MG Owners Club Racing Championship 2001

Rounds 6 and 7 of the 2001 MGOC Custom Lifts Championship were held at the remote circuit on the 'Isle of Anglesey' which is situated in North West Wales, which for a great many drivers meant a long drive!!. Because that is was a 'double header' (rounds 6 saturday and rounds 7 on sunday) it was a long weekend, with most competitors arriving on Friday and taking advantage of some time for testing. Quite a few drivers had not driven the Anglesey circuit before, so the chance to learn the circuit would be a oppotunity not to be missed!

Some developments since the last race meeting worth a mention, David Mellor current leader in Class F has retired from the championship and fellow competitor Ian Evans from Class B has bought David's MGF race car, and having only picked the car up on thursday brought the car to Anglesey having not actually driven the car in anger. Mellors departure leaves the championship in Class F wide open now, because of other racing commitments Darryl Davis has slipped down the table, and Ian Evans will have to play catch up. So favourite for a class championship win in 2001 must now be Mick Weidner, but there are still another 6 rounds of racing left and anything can happen.

In the other two classes of the championship its all very close, and at the moment I would not like to predict a winner, anyone of the top 4 or 5 drivers could take the championship and its makes for great racing in what is a great championship!

STOP PRESS
News just in that Peter St. Barbe has purchased the MGF Darryl Davis's, and a new MGF for Davis is expected perhaps before the end of the season.

  
POS  Driver       Lap Time     Gap
 1. Gary Smith     57.180
 2. Lorraine Clarke           +0.026
 3. Paul Naish                +0.131
 4. Jim Baynam                +0.197
 5. Dave Rees                 +0.648
 6. Peter St Barbe            +0.844
 7. David Amphlett            +0.856
 8. Kelly Mercer              +1.209
 9. Darren Young              +3.651
10. Philip Waterman           +4.132
11. Gerry Thorn               +4.178
12. Trevor Dixon              +4.306
13. Jules Swain               +10.155

POS  Driver       Lap Time     Gap
 1. Nick Evans     57.156
 2. James Perry               +0.051
 3. Doug Cole                 +0.533
 4. Mick Weidner              +0.956
 5. Paul Naish                +1.043
 6. Paul Roberts              +1.125
 7. Nick Golhar               +1.221
 8. Andy Campbell             +1.771
 9. Ian Evans                 +2.214 
10. Nick Arden                +2.265
11. Simon Byrne               +2.392
12. Kevin Bull                +2.760
13. Philip Cook               +3.942
14. Jon Perry                 +4.500

(viewed from the hairpin)
First lap and its all very close up at the sharp end, Gary Smith leads the field ahead of Lorraine Clark, Jim Baynam, Peter St. Barbe, Dave Rees, Paul Naish, Kelly Mercer and Dave Amphlett. Second time around the 1.057 mile circuit and Gary Smith was already extending his lead as Jim Baynam in an MGB concentrated on the gaggle of cars in his slipstream! A few laps into the race and the Midget of Paul Naish began to sound a little noisy, it soon became apparent as to why as he trailed the exhaust system with a shower of sparks. He managed quite a few laps before the whole system finally came adrift in the middle of the circuit, a brave marshal recovered the hot metal to be collected later! Lap 6 was fun! Peter St Barbe went around the outside of Lorrine Clark in an attempt to pass, but running wide he got on the kerb and into the dust turning the car 90^o degrees across the path of Dave Amphlett, luckily there was no contact, but it was close!. The win went Gary Smith, with a healthy 7 second margin in his favour.

POS    Driver            Car          Time      Gap     MPH

1. Gary Smith        MG Midget     14:33.377           65.35mph 
2. Jim Baynam        MGB                      +7.117   64.82mph
3. Lorraine Clark    MG Midget                +7.612   64.78mph
4. Dave Rees         MGB GT                   +8.404   64.73mph
5. Dave Amphlett     MGB                      +13.692  64.34mph
6. Kelly Mercer      MG Midget                +23.238  63.65mph
7. Phil Waterman     MG Midget                +55.248  61.46mph
8. Trevor Dixon      MGB GT                   +58.468  61.25mph
9. Darren Young      MGB GT                   + 1 Lap  60.60mph
10.Jules Swain       MG Midget                +2 Laps  55.46mph
11.Gerry Thorn       MGB GT                   +2 Laps  55.41mph

