MG Owners Club Racing Championship 2001

Sunday 8th April and its to Mallory Park for the second round of the now newly named Custom Lifts /MG Owners Club 2001 Race Championship. Custom Lifts are a new and most welcome partner for the championship. Once more good grids for both of the MG races in a full race program (8 races altogether)

The Class practice session produced an almost exclusively MG Midget top six, the only exception being Jim Baynam in an MGB. You may remember it was Jim Baynam who won the first round a few weeks back at Silverstone. The shorter tighter circuit here at Mallory Park more suited to the MG Midget. You can see from the times below that the top 6 drivers all qualified within a whisker of each other. A point to remember for the race proper, the circuit has quite a narrow starting grid and it pays to be cautious until your safely around the first corner.

POS    Driver            Car          Time      Gap     MPH

1  Peter ST BARBE       MG Midget    59.497             81.68  
2  Christopher POLLARD  MG Midget    59.525    +0.028   81.64  
3  Lorraine CLARK       MG Midget    59.653    +0.156   81.47  
4  Paul NAISH           MG Midget    1:00.005  +0.508   80.99  
5  Jim BAYMAN           MGB          1:00.036  +0.539   80.95  
6  Gary SMITH           MG Midget    1:00.102  +0.605   80.86   
7  Ian MCCORMACK        A H S        1:00.502  +1.005   80.32  
8  Kelly MERCER         MG Midget    1:00.912  +1.415   79.78  
9  Philip WATERMAN      MG Midget    1:01.067  +1.570   79.58  
10 Philip TROTT         MG Midget    1:01.260  +1.763   79.33  
11 Dave REES            MGB GT       1:01.313  +1.816   79.26  
12 Simon KEMP           MG Midget    1:01.613  +2.116   78.87  
13 David AMPHLETT       MGB Roadster 1:01.738  +2.241   78.72  
14 Gerry THORN          MGB GT       1:01.806  +2.309   78.63  
15 John Robert KIMBER   MGB GT       1:01.834  +2.337   78.59  
16 Ray CLARKSON         MGB Roadster 1:01.870  +2.373   78.55  
17 Jim GOTOBED          MG Midget    1:02.067  +2.570   78.30  
18 Trevor DIXON         MGB GT       1:03.006  +3.509   77.13  
19 Harry SINCLAIR       MGB GT       1:03.246  +3.749   76.84  
20 Darren YOUNG         MGB GT       1:04.004  +4.507   75.93  
21 Paul KEEN            MGB GT       1:05.957  +6.460   73.68  
22 Jules SWAIN          MG Midget    1:09.093  +9.596   70.34  

Like Class A the Class B and Class F cars had a dry practice session. The superfast MGF driven by Dave Mellor took pole position for the secon race in sucession (no surprise there!) The leading Class B cars included those of Nick Evans, Andy Campbell, Paul Roberts and Kevin Bull.

POS    Driver            Car          Time      Gap     MPH

1  David MELLOR        MGF VVC        58.078            83.68  
2  Nick EVANS          MG Maestro EFi 58.373    +0.295  83.25  
3  Andy CAMPBELL       MG Maestro     58.566    +0.488  82.98  
4  Paul ROBERTS        MG Maestro     58.616    +0.538  82.91  
5  Kevin BULL          MG Maestro EFi 59.048    +0.970  82.30  
6  James PERRY         MG Maestro EFi 59.081    +1.003  82.26  
7  Nick ARDEN          MG Maestro EFi 59.619    +1.541  81.51  
8  Nick GOLHAR         MG Maestro     59.647    +1.569  81.47  
9  Vincent HUNT        MG Maestro EFi 59.709    +1.631  81.39  
10 Simon KENDRICK      MG Maestro EFi 59.848    +1.770  81.20  
11 Robin WALKER        MG Maestro EFi 59.956    +1.878  81.05  
12 Ian EVANS           MG Maestro     1:00.059  +1.981  80.92  
13 Paul STANWORTH      MG Maestro EFi 1:00.151  +2.073  80.79  
14 Michael WEIDNER     MGF            1:00.460  +2.382  80.38  
15 Paul NAISH          MG Maestro     1:00.807  +2.729  79.92  
16 Jonathan PERRY      MG Maestro EFi 1:01.410  +3.332  79.14  
17 Simon BYRNE         MG Maestro EFi 1:01.446  +3.368  79.09  
18 Kieron WILLIAMS     MG Maestro EFi 1:01.959  +3.881  78.43  
19 Philip COOK         MGF            1:03.476  +5.398  76.56  

