The feature race was up next and with the pitstops added strategy is involved. But before the drivers arrived at their stops the start needed to be negotiated and two drivers in particular made startling starts.
Martin Cooper and Ivor Blackmore, in his first start, both making up places from the start. Into T1 Baz West went three abreast, ran out of room, and span over the nasty curbs that would later claim other drivers. There was also contact between myself and Neill as he squeezed inside me into the corner although neither car was effected by it.
As in the first race the top 3 settled into position while Juan Carlos made a poor get away. He dropped to 5th then into the hairpin was punted by Ralph putting Juan out of the race with a damaged car.
The end of the lap therefore had Rouke leading from Bret, Paul, Nigel and Ralph.
These 5 quickly looked settled but behind there was a monumental battle going on. Cooper's race pace was slightly slower than most of the cars behind and they were soon battling to get past the blue and white car.
Graham made it past into the hairpin on Lap 2, Cooper ran wide on the exit to give him room and promptly lost a place to Neill too. On Lap 4 Ralph lost it in the double apex right hander and dropped to 8th just ahead of the recovering Baz West.
I'd caught Martin by this time and with my tyres warm went on the attack. As in Race one I got past him into the hairpin and got the same traction as him out of the corner. This meant a drag race down to Knickerbrook. Martin lifted a touch to get a better run through and took me on the inside of the corner. Two abreast through the corner!!!
I tracked him through the next lap was unable to pass into the hairpin but used my better cornering through there to sit under his wing on the exit.. Yep you've guessed it another drag race to knickerbrook. This time I got a better run through the corner. There seemed to be a little contact on my side as we AGAIN took this corner two abreast. We both made it through with me now ahead. Martin tracked me through the rest of the lap and I got the line wrong into T1, spun and lost a place to Martin.
Ralph also went through but amazingly I only lost one place as Neill has also spun and took longer to get going than I. Baz West was really on a charge now and on Lap 8 Neill was slow through Knickerbrook and he lost a place to the blue and white car. Neill fought back, repassing him but ultimately losing the place into the last corner.
Next lap Baz made an amazing save in Knickerbrook.. but lost the place back to Neill. The two were going at it hammer and tongues at this stage. By lap 11 though Baz had got past for good after Neill spun in the same place as Ralph.
Up front Rouke looked in total control as the pitstops approached although occasionally Bret put pressure on the leader he never looked to have a chance to pass. End of lap 21 Rouke pitted and changed tyres and fuel, two laps later Bret and Paul also pitted just for fuel and took the lead.
This was despite Bret and Paul both coming out of the pits right behind me. Shame we don't have lollipops because in this situation letting them past before releasing me would have been sensible. As it was I didn't initially realise there were there until the blue flag popped up and I let them past on the run to the hairpin.
The battle for the lead was intense now. Paul, leading, was probably a touch slower than both Bret, 2nd, and Rouke behind. Knifing through traffic they ran nose to tail. Paul almost lost the lead when he bumped into Raiph who appeared to have run wide to let him through. Paul also went wide, but regained the place on the exit.
Paul caught Baz West at just the wrong point, had to lift in the double right hander and Bret Seized the chance taking the lead. Meanwhile Rouke had dropped back behind Raiph and was unable to recatch the lead two before the end. Nigel was the last of the pitters, on lap 33, dropping a lap down in the process.
After 35 laps of intense fighting Bret deservedly won from Paul and Rouke. Graham and Nigel in 4th and 5th ahead of Baz West, Ralph and Martin Cooper. I finished just 3.5s behind Cooper in 9th ruing two spins and, more importantly, the 10s I lost bogged down in the gravel after outbraking myself at the end of the lap before my pitstop.
Overall though a most enjoyable pair of races around an excellent circuit.
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