Pogson Closes In Further

Qualifying was on a very wet Saturday morning and, aided by their Dunlop wets, the Italia Autosport team monopolised the two front rows. Neil Woodford (355/Ch) set a stunning time some two seconds ahead of Marco Attard's 355/Ch, which was very closely followed by team boss John Pogson (F40) and Guy Hudson (F355/Ch). Colin Davids' Testarossa and Nicky Paul-Barron's 355/Ch shared the third row.

The race started at 10.15 on Sunday morning and mercifully the track was dry but the skies heavy. Woodford made the best of his pole position and shot into the lead for the first lap, until Pogson's F40 was able to power by. These two were closely followed by Attard, Hudson and Fred Moss (F355), who had made an amazing start from tenth on the grid.

Going into the chicane for the first time, however, Rory Fordyce (355/Ch) tried an adventurous passing manoeuvre on NP-B and Fred Moss which resulted in contact between Fordyce and Moss, with Nicky keeping well out of the way. Fordyce retired with bodywork damage, as did John Taylor, whose 308GT4 had a rear wheel ripped off in the general melee. Moss's 'O' class 355 rejoined down in 14th place, with David Ashburn (F355) now leading the 'O' class.

Pogson stayed in front, with Woodford's much less powerful 355 hanging on gamely ahead of Davids' Testarossa, Attard's 355/Ch and a rapidly closing Ian Hetherington (F50) who had qualified only in 11th place. One of the best features of the race was Hetherington's drive through the field. He moved into fourth on lap 5, third on lap 6 and into second place on lap 7. By now, the leaders were lapping the back markers and it was uncertain who would get the better breaks - Pogson's F40 or Hetherington's F50. In the end it was Pogson who remained at the front and he crossed the finish just 3½ seconds ahead of the F50, in which Hetherington took a new lap record some two seconds under the old one.

Neil Woodford finished third and best Challenge car, ahead of Davids' Testarossa, Attard's 355/Ch and Andrew Christopher's 308GTB which he had driven all the way up from 25th on the grid.

Nicky P-B was part of the front-running group at the start but was held up by the first lap contretemps at the chicane and then further delayed with a quick spin at the Old Hairpin on the penultimate lap. Graham Reeder therefore took third in the 'C' class, narrowly ahead of Marc Gachoud and Guy Hudson.

Amongst the 'O's, following Moss's troubles on lap 1, David Ashburn held a slender lead and might even have held off Moss to the finish had he not spun into retirement on lap 6. Only a second behind at the finish, however, was Gary Culver's 355, with the similar tipos of Gary Marsh and Simon Bartholomew in the next places.

Neil Woodford was the delighted and popular winner of the Psygnosis Driver of the Day award for his tenacious battle against the bigger-engined cars and his outstanding pole position during the wet practice.

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