DNF
Paul Naish 
Peter St. Barbe

Fastest Lap:
Lorraine Clark 57.451@ 66.23mph

(viewed from the hairpin)
Darkening skies greeted the Class B & F cars to the grid, after a dry day it looked as if rain might affect track conditions! On the first lap and into the hairpin the leading group looked like this Nick Evans closley followed by Perry, Weidner, Cole, Golhar, Campbell and then Ian Evans in his newly accquired MGF. By lap two four cars led by Nick Evans, had already broken away. The leading quartet was made up of Evans, Perry and Cole. Third time around and a change of lead as Weidner took Evans at the hairpin. Nick Golhar back in sixth was pressing hard on the tail of Andy Campbell just ahead of Ian Evans. (The Evans MGF was first raced in 2000 by Nick Golhar before it went to Dave Mellor its former owner)
On lap four Doug Cole ran into the dirty stuff leaving a dust cloud in his wake for the rest of the field to pick their way through.
By lap five rain began to fall from those dark skies and the track was getting very slippy!!
There was a terrific battle between Doug Cole in the orange and blue MG Maestro and the Yellow MGF of Weidner. Coles fast pace on the approach to the hairpin allowed him to pass the MGF and move into second place behind Nick Evans
After eight laps the leader board looked like this, Nick Evans, Doug Cole, Mick Weidner, James Perry, Andy Campbell and Nick Golhar. Two more laps and we saw the retirement of Ian Evans in the MGF, he pulled over and off the racing line just after the hairpin.
On the final lap MIck Weidner made a one final attempt to pass Doug Cole at the Hairpin. On the approach he got along side Cole who had the inside line and defended well, Weidner was unable to make the move stick, but came home 3 third overall and first in class.

POS    Driver            Car          Time      Gap     MPH

 1. Nick Evans      MG Maestro      14:45.11          64.48mph
 2. Doug Cole       MG Maestro efi            +0.448  64.45mph     
 3. Mick Weidner    MGF                       +0.588  64.44mph                         
 4. James Perry     MG Maestro                +1.332  64.39mph
 5. Nick Golhar     MG Maestro                +5.907  64.05mph
 6. Kevin Bull      MG Maestro                +8.412  63.88mph
 7. Nick Arden      MG Maestro                +9.452  63.80mph
 8. Paul Naish      MG Maestro                +12.647 63.57mph
 9. Paul Roberts    MG Maestro                +16.164 63.33mph
10. Philip Cook     MGF                       +38.520 61.79mph
11. Simon Byrne     MG Maestro                +50.908 60.98mph
12. Jonathan Perry  MG Maestro                +1 Lap  59.45mph

DNF.
Andy Campbell
Ian Evans

Fastest Laps:
Class B   Doug Cole 57.492 @ 66.18mph
Class F   Mick Weidner 57.66 @ 65.99mph

Just look at how close the top 12 cars are, that has to be the closest qualifying session ever in the history of the championship?

POS  Driver       Lap Time     Gap
 1. Nick Evans     56.477
 2. Doug Cole                 +0.106
 3. Ian Evans                 +0.146
 4. James Perry               +0.367
 5. Andy Campbell             +0.375
 6. Paul Roberts              +0.406  
 7. Nick Arden                +0.464
 8. Kevin Bull                +0.574
 9. Paul Naish                +0.705
10. Simon Byrne               +0.797
11. Nick Golhar               +0.880
12. Mick Weidner              +0.906
13. Jon Perry                 +1.718
14. Philip Cook               +2.178

The times not quite so close in this session as for the Maestros and MGFs, though the front runners look to be fairly evenly matched!

