THE ELECTRIC CHAIR RETURNS - August 2008 post Craigantlet

Hi the electric chair is back with the first of two reports for the 2008 season.

Early season at Prescott saw a surprise three way battle at the top between Groves, Moran and Willis.  Scott started the best with a double win at the opening round at Prescott.  Trevor Willis was never too far behind in the second shoot out by scoring runner up to Moran but in the first he only managed a fourth place.  Martin Groves showed that this season was going to be a lot harder to win the overall title by not even scoring in the 2^nd run off and only getting 7^th in the first one. 

I didn’t go to Barbon for the first time in many years where Scott showed he was the man to watch out for this year by scoring a 2^nd and a win with a new hill record.  The next day it was onto Harewood, which we missed as well.  Scott was still showing he was on form by scoring yet another 2 wins.  Martin had yet another no score.

Then two weeks later we were at Gurston Down where Trevor took advantage of the damp conditions to score a win with the V8 OMS in the first run off.  Martin had yet another no score, with an off into the barrier at Carousel.

The next weekend was Shelsley Walsh, which a lot of people, including me, do not rate as a favourite venue.  Martin had a double win and a hill record, but Scott was still there in second place.  Simon Durling had his first outing of 2008 in the ex Bryan Eccles Brabham Buick V8. It was nice to see him out in the car.  Wallace Menzies from Scotland was down racing his supercharged DJ Firehawk.

Martin’s woes of 2008 continued the next week at Loton Park with yet another no score.  Scott took full advantage again, winning with a new hill record.  Simon Durling had his second race outing of 2008 with the Brabham Buick.

A fortnight later Graeme Wight Jnr. returned for his first British Championship of 2008 with the Predator V10.  It was another frustrating day for him when he had to pack the car up before the second run.  Malcolm Wishart debuted his new and different Chevron.  It looks nice because it looks like a historic car.  Jonathon Rarity was out in the new Ghost single seater.  He did very well in it and it seems to be a quick car.

A fortnight later it was back to the Yorkshire at Harewood, where Scott only won one run off and had a 5^th.  We gave it a miss and didn’t see Will Hall in his first ever run off.

The Channel Islands were two wins for each of the title contenders with Scott winning both at Jersey and Groves winning both in Guernsey.  Jersey was a totally dry event but at Guernsey it started wet and dried out.  The Channel Islands saw a whole lot of Midland drivers going over for the first time for a bit of fun.

I was back last weekend at Wiscombe, where there was a lack of entries in lots of the main classes.  This meant a lot of smaller cars could get in the run offs.  Eynon Price was the one that took full advantage by getting in both run offs.  Groves got a win in the morning but could only come 3^rd behind Moran and Willis in the afternoon.  There was a special class at this event celebrating 50 years of hillclimbing at Wiscombe.  Some of the cars in this class were Tony Marsh in the four wheel Marsh Special V8, Simon Durling again in the ex Bryan Eccles Brabham Buick V8 but one car not there was the Metro 6R4 of Tim Painter and Andy Fraser, but they were there in a Porsche.

This weekend at Ireland, Groves had probably his biggest disaster of the year by not getting a single run in the car because of gearbox problems, when Paul Ransom warmed the tyres for his first practice run.  Scott got 2 wins and a record and now has a big lead in the Championship.  Will Hall went to Ireland at the last minute and it was worth the trip as he scored a few points – well done. 

Only three more events scheduled for me - at the Peter Collins Memorial Meeting at Shelsley in a fortnight, where Eddie Walder has convinced Jonathan Rarity to come and race his home built Ghost single seater as a Shelsley Special without the body, a week later at Gurston Down and my last event this year will be Prescott. 

Sadly I can’t go to Loton because of other commitments  ( his 21^st party at Lairg in Scotland and then a week later another party in Didcot! – Dad) or Doune because it is a long way and is very late this year.

Next report will be after Doune in early October.

Bye for now Nick.

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