Race Report by Michael Lindsay

Photos by Paul Stone, Katy Read & Graham Heels

Race Report by Michael Lindsay

Photos by Paul Stone, Katy Read & Graham Heels

Photos By Katy Read, Paul Stone & Michael Lindsay

Race Report by Michael Lindsay

This was the one we had been waiting for - Neil Smith versus Roger Evans! Roger had raced his heavily revised GTV, complete with a supercharged 3.2 V6 that replaced its original normally aspirated 3.8, at Silverstone in the opening round. With no opposition it romped to an easy victory (although he had some fun chasing the Dunlop Production Saloons that were in the same race and beating them as well!). Thereafter, Roger went away to re-think the brakes and did not appear until the AROC races at Mallory in mid June where he took another win and set the fastest ever Alfa lap round the 1.35 mile circuit in 48.9". He concluded that he was now ready to make Neil work hard for his sixth race win of the year in the ex WTCC 156 and Neil, in his turn, was ready to accept the challenge.

Oulton Park has been a regular part of the Championship calendar from the start. The first visit came in June 1982 when a small field of just ten cars contested a 10 lap handicap race on what later became the Fosters circuit. In the race report for the AROC magazine it stated that "this left Michael Lindsay praying that practice would not eliminate any more". Nothing changes then! Interestingly, Bolton Alfa dealers Westune were the race sponsors on that occasion and it was good to see Peter West last weekend, still taking a lively interest in what was going on. In 1982 the race winner was Nigel Cottee's Alfasud Ti by half a second from Richard Gamble's 1750 GTV after the start had been delayed by torrential rain and a flooded track. Richard later went on to be the first Alfa champion.

This time, we had increased our entry a little to 17, and there were drivers re-appearing for the first time this year plus one completely new competitor - Peter Tervet - and Guy Hale in a new car, the ex Alastair Iles 147 GTA. This had been fettled by NJS racing, including a new roof to replace the original sunroof and a completely revised colour scheme feauturing logos for Guy's company, Hadley Steel Framing.  We were also very happy to welcome back Ray Foley, who would be racing for the first time since the sad death of Barbara in May and Richard Salt, who we have not seen since 2008. Probably not suprising as he now has two young children to keep him busy!

With Neil Smith, Roger Evans and Guy Hale all down to run, Class A1 would at least provide everyone with a chance to grab sensible points. By contrast, there was nobody in A2. Steve Dymoke's 156 had suffered serious gearbox damage at Pembrey and although the car was now up and running again, Steve had decided to save it for the Brands GP circuit race. Class B saw Robin Eyre-Maunsell back to have another go in the troublesome Avon Racing 75 3 litre, and this time they had not brought the no.44 as spare, which pleased Robin as he felt that its presence cast a spell over no.60! Louise West had sorted out a cracked engine pulley problem on the 33 16v that had gone so well at Pembrey and was hoping she could have another productive race. We all had to guess what the switch labelled "secret weapon" was all about - I never found out!!

And then we came to Class E - Avon racing had brought along their renta' 156 which Peter Tervet was to drive. Peter is in his second year of Mighty Mini racing, having taken their novice award in 2010 and finished 3rd overall. This year he had already taken a Mighty Mini race win when we were at Brands in June and when he arrived at Oulton led the Championship. However, he was keen to try something different in a multi class race and the 156 renta' offered that opportunity. Other Avon Class E cars were the 156 of Andy Inman and Andrew Bramah's 147. Ray Foley's 156 was one of four cars in the entry showing allegiance to Peak Alfa. Emma Karwacki was in her usual green (with black blobs!) 147, hoping to repeat her successes at Cadwell and Pembrey and to strengthen even more her championship hopes. Her closest rival from Pembrey, James Thomas, was out again in his yellow David Thomas Garages 146 Ti, being the only one to test on Friday. Finally, we had two 145s, Richard Salt in his metallic green version and Mick Donaghue in the metallic red car owned by Phil Donaghy which he had driven at Silverstone last year and at Mallory in June.

As usual it was interesting watching on the inside at Lodge, where you can get closer to the cars than any other place on the circuit. Running wide on the exit of the corner has caught out many people over the years and Guy Hale was the first to have two wheels in the dirt with the 147. Happily he kept it all straight and calm (from the outside anyway!!) and didn't do it again. The same applied to Andy Robinson who enjoyed a bumpy ride beyond the kerbs early on, but again managed to avoid disaster. Guy gradually worked his way down to a time (2'05.311") that would give him a second row start position alongside Louise West, who was quicker for much of the time but had to give best over the final couple of laps. Louise's class B competition, Robin Eyre-Maunsell, had managed only three laps before stopping with an overheating engine.

In class C, Sarah Heels was nearly a second quicker than Andy Robinson but where was Graham Seager? He had failed to complete a lap and we later learned that he had pulled off when the engine just stopped. He had thought initially that it might be the fuel pump but it later transpired to be a more serious engine problem, possibly a stone under the cambelt and bent valves. Sadly then his return was very short. Sarah and Andy made up row 3 of the grid and behind them it was pretty well all Class E plus the singleton Class D car of Steve Fletcher.  Could Emma Karwacki continue her run of form in the 147? The answer was yes, as she took class pole with a rejuvenated Andy Inman alongside her, just 0.32" adrift. Peter Tervet, had settled in rapidly and would line up behind Emmaand Andy, having lapped quicker than James Thomas, but all four were covered by just 0.43" showing how close the front of Class E is these days. Steve Fletcher was happy to be closely in touch with the quicker E cars and ahead of Andrew Bramah, Ray Foley, Richard Salt and Mike Donaghue.

Ray Foley, however, had come into the pits after five laps with an oil leak which turned out to be a crack in the sump around the drain plug, possibly the legacy of an earlier incident. With no spare available, it began to look as though Ray's efforts were over for the day. Fortunately, Easytrack's Tim Newman came to the rescue, contacting a local enthusiast who had plenty of such parts to hand and he agreed to bring one to the circuit. The first to arrive turned out to a slightly different sump for a 155 but another journey produced the right one, and Roger Evans and Ray were able to fit it. Elsewhere, Avon thought they had sorted out Robin Eyre-Maunsell's engine but were keeping their fingers crossed and Neil Smith had selected his replacement tyres. Anna Fletcher was seen fitting new front discs to Peter Tervet's 156 while Emma Karwacki needed a new driveshaft for the 147.

