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PIRELLI MARANELLO FERRARI CHALLENGE
RACE REPORT : ROUND 13 : DONINGTON : 1 SEPTEMBER
2002
PADDOCK STORIES |
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click
for Results & Points |
- The Culvers had a couple of run-ins with officialdom. The first was
when a scrutineer insisted on testing the ignition cut-out whilst the
engine was running on the 360/Ch. Everyone knows this can seriously
upset the Marelli Spaghetti management system and, sure enough, it did.
Then, after the race, Gary was trying to manoeuvre into the scrutineering
bay when some marshal started banging furiously on the tail of the car,
feeling he was about to be run over. A flurry of verbals left Gary so
angry that he went to see the Clerk of the Course to complain about
the incident.
- Stewart Roden's flashy transporter was a delight and a credit to the
Ferrari end of the paddock. He is confident of running two 360/Chs in
the series next season so this very professionally turned out team should
be around all year. That will spur some of the others on to improve
their paintwork.
- Absent again was Richard Stevens, with a reoccurence of his leg problem.
Before this race he was still tied at the top of the C-class championship
with Robin Ward but Robin's win now means that he has clinched it with
one more race to go. A shame for Richard who has put in a lot of effort
and who was one of the most improved drivers this season.
- Sitting around at lunch the talk turned to who might win the Driver
of the Year award. Various names were mentioned but then Chris, the
SCS truckie, announced that he should have it as he had driven more
miles than everybody else put together and in any case where did it
say that the Driver of the Year had to be a race driver? Good point....
- Clearly unused to running race meetings, the BRSCC had no podium or
prizes for the Ferrari race. Whilst they quickly made amends and promised
to send trophies to our Championship Coordinator, there was very little
they could do about re-enacting a podium ceremony. Martin Pallot from
Pirelli was so looking forward to it that he went rushing around trying
to find it but to no avail.
- The collection of Abarths for their World Meeting was lovely and ranged
from little-modified Fiat 500s to Abarth Osellas and even the very rare
3-litre V8 Abarth. It brought back happy childhood memories of Toine
Hezemans and Abt Godemans three-wheeling their 850TCs in convoy round
the old Nurburgring in the Sixties. We didn't know at the time that
Godemans only had one eye, the other was glass. Most of us couldn't
get out the garage like that.
- Wilkinson Driver of the Day was Chris Catt. He must have got very
close to winning it at the Brands Ferrari Festival and continued his
recent run of form at Donington. In the race he had to work hard to
stay ahead of Tony Jones and finished not far adrift of Robin Ward,
which is no mean feat.
- Oliver Morley complained that your website reporter showed favouritism
to Gary Culver in the last race report. This made a change as we have
also been accused of favouring SCS (for whom Morley drives), Damax,
Smeeton, Catt, etc, etc. To save further trouble, we thought we would
list factors which inevitably lead to a good mention on the site:
1. |
Being nice to your website reporter,
i.e. offering hospitality, goods or services. |
2. |
Doing or saying something interesting, unusual, witty
or amusing. |
3. |
Carrying website reporter back from beer tent. |
4. |
Scurrilous gossip about other drivers. |
5. |
At a pinch, doing something a bit techie. |
6. |
Oh yes, and going blindingly fast and winning helps
too, as Culver did in the previous race. |
- Ted Reddick was trying to get in some pre-PMFC practise and competed
in one of the earlier races dicing furiously with a motley collection
of Fiats and Alfas. He must have wished he hadn't because his 355/Ch
then got stuck in fifth gear and he missed the Ferrari race.
Click here to return to the Pirelli
Maranello Ferrari Challenge page.
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A large display of members' Ferraris
gathered outside the marquee
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Terry Coleman listens to old
hand Culver
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The Roden set up was a credit
to the team
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Some lovely Abarths gathered
for their World Meeting
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Gordon Riddell had his first
PMFC race
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Cale, Burton and Carrington swap
stories
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Chris Catt gets the Driver of
the Day award from Martin Pallot
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After the race Jones, Smeeton
and Catt go over things
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Finalist in the Miss Nashers
of 2002 competition
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A duff gearbox made Ted Reddick
a non-starter
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No favouritism here: this is
the winner Ollie
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pics by Paul/Fotografia Corse, Simon
Cooke & CMdigicams
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