This time around the FHCC long distance runners headed out West to BARC’s rather rustic venue near to Salisbury in Wiltshire. The Ferrari class being early in the programme meant sign on at 7.30am and practice at 8.30am, leaving little alternative other than to stay overnight in the area for our competitors. Most of the FHCC big-hitters were out, with Jon Goodwin, Nick Taylor, Geoff Dark and Mike Spicer all anxious to pull a 20 point max score. Elsewhere in the class we had lost Leon Bachelier – his F512M firmly hospitalised after that Loton incident. Philip Whitehead (F355) and Marco Pullen (Mondial 3.4t) were new to Gurston, whilst some of the others were of relatively limited experience here.

Sunday morning dawned very wet – not an encouraging start to the meeting and the first practice was taken under these conditions. Geoff Dark was fastest with his 308GTB, fractionally ahead of Jon Goodwin's F355. I got a better time, but had arrived late and practised out of batch under better conditions. The organisers kept me hanging about for ages before placing my car at the back of the next session, and then I had the indignity of being unable to start the engine when my turn finally came - it just would not fire up, and at the time I concluded flooding the cause. A couple of plugs removed proved otherwise, and Barry Wood reckoned there could be a reluctant fuel pump. He, like Geoff Dark, is a bit of an ace spanner man - he gave the pump a tap with a hammer and all was well thereafter - thanks Barry!

The weather improved and second practice was dry. The record for Gurston set with a 328GTB way back in 1998 is 37.19 and so far has eluded Jon Goodwin's best attentions. He led the second runs comfortably on 37.93 ahead of Allen on 38.80, then Nick Taylor (Mondial 3.4T) on 38.90, far faster than he had been at Gurston before, and Geoff Dark on 38.96 - all very close. Mike Spicer somewhat on his own, took his 328 GTB up in 39.58, well ahead of Prior's 348ts at 41.16 - a long way off the sort of pace we expect from Richard, who was to suffer all day with serious difficulty in getting second gear away from the startline. Due to the long drag down to the first corner this can easily put a second on the run time. Just three tenths covered the rest of the Ferraris, as Barry Wood slotted his 308GTS ahead of Jos van de Perre's similar car, closely followed by Gurston newcomers Marco Pullen and Philip Whitehead. Marco learning Gurston fast and had his flashy Stradale-striped Mondial 3.4t just ahead of Philip's F355B.

Over the lunch interval the Ferrari drivers were joined by Club Finance Director John Warner together with his wife Jenny, No stranger to Prescott, John had not been to Gurston before and was able to watch the Ferraris from the Karussel, after we had made effective lunchtime use of the new cafeteria close by the start line.

On the first of the afternoon official runs Jon Goodwin went faster still with 37.66 and rather surprisingly it was Mike Spicer second overall on 38.62 from Nick Taylor on 38.68. Both Richard Allen and Geoff Dark slipped back in to the thirty nine second bracket – Geoff as a result of getting on the grass at Ashes, and mine felt OK but was just slow. Richard Prior had put in what was to prove his best run of the day just ahead of Dark, whilst Marco Pullen, Philip Whitehead and Barry Wood were all very close. A very pleased looking Mike Spicer now seemed to be on for 20pts, according to Philip Whitehead's mobile phone calculator - he prayed for rain and the weather was deteriorating!

Lining up for the final run there were rain spots appearing on the windscreen, and Geoff Dark, Jon Goodwin and Richard Allen running last had to use wipers. It was not enough to make the track wet though and about half the Ferraris were to go faster. Jon Goodwin fairly flew out of the traps with the F355, doing 0-64ft in 2.28 seconds - as fast a start as we have seen anywhere. He was only third fastest to the half way split time, and whilst improving to 37.54, was still short of the record and his personal best here. Jon took a comfortable class win with this time, but as it turned out was a tenth too slow for the 20 point score. Meanwhile Nick Taylor, really putting the hammer down with his big Mondial dropping his time by another two tenths to claim second overall and the maximum championship points. Richard Allen locked up heavily under braking for the Karrusel, and was just five hundredths off in third to push Mike Spicer back to fourth.

If you look at the times of these first four cars after PEP application, it was all really close with just over a tenth of a second covering the lot of them. Richard Prior, struggling with his gears, went slower, as did Geoff Dark - he had problems with the timing lights (that's a new one - Ed), taking 2.61 for the 0-64 against his usual sort of 2.30. Maybe it was the rain spots, but Mike Spicer was also slower dropping in to the forties as did Jos van de Perre, one and a half seconds outside his first run. The remaining three all went faster, with Marco Pullen down to an excellent 41.05, Philip Whitehead on 41.71 and Barry Wood keeping his 308 up with these much more powerful tipos with 41.97 - his best here to date and a time that earned him first place in the club handicap stakes.

The timechart secondary data makes for interesting reading, with Marco Pullen clocking 2.29 for 0-64 - an excellent effort with the Mondial, and much better than Nick Taylors 0-64 with a similar car. Jon Goodwin's speed traps of 87mph on the run down to the first corner and 94mph up to the finish were easily the fastest. The first trap is just a straight drag from the start, where the second is affected by exit speed from the last corner - "Ashes". Strangely Allen 328, Dark 308, Prior 348 and Taylor Mondial 3.4t - a wide variety of tipos all clocked 81mph in the first trap, though Mike Spicer's 328 did 83mph, so this must be a fit car!

Running in the first batch meant we finished early, and whilst a delighted Nick Taylor reflected on his greatly enhanced chances of winning this year's championship, new joint-leader Jon Goodwin made the appropriate excuses to get us off attending the event prize giving for a fast escape home.

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The FHCC enjoyed their overnight stay in rustic Wiltshire

RA (r) gives Nick Taylor a few tips. Mike Spicer (l) has the vague feeling that something is missing...

Taylor practices thanking the marshals

Geoff Dark (l), RA and most of the field hit 81mph on the "Down"

Marco's Mondial Stradale

Arty shot or accidentally pressed the button? You choose

....Spicer eventually realises he told the family it was Ingliston this weekend

Winner Jon Goodwin slows down after the finish

pics by Richard Prior