2001

14th April, Ringwood Raceway, Casa Challenge Cup

A slightly better turn out saw 14 cars at Ringwood with Andrew Hinch, Chris Phillips and Rob Sayell the main players on the night. Andrew Bilby already started to look much more comfortable in the VW and Mark Hodges was still very much involved in the action retaining the lead at the top of the drivers championship by teh same 2 points with Sayell and Hodges scoring exactly the same points at the meeting. Heat One saw cars slipping and sliding off everywhere starting with Neil Clarke who spun over the start finish line and into the barrier on the opening lap. Clarke's hopes of closing the gap to Messrs Hodges and Sayell evaporated as he retired from the rest of the meeting with a damaged steering rack. His stranded car brought our the waved yellows and the pace car which gave a spun Hodges a chance to catch up with the now distant pack and closed the rest of the field right up behind early leaders Brian Gough and Chris Phillips. Third placed Hinch shot past the front two on the restart with Phillips continuing his good form also moving ahead to take second. The race then became a case of watch the spinners with Gary Jones, Peter Bourn, Paul Jones and Andrew Bilby all falling victim to the slippery conditions at one time or other. Bilby did a full 360° on lap 12 of 15 dropping from 3rd to 4th as a result. Hinch was having no such problems and enjoyed a trouble free drive lapping reigning World Champion Rob Sayell, who was running 6th, as he reached the chequered flag. Phillips held on for a comfortable second with Steve Piggins third albeit some way down. Heat Two saw less spinning but only a slightly less greasy surface. Again blue grader Andrew Hinch romped home and on current form looked likely for a hat trick with Phillips again running well. Bilby also running from the blues was now well in touch with his new car and demoted Phillips to third around half distance, closing a little on Hinch but not looking on for a challenge before the flag. Hodges passed Sayell on lap 5 pulling out a gap but again not able to catch the top 3 the field well spaced out as the race ended. The final saw a change in conditions with a dry line appearing in the centre of the track. Rob Sayell used this to his advantage running a combination of slicks and wets to enable him to move on and off the dry line to overtake. As Phillips took up the lead passing 4 cars in the first half lap and was up to second on lap 3. He caught and passed Phillips on lap 5 and steadily pulled out a huge lead to be two thirds of a lap clear by the flag. Hodges inherited second from Bourn on lap 16 of 20 when the latter spun out whilst trying up the inside of a pack of backmarkers headed by Andy Collins. Hodges was never going to catch Sayell however with Hinch holding third the only other car on the same lap. Bilby headed up a bunch of cars for 4th ahead of Barry Goldsby and Collins.

Heat One: Hinch, Phillips, Piggins, A Bilby, Hodges, Sayell, Gough, Collins, P Jones.