THE 2013 ACU/FSRA BRITISH F2 SIDECAR CHAMPIONSHIP
Incorporating the BRITISH F2 CUP supported by HIGH STREET HYDRO
Round 7: Mallory Park 22nd September 2013
Report Written and Images by Derek Donsworth
It does not feel like five minutes ago since I made the dash from Stansted airport to Snetterton to catch Sundays racing. A minor error in my forward planning had me leaving a comfortable thirty degrees in the South of France for the ice and snow of the Norfolk circuit … This season has really flown by
So this is it, the … The last round of the Championship. Leicestershire’s Mallory Park circuit plays host to the final two twelve lap races of the 2013 calendar for what promises to be a fast and furious day. The Championships first visit for three years, lets hope the tarmac holds up to the heat this time.
With both titles decided after the visit to Croft the chase for the places is on. After the fibre glass, rubber and paint settled, the current point standing are
CHAMPIONSHIP: John Holden & Andy Winkle 285, Conrad Harrison and Lee Patterson 194, Gary Bryan and Jamie Winn 165, Ian and Carl Bell 138, John and Jake Lowther 108, Frank Lelias Mike Aylott 93
F2 CUP: John and Jake Lowther 264, Trevor Robinson and Ben Sargent 173, Nicolas Dukes and William Moralee 156, Dean Lindley and Leon Fitzpatrick 107, Alan Founds and Tom Peters 103, Pete Alton and Keith Brotherton 87.
A maximum of 50 points up for grabs from this weekends two twelve lap races. So all to play for and some scratching of head looking at possible mathematical out come
The 2013 Champions elect John Holden and Andy Winkle have taken a trip to Assen. Were they are giving the long bike a run out. Finishing sixth on Saturday and fifth in the Sunday race, it was well worth the trip.. This leaves the pairings of Harrison and Patterson and Bryan and Winn to battle it out for the second and third places honours
The ‘young guns’ Jake and John Lowther will be snapping at the heals of the father and son team Ian and Carl Bell in an all out effort to improve on there current fifth place standings.
The second of this weekends races will also see the winning team awarded with the Phil ‘Dongo’ Dongworth trophy. An all round ‘top bloke’ and gentleman of the race track who sadly lost his life following an incident at the Southern 100 race meeting
This weekend see the return of Carl Fenwick and new passenger Phil Knapton. Carl returns to the paddock after almost the full season out. He has been kept busy with his marriage to Amy, and moving house. The Shelbourne outfit has had a full refresh complete with new Yamaha engines … In preparation for an assault on the 2014 British Championship and the Isle of Man TT
Also returning to the paddock is Matt Dix and his regular passenger Shaun Parker for there first time out together for three years.
Nigel Connole teams up with Mark Sayers for his first FSRA outing in five years
Dave Wallis and Steve Wareham made it a quartet, returning to the paddock after almost two years off!
Fiona Baker Milligan takes her regular chair on the Cumbria Express with Tony Baker after missing the Croft meeting through illness
Practice
With the sun shining the outfits take to the track for practice, the session was completed without serious incident and summed in comments from various team.
Gordon Shand had no issues and said he must try harder. Kevin Perry, all went other than a missed hand hold exiting the bus stop. Dave Wallis and Steve Wareham, another returning team, were happy with the session and noticed flat spot in the engines mapping at around five thousand revs. Matt Dix and Shaun Parker pulled in with a rectifier failure
Qualifying
The Timed qualifying session proved to be eventful. Some of the comments from the teams included.
