed to a determined attack from Mel. Ray Foley was holding on to 3rd place in E, Andy Inman and James Ford dropping back slightly while Steve Fletcher, running just ahead of Peter Sloan, was leading class D as Matt Abell's misfire persisted.

Sam Laird had pulled out a 4.7" lead over Shaun Hazlewood by the end of lap 3 but then had an off track moment on lap 4 which suddenly saw the gap down to 1.4" although Shaun was well aware that this was not a true reflection of a change of pace. Nonetheless, Sam was being careful not to do anything silly and the lap times remained fairly even and the gap under 3 seconds until, quite suddenly on lap 7, the black GTV just stopped on the far side of the circuit much to Shaun's disgust and disappointment, there being no obvious reason. Running 3rd up to lap 5 had been Nev Simpson, but his Alfetta was continuing to smoke (he had negotiated a two lap concession from the Clerk of the Course to see if the oil already on the exhaust burned off). He decided to back off slightly which allowed Chris Healey to assume 2nd overall when Shaun retired, Nev still keeping 3rd spot ahead of Graham Seager and Sarah Heels. Graham had at one point been passed by John  Griffiths but John was dropping back to join the Class E battles.

Paul Plant and Mel Healey were continuing their close contest and Mel did once get ahead of Paul briefly at Knickerbrook. She then tried to go down the inside into Old Hall but backed out of it as it clearly wasn't going to work. At the end of lap 7 a plume of smoke followed the shape of Ray Foley's 156 as it crested Dear Leap and pulled over to the pitwall side of the track. He had understeered onto the rough exiting Lodge, bouncing and nosediving on the way, splitting the pipework to his oil cooler. A lap later James Ford did almost the same thing on the exit of Cascades, as a result of which there was a fair amount of oil around the place and oil flags were out. Sarah Heels had slowed enough to allow Paul Plant and Mel Healey to close up and then had a big "really scary", this way and that moment  in which she (and Paul and Mel!) was convinced that the 147 was going to hit the barrier - hard. Somehow, luck was with her and she managed to gather it all up and, under the circumstances, wasn't too concerned that it had dropped her two places.

As the race ran to its conclusion, Sam Laird's lead was 14.9" over Chris Healey although Nev Simpson had been braver through the oil (his own breather problem seemed to have diminished) and had taken 4" out of the gap to Chris, dragging Graham Seager along with him. They would finish in that order. Mel Healey lost contact slightly with Paul Plant and concentrated on brining her 156 home in a secure 2nd place in E, 6th overall. Sarah Heels came home a shaking but undamaged 7th (3rd in C) still well clear of Class D winner Steve Fletcher who managed to pass Andy Inman (3rd in E), with another smoking 156, on the final lap. They were followed home by Martin Jones, John Griffiths, Andrew Bramah and Peter Sloan.

It was a delighted Sam Laird who was interviewed afterwards by commentator Mike Cookson with the equally happy Clive and Christine Hodgkin looking on. At the Prize giving later, the trophies were presented by Martin Jones' sister, Rachel. The MMC Motorsport Insurance Driver of the Day award went to Chris Healey and the free entry ping pong ball was that of……….Martin Jones. Now who says coincidences don't happen!

The Oulton result left the Healey family still leading the points table but with Chris now 2 points clear of Mel. Cadwell Park on June 5 / 6 is the first of three double header meetings of the year (Anglesey and Brands Hatch are the others) with a potential 44 points at stake in each class (number of starters permitting).

The first round of this year's Championship had produced an unexpected win for Shaun Hazlewood's GTV after a post safety car dash that had seen Chris Healey at the front of the field until the very last corner. What surprises might Snetterton have in store for us? One thing appeared certain, Neil Smith's Super 2000 would still be out of action but we had expected an entry from Tim Lewis's Alfasud Sprint. In the end that did not materialise. However, the Lahoma 33 16v would be there, Chris Snowdon switching from the 75 he drove at Castle Combe while there was a lot of interest surrounding Alastair Iles' 147 GTA, now running in class A1, which had tested satisfactorily ten days before. Despite no internal modifications, the GTA - running with inlet trumpets and a much revised engine management system courtesy of Adie Hawkins and Lee Penn - was said to produce some 300 bhp. Other A1 cars entered were the supercharged 75 3 litre of Chris Oxborough and the normally aspirated version of Keith Waite. In A2, Chris Snowdon was joined by Nick Anderson, the broken rotor arm that had caused his retirement 500 yards from the finish at Combe having been replaced - "I have brought along a couple of spares this time" said Nick before qualifying.

