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31st
March, Alwalton Raceway, Peterborough
18 cars made the first meeting of the Grand
Prix Midgets 2002 season for the Ace Communications Shield
and the first round of the Chris Jacklin Trophy. Gordon Pooley
unfortunately lost his gears during practice and took no further
part in the meeting.
Heat one started with newcomer Andrew Smith
on pole in his arrow taking quite a lead out out of the pack
of blue graders behind him. Mark Hodges had brake problems
and pulled off after using the world champion Rob Sayell to
stop!! Red flags came out early on as another new boy, Daz
Rycroft spun in the ex-Haynes VW Venom. Smith swtched his
engine off as they re-gridded but his BMC unit failed to restart.
Before the stoppage Andrew Bilby and Harold Lowe were having
quite a battle and this resumed as they went green, Lowe holding
off Bilby. With two laps to go Chris Phillips spun his Dastle
on the town bend leaving nowhere for new lady racer Nikki
Ricketts to go but into the fence, causing suspension damage
and ending her day.
Heat one: 1st Harold Lowe, 2nd Andrew Bilby,
3rd Andy Collins, 4th Gary Granger, 5th Gary Bonner, 6th Neil
Clarke, 7th John Bilby, 8th Dave Smith.
Heat two also suffered a stoppage before it
started with Barry Goldsby dropping his battery strap onto
the track on the warming up lap!! Smith got the BMC running
and again took an early lead. At the back Gary Bonner, Rob
Sayell and Lowe were all making good progress when, with a
lap to go, Phillips spun again this time leaving Andrew Bilby
no option but hit the pit gate.
Heat two: 1st Rob Sayell, 2nd Andy Smith,
3rd Andy Collins, 4th Harold Lowe, 5th Chris Phillips, 6th
Andrew Bilby, 7th Gary Bonner, 8th Gary Granger.
The final was business as usual for reigning
World and European Champion Rob Sayell as he soon carved his
way through the pack and took the lead off a now flying Smith.
Things were getting a bit tight in the middle as Bilby, Lowe,
Bonner and Gary Granger all fought for position. Granger and
Bonner clashed sending them both hard into the pit wall, both
sustaining terminal damage.
Ace Communications Shield: 1st Rob Sayell,
2nd Andy Smith, 3rd Harold Lowe, 4th Andrew Bilby, 5th Andrew
Hinch, 5th John Bilby, 6th Daz Rycroft.
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