Race Report - Rounds 7 & 8 - 2003 Pirelli Maranello Ferrari Challenge - Club Racing Series'

PIRELLI MARANELLO FERRARI CHALLENGE

RACE REPORT: ROUNDS 7 & 8 : ZANDVOORT - 28/29 JUNE 2003

Lewis's Double Dutch	click for Paddock Stories
	click for Results & Points

For rounds 7 and 8 the PMFC circus went off on its second foreign trip of the year. Whilst the facilities at Zandvoort are gently decaying the revised circuit is still good fun, with its numerous sweeps and dives through sand dunes. The European 360 Challenge was also on the programme, as well as a couple of Alfa Romeo races and various demonstrations by numerous Italian car clubs. There were some lovely nostalgic cars to be seen, with everything from Abarths to Zagatos being represented.

There were two qualifying sessions on the Saturday and, with everyone having had the opportunity of pre-event testing, no-one needed to learn which way some of the blind brows went.

Lewis Carter, in the Scuderia Ecosse 360/Ch, was on it straight away having tested there for two days. In just four laps he set a time of 1:48.571 for the easiest pole we have ever seen, some 2.5 seconds ahead of second placed man Oliver Morley (360/Ch). Marco Attard, Chris Niarchos and Peter Sowerby, all in similar tipos, followed at relatively close intervals. Chris Catt (355/Ch) was quickest in the "C" class but only just ahead of Graham Reeder, with Henry Lawson next up.

In the second, midday, qualifying session Carter did not even bother to turn out and left it to Niarchos, Culver, Attard and Terry Coleman to fill the first four places, but no-one got near the pole time set earlier in the morning.

The best time from either qualifying session would count for both race grids and therefore it was Carter, Morley, Attard and Niarchos at the top of the "S" class, with Catt, Reeder, Lawson and Back starting at the head of the "C" class.

The first race was scheduled to be a 12-lapper starting at 14.40 on Saturday. After a green flag lap the field lined up in an orderly fashion and then they were away, with Carter taking the lead, Attard up from the second row and then a very tight bunch consisting of Morley, Niarchos, Culver and Sowerby. No sooner had the field disappeared into the dunes than the Safety Car boards came out. There had clearly been an incident around the back and when shortly after the red flags were displayed people began to worry.

It turned out that Terry Coleman's 360 had been gently tapped from behind, which unsettled the car and caused him to jump one of the high kerbs, put him into a spin and into the barriers. The spinning 360 ended up back on the track facing the right way so Coleman continued to race for another corner or two but quickly realised that oil and water were pouring from the damaged to his car and he parked up, but by this time the trail of oil was sufficient for the officials to stop the race whilst a cleanup took place.

After over half an hour's delay the field was brought out for another formation lap and a re-start for the full twelve laps, which caused some worry about insufficient fuel in some of the cars.

This time everyone got away cleanly, with Attard again slotting in behind Lewis, followed by Morley, Niarchos, Sowerby, Culver, Burton and then Chris Catt, who was leading an exciting "C" class battle ahead of Back, Reeder and Lawson. At the front Carter simply disappeared at an astonishing rate, with Attard settling into second but Morley gradually creeping up and getting away from the clutches of Niarchos.

Behind these first four there was a tremendous dice between Sowerby and Culver and then there was a long way back to Phil Burton (360/Ch) who had a very lonely race. He remarked that he saw no-one on the main straight as he entered it and there was no-one in his mirrors as he left it. Behind him there was a fabulous race for the "C" class between Catt, Reeder and Lawson, with Mark Cale's 360/Ch also very much involved. Ted Reddick (355/Ch) came next, having managed to pass Back, with the 355/Chs of Duncan McKay, Mike Furness, Mike Reeder and Witt Gamski bringing up the next positions.

One of the best scraps was taking place on the back of the field, with the two 308s of John Swift and guest driver Monique Rosier nose to tail for lap after lap, with some brave out-braking attempts going into the Tarzan hairpin. Monique's car eventually dropped a cylinder or two and Swifty was able to squeeze by.

Carter eased off at the front but took an easy win ahead of Attard and Morley. The latter only just scraped home ahead of Niarchos when a flat tyre began to develop during the last laps. It went down on to its rim in parc ferme. Culver and Sowerby finished in places five and six. In the "C" class Catt held on to his narrow margin just ahead of Graham Reeder and these two had managed to pull out a good lead ahead of third in class, Henry Lawson, with Ted Reddick finishing next.

Then the unpleasantries started. Coleman was summoned to the Clerk of the Course and summarily excluded from the meeting for allegedly deliberately driving on after his accident and causing the length delay whilst the track was cleaned. The officials were also furious about what they felt to be numerous contact incidents and passing under yellow flags. Coleman appealed to the Stewards against his exclusion and at 9.00 o'clock that night the matter was final settled and he was allowed to take part in the second race in his spare car, but nevertheless a special driver's briefing was called for Sunday morning.

Sunday morning arrived, then, with the drivers facing the C of the C, who made it clear that everyone needed to be on their best behaviour for the next race, with stern threats of consequences if they were not.

The second 12-lapper was scheduled for 11.45 a.m. but some more organisational problems reared their head. Coleman's place on the grid was supposed to be left empty as he had to start from the back but grid officials thought that everyone should move up one slot. This caused so much confusion that a second formation lap had to be held but by the time everyone formed up on the second grid there was still no clarity as to who was supposed to be where.

Despite this the flag was dropped and very quickly the car to car contact ensued again. Carter squeezed Morley towards the pit wall and the two cars touched and thus it was Carter who again went into the lead, followed by Morley, Niarchos, Attard, Culver and Sowerby. On the second lap Carter came by all on his own as Morley dived into the pits with what he felt to be another flat tyre. A quick inspection showed that it was only rubber debris that was causing the strange vibrations and the Damax team sent him out again.

Niarchos and Attard began their furious dice for second place but with a serious of quick laps young Lewis again disappeared up the road. For all twelve laps Attard tried everything to get past Niarchos until he finally rooted his tyres, cut across the chicane and Niarchos was safe in second place. Culver had a lonely race in fourth, ahead of Sowerby and Burton who was this time keeping in contact with the cars ahead.

As in the first race there was a tremendous scrap for the "C" class, with Graham Reeder initially leading Lawson, Reddick and Catt. This group were trailing Cale's 360/Ch, which was proving very difficult to pass. During one of the attempts to get by Cale, Reddick inadvertently punted Lawson off the track and into retirement but Reeder eventually forced his way past Cale with yet more contact at Tarzan hairpin.

Meanwhile Terry Coleman was climbing his way up from the back of the grid but found it very difficult to get by the 355/Ch of David Back. As the two of them crested a hill at the back of the circuit they came upon sand strewn all over the track by another driver. Back managed to hold the ensuing slide but Coleman did not and he hit the barrier for the second time and retired from the race. Not a good weekend for him.

Everything then ran its course with Carter taking another easy win ahead of the excellent drive from Chris Niarchos in the second Ecosse car. Attard, Culver, Sowerby and Burton rounded off the top six, with Graham Reeder taking the "C" class ahead of Reddick, Catt and Back.

Inevitably after the race there were further calls for drivers to see the Clerk of the Course, adding to the somewhat unsatisfactory interaction between the PMFC drivers and the organisers. The crowning glory was the fisticuffs between the paddock official and the Damax boys, but more of that in Paddock Stories.......