Great weekend for the team with a debut victory for Jon.
The UK's BRCA national Rnd 4 was held at Clanfield which is a very fast & technical dirt track, with great jumps raised section & fast sweeping corners racing is very rewarding. For the first time this year we were to have great weather all day with temps hitting 25 deg so better than the last 3 rounds where weve had rain.
With a national team that has doubled in size since the beginning of 08 to included drivers myself Brennan, Kevin Brunsden, Jon Hazelwood, Bruce Thompson, Lee Taylor, Damien Tigwell, Mark Dell & many privateers the depth in field now is very good. With 6 808's in the top 20 & 3 in the A main the strength & pace is showing.
To racing with Mark putting in some great runs & would of been higher if not for some very impatient top guns hitting him. A very good result to qualify in the C, a cut on the start line for the final would rule him out of contention but a sterling drive to bring himself back in the game & back in the top 10. With worlds qualifiers & other branded factory drivers behind him really shows of Marks achievement. Damien with good clean runs would put his 808 18th overall & in the B, with the fast pace of the B would finish 7th in this.
(click to enlarge)
Bruce & first national out with his 808 was unlucky in his runs but easily had the potential of top 5 finish in his runs. A little more time to settle to the car & our newly recruited mirage sponsored driver will be in the A's. After a great start for Bruce engine problems in the final would put Bruce out.
For myself very happy in my runs & in the A by round 2 but just bumped out but only by another xray driver so not to bad. For the final & after a reasonable start settled into a fast pace & gradually worked my way through the field so after my last fuel stop was 4th & in the bump up position for the A. I defended this position from 5th & 6th for the last 7 minutes when disaster, with 3 corners to go a stone was to rip out of the track on a jump launching my car onto its roof allowing the others through & relegating me to 8th..... Gutted.
Our other drivers had good qualifying to for Lee 10th Kevin 7th & Jon with his debut back to Xray very much in a position for TQ. An engine cut in Rnd 1 because of a stone meant pressure was on with now the last 2 round to count. With a couple of unlucky bounces he would go 4th in round 2 & take round tq in the 3rd.
(click to enlarge)
For the A final Kevin cut on the start line but a great drive to pull back the 3/4's of a lap he lost to finish 7th. Lee had a good race but an unknown stone trapped between the clutch & chassis would cause problems at the end so he finished 14th. Jon had a great start from 4th on the grid & by lap 2 was in the lead. Elliot boots pressured him for the first 5 minutes, but Jons blistering pace would prove to much & gradually takes it tole on the field & just pulled away. By the 25 minute mark Jon just cruised to a comfortable victory 3/4's of a lap up on second.
Final results:
1) Jon Hazlewood XRAY XB808
2) Graham Alsop
3) Elliott Boots
4) Lee Martin
5) Neil Cragg
6) David Crompton 7) Kevin Brunsden XRAY XB808
8) Craig Drescher
9) Sam Taylor
10) Tommy Chung
11) Simon Willetts
12) Reece Sawyer
13) Darren Bloomfield 14) Lee Taylor XRAY XB808