Eventually, it was time for the cars to go the assembly area, making their way onto the track at around 4.30 after some lengthy clearing up from the previous Formula Ford race. At Oulton, the run from the assembly area to the grid is always counted as the green flag lap and then, after a last minute delay as the marshals looked at something under Robin Eyre-Maunsell's 75, everyone was ready. From the front row, both Neil Smith and Roger Evans moved away togetherin what Motorsport News described as "a terrific start". It was nip and tuck at Old Hall. By the time they reached Cascades, Neil had edged into the lead. Behind them, Guy Hale, making his first start from near the front of grid had got away smoothly and was lying third, while further back Steve Fletcher, having made one of his best ever starts had run wide on the exit of Old Hall, Andy Inman following him over the grass. Steve lost momentum and then found himself squeezed between the two 145s, subsequent contact removing the driver's side window of Mike Donaghue's car and throwing it across the bonnet of the 33 - shock all round! But fortunately, everyone was able to keep going but Steve's race, in particular, was ruined.

Throughout the first lap, Roger Evans kept himself right on the tail of Neil Smith, Roger watching the 156 being muscled across the kerbs. The gap at the end of the lap was a mere 0.5" with Guy Hale already 12" back in the 147 GTA. Running 4th and 5th, a further 4 seconds back, Sarah Heels and Andy Robinson were closely matched with Louise West and Emma Karwacki, leading Class E, next in line. Robin Eyre-Maunsell had enjoyed a splendid opening lap, passing no fewer eight cars and closing visibly on those ahead of him. But his sudden arrival in their midst had also delayed Emma' pursuers and she had a 2" lead over James Thomas, with Andy Inman, Peter Tervet,  with Richard Salt and Ray Foley in pursuit.

Roger knew that if he was to get ahead of Neil it would have to be early on before the 156s new tyres started to come into play. At the end of lap 2, the gap at the timing line was only 0.067" and Roger made his move but it was a very brief spell at the front as Neil wasted no time in slipping back into a lead he would never lose. Guy Hale was all on his own in third place, pulling away from Sarah Heels, Andy Robinson and Louise West. Robin Eyre-Maunsell was now ahead of Emma Karwacki which left clear road to James Thomas, Andy Inman and Peter Tervet who were stepping up their attempts to catch her.

Roger Evans was keeping up the pressure on Neil Smith, the two totally different cars making a fine sight as they fought it out round Oulton's picturesque ups and downs , crossing the line just 0.25" apart at the end of lap 3. This had extended to 0.64" a lap later and 1.78" at the end of lap 5. At this point, one got the feeling that Roger was acknowledging that this wasn't going to be his day and he was already thinking about what he needed to do to make the GTV quicker, particularly with respect to front end grip. In fourth place, Sarah Heels had now lost the attention of Andy Robinson who had slipped back behind Louise West who suddenly chopped nearly 3 seconds offer her previous best lap and was closing onto Sarah Heels' tail.

As the race entered its second half, it was clear that Neil Smith had established a winning position, the gap to Roger Evans opening out to 4.7" as the GTV had a couple of slower laps. By the end of lap 8, both had lapped the entire field, including Guy Hale, still running an unobtrusive third. Over the final three laps (11 was the full distance during the 20 minutes) Roger was able to speed up again but it was Neil Smith who crossed the line to take another win, his sixth of the year, by 3.7". Afterwards both he and Roger were plainly happy at having a "race". All we needed now was Tim Lewis and Anthony George to add to the fun! Guy Hale came home a happy third, 40" ahead of Class C winner Andy Robinson.

Andy Inman managed to get within a second of Emma Karwacki at the finish, with Peter Tervet right on his tail, the Avon renta' a fine 7th overall. Andy had also set the fastest class lap by some margin which gave him and the Avon team more to celebrate. Sarah Heels came home a disappointed 8th, in front of Ray Foley, Andrew Bramah, Mike Donaghue and Louise West all rather spread out.

A very well supported prize giving saw the trophies being presented by Martin Jones' sister Rachel. As Neil Smith had already left to drive down to Cardiff for a party (!), a popular recipient of his cup, bottle of champagne, winner's hat and garland was Westley Evans who had greatly contributed to Neil's success on the day. Neil was also awarded the MMC Motorsport Insurance Driver of the Day Award that was accepted on his behalf by Emma Karwacki. The icing on the cake would have been a new Alfa championship lap record but that will have to wait for another day.

The Oulton result moved Emma to the top of the overall points table (123), 1 point clear of Neil. Mel Healey has now slipped to third (119), followed by Sara Heels (113) and Steve Dymoke (109) but dropped scores and the level of entries in each class will come into play as the season progresses. Round 9 is at Brands Hatch on Saturday, August 20 on the full GP circuit.

These amazing pictures of Rick Salt's fire taken were by Maria Salt

Time Paul Plant spent some money on a proper car?

Well, nobody was going to break any lap records. Pity really, as this was the first time, apart from Silverstone last October, that Neil Smith had faced the possibility of some real competition and this always spurs Neil on! Snetterton winner Anthony George had entered his 156 Turbo and we were all looking forward to the possibility of a great race at the front and then the weather gods intervened. The second day of the two day meeting offered gloomy clouds, a damp and greasy qualifying and a rainy late afternoon race. Such a contrast to the Championship's first ever visit to the Brands short circuit on November 21, 1982 when we had blue sky and a dry track! On that occasion, the (handicap) race produced a runaway win for Pietro Caccaviello's modified 2000 GTV from a closely matched Paul O'Hanlon (GTA), Harry White senior (father of Bianco's Harry) in an Alfetta GTS and Martin Colvill (of Bell & Colvill fame) with an Alfasud Ti taken straight out of the showroom!

With so much else going on, including Le Mans, and the promise of a second visit to Brands in August, this time on the Grand Prix circuit, the entry for round 5 was modest. This was somewhat disappointing in view of the fact that the meeting, including our race, would be filmed for inclusion in later SkySports and Motors TV programmes. As already mentioned, Neil Smith versus Anthony George was a welcome attraction but Steve Dymoke was also there with Neil's old car that has provided him with several good races already this year. Steve runs in class A2 and was joined on this occasion by Nick Anderson with the 33 8v that had battled with Alastair Iles' 147 at Snetterton. Having missed Cadwell Park, John Griffiths was back with his orange and black 156 for Brands. With him in Class B was the returning Louise West with a 33 16v that used most of the mechanical parts that had survived her accident with the A2 car at Oulton last year. A silver shell had been donated by Nick Anderson, Louise and Charlotte having caught him just as he was about to send it to the crusher! Add a few yellow bits from the old car, like the grille and door mirrors and you have the basis for a new race car. The 16v engine had been prepared by Peter West.

