Race One
The PFO event on the Saturday afternoon was described as a sprint race of 15 laps duration. From the lights, front row man Pullen took an immediate lead with I’Anson and Culver latched on to his tail. As the race went on, Pullen looked evermore secure and took the chequered flag some 10 seconds ahead of second placed Culver, with I’Anson a further second behind. Simpson started off well from his back row position but then slowed, nursing his car home just ahead of David Edge, who was adjudged to have jumped the start and penalised 10 seconds.

Fastest laps – establishing class records for the circuit – were set by Pullen (Class S) in 57.087 and Culver (Class C) in 57.154.

Race Two
Sunday’s Open race saw the circuit bathed in sunshine again. The race was scheduled for a rather longer 25 laps. With only one qualifying session, the grid was the same as the previous day’s race so that I’Anson and Pullen were again on the front row.

At the start, Marco Pullen leapt into an immediate lead from Mark I’Anson, with third place occupied by a fast starting Graham Reeder. Behind Reeder the rest of the field were closely bunched up, in the order Mogridge, Culver, Marrs and Bourne.

It was clear that Reeder was preventing the expected attack from Culver – it really isn’t straightforward getting past at Knockhill! – and it wasn’t until lap 6 that Gary found a way through. Once past, Culver was visibly gaining on the second placed I’Anson. Simpson, in the 328 Class S car, pitted on lap 7.

Then, one lap later, disaster hit Wayne Marrs’ 355. As he negotiated the hairpin – having just passed Reeder for fourth position – all the studs failed on his left rear wheel. He almost managed to reach the pit lane access ramp before the wheel came off and the back of the car graunched onto the tarmac.

With the pit lane effectively blocked the red flags came out to stop the race. Reeder’s car coincidentally had suffered a puncture, so we had two stranded Challenge cars side by side.

It took some time to pick up the Marrs 355, by which time Reeder was able to fit a replacement wheel. Eventually the race was restarted with the grid formation in accordance with the order immediately before the stoppage.

The re-started race distance was shortened to 14 laps and this time Gary Culver made no mistakes with his start and immediately tucked in behind Mark I’Anson’s 355. However, perhaps reverting to his previous rallying experiences, I’Anson went off the track in a series of lurid manoeuvres, culminating in him embedding his car in the gravel at Butchers.
Tim Mogridge claimed third but was being hounded by Charlie White, whose car had originally started from the back of the grid due to being underweight at the post-qualifying scrutineering checks.

Initially Culver seemed to have no answer to Pullen’s pace but as the race progressed, so the Dunlop [? - Ed.] tyres on the leading car appeared to be going off. With three laps to go, Culver was inches away from the 328’s engine deck and, as your scribe remarked to Gary’s father-in-law, this was a period of concentrated psychological warfare.

As the field started the final lap it looked as though young Marco might just last out but on the very last corner – the hairpin – the 328 veered to the left, did a tank slapper, and Gary was past. Marco sorted things out commendably quickly but at the flag was just a second and a half in arrears. What excitement!

White wasn’t far behind, in third, just ahead of Mogridge and Bourne. DNFs were recorded by the aforesaid gravel bound I’Anson, Reeder (who feared he had the same wheel stud problem as his stablemate, Marrs) and Edge (another victim of the gravel traps).

The fastest laps were quicker than the previous day’s, reflecting the step-up in intensity of the race, although the two drivers were the same: Pullen in 56.231 and Culver in 56.758.

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Race One

Marco won R1

Race Two

Marco led early on and shows off the stunning Knockhill scenery

Reeder heads a train

I'Anson goes flying again

John Shirley was on his local turf

Ed Bourne pops a wheel over the Knockhil kerbs in the approved manner

A lurid moment for Charlie

Culver applies massive pressure to Pullen