Nev Simpson was an absentee at Snetterton, leaving Class B to be fought out by the 156s of the brothers Griffiths - John and Bryn - and the Avon Racing 75 3 litre of Peter Sloan. The strongest class should have been C with four GTVs and the 147 GTA of Sarah Heels. Unfortunately, Ron Davidson had encountered some oil dropped by his "friend" Barry McMahon while they were testing at Brands a couple of days earlier,  Ron hitting the barrier and damaging the front of his GTV which left him as a non starter for Snetterton. Barry was able to repair his car - the old grey GTV as the new one being prepared by Peak Alfa was not ready - joining the similar cars of Combe heroes Shaun Hazlewood and Chris Healey.

For a while it looked as though Leon Bailey would be the only Class D entry (how times have changed!) but he was joined at the last moment by newcomer Matt Abell who has bought Tim Hayes old car. This now repainted in a fetching white, green and black colour scheme. Class E had one of its smallest entries for some time, with only the 156s of Mel Healey, Paul Plant, Andy Inman and James Ford. James's car had been quite badly damaged at Combe in the incident with Rob Buchelle's 33 but it appeared pristine one again, a tribute to his efforts "with a hammer" he said. Don't you believe it, the car looked rather better than that. As at Combe, Bryn Griffiths was again having problems with the noise meter, despite a revised exhaust, added to which the engine of the 156 refused to run cleanly. In the end his persistence paid off with the assistance of a constructive enviro marshal and he was cleared to race.

The original weather forecast had led us to expect a dry, if slightly overcast, day so it was with some surprise that we saw the approach of some grey cloud as the 19 car field prepared to leave the assembly area for what was to be an 18 minute session following a major loss of time at the end of Saturday. Shaun Hazlewood was on his first flying lap when it started to spit with rain and then, in no time at all, was pelting down, rendering the track almost undriveable for those on slicks. Bryn Griffiths was already in trouble, his bonnet flying off on the back straight.

Shaun Hazlewood's second lap was good enough to give him pole position, a full 5 seconds quicker than Chris Oxborough who was using some grooved Dunlops and 15 seconds (!) better than his third lap, so difficult had the conditions become. Inevitably there were several spinners, including Sarah Heels at Russell and Leon Bailey on the exit of Coram while Andy Inman went into the Esses slip road ("couldn't see a thing!") to be joined by Nick Anderson and Paul Plant. They all re-joined. The slick shod runners - Chris Snowdon, Alastair Iles, Nick Anderson John Griffiths and Keith Waite - all reckoned the three laps to qualify were enough.  This was particularly disappointing for Alastair as he was hoping for some more time in which to acclimatise himself to the extra performance of the 147 and the grip of racing rubber. Particularly impressive during the wettest part of the session was James Ford who was lapping consistently quicker than everyone else. His best lap was his sixth but because he had been learning the circuit early on it was only good enough for fourth in class.

A topsy-turvy grid was to be expected and that was indeed the result although both Nick Anderson and John Griffiths had managed to get themselves well to the fore, 5th and 6th fastest. Shaun Hazlewood and Chris Oxborough would make up the front row with Barry McMahon and Andy Inman congratulating themselves with second row grid slots. Paul Plant, Leon Bailey and Sarah Heels recorded the most laps (10) and were rewarded with 7th, 8th and 9th, Peter Sloan completing the top ten. Mel Healey and Chris Healey would start alongside each other on row 8 ahead of Keith Waite, James Ford, a misfiring Matt Abell, Chris Snowdon, Alastair Iles and Bryn Griffiths who had qualified behind a course car.