Ron Davidson was making his first appearance of the year with his GTV in Class C, giving Sarah Heels' 147 GTA some competition. Paul Plant made a late entry in Class D having borrowed his dad Tony Herbert's 33 16v - the blue ex James Burland car - but nearly didn't make it after what sounded a very nasty motorway accident a couple of days before. Happily the damage was mainly cuts and bruises although he wasn't quite sure before qualifying if he would be fit to race. A second Class D 33 was that of Guy Hale who had won the opening round at Silverstone but missed out on Snetterton and Cadwell.

Earlier light drizzle, added to some oil dropped in previous qualifying session, meant that the track surface was extremely difficult and slicks were probably not going to be the right choice. Anthony George found this out quite quickly, added to which he had a windscreen wiper problem which meant that after 6 laps, none of which were near the pace of either Neil Smith or Steve Dymoke,  he pulled into the pits and decided that was the end of his session. At the other end of the time sheets, Neil had wasted no time in getting down to what he felt was his optimum under the conditions, setting a 59.266" (probably 8 or 9 seconds of a possible dry time) and also retired to his pit garage. Steve Dymoke, on the other hand, was intent on taking advantage of more track time and on his 14th lap went sub 1 minute and showed there was a distinct possibility that Neil might not be on pole. Steve's next lap was slower but then a 59.513" brought him to within 0.247" of the WTCC 156 and we watched the timing monitor for the remaining 3 minutes of qualifying to see if he could improve on that. Sadly he couldn't  but would still be joining Neil for an all NJS Racing front row. His 19 laps in the session had been very valuable in boosting his confidence.

An equally close battle was going on in Class E with Dave Messenger and Andy Inman leading the way 5 laps into the 20 minutes of qualifying before James Thomas got into his stride. A head down effort with three minutes to go suddenly raised the bar from the 1'06s where he, Dave and Andy had seemed planted to a 1'05.985" which nobody else could match. This also put him ahead of Louise West and Ron Davidson which could prove useful in the race. Andy Inman ended a very satisfied 2nd in E with a best of 1'06.149" just 0.080" clear of Dave Messenger who was continuing to impress in the 156. Chris Finch had also been in the mix but had to settle for 4th 0.046" shy of Dave but both Mel Healey and Emma Karwacki had disappointing sessions. Mel was very consistent with her final six laps all within 0.58" of each other but her best had come with a 1'06.779" mid session, a time she just couldn't better before the end. Emma had no confidence in the 147's handling, leaving her 3" off the pace and Neil Smith with "issues with the car" to sort out.

A solid third overall throughout qualifying was the blue 33 of Paul Plant, managing 18 laps to convince himself that he was fit to race with a best of 1'05.173". The only other car in Class D, Guy Hale's 33. had had an adventurous time, spinning at Paddock and then going straight on at the hairpin on his third lap, bringing out the yellow flags as he was firmly stuck in the gravel.  Guy was to be followed there at the end of the session by John Griffiths who had just set his fastest lap, half a second slower than Paul but good enough for a second row start. James Thomas would be on the inside of row 3 with Louise West alongside him, while quickest in C, Ron Davidson would line up with Andy Inman on row 4. Ron and Sarah Heels had been evenly matched for most qualifying and Sarah's 1'06.411" on her 11th lap looked as though it was good enough for the fastest class lap point until Ron popped in a 1'06.357" on his penultimate lap and settled it with 1'06.115" as the flag came out. One driver we had expected to be near the front of the field was Nick Anderson but a wrong tyre choice left him floundering alongside Anthony George near the bottom of the timesheets.

Although we had had a leisurely start to the day with qualifying at 1.35, it also meant that our race was late in the afternoon, so there was ample time to sort out most of the problems, but not to make a final tyre choice as this would depend on the ever imponderable weather. During the afternoon the rain never went away and heavier showers made it look as though wets were going to be necessary for those who had the option. Neil Smith, Steve Dymoke and Anthony George in particular were watching what the others were doing  but in the end it was a clearcut decision. The only bodywork repairs were those required to Guy Hale's 33 which had had its rear end and screen crumpled as he was towed out of the gravel and he would have to start screenless.

This time there were no rear wheel drive 75s to create problems for the front wheel drive cars as they scrabbled for grip on the wet track but neither Neil Smith or Steve Dymoke were as quickly away as an amazing Ron Davidson who shot up the inside on the run up to Paddock, entering the corner alongside Paul Plant who had started two rows ahead of him! Ron had to back out of it but still held onto 4th place. However, nothing was going to stop Neil Smith although he had not rushed away from Steve Dymoke as he gained a feel for the track conditions, crossing the line at the end of the first lap only 1.7" ahead. Paul Plant was in third place 5.5" back with Ron Davidson in close touch and James Thomas had managed to gain a place over John Griffiths although that wasn't going to last for long. Dave Messenger, Chris Finch and Andy Inman were in close formation, Louise West was in space of her own, with Nick Anderson, Emma Karwacki and a slow starting Mel Healey next in line. We had expected Anthony George to be coming through the field but it was quickly apparent that he had some kind of problem, as did Sarah Heels who was running at the back with Guy Hale. Anthony would pull into the pits at the end of lap 2, the screen of the 156 having misted up, making it too dangerous to carry on while Sarah's driver's side windscreen wiper had wrapped itself round her door mirror, although she did continue.

It soon began to look as though the main battle in the race was going to be for Class E as by the end of lap 3 Dave Messenger had managed to get away from Chris Finch and Andy Inman in pursuit of James Thomas. Making the biggest progress overall were John Griffiths and Nick Anderson. By the end of lap 4 John was up to 3rd, having passed Paul Plant coming onto the pit straight while Nick had overtaken all the Class E cars and was now closing in on Ron Davidson.  With 5 laps (quarter distance) completed, Neil Smith's lead was over 9 seconds with John Griffiths pulling away from Paul Plant but having his lap times equalled by Nick Anderson. In E, Dave Messenger was edging closer to James Thomas and Chris Finch and Andy Inman were running nose to tail.

