Race Report from Chester Lions Carnival, Cheshire –
June 12th/13th
Chester Race Course held Race 4 of the 2004 NWLMRA Championship
Series. Cool blustery weather on Saturday gave way to a hot
sunny day on Sunday and this led to some excellent racing
that the fans really enjoyed. John Parden’s Class 2
Roller made a welcome return to the track and looks to be
much improved in racing trim from this time last year
#31 Daz Whitehead’s lap of the track
“As usual at Chester Race Course, the ground was really
hard with short mown grass on the surface creating a slippery
surface which made turning into corners difficult for some
drivers. From the Start Line was a nice long straight that
tightened via a double apex left-hander into a very tight
left hander. There were a couple of lines here, the fastest
was the big wide sweep but this left the door open for someone
to dive down the inside on the brakes. Out of this corner
was a flat out right hander, which turned into a slippery
but tight right hander. A few people out-braked themselves
here during the day, but the track was wide enough to prevent
you loosing too much time. Next up was a short straight, then
a tight left hander that opened out into a short straight,
followed by a fast right and another short straight. The next
left hander was crucial as it set you up for the blast down
the main straight. If you went in too fast, you ended up loosing
time on the exit as you had to lift to get back onto line
for the finish flag…”
Round 8 – Saturday 12th June, 2004
#31 Daz Whitehead had the best start in the Points Race to
lead from #96 Chris Randall, #69 Matt Randall, #26 Robert
Smith, #7 Andy Little, #12 Martin Shaw, #11 Sam Shaw &
#24 Dave Smith. Lap 2 saw #24 Dave Smith take 7th place from
#11 Sam Shaw and Lap 6 saw #26 Robert Smith pass #69 Matt
Randall for 3rd. Meanwhile at the front, #31 Daz Whitehead
was having to a battle to hold off #96 Chris Randall. At the
flag #31 Daz Whitehead held on for 10 points, winning by less
than half a second from #96 Chris Randall, with #26 Robert
Smith in 3rd. #7 Andy Little won Class 2 Wheels, while #11
Sam Shaw recording another win in Class 3 Briggs
The Grand Prix followed and again #31 Daz Whitehead won the
race to the first corner ahead of #96 Chris Randall and #69
Matt Randall. #26 Robert Smith took 3rd place on Lap 2. Lap
7 saw the only lead change of the race when #96 Chris Randall
dived inside #31 Daz Whitehead at the end of the main straight
whilst hard on the brakes. #7 Andy Little dropped from 5th
to 7th on Lap 11 allowing #12 Martin Shaw & #24 Dave Smith
to gain places. #7 Andy Little then regained a place on Lap
12 at the expense of #24 Dave Smith, only for the pair to
swap places again on Lap 15. At the flag, #96 Chris Randall
had a lead of about 5 seconds over #31 Daz Whitehead, with
#26 Robert Smith a further 5 seconds adrift. #69 Matt Randall
also completed the race on the lead lap
The afternoon saw some non-championship races and these were
won by #31 Daz Whitehead, #96 Chris Randall & #22 Matt
Heys
Round 9 – Sunday 13th June, 2004
To avoid any potential dust problems, the track was altered
slightly for Sunday’s Races. The Points race started
at 1pm, and as the lights changed, it was a drag race between
#96 Chris Randall and #31 Daz Whitehead, it was won by #96
Chris Randall who went on the record his first Points Race
victory of the season. The ever-improving #26 Robert Smith
also had a good weekend taking 2nd place on Lap 3 and holding
this to the flag. He finished the race about 2 seconds behind
#96 Chris Randall and 1 second in front of #31 Daz Whitehead.
#7 Andy Little recorded another win in Class 2 Wheels, as
did #11 Sam Shaw in Class 3 Briggs. #67 John Parden brought
his Class 2 Roller out and recorded a Class win as he beings
his preparation for the upcoming 12 Hour Endurance Race
#96 Chris Randall won the Grand Prix in convincing style
crossing the line almost 10 seconds ahead of #26 Robert Smith
and #31 Daz Whitehead. #69 Matt Randall followed in on the
same lap about 5 seconds down. #12 Martin Shaw and #24 Dave
Smith both dropped one lap, while #7 Andy Little and #11 Sam
Shaw dropped two laps. #67 John Parden retired after just
6 laps with a small technical problem while #22 Matt Heys
had an even worse race covering just 3 laps
Non-championship races followed in the afternoon. The first
relay race was won by #11 Sam Shaw and #31 Daz Whitehead.
Congratulations to Sam on her first outright race victory.
The second relay race was won by #69 Matt Randall and #7 Andy
Little
The Championship Standings after Round 9 are: ~
Class 4
#66 Mark Jaffe 1 point
Class 3 Tecumseh
#31 Daz Whitehead 69 points
#96 Chris Randall 64 points
#69 Matt Randall 55 points
#12 Martin Shaw 48 points
#26 Robert Smith 43 points
#27 Matt Heys 13½ points
#27 Stu Polkinghorne 10 points
Class 3 Briggs
#11 Sam Shaw 70 points
#18 Sheldon Webster 19 points
Class 2 Wheels
#7 Andy Little 70 points
#24 Dave Smith 65 points
#50 Phil Brooks 9 points
Class 2 Roller
#67 John Parden 10 points
Grand Prix
#96 Chris Randall 140 laps
#69 Matt Randall 139 laps
#31 Daz Whitehead 137 laps
#24 Dave Smith 131 laps
#12 Martin Shaw 131 laps
#7 Andy Little 120 laps
#11 Sam Shaw 116 laps
#26 Robert Smith 110 laps
#22 Matt Heys 49 laps
#27 Stu Polkinghorne 19 laps
#50 Phil Brooks 16 laps
#18 Sheldon Webster 15 laps
#67 John Parden 6 laps
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