Bryan and Winn were happy with there times set in the qualifying session, riding an outfit that has been sold and having already placed a new one on Santa’s list for the 2014 season. Jamie Winn slipped of the back of the GBM outfit at the bus stop managing to haul himself back in before the devils elbow. Nigel Barlow slid out the back at the same spot but was not so lucky. This was his first ‘fall out’ in 15 years of being passenger; he was not a happy bunny. Matt Dix was left looking for replacement brake pads as during the session he found his outfit lacked stopping power. Although he was happy with improving lap times set in the session. Nigel Connole making his return to racing set the fourth best time ‘the boy is back on the gas’ and proved he is still a driver of the top order. Not such a good session was had by Fenwick and Knapton who suffered several niggling problems that needed to be put right before the start of the race. The session was cut short after the oil cooler broke loose from its mounting on the unfortunate Wallis and Wareham outfit. Leaving a very sheepish and embarrassed driver and very busy marshals, who did there usual excellent job of returning the circuit to raceable condition once more. Wallis and Wareham had set an excellent fifth fastest time of the day. But took no further part in the days racing
No / Name / Make / Best / Speed / Lap1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19 / 4
1
2
41
99
6
142
16
60
17
11
9
44
31
7
24
3
39
113 / Harrison/Patterson
Bell/Bell
Bryan/Winn
Connell/Sayers
Wallis/Wareham
Baker/Baker-Milligan
Lowther/Lowther
Shand/Hyde
Quaye/Quaye
Baker/Killingsworth
Alton/Brotherton
Hanks/Perry
Founds/Peters
Dukes/Morelee
Bell/Belsey
Thirkell/Barlow
Fenwick/Knapton
Hicks/Hughes
Dix/Parker / Shelbourne
LCR Yamaha
Baker Honda
LCR Honda
LCR Suzuki
Baker Suzuki
LCR Honda
Shand F2
MRE Suzuki
Shelbourne
OTC Yamaha
Molyneux R
TFR Suzuki
Dynobike B
Baker Yamaha
Honda Equipe
Shellbourne
MR Equipe S
Baker Yamaha / 600
600
600
600
600
600
600
599
600
600
600
599
600
600
600
600
600
600
600 / 55.713
56.010
56.464
56.656
56.899
56.960
57.001
57.364
57.445
57.587
57.684
57.939
58.069
58.123
58.146
58.494
58.986
1:00.117
1:03.156 / 89.817
89.341
88.623
88.323
87.945
87.851
87.788
87.232
87.109
86.895
86.748
86.367
86.173
86.093
86.059
85.547
84.834
83.238
79.232 / 6
5
6
6
6
7
8
6
6
4
7
6
6
4
8
4
4
5
7
Race One
With Harrison and Patterson sitting on pole position the rest of the top four less than a second behind this was going to be a cracker.
With all eyes to the lights .. there off! The outfits of Bell and Bell, Harrison and Patterson, Bryan and Winn, Connole and Fenwick, closely followed by the Lowther brothers set a blistering pace for the first three laps. There was only seconds between them. The brake Gremlins struck again as Phil Bell and Tony Belsey retired at the Hairpin at the end of lap three. With the Lowther’s moving up to third at the half way point and looking comfortable the young gun's were set for a podium… Mid pack Nicky Dukes and William Moralee were fighting off the attentions of Pete Alton and Keith Brotherton, Fenwick and Knapton. Starting to open up a lead the Bell pairing were pulling the pin the gap was two seconds and growing steadily. Shand and Hyde chasing down Bryan and Winn made a concerted effort to out brake and pass the Bryan and Winn outfit at the hairpin only to be driven wide so the pass did not stick. Bryan and Winn keeping there line and holding on to third place. With eight laps done the Lowther brothers had a stroke of bad luck as an engine failure left them grinding to a halt at the end of the pit wall. Giving up there hard earned third place to the charging Connole and Fenwick. Dukes made a gear selection error on the last lap, almost pitching passenger Moralee out the front of the outfit. This allowed the following outfits of Alton and Brotherton, Fenwick and Knapton to pass.
Ian and Carl Bell took the chequered flag with a gap of five seconds from Harrison and Patterson in second, Connole and Fenwick in third and Bryan and Winn in Fouth. In the F2 cup standings, wild cards Tom and Thomas Quaye followed by Chris Founds and Tom Peters and third place Alton and Brotherton
In summery, the dropped places now leave Nicolas Dukes and William Moralee requiring one more point to secure second place in the F2 cup for the second year running. Bell and Belsey lost there brakes at the hairpin, thankfully the outfit of Fenwick and Knapton was there in front of them to assist. This minor collision saved them from running into the bales no damage was done to the Fenwick outfit but Bell and Belsey had some repair to carry out before the second race. Dix and Parker, bedded in there brakes on the warm up and first race laps. Said to be happy with improving lap times and were looking to make further improvement in the second race.