Lights ablaze, the leaders were now into some serious lapping, Guy Hale, Louise West and Emma Karwacki being the first to fall to Neil Smith's flying 156. With 8 laps completed only Steve Dymoke, John Griffiths, Paul Plant, Nick Anderson and Ron Davidson remained on the lead lap. By the half way mark there was only Steve, running strongly, but 19" in arrears, having lapped half the field himself. Nick Anderson was going quicker and quicker, closing in on John Griffiths, passing him on lap 10. But John was not about to give and two laps later was back in front again while Nick sized up his options, trying to get past on the inside at Druids on lap 15 and then spinning onto the grass, losing some 18 seconds while he sorted himself out.

Meanwhile, the attention had been focused on the Class E battle as Dave Messenger tried to close an elusive gap to the James Thomas's yellow 146. Chris Finch had retired on lap 9, another unable to see where he was going, which left Andy Inman a
clear third, immediately setting his second quickest lap of the race as he wondered if he could catch the class leaders. Mel Healey was also now matching their times but with a lap to go found herself beached on the kerbs at the bottom of Paddock Hill with an engine that would not re-start. It seemed a frighteningly long time before she was able to get it going and continue, nobody fortunately running wide out of the corner, perhaps not having seen the yellow flags.

James Thomas and Dave Messenger were tied together for the last three laps, with Andy Inman lapping a second a half quicker closing the gap. By this time, the timing screens seemed to have become confused, losing Neil Smith altogether, and the finish was a muddle as the startline marshal gave the chequered flag to Steve Dymoke. However, there was no question who had won! Steve was credited with 2nd place 41" down, having eased off at the end, but who was 3rd. Going into the final lap it was John Griffiths but he had spun and it was Nick Anderson who grabbed the final podium place with a fastest lap to his credit only 2.2" slower than Steve. A disappointed John Griffiths came home 4th to win Class B, ahead of  Class D & C winners Paul Plant and Ron Davidson. The finish of Class E was frantic, the win going to a delighted Dave Messenger literally on the line, just 0.031" clear. Andy Inman was 3rd, only 1.8" back, 9th overall but having made fastest lap in the class by a fair margin. Louise West, happy to finish a race in her new car, Emma Karwacki, Guy Hale, Mel Healey and Sarah Heels completed the finishers. All we need now is a dry race and some real opposition for Neil Smith who entertains us so well with the WTCC 156 but who wants the chance of a real battle at the front.

The Sky Sports TV crew were on the podium to interview Neil and Steve plus, in the absence of our third place finisher, Championship Co-ordinator, Michael Lindsay. Our thanks to David Thomas (David Thomas Garages) and Alfashop for sponsoring the filming which we expect to make up part of a BRSCC programme on Sky Sports "RaceMax" and to appear later on Motors TV.

Susan Macgregor presented the trophies after the race and the MMC Motorsport Insurance Driver of the Day Award went to Dave Messenger.

Despite the atrocious weather, and track surface, our only retirements had been due to visibility problems and everyone who remained in the race had coped splendidly. Despite her disappointing result, Mel Healey retains the Championship lead but with a reduced gap to just 8 points from Steve Dymoke, with Neil Smith now 3rd ahead of Sarah Heels, Paul Plant, Emma Karwacki and James Thomas.

Rounds 6 & 7 take place at Pembrey, in South Wales, over the weekend of July 2nd and 3rd.

Well done to the "Happy Few" who entertained us so well at Cadwell Park on Saturday. But, for the second year running, where was everyone else?! Having listened to the intentions of competitors earlier in the year we were expecting a healthy grid at what many people think is the best and most challenging circuit in the country. Instead we received just 16 entries, two fewer than what we thought was poor in 2010. This was whittled down to a mere 12 runners by the time we reached the first race. In hindsight, it was a shame that we said that we couldn't guarantee entries for our Irish Fiat friends who wanted to bring along six cars.

Having said all that, Cadwell produced some excellent racing, particularly in Class E which was close fought throughout qualifying and over the total of 1 hour 20 minutes track time. 6 class E cars started qualifying - the 147s of Emma Karwacki and Andrew Bramah, the 146 Ti of James Thomas and three 156s for Mel Healey, Andy Inman and Peter Guy L'Amie who was driving the Avon renta'. Emma is something of a Cadwell specialist having enjoyed a Class D win there in the past, and she had as her goal a sub 1'50s lap in qualifying and maybe a tilt at Paul Buckley's lap record in the race. She had watch Neil Smith's win in the same car at Snetterton, so was confident that it was all possible. In the event it took her until her tenth lap to dip into the sub 50s with a 1'49.773" (the lap record is 1' 49.178" ). After doing many miles in testing the previous day, it was James Thomas who ended second quickest, 0.37" slower than Emma but with a similar gap to Mel Healey (1'50.523"). Having missed Snetterton, and with a new engine, Andy Inman took a little while to get himself up to speed but ended on 1'50.662" with Peter Guy L'Amie and Andrew Bramah bringing up the tail, but both well in touch in the 51s.

Overall, of course, proceedings were going to be dominated by the modified cars, led for the first time this year by Neil Smith's Class A1 WTCC 156 for which Neil had been awaiting new piston rings. Equally charismatic, in its almost identical livery, is Neil's old car and Steve Dymoke was hopeful of continuing his good run of results overall with that and in A2. Neil was to be joined in A1 by the supercharged 75 of Chris Oxborough while Steve had Chris Snowdon for company in the Lahoma Engineers 33 16v (which also featured on the cover of the programme). Neil Smith had looked at the modified lap record (held by Adie Hawkins' 33 in 1' 34.844") and reckoned before qualifying that was an achievable target. In the event, the car proved just too twitchy at the rear and generally more difficult to drive than his old car on this circuit and his best at the end of the 30 minute session was a 1'36.848". Steve Dymoke would line up alongside him on the front row. The second row should have been Chris Snowdon and Chris Oxborough but the 33's bad luck returned in the shape of a ventilated block after just three laps. A major disappointment for John Sismey and for Chris who reckoned that the engine was going beautifully and that the car was finally handling well.

As the lights went out, Robin Eyre-Maunsell, from the third row used the traction of the rear wheel drive 75, as Keith Waite had at Snetterton, to outdrag the 156s ahead of him (plus Chris Oxborough's similar car) to momentarily grab the lead, although he admittedly used a chunk of grass on the way! However, his glory was short lived as Neil Smith and Steve Dymoke were soon in a close NJS 1 - 2. Robin had held on to his 3rd place and was a comfortable 4" clear of Chris. Emma Karwacki had made a superb start and ended the first lap just ahead of Paul Plant with James Thomas, Sarah Heels, Andy Inman and Mel Healey next in line.