POS  Driver       Lap Time     Gap  
 1. Gary Smith     56.359
 2. Lorraine Clarke           +0.596
 3. Peter St Barbe            +0.721
 4. David Amphlett            +1.109            
 5. Jim Baynam                +1.284
 6. Kelly Mercer              +1.381        
 7. Paul Naish                +1.383
 8. Dave Rees                 +1.542
 9. Philip Waterman           +3.120
10. Gerry Thorn               +3.127
11. Darren Young              +3.232
12. Trevor Dixon              +3.753
13. Jules Swain               +8.392

(viewed from Radar)
First race of the afternoon, and it was dry, bright and warm, perfect Welsh weather!
To view this race I took a walk up the hill and went to the back of the circuit and up to the chicane known as 'Radar', the now deserted M.O.D. buildings giving a clue as to why the corner is so named! On paper this looked as if it was going to be another Evans and Cole one two, but Doug Cole blew his chances as he spun on his way up the hill, the rest of the field lucky to get around him as he faced the wrong way, with the 'One Way' traffic thundering past him.
Watching up from 'Radar' there was a pretty good view of most of the circuit, and the action through the chicane was terrific
Doug Cole pulled back some of his lost ground, James Perry pressured leader Nick Evans right to the line and took second place. The middle order swapped a few times during the race, Ian Evans in his newly accquired MGF took the win in clsss F.

POS    Driver            Car          Time      Gap     MPH

 1. Nick Evans      MG Maestro      14:27.707         65.78mph
 2. James Perry     MG Maestro                +0.533  65.74mph
 3. Ian Evans       MGF                       +1.581  65.66mph
 4. Andy Campbell   MG Maestro                +2.563  65.58mph
 5. Paul Roberts    MG Maestro                +5.905  63.33mph
 6. Kevin Bull      MG Maestro                +6.095  65.32mph
 7. Mick Weidner    MGF                       +8.753  64.44mph
 8. Nick Arden      MG Maestro               +12.567  65.12mph
 9. Nick Golhar     MG Maestro               +18.517  64.40mph
10. Doug Cole       MG Maestro efi           +19.009  64.37mph     
11. Simon Byrne     MG Maestro               +19.509  64.33mph                         
12. Paul Naish      MG Maestro               +31.320  63.48mph
13. Philip Cook     MGF                      +34.907  63.23mph
14. Jonathan Perry  MG Maestro               +38.588  62.97mph

Fastest Laps:
Class B   James Perry 56.834 @ 66.95mph
Class F   Mick Weidner 56.646 @ 67.17mph

(viewed from first corner)
Last race of a beautiful day on Anglesey, with a cool, but light breeze blowing in off the sea.
Drama on the start line moments before the green flag, Kelly Mercer's Midget is pushed off the grid, her car deciding that it did not want to play. (apparently the fan belt let go). Another car and driver on the grid was the the MG Midget of Peter St Barbe. Peter had qualified in third place in the early stages of qualifying, but the engine let go and so it was an early shower for the estate agent from Bedfordshire! With Peter St Barbes appalling misfortune this moved Dave Amphlett effectively up to 3rd on the grid, an unexpexted bonus after being down on power all weekend because of a carb fault, but this was now fixed after a major stripdown of the offending parts by team surgeon Dave Coleman. None of the first 4 cars on the grid got a real great start,the best came from fourth place man Jim Baynam who nipped passed Dave Amphlett on the inside at the first corner, but a missed gearchange a few laps later let Amphlett back up to third, a position he maintained through to the chequred flag despite the intimmidating blazing headlights of Baynam right behind him. Up front there was a feisty battle between the two midgets of Clark and Smith, these two now familiar front runners. Lorraine held off Gary for 90% of an incredibly frantic race, but but Smiths pressure paid off in the end as he crossed the line first to take his second win of the weekend.

POS    Driver            Car          Time      Gap     MPH

1. Gary Smith        MG Midget     14:37.665           65.03mph 
2. Lorraine Clark    MG Midget                +1.073   64.95mph
3. Dave Amphlett     MGB                      +2.056   64.88mph
4. Paul Naish        MG Midget                +2.934   64.85mph
5. Jim Baynam        MGB                      +4.219   64.72mph
6. Dave Rees         MGB GT                   +4.339   64.71mph
7. Phil Waterman     MG Midget                +35.882  62.48mph
8. Gerry Thorn       MGB GT                   +37.192  62.39mph
9. Trevor Dixon      MGB GT                   +38.308  62.31mph
10.Darren Young      MGB GT                   +46.478  61.76mph
11.Jules Swain       MG Midget                +2 Laps  55.83mph

DNF.  
Kelly Mercer

Fastest Lap: Paul Naish 58.812s @ 66.97mph