Cliff Davis Memorial

Daz Rycroft (courtesybuxtonracepix.com)

Another win for Cliff Davis

The final meeting of 2007 for the Grand Prix Midgets turned out to be extra special for one couple, with Daz Rycroft very appropriately taking his first win in the car, bought for him as a wedding present by wife Leigh, during the weekend they celebrated their first anniversary. Daz & Leigh had invited fellow racers to join them for a BBQ the previous evening to celebrate their anniversary and Leigh could not have been more delighted to see hubby take the flag in the second heat, having narrowly missed out in heat one.

It was business as usual for new Points Champion, Jason Carnwell taking the win in heat one and again in the final. But the Cliff Davis Memorial final was a cliff hanger in ever sense of the word with Mr Davis’ namesake Cliff Bunn missing out on the win by the narrowest of margins at the flag. The final saw a reduced field from the heats but in essence this proved Jason’s hardest race of the day with Mark Hodges, Harry Sayell and Steve Young all proving hard to pass before Jason finally met Cliff Bunn who proved hardest of all. Further down the field the two former Sayell cars did battle for fifth with Nigel Robinson in the ex Rob Sayell Dart coming under immense pressure from Andrew Bilby in the ex Harry Sayell VW proving that even 8 years after Harry last drove it, the air cooled engine is still very competitive. Nigel did take 5th but only just.

The meeting had its trials and tribulations with the tightness of the track causing more than one driver a headache. With competition fierce for the final placings in the series, there was little compromise and cars tended to trip over each other in both heats. Heat one was stopped after Nigel Robinson’s bonnet was torn off and collected by other cars following a coming together with Mark Hodges. Daz Rycroft led after the restart with Neil Clarke in second and Jason Carnwell closing fast using the outside line. Neil Clarke’s now customary spin came in the closing stages throwing away second and tangling up several other cars Steve Brattan and Andrew Bilby previously 5th and 6th two race casualties. Clarke went round again in heat 2 but this time thankfully taking no-one else with him.

The formula’s next outing is their presentation night in November where the top 6 will be announced and trophies awarded to Best Newcomer, Best Sportsman and others.

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A former Grand Prix driver who was an early chairman of the Club. Cliff Davis was in many ways a visionary who saw the formula as an independent organisation at a time when it was the norm to be allied to a single promoter. His breakaway from Spedeworth to form the Midget Auto Racing Club in the early seventies cut the number of cars racing initially but when the two outfits raced together for championship meetings the action could not be beaten.

Read more about Cliff in our history section.