At the front, Neil Smith was lapping well off his potential pace but what we didn't know was that he was feeling very unwell in the car (he blamed the previous night's barbecue afterwards!) and was eventually sick into his balaclava which resulted, as one might have expected, in a rapid drop off in lap times. Watching the Class E contest we almost missed that the gap between Neil and Steve Dymoke suddenly started to close rapidly, with the likelihood of three laps remaining. By the end of lap 12 it was 42". By the end of lap 13, 35" then 23" with Steve closing all the time as we wondered if Neil was running out of fuel. Despite a final lap in over 2 minutes, a very uncomfortable Neil made it to the flag with just 5.4" to spare driving straight to the paddock after the slowing-down lap without going to collect his laurels and enjoy a startline interview.

Having diagnosed the problem with Robin Eyre-Maunsell's 75, Avon decided to switch him to "no.44" which they had fortunately brought along as a spare while Andy Inman's 156 was whisked off to the Bianco marquee to see if the clutch problem could be fixed. After the efforts of Harry White and co, the 156 was ready just in time, arriving in the assembly area to much clapping for a fine effort. This all meant that we would again have 12 starters for race 2, the grid for which was set from the result of race 1. Again we had Neil Smith and Steve Dymoke on the front row, Chris Oxborough being joined on row 2 by Paul Plant this time. Emma Karwacki and Sarah Heels would form the third row with Mel Healey and James Thomas on row 4.

The start was almost a disaster as Neil Smith was particularly slow off the line with a non biting clutch. Chris Oxborough's quick reactions kept the ensuing nose to tail contact to a minimum, Emma Karwacki also being delayed. As Steve Dymoke also wasn't quickly away it was a delighted Paul Plant who scooted down the outside and led into the first corner - "The highlight of my season!" he commented afterwards. Steve and Neil soon reasserted themselves, the former enjoying time at the front again as Neil sorted himself out. Steve crossed the line at the end of the first lap 4" in front but by the end of lap 2 normality had resumed as Neil led by 2" and started to pull inexorably away. Paul Plant had stayed just ahead of Chris Oxborough while Sarah Heels had made a much better start and was already 3" clear of the Class E leader, James Thomas. Andrew Bramah had taken full advantage of the start line kerfuffle and was lying 2nd ahead of Emma Karwacki, while Mel Healey had to let Robin Eyre-Maunsell go before she could concentrate on the task in hand. Andy Inman was running a second behind her with Peter Guy L'Amie chasing him hard. Throughout lap 2 , James Thomas was being protected from the class opposition by the efforts of Andrew Bramah (to stay where he was) and Robin Eyre-Maunsell (to move through the field). On the following lap, there was a re-shuffle as Robin, Emma Karwacki and Mel Healey demoted Andrew and by the end of lap 4, with Robin out of the way chasing Sarah Heels, an enthralling Class E scrap was able to evolve.

By the end of the fifth lap, Neil Smith has established a 28" lead over Steve Dymoke and Chris Oxborough had at last used the power of the supercharged 75 to pass Paul Plant into third place. Sarah Heels was fourth with Robin Eyre-Maunsell now right on her tail. James Thomas was still ahead of Emma Karwacki who had just set her fastest lap of the race (1'49.741"),  closing to within 0.7". For Emma, though, getting past did not prove easy as James was eager to hold on to his advantage but she finally managed to take the class lead away towards end of lap 6.  Fully part of the chase, Mel Healey also set her best lap time on lap 5 with a 1'49.757" showing how well matched she and Emma were. However, to have any chance of taking the class win, she had to pass James Thomas and over the next few laps the two cars battled it out, trading places several times as the race entered its second half. Occasionally it seemed that Mel dropped back a fraction to have a think about how she was going to get past but by the end of lap 11 Emma Karwacki had been able to pull out a small lead of just 3.5". On lap 12 it was partially solved for Mel as James ran over high kerbs on the exit of Charlies and the 146 "just stopped", which was a poor reward for a fine race. The cause later identified in the workshop as the chip coming loose in the ECU. "That won't happen again!" said David Thomas a couple of days later.  Mel now put in a big effort to catch the green 147, with her three final laps in the low 1'50s but Emma was able to match Mel's pace and ran out a happy class winner for the second time in the day by 2.3".

At the front, Neil Smith's pace had been well off what might have been possible and we wondered if he was unwell in the car again. However, he had it all under control and crossed the line 13.8" clear of Steve Dymoke for a repeat of race 1's result. This time, though, Neil made it round to the finish line for the garland presentation and interview with Dave Smailes. Chris Oxborough maintained his third place while Robin Eyre-Maunsell had continued charging throughout the race and almost caught Paul Plant but had to be content with 5th. Sarah Heels had a fairly lonely time but towards the end had Emma Karwacki in her mirrors, staying 1.5" clear in 6th place with Emma and Mel 7th and 8th. After his early heroics, Andrew Bramah had drifted back but still finished the race comfortably clear of Andy Inman and Peter Guy L'Amie.

There was one lap record set during the day - Neil Smith's 1'36.020" in race 2 a new mark for class A1.

To revert to the opening paragraph of this report and consideration as to why the entry at the weekend was slim, there were probably several good reasons which we have to think about for the future. The cost of fuel, both for the journey there and back and taking part in two long races, is undoubtedly a major factor, as is the double header entry fee which is now over £300. Easter, followed by double bank holidays and the opportunities for extended time away had also probably stretched finances. Saturday races are also not possible for some. We heard that some drivers might have entered if it had been a single race and the appropriate entry fee, and that is despite the distance involved in getting to Cadwell. On the other hand, there were those who said it would not be worth going if it had not been a double header!! For race organisers it is becoming increasingly difficult to fathom out a solution. Even the 750 Motor Club, who were at Cadwell on the Sunday, did not enjoy their usual bumper entries. Later in the summer we shall be sending a questionnaire to all drivers registered for the Championship to see if we can pin down what would be the best way forward. It would be a shame to delete Cadwell from our calendar.

IN THE MEANTIME, WE NEED TO PUT ON A GOOD SHOW AT BRANDS ON 12TH JUNE!

