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Nottingham-based Formula Ford driver had a busy weekend at Silverstone for the Walter Hayes Trophy in his Team West-Tec Swift-Bold SC92.
Driving the car with which owner Gavin Wills won the Formula Ford Festival in 1994, and also took to four Castle Combe Formula Ford championship titles, Ian was looking forward to a good weekend.
With no testing at all though, Ian was dissatisfied to qualify in 7th for his heat, even though it was the strongest heat, feeling that the car was down on power.
A very late decision to change the engine almost backfired as work was only completed minutes before the heat. Despite a strong opening couple of laps, when he moved up well, an engine problem on the replacement unit intervened and forced Ian to retire while looking good for a podium position.
With the engine back out again overnight, and finally repaired to his liking, Ian had a great deal of work to do being forced to start the Sunday Storm race from near the back and well behind other fancied runners who’d found trouble the day before like John Hutchison and Tom Bradshaw. Despite starting 19th, Ian hit the front before the first lap was completed and cruised away to win comfortably from Bradshaw.
This qualified him for the Progression race, where he started 30th. Another banzai start left him in the top ten after the first lap, and hitting the front in impressive style after just three laps, again pulling away to win comfortably.
Things were now getting harder, Ian now having qualified to start 31st in the Last Chance race, which was scheduled for just six laps. Despite a period behind the safety car, incredibly Ian was again in front with just over a lap to go and he duly completed an unprecedented clean sweep of the repechage races.
At this point people were just starting to wake up to the fact that Ian had passed an astonishing 78 cars in just 19 racing laps!
All this effort got Ian to 34th on the grid for Semi Final one, considerably lower than he would have been but for his unfortunate engine problems in the heat – and still needing to finish in the top eighteen to make the Grand Final.
This was no problem to the Goughmeister as he scythed his way through to finish in tenth position, despite the race being shortened following a red flag which also lost him some positions as the revised grid made him lower than he actually was at the time of the stoppage.
This put him 20th on the grid for the final, and would mean that he had taken part in five races in the day.
With the light dwindling, and despite two safety car periods Ian actually managed to finish in an incredible ninth position which he was ecstatic with. In reality, if the race hadn’t finished behind the safety car, a top six was well in range.
At the BRDC prizegiving later, Ian was the toast of the clubhouse and was particularly pleased to be singled out for the Trophy for Driver of the Day amongst such a high quality field.
Added to that, he also got the Best Improver Trophy for making up the most positions over the day – estimated as having overtaken an almost unbelievable 116 cars.
Ian was very grateful to his hard-working team, paying particular tribute to Andy Gough and Pete Oldfield for their engine changing skills, as well as to Gavin Wills for lending him his car.
Ian hopes to announce exciting 2007 plans in due course, when he will be hoping to continue his stunning form into a major championship challenge.
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