Third race on the card and the meeting is already behind schedule to a couple accidents in the first couple of races. As the cars lined up and set off on their green flag lap, Gary Smith in the yellow and black MG Midget thought the race had started and set off at terrific pace. it took him a few seconds to realise his mistake before he dropped back in the line to take up his place on the second row of the grid. As all the cars came around the circuit to take up their grid postions Peter St Barbe's MG Midget did not sound too healthy, it looked as if he had a problem before the race had even started! As the countdown proceeded and the lights went green, the sound of 20+ MGs filled the natural amphitheatre of Mallory Park. St Barbe failed to get of the line with any pace allowing Lorraine Clark through from the second row. Jim Baynam also passed St. Barbe with a brave move up on the inside. Paul Naish too made good start and followed Lorraine Clark closely on towards the first corner 'Gerards' Remember the narrow startline of Mallory? Well back on row seven Gerry Thorn in an MGB was in hurry, and he soon came up to the rear of Simon Kemp in an MG Midget, a smaller and much lighter car. Thorn attemped to move out and pass Kemp, but as he did he just clipped the tail light of Kemp sending the innocent Kemp on a sharp left trajectory toward the barrier. Thorn also narrowly missed a car to his right, and although everyone behind locked up momentarily, no one else was involved. Sadly for Simon Kemp, his race was over.
So excitement on the first lap, but the next 11 laps were to be just a exciting. Lorraine Clark was out in front, with Paul Naish and Jim Baynam in hot pursuit, and as they scrapped over second place Lorraine Clark just kept cool with her foot firmly on the gas pedal to take a fully deserved win.

CLASS A - RESULT 
 POS Driver            Car           TIME   LAPS   GAP     MPH      BEST  
 1 Lorraine CLARK  MG Midget      12:08.551  12           80.04     59.715  
 2 Jim BAYMAN      MGB            12:09.333  12  +0.782   79.96     59.543  
 3 Paul NAISH      MG Midget      12:09.543  12  +0.992   79.94     59.340  
 4 Gary SMITH      MG Midget      12:10.516  12  +1.965   79.83     59.669  
 5 Ian MCCORMACK   AHS            12:11.210  12  +2.659   79.75     59.982  
 6 Kelly MERCER    MG Midget      12:22.213  12  +13.662  78.57   1:00.554  
 
 Not Classified               
 Jim GOTOBED       MG Midget      1:17.878  1  D.N.F.   
 Peter ST BARBE    MG Midget      7:13.524  1  D.N.F.   
 Simon KEMP        MG Midget                0  D.N.F.                    
 Fastest Lap                 
 Paul NAISH        MG Midget       59.340 @   81.90 mph    

The race for Classes B and F was the last race of the day, and due to even more delays throughout the afternoon it was now getting dark and had it started to rain. As the cars came onto the grid conditions were pretty grim, with poor visability and a fair bit of surface water! The first race start was aborted after 1 lap when the race was red flagged. Two cars were in a dangerous position in the gravel at 'Gerards'. The second start went OK and everyone got around the first corner without further incident, thats not say the rest of the race went without incident! Jonathan Perry, one of this seasons novices had a spin, but was able to continue. Simon Byrne retired on his 7th lap, maybe as a result of some damage picked up on his off at Gerards during the original race start. At the front Dave Mellor had a commanding lead and was being chased hard by Nick Evans. Evans had earlier in the day spent a great deal of time working on a drive shaft, as the race drew to a close Evans failed to come around (did the driveshaft fail?) So it was now James Perry in second place with a healthy two second gap ahead of current class champion Andy Campbell. Ian Evans who had started twelfth on the grid, and who thrives in the rain, manged a very credible fourth place! Fifth and sixth went to Paul Naish and Kevin Bull respectively. I was impressed by Kevin Bulls determination in the wet as he slip streamed Naish in the wet conditions.

CLASSES B & F - RESULT 
 POS Driver            Car           TIME   LAPS   GAP     MPH      BEST  
 1 David MELLOR    MGF VVC        10:49.635  10           74.81   1:03.946  
 2 James PERRY     MG Maestro EFi 10:53.759  10  +4.124   74.33   1:04.116  
 3 Andy CAMPBELL   MG Maestro     10:56.236  10  +6.601   74.05   1:04.254  
 4 Ian EVANS       MG Maestro     10:57.779  10  +8.144   73.88   1:04.466  
 5 Paul NASH       MG Maestro     11:05.964  10  +16.329  72.97   1:04.418  
 6 Kevin BULL      MG Maestro EFi 11:06.705  10  +17.070  72.89   1:04.001  
 
 Not Classified               
 Nick EVANS        MG Maestro EFi   9:49.664  9  D.N.F.   
 Simon KENDRICK    MG Maestro EFi   7:46.313  7  D.N.F.   
 Robin WALKER      MG Maestro EFi   8:11.149  7  D.N.F.   
 Simon BYRNE       MG Maestro EFi   6:43.748  6  D.N.F.     
 Fastest Lap                 
 David MELLOR      MGF VVC          1:03.946 @  76.00 mph    
 Kevin BULL        MG Maestro EFi   1:04.001 @  75.93 mph