Race Report from Barnard Castle Steam Fair, Co. Durham –
May 29th/30th/31st
Round 2 of the NWLMRA Championship took place over the May
Bank Holiday weekend at Barnard Castle Steam Fair in County
Durham. The action was fast and furious as light showers caused
tricky track conditions that tested the skills of all the
NWLMRA racers. Saturday saw the first ever race meeting for
Andy Little’s new racing mower. It is based on a Scag
and proved to be quick and reliable after 3 days of racing
#31 Daz Whitehead’s lap of the track
“The start line was a little difficult to get away from,
because it was littered with stones and it wasn’t flat
so you had to look for a good spot to get some traction. The
start/finish straight ran alongside the crowd and the tractor-pullers
so the spectators always had something to watch. At the end
of the straight was a very fast and long downhill left hander
that had a couple of nasty bumps that you had to get right,
otherwise you were thrown wide and it left the door open for
someone to sneak past on the inside. This tightened into a
hairpin left, and that opened into a flat out right hander.
Again it was crucial to be on the right line because of the
bumps. Next was a short straight, followed by a tight right–left
combination. After this was a short straight and a long fast
off-camber left-hander that climbed slightly towards the main
straight. This was another bumpy area with several big stones
showing through the ground causing problems for some drivers.
Then it’s back onto the main straight again, and under
the finish line for another lap!”
Round 3 – Saturday 29th May, 2004
The opening race of the day was the Points Race, and the slippery
track made conditions difficult for the drivers. #31 Daz Whitehead
led away at the lights, closely followed by #96 Chris Randall,
#69 Matt Randall and #12 Martin Shaw. Some very neat driving
by #31 Daz Whitehead and #96 Chris Randall allowed them to
pull away from the field but #96 Chris Randall was unable
to find away past his rival and the win went to #31 Daz Whitehead
from #96 Chris Randall with #69 Matt Randall trailing back
in third place. #7 Andy Little recorded a debut Class 2 Wheels
win over #24 Dave Smith. #11 Sam Shaw also took a Class win
in 3 Briggs.
Next up was the Grand Prix and it was another good clean
race for #31 Daz Whitehead and #96 Chris Randall, both drivers
lapped the rest of the field on there way to covering 17 laps
in the damp conditions. #22 Andy Little’s perfect start
in the Points Race was ruined when his trailer broke away
from the front end of the machine whilst negotiating the tricky
left handed hairpin. This was later fixed and he rejoined
the races in the afternoon session.
The afternoon saw some non-championship races and these were
won by #31 Daz Whitehead, #96 Chris Randall & #69 Matt
Randall.
Round 4 – Sunday 30th May, 2004
The track was unaltered for Sunday’s Race but it was
watered with a bowser just to make things interesting. First
up was the Points Race and again it was #31 Daz Whitehead
who made the best start. Things almost went pear-shaped though
when a half-spin at the hairpin caused several other mowers
to crash into each other. Luckily no one stalled and all the
drivers were quickly underway again. Lap 5 saw #96 Chris Randall
lose time and a couple of positions after he stalled at the
hairpin. #31 Daz Whitehead won the race from #69 Matt Randall
and #12 Martin Shaw. #7 Andy Little won his Class 2 Wheels
battle with #24 Dave Smith while #11 Sam Shaw was the first
home in Class 3 Briggs.
A drying track allowed the leading drivers to cover 19 laps
in the Grand Prix, with the win going to #31 Daz Whitehead,
from #96 Chris Randall and #69 Matt Randall. #7 Andy Little
started well in the race but was passed by #24 Dave Smith
on Lap 3. #24 Dave Smith then went on to complete 18 laps
and finish 5th place in the race.
Non-championship races followed in the afternoon and all
the wins were shared between #96 Chris Randall, #69 Matt Randall
and #31 Daz Whitehead. Sunday also saw the drag racing challenge
revived from the recent North-V-South event, and after several
heats, the win eventually went to #12 Martin Shaw, from #96
Chris Randall.
Round 5 – Monday 31st May, 2004
The third day of racing at Barnard Castle brought bright blue
skies and sunshine which seemed to make the racing even more
intense. #27 Stuart Polkinghorne was also present today and
after watching him in practice, it seemed he only had winning
on his mind.
The Points Race was very fast and close and as the lights
went green, it was #31 Daz Whitehead who had the best start,
closely followed by #96 Chris Randall, #27 Stuart Polkinghorne,
#69 Matt Randall and #12 Martin Shaw. Approaching the hairpin
on Lap 3 #31 Daz Whitehead ran wide, and this allowed #96
Chris Randall through to take the lead, #27 Stuart Polkinghorne
followed him through to take 2nd place. #27 Stuart Polkinghorne
then forced his way through to take the lead on Lap 6 and
just one lap later, #96 Chris Randall made a small mistake
that let #31 Daz Whitehead through to into 2nd place. #27
Stuart Polkinghorne went on to take the win from #31 Daz Whitehead
and #96 Chris Randall. #7 Andy Little took the win in Class
2 Wheels, while #11 Sam Shaw recorded another win in Class
3 Briggs.
The Grand Prix race was equally entertaining and #27 Stuart
Polkinghorne led from #31 Daz Whitehead and #96 Chris Randall.
Lap 3 saw the only retirement of the when #31 Daz Whitehead’s
engine mysteriously stopped while on full throttle on the
main straight. The problem turned out to be a broken collet
retainer. Back to the race and #27 Stuart Polkinghorne extended
a small lead to win the race having covered 19 laps. Also
on the lead lap were #96 Chris Randall & #69 Chris Randall.
The Drag Racing challenge was eventually won by #27 Stuart
Polkinghorne, with #31 Daz Whitehead and #96 Chris Randall
tied in 2nd place just one point behind. The non-championship
races were won by #96 Chris Randall, #27 Stuart Polkinghorne
and #31 Daz Whitehead.
The most spectacular crash of the weekend went to #22 Matt
Heys who rolled end over end on the main straight after loosing
a front wheel.
The Championship Standings after Round 5 are: ~
Class 3 Tecumseh
#31 Daz Whitehead 30 points
#96 Chris Randall 27 points
#69 Matt Randall 25 points
#12 Martin Shaw 23 points
#26 Robert Smith 12 points
#27 Stu Polkinghorne 10 points
#22 Matt Heys 1 point
Class 3 Briggs
#11 Sam Shaw 30 points
#18 Sheldon Webster 19 points
Class 2 Wheels
#7 Andy Little 30 points
#24 Dave Smith 29 points
#50 Phil Brooks 9 points
Grand Prix
#96 Chris Randall 56 laps
#69 Matt Randall 55 laps
#24 Dave Smith 53 laps
#12 Martin Shaw 53 laps
#31 Daz Whitehead 53 laps
#11 Sam Shaw 45 laps
#7 Andy Little 43 laps
#26 Robert Smith 26 laps
#27 Stu Polkinghorne 19 laps
#50 Phil Brooks 16 laps
#18 Sheldon Webster 15 laps
#22 Matt Heys 5 laps
|