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| BARC Westfield Sportscar Championship - Oulton Park |
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| Friday, 01 June 2007 | |
 There was a youthful look to the top step of the podium, as Andrew Spencer and Matthew Flowers picked up the victory spoils at the Oulton Park Bank Holiday double-header.Snetterton winner Matthew Flowers just pipped father Nick for pole by 0.185secs after qualifying on an overcast Saturday morning. “Very pleased and lucky, as I knocked 0.5secs off my time on the last lap. Dad and Tom Robinson had let me through to make the time,” said Matt. “It’s good to have a family 1-2. It felt comfortable, but there was more time there but I had a bit of trouble with traffic,” Nick replied. Jon Chappell was only a fraction behind. “My plan will be to stay in third and see what happens. Hopefully the pack will fight and slow each other up and I will win on the last lap,” he thought. Tom Robinson shared the second row and with Didier Prongue fifth, all five were covered by only 0.838secs. “Well fifth is where I put it and that’s about par for the course. I am just looking to get off the foot of the Championship table, and I did have a couple of spins at Druids,” he admitted. “That was my best success of the year and the first time I have finished a session,” Andy Mowbray enthused. Dean Leighton was also more than happy with seventh for only his third race ever! Completing the fourth row was Martin Gartside, “I altered the suspension from loads of understeer to a bit of oversteer and can carry lots more speed into the corners,” he explained. Simon Pryke was also looking at adjustments with his car. “I am trying to sort the brakes, but relatively happy with ninth. “I am slow up the hills without Dunnell power and found I had the brake bias fully to the back and that didn’t help,” he said. Brian Small completed the top ten qualifiers, “no comment and that reflects on me,” was all he had to say. But Championship contender Andrew Spencer was in all sorts of trouble down in 11th. “We rebuilt the gearbox twice in two days, had the engine and box out as I couldn’t get second gear. It still didn’t work so we will have a new box for Silverstone,” he said. Mark Curtis was alongside and far happier with his car, while former regular Seamus Harding was back for his seasonal debut. “I had got a data logger fitted and was concentrating on it more than my laps. I am just getting the car set up as I am not doing a full season,” he said. Geoff Fairbairn had problems with his engine cutting out. “It cut out on left handers, there was a wire off on the starter motor,” he explained. Richard Hardy-Bishop headed the next row on his first outing of the year. “It’s a long way from Jersey and then the car wouldn’t start as the plugs were all messed up,” he said. “I am happyish,” said Paul Taberner. I followed Richard and maybe could have gone faster. But I had sorted out the understeer after Snetterton,” he added. In penultimate place first round winner Peter Daglish pulled off after only two laps. “Engine gremlins, but we don’t know what exactly,” he said. Jon Morton completed the 18 car line up, “it’s still overheating despite having a new engine since Mallory. I did two laps and it started again,” he explained. RACE 1 There were dramas for Nick Flowers as the grid lined up for the 9.15 start! “It just wouldn’t fire up,” he said after being relegated to role of spectator. So it was a 17 car line up and as the lights went out Robinson rocketing ahead into Old Hall. Matt Flowers slotted into second, and although Chappell was slow away he recovered his place before the end of the lap. The sort out behind had Mowbray, Prongue, Gartside, Small, Curtis, Pryke and Harding completing the top ten, before the top five made a second lap break. Chappell sneaked into second through Cascades, but Flowers retook over Hilltop, while Prongue and Mowbray also exchanged places. Further down the order Spencer was flying, from last to ninth, as Harding began to slip down the order. Flowers started to pile the pressure on Robinson for the lead on lap three, and although Prongue worked his way past Chappell into third, the gap to the lead duo was starting to widen. Flowers had managed to hit the front through Old Hall on lap four, but after Harding had spun on oil at Cascades, there was soon a dramatic turnaround. “Tom had got the jump at the start but after getting inside him at Old Hall I arrived at Cascades sideways. I held on to Island before spinning, but saw Tom and Didier spin off in my mirrors,” he said. “I think I slid off on water or something from Seamus’s car, but that start had been a real surprise,” said Robinson. “I had spun on oil and the bumpy ride cracked my thermostat and there was steam everywhere,” explained Harding. “I had been shadowing Tom and sizing him up, but we were first on the scene at Cascades. He went inside and understeered off and I spun onto the grass,” Prongue explained. Mowbray emerged s the new leader of a six car train, from Chappell, Small, Gartside, Spencer and Daglish. But Chappell went ahead into Old Hall with Small chasing, as Mowbray’s challenge faltered. “It was a lack of power, I just kept getting overtaken, but it was OK on the twiddly bits,” said Mowbray. As Chappell led into Old Hall for the eighth time it was three abreast for second. Small was first in but last out as Spencer emerged as Chappell’s closest challenger, after the leader had a slight off at Lodge. A lap later Spencer had the lead, leaving Chappell under more pressure from Small and Daglish. Mowbray had held off Gartside for fifth, and was given a brief rest after his rival went wide at Lodge and lost a couple of places. Although Spencer had started to take control at the front, it was all to play for behind. As Chappell slipped back to fourth, Small had