I was wondering how many times the layout of the Snetterton circuit had changed since I first went there in 1953. Established by the Aston Martin Owners Club on the perimeter roads of a wartime airfield, as so many other circuits were at the time, the original track measured 2.71 miles. In those days it went from Sear a short way along what has become the Bentley Straight before a fast left hander took you onto the Norwich Straight for a run down to the Norwich Hairpin. Then it was back along the Home Straight to a left-hander before the Bombhole and Coram. Russell was a very fast left-hander onto the pit straight. It was in 1965 that the latter was changed to a, still quick, left and right flick with kerbs that encouraged a certain amount of two wheeling that was frowned on by the Clerks of the Course. In 1974, the short circuit was opened and this is the layout that we have always known until this year's changes although there were a couple of alterations to Russell in 1990 and 1997. Now we have Jonathan Palmer's own vision of what Snetterton should be - the "300" - with new corners at Montreal (roughly where Sear was), Palmer, Agostini, Hamilton, Oggies, and Williams before the Bentley Straight (lately Revett). The Esses have become Brundle and Nelson, the Bombhole remains while Coram has been re-profiled and tightened before a ninety degree left hander at Murray's (ex Russell). Competitors then find themselves on a longer pit straight with a faster entry to the first corner - Riches.

Despite the complete absence of Avon Racing (Clive and Christine Hodgkin had a long planned family commitment in Scotland) and our Irish Fiat friends, we still managed to put together a 21 car entry. Amazingly, 12 of the cars that had been at Silverstone were not entered at the Norfolk venue, so we had a number of drivers who were starting their 2011 season there. Notable amongst these was Anthony George who at last felt able to race his 156 2 litre turbo. We had seen the car in the metal at "Autosport International" in January last year but this was to be its first proper run apart from 12 troublefree laps in testing. Joining Anthony in Class A1 were Keith Waite in the 75 3 litre 12v that seems to go quicker and quicker every year and the 3.2 147 GTA of Alastair Iles that hadn't raced since last July when it had finished 3rd overall on the old Snetterton circuit.

The standout entry was that for Class E. Having had to revert to no.61 at Silverstone, Mel Healey was proudly able to carry no.1 for the first time on her Spur Motorsport entered 156. Chris Finch, Chris Ledbury, Ray Foley and James Ford had entered other 156s, James's being a completely new shell. Sporting yellow as their preferred colour, Silverstone "star" James Thomas was out again in the family 146 while Martin Jones was having his first outing of the year in his 145 Cloverleaf. Graham Heels did not race in 2010 although his147 did appear at Oulton in the hands of Autosport's Ben Anderson, so it was good to hear that he reckoned the new Snetterton layout would represent a worthwhile challenge. A welcome last minute entry in E was that of Neil Smith. His own WTCC 156 was not ready and so he was going to give Emma Karwacki's 147 a test run.

Paul Plant looked happy to be back in his 33 and would end the session a fraction quicker than the 147 of Sarah Heels. In Class E, it was a close contest between Chris Finch and Mel Healey for pole until Chris set a 2' 25.961" on his final lap to better Mel's quickest time, also set on her last lap, by 0.78". Neil Smith had looked as though he would be in the mix until brake and overheating problems caused him to slow and settle for 3rd. Neil was just ahead of the second and third quickest Class D entries, the 33s of Gethin Llewellyn and Chris Healey, 11th and 12th overall. 13th on the grid would be an out of position John Griffiths who had been stuck in 5th gear after a gear selector clip had broken. 4th fastest in E, James Thomas found himself with John and the two 33 between himself and the quicker Class E runners which was not quite what he had planned but at least he was ahead of Ray Foley, Martin Jones, Graham Heels (in trouble with brakes), Chris Ledbury and the D class 33 of Steve Fletcher. Unfortunate was James Ford whose engine failed after 4 laps. This had been the unit retrieved from the car crashed last year at Cadwell, so maybe it had suffered during the accident.

The NJS area in the paddock was a hive of activity after qualifying as Neil Smith and Steve Dymoke sorted out a major transmission problem on Steve's 156 and Westley Evans, fortunately there to help for the day, worked on Neil's 147. All seemed well in the Anthony George camp, however, Anthony stating that "his aim was to finish. A win would be a bonus!" John Griffiths reckoned he should have been on the third row, at least, and was keeping his fingers crossed for a race with all gears functioning after the ministrations of Bianco's Harry White. In fact Bianco were having a busy day with no fewer than eight cars running under their banner, Gary Walker also being there with Harry to keep things under control.

Chris Finch had had a great first lap, coming round in front of Sarah Heels and leading Class E by 2.6" from Neil Smith who had entertained everyone on the bank with a four wheels on the dirt moment. The opalescent green 147 was being pursued by a close group consisting of Chris Healey, James Thomas, John Griffiths, Mel Healey (who had been given a thump in the nearside rear quarter in the first lap jostling) and Gethin Llewellyn. Equally close was the next group headed by Ray Foley from Chris Ledbury, Martin Jones and Graham Heels with Steve Fletcher trying to hang on.

On lap 3, it seemed that the gap between Anthony George and Steve Dymoke was diminishing which made the commentators excited and it had come down to just 2.26" as they crossed the line but any hopes that Steve had were soon extinguished as Anthony proceeded to open it up again to just over 4 seconds over the next three miles. Keith Waite was still doing a sterling job in 4th place but was now having to look in his mirrors as Nick Anderson endeavoured to close the gap. Sadly Chris Finch had pulled off when his airflow meter failed completely, leaving Neil Smith at the front of Class E. Behind Chris Healey it was door handle to door handle stuff at Murray's, James Thomas losing his nearside mirror after contact with Gethin Llewellyn. Ray Foley and Chris Ledbury managed to show how it should be done just behind!  0.6" covered James, Gethin and Mel as they crossed the line but Mel was quickly able to move ahead of the other two whose battle continued on the following lap with Gethin trying to find a way past James. They arrived at the end of Coram, Gethin having dropped back slightly and then making a dive for the inside line from too far back, getting two wheels over the kerb and  hitting James hard, both cars ending in the run-off. Gethin was able to regain the track with much offside damage to the 33 while James drove slowly to the pits and retirement. Gethin would also retire soon afterwards.

