JUBILEE SUMMER AUTOTEST FINAL AUGUST 1
As arranged, dry weather (and dust) returned for the final event in the series, along with 17 competitors.
The six tests in the morning saw JIM BOWIE and MICK ROSE continue their fierce battle in Class A, joined on this occasion by the Suzuki’s owner PETER MORGAN and by lunchtime they were in that order, separated by just over 6 seconds !
If you think that was close, the competitive Class B had got even more so with the addition of young CHRIS KEMP beating Dad JOHN’S times on some tests and finishing the morning second in Class behind Dad and FTD man RUSSELL ECCLESTON but….just over 4 seconds covered the first 5!
DARREN TYRE on the other hand had a fairly relaxed morning in Class D, but still managed to finish 10th overall at the break.
In Class E, CHARLES ARMSTRONG-WILSON was keeping ahead of the two hard charging Toyotas of DANIEL WGHITTINGTON and STEVE THOMPSON.
After a BBQ lunch, very kindly masterminded by STACEY THOMPSON, ably assisted by CHRIS BALDERSON (to whom many thanks), the competition resumed with probably even more gusto, and certainly more dust – it gets everywhere!!
MICK ROSE managed to turn a deficit of 2.08 seconds over JIM into a class-winning margin of 1.42 - now that’s close!
In Class B, RUSSELL took the FTD, the first to come from this Class, and JOHN KEMP took the Class ahead of CHRIS PENFOLD and ROB SARTAIN, after son CHRIS did a double WR – all part of the learning curve, but what a debut!
DARREN TYRE totally dominated his Class in his well
travelled Escort – off to
CHARLES again took Class E in conditions which dictated the wearing of goggles, so thick was the dust.
Everybody seemed to enjoy the day and as usual many thanks to the marshals, CHIN, SYD and GORDON (despite being considerably handicapped by Gout etc.) and DIANA .
Congratulations to the event winners and the final Championship appears on a separate page.
CLIVE COOKE