PIRELLI MARANELLO FERRARI CHALLENGE

With the bulk of the season behind us, and with all three classes of our championship more or less settled, one might expect rather predictable races. However the Saturday race at Brands was a thriller. Gone it seems are the days when the fastest 355 Challenge cars were right in amongst the slower 360s. The slower 360 Challenge drivers have got faster through sheer application and seat time, and we now have two quite separate races.

Class of the field is young Lewis Carter (360/Ch) and he qualified on pole with a clear second gap to next up Peter Sowerby (360/Ch). Lewis is aiming for a seat in FIA GT next year and we all wish him well. His move will also allow our club championship to return to the "gentleman’s challenge" it is designed to be as opposed to a step on the road to stardom. His presence has, however, raised everyone's game. The gap from Sowerby to the first 355 Challenge driver (Graham Reeder) was five seconds, which illustrates the two race situation we now have.

Race 1

Reeder fancied his chances at the start as the manual 355 often seems to leave the line better than the paddle 360s. But not even Graham would have guessed that by the first corner he would have climbed to 4th position overall with several quick 360s behind him. By the exit of Druids it was 6th but even so a great start.

Peter Sowerby had also got a good start and led pole man Lewis Carter as he did at Donington earlier in the season. As the pack started lap two it was Sowerby, Carter, Morley, Niarchos, Attard, Burton and Coleman in 360s followed by Reeder, Reddick, Charneca, Furness, Catt, Back and McKay in 355s. On lap 4 Morley seemed to have a problem and dropped to 5th. Unfortunately the problem (which turned out to be a faulty cat controller which shut down one bank of cylinders) seemed to worsen and although he continued his challenge for any decent position was over. As at Donington Carter was all over Sowerby but just could not find a way past. His speed advantage was clearly evident but Sowerby’s superb defensive technique was keeping the Scot at bay. This really was the feature of the race and drew much favourable comment from the track commentary team. It was thrilling, skilful and clean racing. As they came down the hill after Druids on lap 6 they came across back-marker John Swift and simply went either side of him! John later said he had kept eyes closed which was probably the best option.

The 355s were having a good time too. Ted Reddick on new tyres was reeling in Reeder and these two were clear from the next pack of Charneca, Catt, Furness, Back and McKay who were all closely grouped.

With his options fading late in the race Carter tried the “round the outside of Paddock” manoeuvre. I have seen this done before but it is a brave move that requires good will and ability from both drivers. Hopefully you can see a photo of the resulting close company as they went down the hill side by side. They must have touched but it was clean and very exciting. However his bravery was not rewarded and Sowerby held the place in to Druids. The next 360s of Niarchos and Attard had by now closed up as the front two held each other up and were waiting to collect the spoils of any mishap.

Had it have ended there all would have been well – a great race. However racing is not always like that. Mike Reeder, who was well down the order, was racing with Witt Gamski and somewhere out in the country they touched. Mike spun into the barriers deranging the front and rear suspension on the nearside. A great shame and one less car on the grid on Sunday. This put out the local yellow flags. At the same time Graham Reeder’s 355 cockpit filled with smoke – a trick it has done before. When the yellow flag turned back to green Graham was distracted with the smoke and past went a very appreciative Ted Reddick. Graham’s smoke then cleared and he continued now 2nd in class – early investigation showed no fault! The yellow flag also seemed to shuffle others in 355s and they finished the race in the order Reddick, Reeder, Charneca, Furness, Back, Catt, Gamski and McKay.

Now back to the front. What seems to have happened is that Sowerby and Carter chased round the last lap and exited Sheen Curve glued together. Into the next braking area Carter tapped Sowerby into a spin from behind and it was all over. Sowerby in the gravel and Carter on the podium. Attard had also got around Niarchos on the last lap, possibly as a result of the incident and finished second. In the post race interview Carter told of a locked brake resulting in an unfortunate and regretted incident. Having watched Lewis all year I cannot believe that there was any malicious intent but they were racing really hard and sometimes these things happen. Peter Sowerby, however, was not a happy man. It had been a great drive and to lose a possible win like that must have been so frustrating. The Clerk of the Course took the view that Carter had gained a position via contact and eliminated him from the results. With Sowerby a non finisher this gave us a podium of Attard, Niarchos and Terry Coleman. Tomorrow they do it all again!

Race 2

The Club has little influence on the timings of race meetings and unfortunately the only involvement for PMFC on Sunday was our race late in the afternoon. Most drivers that could went home on Saturday evening but the teams had no option but to waste a long day in wait. The grid was as it had been for race one, with Lewis Carter on pole. After the events of the previous day there was a certain tension in the air, as might be expected. A certain amount of serious team rivalry is a good thing and the atmosphere between Damax (running Sowerby) and Roden Motorsport (Carter) reminded me of the Italia Autosport versus Specialised Cars era.

Off the line it was Sowerby again from Niarchos, Morley and Carter followed by Reeder (another great start) and Burton. Into lap two and Carter had got passed Morley and Burton had passed Reeder. By lap three we had the two-race order back when Coleman in the last placed 360 passed Reeder leading the 355s. At half distance it was Sowerby, Niarchos, Carter, Attard, Morley, Burton and Coleman followed by Reeder, Reddick, Back, Furness, Gamski, Catt and McKay. Both Mike Furness, who started racing with his Classic O class 328, and David Back who started in an O class 355, are progressing well in 355 Challenge cars, which is good to see.

On lap seven Carter got by Niarchos into P2 giving us a Sowerby Carter 1-2 which certainly raised the tension amongst those in the know. As we have seen before when in clear air Carter’s pace is unmatched and he was very soon on Sowerby’s back valance.

Regrettably there was then contact. Out in the country somewhere, and unseen by your reporter, there was clearly an incident and Sowerby dropped to 3rd behind Carter and Niarchos. First evidence of this was smoke trailing from Carter’s rear wheel arch where the modified body was rubbing his rear tyre.

The finishing order then was Carter, Niarchos, Sowerby, Attard and Morley whose car seemed to be off song once again and had possibly been loosing some fluids. In Class C Reeder had managed to hold off Reddick for a deserved win. There was then a gap to Coleman (recovering from a spin, possibly on Morley’s oil?) David Back, Furness, Gamski and Catt. McKay and Taylor also had spins right at the end at Paddock Hill bend possibly again, one suspects on Morley’s fluid.

It was a thrilling weekend's racing but one that was spoilt by car to car contact between the leading two drivers. Whilst each accused the other of deliberate barging there were no protests after the second race and no action was taken by the Clerk of the Course. However it will be wise that these two drivers sort their differences before the next race at Castle Combe where a contact- induced off could have very serious consequences.

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In qualifying Lewis Carter was way out on his own

Start 1 and Sowerby gets the drop

Thereafter Lewis was constantly on his tail

Graham Reeder and (behind) Ted Reddick took a class win apiece

Morley's 360 fell back with engine maladies

Start 2 was much the same as the first

Too close, as Sowerby and Carter make contact

Charneca and Furness had an entertaining battle

The two JMH cars of Burton (front) and Coleman head for the pit straight

Swifty pulls over as the leading pair hurtle past

McKay had a couple of competitive races, spoiled by a spin

Not one of Catt's best weekends in terms of results

Lonely O-class runner Andy Duncan had none to play with

pics by Paul/Fotografia Corse & Simon Cooke