Part of the lunch interval was taken up by a two lap parade of Alfa Romeo road cars, topped and tailed by two Alfashop Fiat vans. This had been organised by Clare Horne of AROC's East Anglian Section.

Our race - reduced from 20 to 18 minutes - was set for mid afternoon. The good weather had returned during the late morning but it was now becoming grey again and we all feared the worst. However, we were lucky this time and the rain stayed away. There was drama as the flag was waved for the green flag lap, Shaun Hazlewood's GTV erupting in a cloud of dense smoke as the car caught fire with an underbonnet oil leak. Shaun pulled off rapidly half way to Riches as the cockpit also filled with smoke as the rest of the field passed by. A delayed start was decreed. Chris Healey had come into the pit road with an electrical problem but Ian Brookfield quickly assessed that there was still some water where water shouldn't have been and Chris was ready to start the GTV from the pit road.

When the race finally got underway a few minutes later it was Chris Oxborough and Barry McMahon who assumed the leading positions with Nick Anderson third, a couple of seconds back at the end of the first lap, ahead of John Griffiths and Sarah Heels. Chris Snowdon was already up to 6th while Alastair Iles was also making progress, crossing the line in 11th place and about to take 10th away from Mel Healey. Paul Plant had already taken the Class E lead from Andy Inman who was running in front of Leon Bailey's Class D 33.

During lap 2, Chris Oxborough continued to look strong at the front, dropping Barry McMahon and Nick Anderson. Chris Snowdon had moved up to 4th while there was now clear track between the 33 and Alastair Iles in 5th place, the 147 going strongly 3" back. John Griffiths was holding on to his Class B lead in 6th place but watching the advancing Paul Plant. Chris Healey had made good progress in pursuit of Sarah Heels and Leon Bailey but Mel was finding it harder going to catch Andy Inman as Keith Waite's 75 took her attention for a short while. Chris Snowdon moved up to 2nd place on the third lap, putting Nick Anderson and Barry McMahon between himself and Alastair Iles, with Chris Oxborough as the next target. By the end of lap 4 the red 33 was in the lead with the Avon Racing 75 only 1.25" behind with the Iles 147 GTA 3rd and closing in.

Nick Anderson had passed Barry McMahon on lap 3, Barry seeming to have a clear run to Class C honours while John Griffiths, Paul Plant and Chris Healey passed the line tied together but some 7 second adrift. The following lap Paul retired with a broken throttle connection, Keith Waite passed both Sarah Heels and John Griffiths, then Leon Bailey lost a wheel after hitting a kerbing hard with his 33 breaking a front hub, Sarah Heels narrowly missing getting involved.

By the end of lap 6, the halfway stage, Chris Snowdon had opened his lead over Alastair Iles to 4.1" but from that point on, Alastair was a man with a mission and was gradually eating away at the gap. By lap 9 it was down to 2.9", lap 10 2.7, Lap 11 2.5". Bryony, Chris Snowdon's daughter, was keeping Chris informed from the pit wall. On the final lap both drivers broke into the 1.19s for the first time and although Alastair set the fastest lap, it was Chris's race at the flag by 2.45". It was a relieved Chris Snowdon who explained to commentator Lewis Beales and delighted car owner John Sismey afterwards that he was hoping not to have to get into a wheel to wheel battle with Alastair as the 147 would probably have got the better of it.

Chris Oxborough had suffered an off track moment between Riches and Sear on lap 6, dropping behind Nick Anderson who would eventually finish 3rd with Chris 4th. An enthralling battle had eventually developed between Barry McMahon and the chasing Chris Healey. With three laps  to go they were separated by 2.6" but Chris was having to contend with Keith Waite's 75 who passed both GTVs into 5th place before the final lap, leaving the way clear for Chris to challenge Barry for the Class C win. It was going to be close but Barry just got to the flag first 0.2" ahead. Sarah Heels came home 7th overall and 3rd in class, just staving off Peter Sloan's Class B winning 75. Mel Healey had passed Andy Inman for the class E lead on lap 5 but it remained a close battle with James Ford right on their tail until the last couple of laps when he lost grip and brakes. Nonetheless he set a new class E lap record. Matt Abell misfired his way home to the Class D win while John Griffiths was adjudged to have taken 2nd in B after crossing the timing line in the pit road. Final finisher was Bryn Griffiths, the 156 continuing to suffer from poor pick-up out of the corners.

