Race Report - Races 1&2 - 2008 Pirelli Ferrari Open - Club Racing Series'

PIRELLI FERRARI OPEN

RACE REPORT: RACES 1&2 : SNETTERTON - 4&5 MAY 2008
Report by John Swift

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Race One
12 Challenge and 2 Speciale lined up on the grid on Sunday for the first race of 2008 Pirelli Ferrari Open. The field surged off when the lights went out, with Culver making a tardy getaway. I’Anson took the lead and looked as if he might just keep it if all went well for him. Sadly for him, it didn’t. When he attempted to change down from 5th to 4th for Riches Corner as he started his second lap, he was unable to select the gear. At high speed - in neutral - he spun out of control and hit the tyre barrier a hefty thump.

The race was immediately red flagged and it took a quarter of an hour to extricate the damaged car and reassemble the grid. Because of the time lost, the restarted race was reduced to 15 minutes.

This time Culver made no errors and made an excellent start. From row 3, Reeder made an even better one but was adjudged to have jumped the lights and penalised 10 seconds.

Charlie White latched on to Culver’s tail with Ed Bourn in third. Then it was the penalised Reeder, with Mogridge in an adjusted 4th pursued by Pullen, with Tris Simpson and Wayne Marrs almost in his engine bay.

White dropped back to 5th place on lap 4, his alternator playing up, and finally called it a day one lap later when he completely ran out of the electrical power needed for the ABS and other important facilities. Peter Rowley retired at about the same time when he lost his engine’s coolant, spinning on the proceeds.

With Charlie gone, it was Bourn who took up the chase, with Reeder right up with him in third on the road but in reality ten seconds behind. Then, some way back, came Mogridge and Marrs. Towards the end of the race, Edge, who seems to have got the hang of this racing business, closed on Pullen for 6th place while behind him there was a desperate struggle between David Hathaway and Jeff Lester. John Shirley, in an obviously slightly slower machine, was impressively consistent. Reeder’s Challenge car began to handle oddly, causing him to slow, while Simpson lost all his useful gears right at the end but managed to finish.

At the flag it was Culver who took his first PFO victory, some five seconds ahead of 2nd place man Bourn, with Mogridge, another 4 seconds in arrears, taking the third podium position. Gary set the fastest lap time of the race in 1:17.210, a new Class C lap record. Despite his gearbox difficulties, Tris Simpson had recorded the quickest Class S in 1:18.624, which again was a new Class record.


Tim Mogridge was third	What FOC racing stalwarts are the Reeder Bros.!	Tris Simpson set an 'S' Class lap record in his 328	More victorious waving from Gary

Race Two
The 20-minute race was scheduled as the first event after lunch on the Bank Holiday Monday. It started just after 2 o’clock and from the lights it was Charlie White who zoomed into the lead, hotly pursued by Gary Culver. Then it was Mogridge, I’Anson (with the Tank Tape Special), Bourn and Reeder. Pullen, in his classic 328, was mid-field, in 7th, but the leaking crankshaft oil seal was getting worse and he retired on lap 10.

The chicane at Russell saw a number of spinners, including Jeff Lester and David Hathaway, both of whom continued at unabated speed. Tim Mogridge made a brief visit to the pits on lap 3 with a misfiring engine. He switched off, it automatically reset its management system, he fired it up again, and rejoined the race. The wonders of modern electronics!

Tris Simpson’s 328 seemed to be going well in 7th spot although he had to be careful: every time he negotiated a corner the engine moved (they hadn’t had time to fit all the holding-down bolts) which made it difficult to select the correct gear.

Meanwhile up at the front, White was still in charge of the race despite being under intense pressure from Culver. It was a hugely entertaining dice to watch and as the laps rolled by we wondered if Charlie could actually keep the lead and score a notable win.

But it wasn’t to be. On the very last lap the F355’s alternator belt detached itself and he lost most of his services as well as the water pump. With sky high temperature readings he made it to the finish albeit in second rather than first place. Gary Culver took the chequered flag, some 12 seconds ahead of White, with Mark I’Anson crossing the line in third, a just reward for all his efforts to make the race.

Right on I’Anson’s exhaust pipes was Reeder, in 4th, followed by Bourn, Marrs and Simpson. David Edge won his mid-field battle with Hathaway, Shirley and Lester.

Charlie White had the consolation of setting the fastest lap of the race (1:17.370, which was marginally slower than Culver had clocked the previous day) while Tris Simpson had the satisfaction of setting the quickest ‘S’ class lap time in 1:19.351.


John Shirley - 355/Ch	David Edge - 355/Ch	Shirley Spins	I'Anson brought his battered 355/Ch home third


Wayne Marrs - 355/Ch	White & Culver still fighting	Tris Simpson was the sole 'S' Class finisher	Victorious waving from Culver viewed from the other side

		All pics by Simon Cooke.