It was a day of mixed fortunes at Cadwell Park on Saturday for the penultimate meeting of the Peter Best Insurance Challenge Championship, but certainly a day to remember!
The usual suspects chose to confuse us all with a bit of a switch around for this meeting. Rob Spencer was waiting for his group C V8 to be straightened, and chose to bring out his group B V8. Barry ‘Vic Reeves’ Holmes switched to Simon Cripps’ group B 4 pot, leaving Terry Holmes to peddle his group C V8. Another interesting entry was Peter Andrews in Rob Huff’s group B 4 pot. With all this chopping and changing and the sun god smiling the scene was set for a great days racing!
In the usual fashion Team Neaves headed to the track, line-astern, for qualifying. Surprisingly both Dan and Ollie were glued to the back of Blaine for the duration, both having never driven the circuit before. The ‘formation flying’ continued when the grid was released:
1. Dan Ludlow
2. Simon Cripps
3. Blaine Neaves
4. Ollie Neaves
5. Dan Neaves
Race 1
The Team Neaves contingent would line up just behind the Mighty Metro and the Feral V8 of Simon Cripps. The lights went out and the drag race to the first corner began, Ollie got the better of Blaine off the line but the best start was by Dan, taking to the grass to pass Blaine into turn one. Dan was then better placed for turn two and slid round Ollie. The laps that followed were fraught; Ollie had the bit between his teeth, pressuring Dan around the notoriously narrow circuit. Meanwhile Blaine had his mirrors full of blue V8’s as Rob Spencer and Dave Brooke jostled for position behind. Rob saw the smallest of gaps on lap two and traded paint with Blaine’s rear quarter as the door was firmly shut!
Dan was getting more and more ragged as Ollie applied the pressure, coming alongside at Park on lap seven. Unfortunately he wasn’t to make it to the finish, pulling off towards the end of the race with electrical problems. Blaine held on to claim 4th behind Dan Ludlow, Simon Cripps and Dan in 3rd.
After the race we had some work to do on Ollie’s car, the throttle sensor had packed up so off we went to search for a new one! Special thanks go to the Burchill Racing pit crew and Alan Brooke, who provided the necessary bits to get him going again. Just another example of the spirit of the PBIC…
Race 2
The grid for race 2 was made up of the second fastest times in qualifying. This time Ollie would line up third, Dan forth and Blaine fifth, it seems Ollie found enough consistency in qualifying to out qualify his dad for the first time. As the lights went out Dan got a flying start again, cruising up to the bumper of Simon and drawing alongside Dan in the Metro. Going into the second corner Dan (Neaves) held the inside to take the place. Behind Ollie had been outsmarted by Terry Holmes and Blaine was hot in pursuit. Going up the back straight Dan Ludlow engaged warp speed to draw alongside Dan Neaves and made the pass into Park.
Ollie was tucked up behind Terry waiting for an opportunity to pass, coming out of Barn Ollie got a good run but before he could capitalise the electrical gremlin returned forcing him to take to the pit lane. Terry, Blaine and Rob Spencer were tied together with a piece of string with Dave Brooke loitering with intent. Dan was pulling a steady pace in third but on lap 4 something wasn’t right, an odd scraping sound had emerged somewhere in the car… coming down the Gooseneck the car fell out of gear, later it became apparent the gearbox cross member had dropped on one side! At this point thanks go to Terry, Rob, Blaine and Dave for finding their way round the back of Dan’s slowing car.
The following laps were manic as Terry, Rob and Blaine traded places, Rob out braked himself into Park a couple of times as you can see from Blaine’s video. By the end it was Blaine ahead of Rob and Terry to take third.
All race long Simon Cripps and Dan Ludlow were battling harder than ever, on the last lap they were side by side coming out of Bobbies onto the back straight when disaster struck. Simon’s characteristically unruly rear end made a bid for freedom and in an effort to correct the slide Simon contacted Dan, with that Simon speared off the track and cart-wheeled along the tyre barrier. Thankfully he was ok and was out of car quickly, but this brought an end to an otherwise fantastic race!
Well, there you have it, Blaine has always said the first son to beat him would get a trophy, but surely he didn’t think he’d be buying it so soon! Also, as has already been said, rent has gone up considerably since the races.
It’s a great shame that Ollie didn’t finish a race, but all the cars showed great potential, which will make the season finale at Snetterton a must see.
See you all there.
Team Neaves
Cadwell Park,
Full race report to follow, but lets say it was the best so far in the MGZS.
Qualifying went well
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cN1vkie6nLI
Race 1 went better
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xCocDOPsGs
Race 2 best of the bunch
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hql4q2udN0
Enjoy
Pete,
You’re certainly getting the measure of that ZS these days, just 1.5secs behind Mr Brooke at the end of race 2!!
Good stuff mate
Cheers for that its coming together would be nice to get cup this year……
After destroying the front brakes at Mallory by not changing down too often it was somewhat problematic in race 2 to have the gearlever break and leave me with just 4th gear after 3 laps. Looking at the lap times it seems a gearbox is worth four seconds a lap round Cadwell….
Try washing it Dave, thats worth 5 seconds a lap as it cuts through the air quicker…..you will be up the front again!
Vic