Race One By mid-race Pullen had edged ahead for a lap while Tomlin caught the spinning bug and pirouetted from 3rd to 5th. He did the same thing on the following lap, this time ending up in 7th, just ahead of the usual jousting pair of Moseley (R) and Swift in their well matched 308GTBs. The lead was now changing constantly to the delight of the large crowd of spectators. Culver led for two laps, then it was Pullen, then back to Culver . . . The two cars were almost welded together and one wished they could have bottled it up for their grandchildren to enjoy in the future. Of the others, Fenny retired his GT4 on lap 10 while Fisk was driving the wheels off his Mondial QV, taking lots of rumble strip and creating clouds of dust as he did so. Despite his energetic driving he couldn’t quite keep up with Benaroya in his slightly later Mondial t convertible. On the last lap, when it mattered, Marco Pullen was a car’s length ahead of Gary and to his great joy he took the chequered flag. The desperate struggle of the 308GTBs, between Richard Moseley and your reporter, continued unabated until the very last corner. Richard, his eyes no doubt glued to his mirrors, spun at Russell and generously handed over 7th spot to the old blue car, some 10 seconds ahead of Nick Taylor, who had been hampered by a slipping clutch towards the end. It had been a sensational contest and one felt the PFfc race alone had
been well worth the crowd’s admission fee. Nicky Paul-Barron took
third, some 45 seconds in arrears as well as a first in Gp2. David Mountain
impressed with his 4th position and we have him marked as a future podium
winner.
Race Two It was hot and sunny, and the crowds even bigger than Sunday’s. When the lights were extinguished it was Paul-Barron who got into Riches first, with Honnor in second and then pole man Culver. Then it was Whitman, Tomlin, Richard Moseley, Swift and Peter Moseley. N P-B valiantly held on to the lead for the next eight laps. Culver had demoted Honnor to third and there was rarely more than a foot or two between Nicky’s rear bumper and Gary’s front spoiler. By lap 7, new Club chairman Richard Allen exercised his authority ahead of his Comp director, and yours truly had also been passed by Moseley Snr. On lap 10, Culver found a way past N P-B and, once ahead, began to put some space between the two cars. Whitman was having a good race in 4th, a couple of seconds behind 3rd placed Honnor, and was keeping the thrusting Tomlin at bay. Hathaway fancied his chances at getting past Swift at the entry to the
Esses, went in too fast, and bounced onto the grass, the attempt having
failed. However his tribulations were not over as on the last lap he ran
out of fuel but just managed to stutter over the line to complete the
race. Reflecting on this race meeting, it had been one of the best in the short
history of the PFfc. There had been no damage to the machinery and the
sporting spirit - fiercely competitive but without any dangerous aggression
– was exactly what we want. Add to this the glorious weather and
you had all the ingredients of a perfect weekend.
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