Race Report - Round 9 - 2004 Pirelli Maranello Ferrari Challenge - Club Racing Series'

And so to the fifth PMFC race in four weeks. Probably all this cramming together can't have helped the entry levels and it was disappointing when just ten cars turned up for Round 9 at Oulton Park's absurd Island circuit. Why they persist with this three quarter length circuit is beyond us. Much better to either continue for the full circuit with the great left-hander into Shell, or to take the short one with all the frenetic activity that that produces.

Add to that the dire weather forecast for the day and it was a bit of a quiet PMFC gathering in the paddock. Still the Ferrari formula classic race was taking place the same day with its 20-odd starters so the Club's hospitality unit was a busy place, with standing room only. Furthermore the great Barrie Williams was down as a guest driver in Alan Newton's 360/Ch, which a lot of people with memories looked forward to.

Morning qualifying on a wet track put the silver 360/Ch of Peter Sowerby on pole and it was good to see Barrie Williams right next to him in his first every race in a 360. Marco Attard, engine fixed after his Zandvoort dramas, qualified in third ahead of the ever-improving duo of Phil Burton and Kevin Riley, both in 360s.

Amongst the five "C" class runners there was some surprise as David Dove put his 355 on pole ahead of Mike Furness, both of them being ahead of the more fancied runners Ted Reddick and Witt Gamski. Alan Williamson was having another run in the Charneca 355 and he brought up the rear of the group.

Although it had drizzled all morning it stopped about an hour before the early afternoon race and a bright breeze did its best to dry the track. One or two thought about changing to slicks but in the event everyone stayed on wets and it turned out to be the best choice.

Things went awry at the start. Unused to the 360/Ch's peculiarities, Barrie Williams stalled it on the grid and could not figure out the quirky re-starting procedure. Then, under-estimating the wetness of the first corner, Sowerby spun away his lead and had to wait for the entire field to pass before re-joining.

The first time round Burton held the lead from Attard and, amazingly, Reddick up in third place from his lowly grid position.

By the second lap Attard had squeezed through into the lead in a mirror-touching manouvre and pulled out a few car lengths. Riley passed Reddick for third place and latched on to the back of Burton's white 360. Reddick, in fourth now, was soon caught by Furness, Gamski and Dove and this became an excellent battle for the "C" class.

Sowerby, in the meantime, was storming up through the field but Williams had taken a long time to re-start his 360 and had little chance of ending up with a decent result, although that didn't stop him from driving quicker than anyone else and ending up with the fastest lap. It was great to watch an old master at work and how quickly he adapted to a 360.

At the front Attard cruised serenely around knocking off lap after lap of this 20 minute race and just keeping a watchful eye on the squabbling Burton and Riley behind. These two had to work incredibly hard and on more than one occasion Riley pulled alongside but could never make it stick. Behind these three came the four 355s, with Dove gradually leap-frogging the others and on lap seven taking over the "C" class lead. At the same time Sowerby caught up with this bunch and it took him two further laps to get past on the still slithery track. He then commenced the chase after the Burton/Riley duo ahead but time was against him.

After the 20 minute race length had elapsed Attard took the chequered flag some two seconds ahead of what had by now become a frenetic battle for second between Burton and Riley. They stayed in that order but just half a second apart, with Sowerby rescuing his championship lead with a great catch up drive into fourth place. Dove was a delighted winner of the "C" class, his first ever, ahead of Reddick, who felt his engine still was not giving him enough revs, with Gamski and Furness also just half a second apart. Williams had managed to climb up into ninth and Williamson brought up the rear.

Sowerby's spin and Burton's excellent drive into second place has further narrowed the points' situation at the top of the "S" class, with just five points separating the two. Ted Reddick continues to dominate the "C" class championship but behind him Vince Woodman, Mike Reeder, Witt Gamski and David Dove are just three points apart.

Just to add to the rush there is now a break of only one week before the next two rounds take place at Brands Hatch on the weekend of 3/4 July.