The overall and class trophies were presented later by Philip Clay from Alfashop and Jane Anderson while Andy Hancok from MMC handed the Driver of the Day award to Alastair Iles.

Once all the calculations had been made we had the intriguing championship situation of Chris and Mel Healey sharing the points lead with Chris Snowdon lying 3rd.

The next round is at Oulton Park (International circuit) on Saturday, May 15th.

For the past three years the Championship has opened its season with Britcar on the Silverstone International circuit . However, for 2010 their first meeting switched to Brands Hatch in mid March and we reckoned that this was just too early. Instead, Round 1 was therefore set for Castle Combe on Easter Monday, April 5. Even this seemed to be rushing up too quickly for some as the winter dragged on, but a few sunny days looked set to improve everyone's morale and the entry eventually started to take shape.

Alfashop remain our title sponsors for a fifth season while Toyo and Tyres (South Shore) are again providers of control tyres for the Production classes. A new associate sponsor is MMC Motorsport Insurance who are supporting the Driver of the Day award. It was good to see Jeremy Wales and Philip Clay making the journey from Norwich to enjoy the racing.

The worst kept secret of the winter was Neil Smith's acquisition of the ex Dave Pinkney 156 that we saw last September at Oulton Park. The history of the car goes back to the 2004 when it was raced by Gabriele Tarquini in the European Touring Car Championship under the Autodelta Squadra Corse banner (N.Technology under another name). Neil headed Class A1 for Combe where he was joined by Andy Page's Giulietta Turbo, the supercharged 75 12v of Chris Oxborough and Chris Snowdon in his further developed normally aspirated 75 24v. The only entry in A2 was Nick Anderson, the engine of his 33 8v having been rebuilt over the winter.

It was good to see Nev Simpson's Class B Alfetta GT 2.5 ready to race at the start of the season as he could well make a strong challenge in this year's title battle. In fact so well prepared and relaxed was he that he was able to take a week's holiday beforehand with Becki and son Scott. John Griffiths 156 was joined by the similar car of brother Bryn, this being another ex Dutch Challenge car, red and white this time. The class was completed by Peter Sloan in the 75 3 litre he shares with Robin Eyre-Maunsell, these cars now being allowed into Class B.

Class C looks as though it will be well supported from the start this year. Of particular interest was Sarah Heels' new 3.2 litre 147 GTA, prepared by Bianco Auto Developments, which looked extremely smart in its white and red colour scheme with reflective green Bianco lettering. Sarah and brother Graham had both driven the car in a test session at Silverstone ten days beforehand. Shaun Hazlewood and Chris Healey were both entered in their 3 litre GTVs, Chris's being the ex Kevin Evans example and the class was made up by Dave Messenger's 75 which had received a new engine and been smartened up during the winter. The three front wheel drive cars were fitted with the now permitted Q2 diff.

Sadly, Class D has suffered from the steady disappearance of the 33 and only two were entered for Combe. However, it was good to see the return of Leon Bailey with the ex Brian Thorp 8v car, still in its smart AHM colours of black and yellow. The second car was that of Rob Buchelle who had only managed one race in 2009.

Class E was made up entirely of 156s on this occasion. Paul Plant was back with the example that took him to 5 wins last year while Mel Healey had the ex Sarah Heels car, now resplendent in black and pink livery. Ray Foley, Chris Finch and Andy Inman were all entered in their usual cars while welcome newcomer was James Ford who had built up his own car over the past year. He was nearly unable to race after an excursion into the gravel while testing at Silverstone had broken the cambelt with the usual dire results. However an emergency rebuild at Bianco enabled James to make it to Combe for his debut.