No / Name / Make / Lap / Time / Speed / Diff1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15 / 1
4
41
2
16
6
60
17
9
44
11
3
31
39
113 / Bell/Bell
Harrison/Patterson
Connell/Sayers
Bryan/Winn
Shand/Hyde
Baker/Baker-Milligan
Quaye/Quaye
Baker/Killingsworth
Hanks/Perry
Founds/Peters
Alton/Brotherton
Fenwick/Knapton
Dukes/Morelee
Hicks/Hughes
Dix/Parker / LCR Yamaha
Shellbourne
LCR Honda
Baker Honda
Shand F2
Baker Suzuki
MRE Suzuki
Shellbourne Honda
Molyneux Rose
TFR Suzuki K7
OTC Yamaha bak
Shellbourne
Dynobike BLR
MR Equipe Suz
Yamaha Baker / 12
12
12
12
12
12
12
12
12
12
12
12
12
12
11 / 11:22.017
11:27.022
11:32.346
11:32.845
11:33.359
11:45.573
11:47.059
11:48.842
11:49.142
11:51.877
11:55.946
11:57.182
11:57.375
12:10.677
11:28.243 / 88.045
87.403
86.731
86.669
86.604
85.105
84.926
84.713
84.677
84.352
83.872
83.728
83.705
82.181
79.978 / -
+5.005
+5.324
+0.499
+0.514
+12.214
+1.486
+1.783
+0.300
+2.735
+4.069
+1.236
+0.193
+13.302
1 Lap
DNF
DNF
DNF / 142
7
24 / Lowther/Lowther
Bell/Belsey
Thirkell/Barlow / LCR Honda
Baker Yamaha
Honda Equip / 8
4
3 / 7:42.314
4:07.237
3:07.777 / 86.590
80.959
79.946
Race Two
Race Two for the Phil ‘Dongo’ Dongworth trophy started badly for the Yorkshire pairing of Harrison and Patterson. There race was done before a lap was completed.. Those brake gremlins have been working over time this weekend and this outfit was the latest victim. Conrad mentioned later in the paddock a decision to stop while they could was made in the interests of safety. This left The Bells, Connole and Fenwick, Bryan and Winn to battle it out at the head of the field. Once again Shand and Hyde snapping at the rear tyres of the leading three outfit. Running in fourth was the father and son team and new NG Club champions Tom and Thomas Quaye. The leading F2 cup team, having put in a more than commendable performance in race one and finishing first F2 cup they were looking for the double for the day.
Dix and Parker were having a race long battle with Dukes and Moralee, the later looking for a clean finish and the one point required for second place in the F2 cup for the year. Bell and Belsey were the next victim of the Brake Gremlins completing only half distance. A bitter blow struck the new pairing of Fenwick and Knapton running in seventh place as a re occurring problem with the E.C.U. from the first race crippled there outfit on the final lap. Father and son team Ian and Carl Bell took the chequered flag with a three and a half second cushion from Connole and Sayers. With Bryan and Winn in third followed home by Shand and Hyde in fourth. The F2 cup standings with a pair of class wins was Tom and Thomas Quaye followed by Founds and Peters and third place on the day Alton and Brotherton a repeat of race one
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13 / 1
41
2
16
60
6
44
17
9
11
113
31
39 / Bell/Bell
Connell/Sayers
Bryan/Winn
Shand/Hyde
Quaye/Quaye
Baker/Baker-Milligan
Founds/Peters
Baker/Killingsworth
Hanks/Perry
Alton/Brotherton
Dix/Parker
Dukes/Morelee
Hicks/Hughes / LCR Yamaha
LCR Honda
Baker Honda
Shand F2
MRE Suzuki
Baker Suzuki
TFR Suzuki K7
Shellbourne Honda
Molyneux Rose
OTC Yamaha Baker
Yamaha Baker
Dynobike BLR
MR Equipe Suz / 12
12
12
12
12
12
12
12
12
12
12
12
12 / 11:26.716
11:30.173
11:30.630
11:31.438
11:38.862
11:39.345
11:45.996
11:47.620
11:49.057
11:52.547
12:04.932
12:05.592
12:06.775 / 87.442
87.004
86.947
86.845
85.923
85.863
85.054
84.859
84.687
84.272
82.833
82.757
82.623 / -
+3.457
+3.914
+4.722
+12.146
+12.629
+19.280
+20.904
+22.341
+25.831
+38.216
+38.876
+40.059
DNF
DNF
DNF / 3
7
4 / Fenwick/Knapton
Bell/Belsey
Harrison/Patterson / Shellbourne Yam
Baker Yamaha
Shellbourne / 11
6
0 / 10:48.138
6:15.779
-.--- / 84.926
79.898
-