Sunday 1^st October saw not one but two championship rounds taking place. Curborough in South Staffordshire and Debden, south of Cambridge, allowing both the northern and southern contingent of the club championship to take part.

Curborough is a small tight and technical track that is laid out in a figure of eight configuration, this involves a cross over, but as only one car on the track at any one time is safer than it suggests.

The weather always plays a big part in our motorsport and the forecast was marginally good with a heavy band of rain heading across country but via wales to Manchester, promising a dry day and good times.

With just four rounds to go the championship, our champion has already been decided. Just like Formula 1, we have had a dominant driver/car partnership in Len Olds and his slick shod, full race TR4. Well done Len.

However, excitement was still to be had with the next three positions still to be sorted. Currently, in second place is our stalwart organiser, and with 30 years competing under his belt, Larry Jeram- Croft and his TR7V8. In third place is Shaun Roche and his Race Dolomite Sprint. In fourth, Hamish Roscoe in his TR3A and with less than one point separating them. Larry was keeping his powder dry and wasn’t competing at either Curborough or Debden, holding off for either Prescott on 7^th October or Castle Combe on 21^st October, the last events of the season, to make his move.

Curborough, however, had the tension with both Hamish and Shaun going head to head with both Matt Waltham in his (new to him) race TR5 and Derek Pywell in his special Dolomite Sprint engined Spitfire in the mix to “steal” max points.

The day started slowly with the drivers being called forward to the assembly area “in good time” only to be sat in their cars for the best part of 50 minutes before their respective runs. This as you can imagine played havoc with these highly tuned athletes minds let alone trying to manage the heat soak of the cars themselves. As a result, Derek’s car suffered reoccurring electrical gremlins that added to his worries. Some running repairs saw him get to the line for practice. All of our Triumph class safely completed first practice. Hamish 70.57 sec, Shaun 72.28sec, Derek 84.00sec and Matt 87.04sec Matt finding out that his cars brakes were a little “wooden” which slowed him up somewhat.

Derek was still managing electrical gremlins and missed second practice. Hamish chipped some time off to record a 69.95sec, Shaun improved to 71.13sec, and Matt leapt forward getting used to the new car’s brakes with a 78.72sec.

The wet paddock with covered single seaters and the Ferrari class

The organisers managed to squeeze in the first timed run (the ones that count in the championship scoring) before lunch as the skies were darkening and looking ominous. However, as the Triumph class was last on the running sheet the heavens opened in a biblical manner as we sat waiting out turn. The wet took its toll on the track turning it into a skid pan after all the dry runs rubbering in the track and especially the start area which naturally affected all our times, Hamish with some judicious positioning on the start line to try and avoid the well used slippery area managed a 80.54sec, Shaun 84.16sec, Matt 89.44sec, Derek 89.60sec. The second timed run was to be the final run of the day saving the poor marshals from further torment of the heavy rain and the resultant offs by other competitors. Shaun took the opportunity to change his wheels for his preferred wet set of road legal tyres in the hope of having the edge. Hamish having driven to the venue was stuck with his dry bias tyres. So it was all or nothing for the wet final run of the day and Hamish’s final run of the season to decide the class standing for the event. With skilful driving by all in the Triumph class, most improved their wet times and more importantly everyone finished in on piece. 1^st Hamish 79.40sec, 2^nd Shaun 80.68sec, 3^rd Matt 85.38sec and 4^th Derek 91.82sec.

We await the final handicap scoring from this and the remaining events to find out the remaining overall standings behind Len Olds, together with the individual handicap class results following the final event of the year at Castle Combe on 21^st October. Watch this space.

Sheltering Healey drivers