A cloudy, dry and chilly morning greeted us for scrutineering and the first qualifying session of the year. Everyone was eager to see how Neil Smith's superbly presented new car performed but it all turned into a disappointing anti-climax. With just an out-lap completed Neil motored slowly into the pit area after suffering a loss of power. Investigation in the paddock revealed that it was not an easily fixed problem and Neil's race day was over almost as soon as it had begun. Later it was discovered that the cam belt had slipped which, as the engine had been checked over by a well known BTCC engine builder beforehand did not leave Neil very happy!

So, with the Super 2000 156 out of contention, it was left to Andy Page to dominate proceedings with a consistent set of laps, the fastest of which (1'16.398") was some 4.5 seconds clear of everyone else, although well off the lap record set by Tim Lewis in 2009. However, the next four cars were very evenly matched with Chris Healey grabbing a surprise front row slot, from Nev Simpson, Chris Oxborough and Shaun Hazlewood, all four lapping in the 1' 21s. Most surprised of all was Shaun Hazlewood who arrived at Combe convinced that he would lead class C once again, only to find himself nearly a second slower than Chris Healey who had caught and passed his rival during the 15 minute session, boosting his confidence for the race. Chris Snowdon should have been amongst the top six but was suffering a brake problem and only managed three laps to set 8th quickest time behind Paul Plant and Mel Healey. Nick Anderson seemed fairly pleased with his 33 but was still getting used to the car's bigger brakes in addition to running a the new engine. Making up the top 10 was Peter Sloan who had lapped the Class B 75 quicker than Robin Eyre-Maunsell's best last year.

Chris Finch looked competitive in his 156 and was to be elevated to class pole when the cars of Paul Plant and Mel Healey were found to be underweight after qualifying. The lack of "paperwork" and an out of time protest had meant that they could not be put to the back of field by the Clerk of Course but they eventually agreed voluntarily to start on the final row. Leon Bailey was the quicker of the two Class D cars ahead of Sarah Heels, Andy Inman, Ray Foley and Dave Messenger. James Ford seemed confident enough in his red 156 and headed Rob Buchelle and John Griffiths, John suffering lack from an old tyre fitted by mistake. Unluckiest of all was Bryn Griffiths whose car failed the noise test and despite five later attempts was unable to qualify.

Track conditions were unchanged as the remaining 19 cars came out to form the grid. Commentator Andy Blackman reported that Chris Snowdon was creeping but stopped and waited a fraction for the lights to change. Andy Page was away into lead, thinking that he would take it easy with such a wide margin between himself and the rest of the field. At Quarry, though, he found that he had two GTVs hard on his tail and needed to establish a gap, leaving it small enough to keep everyone entertained! In second and third places Chris Healey and Shaun Hazlewood were more interested in their battle for supremacy in C, Shaun finding that he had some real competition for a change. The three leaders ended the first lap just 1.023" apart with Nev Simpson a further 1.7" back ahead of Chris Snowdon, Nick Anderson and the flying Paul Plant. Paul had made one of his lightning getaways and had already passed 12 cars while Mel Healey had also made good progress from the back and was on the tail of Andy Inman for 3rd in class. Chris Finch and Leon Bailey were fighting away for 8th and 9th overall but Chris Oxborough, who had been hoping for a top five finish, had spun on the opening lap and was at the tail of the field. 

Andy Page was keeping himself just ahead of the warring GTVs who had pulled away from Nev Simpson and Chris Snowdon as they completed lap 2.  Paul Plant was all on his own with a big group just behind headed by Nick Anderson with Leon Bailey, Chris Finch, Dave Messenger, Mel Healey, Andy Inman and Peter Sloan all covered by just 3 seconds. Sarah Heels was further back than she had hoped to be with her 147 GTA, never managing to get onto her qualifying pace.

By lap 4, Andy Page had opened up a 3 second lead over Chris Healey, who continued to impress, and Shaun Hazlewood. Nev Simpson didn't seem to have an answer to the Class C cars at this stage and Chris Snowdon was very lonely in 5th place but 10 seconds clear of Paul Plant. Leon Bailey was driving a strong race, passing Nick Anderson who then had to contend with Chris Finch and the closing Mel Healey, despite her problems with a faulty airflow sensor.