Still running fourth, Keith Waite spoiled his race by running over one of the new high kerbs and breaking his front splitter as a result of which he dropped behind Nick Anderson who was now charging along, his best lap so far 6" quicker than in qualifying. By the end of lap 4 Nick was  just 1.3" behind Alastair Iles but the status quo would be held for the next couple of laps. By the end of lap 6, almost 14 minutes into the 20 minute race, Anthony George had established a reasonably comfortable 5.65" lead but Steve Dymoke was by no means giving up and on lap 8 set his best lap of the race in 2'11.611", cutting the gap to 3.63". Interestingly, this was a mere .004" slower than Anthony's best of the race. John Griffiths had earlier moved into 6th place ahead of Paul Plant, Sarah Heels, Neil Smith and Chris and Mel Healey. It became clear that, once free of Gethin Llewellyn and James Thomas, Mel had been able to up her pace and for the rest of the race was lapping in the mid to low 26s, with a best of 1'26.334". This was good enough to take her past her father on lap 8. Sadly for her, Neil Smith had established a 7" advantage by lap 5 and was not going to be caught despite all kinds of warning lights coming on inside the car. Didn't stop him setting a fastest lap of 1'25.858" on the penultimate lap though - "always wanted to set a class E lap record" he said happily afterwards! Excitement was maintained by the Alastair Iles/Nick Anderson battle, Nick was now lapping quicker than Alastair and was right on his tail as they entered the final lap. Unknown to us, though, Alastair was having trouble selecting gears - "like stirring syrup" he said afterwards - and this caught him out between Agostini and Hamilton. Nick was quick to take advantage but Alastair was not giving up and the two cars arrived together at Murray's, exiting side-by-side in a drag race to the line which the extra power of the 147 allowed Alastair to win by a slim 0.4". Paul Plant, John Griffiths and Sarah Heels and Neil Smith were the winners of their respective classes, Chris Healey finishing an unchallenged 2nd in D.

Further back, the contest between Ray Foley, Chris Ledbury, Graham Heels, Martin Jones and Steve Fletcher had continued unabated. Graham could see that Chris's tyres were going off as he struggled to keep the 156 going where he wanted it to and it was only a matter of time before the 147 went past in pursuit of Ray Foley.  Before the finish, Martin Jones, driving one of his best races for a while was also able to get past Chris, closing to within a second of Graham who, in his turn was just 0.43" shy of Ray Foley at the flag. Another lap and Ray reckoned he couldn't have held Graham back. Chris Ledbury and Steve Fletcher (3rd in D) were the final finishers, 3.1" covering this five car group.

It was a delighted Anthony George who took the top step of the podium, flanked by Steve Dymoke and Alastair Iles, to be interviewed by BTCC pits commentator Alan Hyde. The production cars were weighed in the scrutineering bay afterwards by Championship Eligibility Scrutineer, John Monk, everyone being within the regulation weight limit. Gethin Llewellyn and James Thomas (plus Mel Healey as an observer) were called to the Clerk of the Course to discuss the incidents at Murray's on laps 3 and 4 but no action was taken.

The trophies were presented by Philip Clay from Alfashop and Jane Anderson, with the MMC Motorsport Insurance Driver of the Day Award going to Steve Dymoke.

We shall not be visiting Snetterton again until 2012, so the following Alfa lap records will have to wait until then to be challenged -

Postscript - Diana Lindsay would like to thank those who helped her after her accident on Saturday night when she tripped over a tyre in the dark paddock and slid forward on her face, particularly Gemma Griffiths, Westley Evans and one of the circuit's paramedics. Also those who have subsequently sent cards and messages. After spending Sunday in A & E, and missing the race, she is making good progress although still in some discomfort. I would like to thank Nick and Jane Anderson for keeping me so well fed and watered on race day - those bacon sandwiches on Sunday morning when I got back to the circuit were wonderful!!

Apologies for the delay in publishing all the photos from Silverstone. I'm having a few technical problems creating photo galleries from all the pictures - hopefully I'll get these solved over the next day or so!

It seems that longer versions of existing circuits are now an established part of the future agenda for motor racing in the UK. More use of Oulton Park International for club races with a length of 2.69 miles, and a lap time of 1m50s for our quickest cars set the tone. The full Silverstone GP (Arena) circuit is leg stretching 3.66 miles with lap times of around the 2m24s mark and then, we have the totally revised Snetterton at around 3 miles and where lap times will again exceed 2 minutes. At Silverstone we look at a 20 to 25 second difference between the race winning modified cars and those running in Class E which can leave the field more spread out but less troubled by the modified cars arriving to lap them after very few laps as is the case, for example,  at Brands Hatch. The other factor is that the grid sizes are correspondingly larger which means that organisers have more scope for split grids that can help to optimise financial viability. At Silverstone, the maximum grid size is now 58! Whether competitors prefer the short circuits or the longer circuit challenge remains to be seen. Perhaps a mixture, as we have in 2011, adds up to a well balance season.

Some political juggling between Britcar, BRSCC and the BARC found us at Silverstone for round 1 of this year's Championship sharing the GP circuit with the Dunlop Production Touring cars. This is what used to be Dunlop Sport Maxx but has undergone a makeover for 2011. They were scheduled for a double header whereas we had only one race, so everyone would qualify together but only race together in their race 2 in the afternoon. The two grids would have separate starts, 30 seconds apart, the lights being re-set to red between each.

Chris Oxborough and Bryony Snowdon made up A1 with their 3 litre 75s - 12v supercharged in Chris's case while Bryony was making her third appearance in father Chris's 3 litre 24v. In A2, we had old sparring partners Chris Snowdon in the Lahoma 33 16v and Steve Dymoke's 156 which been fitted with hydraulic jacks over the winter by Neil Smith. Clive Hodgkin led the way in B but was not using no.60 as it was not quite ready and had entered instead in Peter Sloan's familiar no.44. The only other class B car was Kevin Reynolds' ex Paul Legge 33 16v which he was hoping would hold together rather better this time.

The largest part of the Alfa entry was in Class E where Mel Healey was back to defend her title in the Spur Motorsport 156, backed as ever by a large support crew including temporarily sidelined father Chris. 2010 runner-up Andy Inman was also entered, his 156 sporting a new "starburst" black and white livery. Donington winner Chris Finch was hoping for a strong start to the new season with yet another black 156 while we also had Dave Messenger making his debut in the ex Chris Healey/Kevin Evans 156, replacing his faithfully 75 3 litre, and very smartly turned out in the Darnell team's red,  white and green livery. Refreshingly different after all the black cars.  A newcomer to the Championship was Chris Ledbury in the ex Paul Plant, red, 156 that he is sharing with trio of other drivers who will be doing a joint programme of Alfa and Tin Top races. A missing 156 was that of James Ford that wasn't quite ready in time but James hope it will be at Snetterton over Easter.  Andrew Bramah had entered his smart 147 and James Thomas was out for his second race in the David Thomas Garages yellow 146.

