Race Report - Round 2 - 2002 Pirelli Maranello Ferrari Challenge - Club Racing Series'

PIRELLI MARANELLO FERRARI CHALLENGE
RACE REPORT : ROUNDS 2 & 3 : SPA FRANCORCHAMPS : 26-28 APRIL 2002

A reasonably good entry of 19 Ferraris made the journey to the Spa Ferrari Days to compete in Rounds 2 and 3 of the Pirelli Maranello Ferrari Challenge. Usually the PMFC runners would have been joined by a whole bunch of guest drivers, mainly from Belgium, who would not be eligible for points. However, this time there were only four of them and so it was 23 runners who lined up for qualifying early on Saturday morning.

The single qualifying session would count for both grids and from somewhere a dry gap appeared in the otherwise dank and rainy conditions. One of the guest drivers, Louis Machiels, put his F40 on pole position but just three quarters of a second behind came our own Gary Culver (360/Ch), ahead of the quickest "C" class driver, Robin Ward, who set a notably fast time some two seconds under the class record. In fairly close order they were followed by Alan Cosby (F512M), Richard Stevens (355/Ch), Richard Smeeton (360/Ch) and Graham Reeder (355/Ch).

The "O" class had just four runners and the quickest was series newcomer Mike Edmonds (F355), ahead of John Taylor (360) and Phil Nuttall (F355 GTS).

By the time of the late afternoon start on Saturday the weather had done everything. It had rained, been cold, blown a gale and then stopped raining again. As the cars headed out of the paddock the track was wet but nearly everyone took the gamble and stayed on slicks. Perhaps they had remembered the lesson from last year when the track suddenly dried and everyone got into trouble with their wet weather tyres.

On the formation lap, however, things went badly wrong for Cosby. He lost his 512 in a big way and hit the barriers hard both front and back, putting himself out of the race.

There was more drama as the lights turned to green. Whilst the front of the grid got away cleanly, led by Culver and the F40, Chris Catt's 355/Ch broke a drive shaft as he dropped the clutch and the car stopped dead, causing massive avoidance manoeuvres behind. Nobody hit anyone else but it was close.

By the time they completed their first lap the F40 began to drop back with a rough engine and it was Culver who held a narrow lead ahead of Ward and then the amazing Ron Simons (308GTB) who had shot up from twelfth on the grid, no doubt assisted by his decision to put on wet tyres. Behind this lot Reeder and David Grace (355/Ch) were running nose to tail ahead of Stephens and then a tight bunch consisting of Mark Cale (360/Ch - on wets), Smeeton, Edmonds (leading the "O" class) and Nuttall who had also moved well up the order on the opening laps.

Ron Simons' charge to the front did not last long as his steering rack failed whilst approaching La Source. He ended up so far up the escape road that people thought he was heading for Francorchamps. Good thing it didn't happen going through Blanchimont......

The battle at the front between Culver and Ward was close, just inches apart. On the sixth lap Ward came out of Blanchimont quicker than Culver and bravely slipped by the inside going into the Bus Stop chicane. His lead, however, did not last as Culver then used all of his 360 power to re-take the lead as they thundered down the start/finish straight. One lap later and Culver took the flag less than two seconds ahead of Ward.

Behind them Grace made a last lap effort to get by Reeder and snatched third place, with Stevens coming home fifth over half a minute ahead of Smeeton, the ailing F40 of Machiels, Les Charneca (355/Ch) and Phil Nuttall. The latter picked up the "O" class win when Edmonds' 355 retired with a blown water hose.

Behind there had been a race-long scrap involving quite a bunch of cars, including McKay (355/Ch), Cale, Taylor, Mike Reeder (355/Ch) and Steve Young (355/Ch). Jon Goodwin's Mondial t slithered along happily with this lot whilst the track was at its wettest but lost out as things began to dry and the slicks of others gave them more grip.

Although the field was well spread out along the long Spa circuit there had been good battles throughout and it had been a pleasure to watch.

The second race took place early on Sunday morning with the track, amazingly, dry. The various casualties from the previous race had generally been repaired, with the exception of Cosby, whose 512M was too badly damaged, and Steve Young, who had an alternator failure on his 355.

At the start Ward shot into the lead but was soon out-powered by Machiels' F40 and also Culver's 360. In the dry conditions the F40 progressively eked out a lead and Culver similarly began to ease away from Ward. Behind, Stevens held a lonely fourth place, ahead of a duelling Reeder and Smeeton, who were gradually being hauled in by Grace.

Rushing into the Bus Stop chicane on the first lap Nuttall found himself with nowhere to go and touched the back of Cale's 360, pushing him into a spin and holding up the field behind. Everyone sorted themselves out, although there were a couple of dents and a few harsh words in the paddock afterwards.

Then, because of a jump start, the F40 was given a stop/go penalty and this put Culver into the lead on lap 4 out of the seven scheduled. The F40 dropped back into fourth place but began a superb catch-up and re-took the lead on the very last lap. Then, however, it was announced that because of a pit speeding offence Machiels would be docked ten seconds and this once again gave the overall win to Culver. Ward finished third (but second of the PMFC runners) ahead of Stevens and Reeder, who just managed to hold off Smeeton to the flag. Grace had moved to within a second of Smeeton.

Behind them there was another incredibly close race between Simons, Reddick and Catt which was only resolved on the dash to the finish and the three of them finished just two seconds apart.

Despite rising engine temperatures Edmonds held on to the "O" class lead, ahead of Taylor's 360 and Nuttall's 355 - the latter having been badly delayed by the lap 1 contretemps at the Bus Stop.

Gary Culver therefore took both of the wins, having had to fend off both Machiels' F40 as well as Ward's very quick 355. For his performance throughout the weekend Robin Ward was awarded the Wilkinson Driver of the Meeting Trophy.

As far as the championship points are concerned, after three rounds Gary Culver has moved into a strong lead having scored maximum points as well as additional points for two lap records. Amongst the "C" class Richard Stevens maintains his lead despite Ward's two class-winning performances at Spa.