By the end of lap 6, Andy Page had benefited from a slower lap by his rivals and was now 4.1" clear of Chris Healey who now had Shaun Hazlewood larger than ever in his mirrors. However, that was as far as Andy got, his gearbox giving up the ghost on the next lap and leaving the GTVs to fight it out for the lead. Nev Simpson had suddenly also come into contention and ended lap 7 a mere 1.5" behind Shaun Hazlewood, aided by the confusion following an incident between Rob Buchelle who spun on the far side of the circuit and James Ford whose 156 made contact with the 33 which was left partly blocking the track. It seemed to take some time for the Safety Car to be deployed but it was on track at the end of lap 8, picking up leader Chris Healey just after the pit exit. The order was now Chris Healey, Shaun Hazlewood, Nev Simpson, Chris Snowdon, Paul Plant, Leon Bailey, Mel Healey, Chris Finch and Dave Messenger making up the top 10. Both Rob Buchelle and James Ford were out of the race.

As the Safety Car pulled in after 2 laps , we were looking forward to what would probably be four more laps of intense racing. Shaun Hazlewood was tucked up even closer to Chris Healey as they completed lap 11 with Nev Simpson and Chris Snowdon in hot pursuit, the four cars covered by just 2 seconds. Paul Plant was 5th overall maintaining his Class E lead and Mel Healey had managed to pass Leon Bailey who was being given a hard time by Chris Finch. Chris Oxborough had worked his way back through the field so that he was just behind John Griffiths as the Safety Car came out and was ahead by the start of lap 12.

Nev Simpson had now really got the bit between his teeth and was pushing Chris Healey and Shaun Hazlewood very hard indeed, with Chris Snowdon a further second back in fourth. A lap later, Nev had inserted himself between the two GTVs and Chris Oxborough was ahead of Leon Bailey and chasing Chris Finch for 7th place. All looked set for a grandstand finish on the final lap - would Nev Simpson manage to grab the lead, could Shaun Hazlewood steal the Class win from Chris Healey? Lurking there was Chris Snowdon. That final 1.85 miles was fraught to say the least with Nev Simpson, Shaun and Chris Snowdon engaged in a tight battle that saw the Alfetta and 75 making contact and fishtailing down the road at Old Paddock, leaving an advantage to Shaun. It was the red GTV, though, that still seemed to have it all under control as they approached Camp but Chris Healey misjudged his entry, turned late, ran onto the grass on the exit of the corner and gave us all some heart stopping moments as he managed to find some grip at the last moment and slide back onto the track. By then, however, Shaun Hazlewood had muttered "thank you very much!" into his helmet and crossed the line for an excellent win, the first by a Production class car for many years. Chris Snowdon crossed the line second on the road but had been docked 10" for his jumped start, leaving him 5th which benefited Chris Healey who went across the line 4th but was elevated to a deserved 3rd by the timekeepers. Most of the congratulations (and commiserations) went to Chris afterwards as most people reckoned it was a win he had richly deserved. Shaun Hazlewood, for his part, was just happy to know that there would be some strong competition for him in C throughout the year. Nev Simpson was happy enough with his second place but Chris Snowdon was less than chuffed with his 10 second penalty and went to find the Clerk of the Course but without success.

The final few laps had seen Paul Plant consolidate his Class E lead, being placed 4th overall, with Mel Healey 2nd in E despite Chris Finch's last minute efforts to wrest it away from her. Chris Oxborough, John Griffiths and Leon Bailey were next home in front of Ray Foley, Andy Inman, Peter Sloan and Sarah Heels, all hoping for better days.

The trophies were presented later by Christina Holley and the first MMC Motorsport Insurance Driver of the Day award went to Mel Healey. Nick Anderson's "ping pong ball" was drawn for the first free entry voucher cheque of the year.

The next round is at Snetterton on Sunday, April 25