Daglish pressing for second place. “I defended successfully going into the Knickerbrook chicane, but failed to cope with the second part and Peter took me as I spun,” said Small. Spencer eased his way home to his maiden victory, “last to first and I think every pass I made was at Old Hall. I still couldn’t get second if I panicked. Otherwise it was as sweet as a nut and it’s great,” he said as he received the congratulations from family and friends. But there were still dramas to come as Daglish coasted over Deer Leap. “It locked solid into Lodge, so I dropped the clutch and coasted over the line. I was pleased with the car overall but not the result,” he said, as Chappell, Gartside, Curtis and Mowbray all went by in the final yards. Small came home disappointing seventh, just ahead of the recovering Flowers and Prongue. Pryke completed the top ten, “I had a misfire on the grid, low oil pressure, spun at Cascades and nearly hit Seamus, then struggled with power,” he explained. Fairbairn, Hardy-Bishop, Taberner and Morton completed the finishers, with Leighton the only other retirement. “I spun at Lodge and then crashed at the chicane and broke my steering wheel,” he concluded. RESULTS 1 Andrew Spencer 13 laps in 21m37.373s; 2 Jon Chappell 21m39.375s; 3 Martin Gartside; 4 Mark Curtis; 5 Andy Mowbray; 6 Peter Daglish; 7 Brian Small; 8 Matthew Flowers; 9 Didier Prongue; 10 Simon Pryke. Fastest lap: Didier Prongue 1m36.834s (84.01mph). RACE 2 The grid for the second race was based on the finishing order of the first, which meant Nick Flowers and Robinson were on the back, after Flowers car finally decided to fire up in the paddock. Spencer and Chappell were both caught napping at the start, as Curtis shot around the outside into Old Hall to lead. He successfully settled at the front over the opening lap, as Chappell, Matt Flowers and Mowbray followed, before race one winner Spencer completed the opening lap down in sixth. Gartside headed the next bunch from Small, Prongue and Harding, while Robinson and Nick Flowers had already made it into 12th and 13th and were homing in on Fairburn. Spencer’s recovery took him into third by the end of the third lap, as Chappell’s persistence had given him the lead over Curtis. The early leader continued to fall down the order, “three laps in and the gear knob came off and left me with a stump,” he explained. Chappell’s hold on the lead was shortlived however as Spencer took charge again from lap four. The top five had made a decisive break, with Chappell still holding off the dueling Daglish and Matt Flowers, while Curtis still tried to hold on in fifth. A lap later Chappell had succumbed to both of his rivals but remained well in touch as they continued their duel. Robinson was up to sixth by half distance, with Gartside between him and Nick Flowers, who had Prongue following him through the order. Mowbray had slipped to 10th, “it was fine for the first few laps and then the power dropped off and the temperature went up,” he said. Chappell went grass tracking alongside Lakeside on lap eight, after contact with Daglish at Cascades had left Spencer and Matt Flowers clear. “It reminded me of my rallying days, I was going down the inside at Cascades and had a touch with Peter and ended up on the grass,” said Chappell. “I got a good start and had fourth quite quickly, then third and second, but hadn’t quite got the pace of the Dunnell engines. But after the touch with Jon it put me down to ninth,” Daglish replied. At the front Spencer’s lead became increasingly threatened until Flowers made it through at Knickerbrook on the eighth lap. “I knew I could win this one and was determined not to lose out. I went backwards and forwards in positions and down to sixth for a while, then it took a while to get past Andrew too,” said Flowers. “When Matt past me I raced him for three laps and was all over him at Druids, but he left me everywhere else. So I decided to just bring it home,” said Spencer. At the flag the lead had grown to 1.790secs, but it was still enough to keep Spencer at the head of the Championship table. Following Daglish and Chappell’s clash, Robinson, Nick Flowers and Prongue moved up the order in virtual formation, to claim third to fifth. Robinson and Flowers shared a couple of exchanges, but with Prongue in hot pursuit, Flowers became the meat in the sandwich as all three took the flag covered by only 0.6secs. “From the back of the grid it was difficult in traffic. I had a couple of laps behind Seamus, then just picked the others off one by one,” explained Robinson. “I just couldn’t get past Tom. We had a couple of close moments and I briefly nosed ahead, but he came back at me at Knickerbrook and Didier was there too,” Nick replied. “I took to the grass once behind Tom and Nick, but they were fighting hard,” added Prongue. 
Chappell held onto sixth, from Gartside and the recovering Daglish.
Curtis’s slide settled in ninth, with Small completing the top ten.
Leighton survived a spin at Lodge for 11th, Hardy-Bishop and Taberner
ran nose to tail in 12th and 13th and Morton came in 14th after
breaking his seat. Harding had an eventful race and was classified 15th. “Simon clipped me at the chicane and then moving up from last I had a fight with Dean over the grass at Knickerbrook, before I backed off. But I got him back at Lodge until I got a water leak,” he said. Pryke retired at Island after a touch with Robinson and Fairburn was forced out with a flat battery. RESULTS 1 Matthew Flowers 12 laps in 19m44.514s (82.42mph); 2 Andrew Spencer 19m46.304s; 3 Tom Robinson; 4 Nick Flowers; 5 Didier Prongue; 6 Jon Chappell; 7 Martin Garside; 8 Peter Daglish; 9 Mark Curtis; 10 Brian Small. Fastest lap: Daglish 1m36.526s (84.28mph). NEXT ROUND, SILVERSTONE JUNE 16/17 Courtesey of Peter Scherer, April 30th 2007. |
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