Finally, we again welcomed five Fiat Punto Abarth's in an Invitation class, to be driven as before by Barry, Roger and Arthur McMahon and Clive and Nigel Pratt. There was some drama for the McMahons when their transporter was delayed on the way to the circuit resulting in a last minute rush to scrutineering - not good for the heart rate

The Production Touring Cars and Alfas were sent off with a gap between them at the start of the 20 minute qualifying session which was just as well as the circuit layout was new to most of our drivers and they could concentrate of finding their way around. An exception was Chris Ledbury whose 156 suffered a driveshaft failure almost immediately, sod's law after completing a full day's testing a few weeks before. Roger Evans wasted little time in showing the black GTV's performance by setting quickest time overall ahead of the Production Tourers with a best of 2m22.967" on his third lap. There was drama for two other modified Alfas, though. Chris Snowdon had pulled off behind the Armco barrier on lap 1 with a stuck open throttle and loose plug lead, He made a temporary "fix" and then returned to the pits thanks to the co-operation of the marshals who allowed him back onto the track. Before the end of the session he was able to complete one decent flying lap to gain the second front row slot. Steve Dymoke might have earned that, but he was also in trouble with a split water hose, the escaping fluid causing him to have a quick spin. He would start near the tail of the field.

Chris Oxborough appeared to going well with his supercharged 75, as was Clive Hodgkin, both quicker than Graham Seager's GTV. Sarah Heels showed that her testing had been worthwhile by cutting some 2 seconds off what brother Graham thought was her previous best although it wasn't quick enough to keep Graham Seager at bay. Sarah was surrounded by Fiats, with Clive Pratt on the row ahead, Roger McMahon alongside her and Barry McMahon, Arthur McMahon and Nigel Pratt occuping the next three grid slots. Chris Finch showed that he had retained his edge over the rest of the Class E entry, ending the session half a second quicker than Mel Healey with James Thomas, Dave Messenger, Andy Inman and Andrew Bramah next in line.

Unfortunately all was not well with the gearbox on Chris's 156 and Harry White immediately started on the job of replacing it with a spare that was en route from Surrey. They were to run out of time and Chris would be a non starter. Kevin Reynolds was happy to complete the session in his Class B 33 16v, interestingly just ahead of the similar, but Class D, cars of Guy Hale and Paul Gillett. Guy (and mentor Neil Smith) were particularly pleased with Guy's class pole first time out. Bryony Snowdon completed the list although she admitted that there was still a lot for her to learn with the powerful 75 3 litre and a session watching in-car footage followed. Chris Ledbury's team was able to replace the driveshaft on his 156 and he was allowed to complete a couple of laps behind the pace car at lunchtime in order to qualify.

By the time the two grids were assembled, there were only 9 Dunlop Production Saloons with 22 Alfas and Fiats lined up behind them. A yellow flag was held to remind the Alfa runners not to set off when the first five red lights went out and everyone waited calmly until the flag was withdrawn, the lights came on again and the field was set loose to chase after the assorted Vauxhall Astras and Renault Meganes ahead. Chris Snowdon kept pace with Roger Evans away from the line but the GTV was quickly into its stride and pulled away to lead by 4.4" by the end of lap 1. At the back of the grid, Steve Dymoke and Andrew Bramah reckoned they couldn't see the lights and were slow away. Battle was joined immediately between Chris Oxborough and Clive Hodgkin and Clive admitted afterwards that he had been rehearsing the apologies for an aggressive manoeuvre or two! Clive Pratt had made an excellent start and at the end of the first lap was keeping ahead of Graham Seager while Steve Dymoke had come tearing through the field and was lying 7th having just passed Sarah Heels who had Barry and Arthur McMahon and Nigel Pratt in close formation behind her. Surprise leader of Class E was James Thomas from Dave Messanger and Mel Healey, this trio covered by less than a second while in D, Paul Gillett had reversed qualifying and held a small lead over Guy Hale.

The first four laps saw Roger Evans' lap times matching those of the Production saloons but he didn't seem to be making enough progress to take the race lead until Thomas Carnaby's Astra pulled into the pits on lap 6. Lap 2 had seen oil flags out at Abbey, Chris Oxborough spinning and being passed by Clive Hodgkin while Mel Healey took away 2nd place in E from Dave Messenger and proceeded to reel in James Thomas, passing him down the Hangar Straight on lap 3. James tried to reclaim the place but ran wide, allowing Dave Messenger back into second. There was a fine battle going on between Clive Pratt and Graham Seager, Sarah Heels holding on well to Graham mid race. Guy Hale had fallen to the back of the field, having been passed by a delayed Roger McMahon, Andrew Bramah and Chris Ledbury.

By the end of lap 6, Roger Evans had begun to make good progress into the ranks of the Production saloons and was now only 11 seconds behind the race leader. Sensing the possibility of an overall race win, Roger upped his pace, lapping now 3 to 4 seconds quicker than the Astras and Meganes and it was only a matter of time before he was ahead. On lap 9 he surged into the lead, pulling away to a very satisfying win by 3.79" from Josh Cook's Renault.

On lap 4, Chris Oxborough had taken back 4th place amongst the Alfa runners from Clive Hodgkin while Chris Snowdon still leading Steve Dymoke, lying 2nd and 3rd They were trading faster lap times, so that the situation was fairly neutral until Chris slowed on the final tour, allowing Steve to get within 7 seconds of him at the flag. Graham Seager had pulled away from Sarah Heels in C, also getting himself in front of Clive Pratt who led home the five Fiats, ahead of brother Roger,  and Arthur, Barry and Roger McMahon. In Class E, Andy Inman had retired smokily with a holed radiator while James Thomas had managed to get past Dave Messenger again on lap 6 but didn't have quite enough speed to match Mel who came home as class winner by 7.4" to set up her championship defence in a most satisfactory manner. Chris Ledbury and Class D battlers Paul Gillett and Guy Hall were closely matched and it was a delighted Guy who managed to pip Paul for the class win on the very last lap - an excellent debut putting more smiles onto Neil Smith's face.

Overall and Class A1 winner was therefore Roger Evans, the other class winners being Chris Snowdon (A2), Clive Hodgkin (B), Graham Seager (C), Guy Hale (D), Mel Healey (E) and Clive Pratt (Fiat Invitation). Jeremy Wales, Phililp Clay (Alfashop) and Karen Thomas made the presentations after the race.

The MMC Motorsport Insurance Driver of the Day award went to James Thomas.