Race Report - Round 1 - 2002 Pirelli Maranello Ferrari Challenge - Club Racing Series'

PIRELLI MARANELLO FERRARI CHALLENGE
RACE REPORT : ROUND 1 : CASTLE COMBE : 1 APRIL 2002

The winter lay-off seemed to take forever and everyone was glad to welcome the start of the 2002 PMFC season. This time there seemed more open question marks than in previous years. Would Gary Culver just run away with everything in his newly acquired 360/Ch? How would Ian Hetherington's 550 project fare? Amongst the mass ranks of 355/Ch drivers, who would become top dog now that Culver, Ward and Ashburn had moved out of the class?

Even before qualifying there were dramas at Castle Combe during private testing. Tony Jones, expected to be one of this year's "C" class front runners, up-ended his car in a nasty accident which thankfully left him unharmed but certainly out of the race. Similarly, Richard Smeeton's 360/Ch got away from him and his car hit a marshal's post hard enough to make it u/s for this race.

Mid morning qualifying brought further incidents. Firstly Swifty's 308 erupted in a cloud of oil smoke which soon turned into a fire before he pulled up at a marshal's post and jumped out. The engine bay was severely singed and the car became an instant non-starter. Then John Avery (355/Ch) had a misunderstanding with Richard Allen (328GTB) and ended up off the track and brought out the red flags. Once his car was removed the session continued.

And then we blinked as we saw the grid sheets. Who was Oliver Morley? This newcomer to the series, driving Hetherington's 360/Ch from last year, had stuck it straight on pole, ahead of a bemused Gary Culver. Graham Reeder, always a Combe expert, was really flying and was third and quickest in the "C" class, ahead of greatly improved Richard Stevens and newcomer Graham Scott, all in 355/Chs. Then came a really contrasting pair with young Alex Mortimer heading the third row ahead of not-so-young Vince Woodman, whom some of us remember from saloon car racing back in the sixties. The Hetherington 550 was a real handful over the Combe bumps and was down in tenth place and the leading "O" class car was the 360 of John Taylor, ahead of Richard Allen's 328.

After qualifying we nearly lost the two 360/Chs from the grid. They were judged to be too noisy but some persuasive work by Championship Co-ordinator Anne Swift smoothed things over and the cars took up their rightful places for the 3.15 p.m. start.

As the lights went to green Morley and Culver shot off side by side and headed for Quarry. There Morley had the inside line and moved into what seemed to be an increasing lead over Culver, Stevens, Reeder, Scott and Avery.

Culver then began to advance on the leading car. By lap three they were nose to tail and on lap four Culver squeezed inside at Quarry Corner to take the lead. Thereafter the two cars were separated by mere inches, with Morley taking a look down the inside at various times but never being able to pull off a passing manoeuvre that would stick. The battle was clean and fair and a delight to watch.

The pace at the front left the rest of the field behind but there was lots going on. Stevens began to be pushed by Reeder for third spot. Scott continued running in a lonely fifth but behind him Vince Woodman, Shaun Powell (355/Ch) and Hetherington were battling over sixth, whilst behind them was a nose-to-tail five-car train of 355s consisting of Charneca, Catt, Gamski, Mike Reeder and Mortimer. The latter had been at the head of this group but a quick spin on lap four had put him behind them. He then began a great drive forward and by the ninth lap he had put himself back into the lead of this bunch.

Graham Reeder had also spun in his attempt at getting past Stevens for third place and he rejoined in 8th place, just behind Hetherington. By now the yellow 355 was suffering from brake problems and Graham was unable to recover any positions.

The two 360/Chs, headed by Culver, thundered across the finish line after one of the closest lead battles seen in the PMFC for years. In third, Stevens took a great "C" class win, albeit half a minute behind the 360s, ahead of Scott, with Woodman and Powell barely separable at the finish. Hetherington brought his 550 into seventh spot, ahead of Reeder and Mortimer. The race-long battle behind was nearly spoilt when Charneca spun on the last corner but they finished in the order Catt, Charneca and Mike Reeder.

The small "O" class field was never in any doubt and John Taylor cruised round to take the win ahead of Allen and Cameron Boni (348).