Well if nothing else I?ve had a season of victories and high drama so far this year. Another victory came my way at Mondello Park, in Ireland, last Saturday and that set up a winner takes all championship decider between me and Rory Butcher for the final round on Sunday. But for the second successive meeting a desperate move by Rory prevented me from taking what was almost definitely another victory. And now the drama continues but more about that later.
This wasn?t my first visit to Mondello Park, I made by race debut there back in March, but this time the longer International track was being used and I have to say I really enjoyed driving it. It reminded me a little of Oulton Park; another circuit where I?ve had success this year.
My pace in Friday qualifying was very good and I was the fastest FF1600 runner out there but frustratingly I missed out on pole position in Saturday qualifying. This was more due to track position and circumstances rather than any lack of pace. I was held up in traffic early in the session despite hanging back to give myself room and then on my fastest lap the oil flags came out due to Derek Daly?s leaking car which resulted in an early termination of the session. Nevertheless I was 2nd fastest and happy to be starting on the front row with my only championship rival Rory Butcher on pole. I knew that winning the championship was now in my hands. If I beat Rory I would be champion; simple as that and I have to say I felt very calm and content about the situation. In fact several observers commented over the weekend how calm I was for someone in their first season of racing on the brink of winning a championship. But this was not to be misconstrued as any lack of determination or ambition.
The simple matter of fact was that this was what I had worked for all year to put myself into a position where I could be champion and now that I had achieved that I was feeling really happy that I could savour the moment. But more than that I was relishing the battle with Rory. My only hope was that he would not resort to the desperate tactics that he had used at Brands Hatch last time out which really spoilt the day for both of us. I was hoping that the penalty points that he received on his licence along with the severe reprimand would be enough to deter him from making such a move again and we could race cleanly. Perhaps I have too much faith in human nature?
I made a fantastic start in race one and by contrast Rory made a poor one. While I established a lead my pit board told me that Rory had fallen back to 4th place and this gave me the encouragement to push on which I did breaking the lap record in the process. Only a mistake late in the race by one of my team mates Stephen Daly, who was third at the time, allowed Rory to finish on the podium with local championship leader Noel Dunne taking 2nd place. But I knew that Rory had finished more than six seconds behind me and his fastest lap was 0.5 of a second slower than my fastest. It was a very satisfying performance.
With different rules to what we have been running all year I again had to start from grid 2 for the second race on Sunday despite winning race one. Rory would again start from pole. This would now be a straight race for the championship. Although I had amassed considerably more championship points than Rory over the previous 13 rounds (Rory had forgone one of these to compete in a clashing Scottish championship event) each championship competitor is allowed to discard their two worst results. In Rory?s case this amounted to a zero score and a very low score. But my two worst results were a 3rd place & a 4th place finish; much higher scores. The reason for the two ?dropped? rounds is to combat the attrition rate in the latter stages of the championship from drivers who have had a run of poor results. Rory only had to drop 4 points from his total while I had to concede a whopping 22 so I would need to beat him again giving me 7 outright championship victories to his 5. But I felt very happy in the knowledge that if I did win the race I would definitely be champion no matter where Rory ended up. Therefore events would be totally in my control; or so I thought!
I again made a good a start and headed Rory into turn one but at turn two he did exactly the same thing he did at Brands Hatch last month cutting across the curb and driving into me causing me to spin. He knew that I had the pace to drive away from him as I had done in race one and therefore was desperate to stop me by any means. Although I felt incredibly aggrieved for this to happen again I felt confident that the race officials would clearly be able to see what had happened and knowing that Rory was a repeat offender would punish him accordingly for the incident.
Meanwhile I rejoined the race down the order but by half way had made my way back up to 2nd place and even thought I may still be able to catch Rory out front on the road. However my engine began to lose power and run badly and I saw that the temperature gauge was rising. Fearing the worst I reluctantly pulled in to retire to save any further damage to the motor.
At the end of the race I watched Rory?s body language and it was far from celebratory knowing that he had done wrong. Unsurprisingly he was almost immediately called to the Clerk of the Course office. But so as not to be caught out the way I was at Brands Hatch, where the clerk ultimately made the wrong decision because he wasn?t aware of all of the facts, I put in a judicial protest against Rory?s unfair manoeuvre as well.
I was then summoned to the Clerks office to give my version of events. To my delight there was some very clear video footage from the circuit?s own CCTV camera?s which clearly showed Rory?s car cutting across the corner and the curb (scattering a lot of dirt in the process) and then driving straight into the nearside of my car and launching it into the air in the process. Faced with this irrefutable evidence the Clerk of the Course did exactly the right thing and excluded Rory from the results. This was the only fair thing to do in my mind. I have no doubt that I would have repeated my performance of Saturday and driven away from Rory. He just didn?t have the pace to stay with me this weekend and he knew it and that is why he had to stop me by any means that he possibly could!
With Rory excluded; I would be Webcon UK National FF1600 champion. Job done! Not the way I?d wanted to win it but that wasn?t my fault. In fact I can honestly say I?d rather have lost the championship fairly and squarely on the track than have to attempt to win it in the circuit office afterwards. But that choice was taken away from me by the tactics of my rival!
But the drama wasn?t over yet. Rory counter protested the Clerk of the Course verdict to the Stewards of the meeting who reversed the Clerks decision despite the clear video evidence and now the whole matter must go before a hearing at the offices of Motorsport Ireland. So unfortunately it has all turned into a messy business but I can still see many positives in this situation. Unfortunately protests and litigation have become all too common in motorsport and if I am to have a career in the sport better to have experience of it now so that I know how to deal with it if it happens again later on. But whatever happens it has been an incredible debut season. I have won or been on the podium in over 80% of the races I have competed in; not bad for a rookie even if I say so myself. I collected the Sir Jackie Stewart Golden Helmet Trophy along the way and will finish either as champion or runner up in the UK National Championship and hopefully it is not all over yet. I also still lead the Richard Egger Midlands & South Formula Ford championship. There is still the end of season blue riband events the Formula Ford Festival & the Sir Walter Hayes Trophy to come and I am trying my hardest right now to raise the budget to compete in these; but whether I do or not I think its appropriate to say some very big thank you? s right here and now.
Firstly a big thank to my Team Manager Cliff Dempsey (of Cliff Dempsey Racing) for making all this possible and to my ace mechanic Francie Gibbs (Churchill) for doing a fantastic job for me all year. Also thank you to Bobby King, team mate Cormac O?Neil (Flash) and Tom O?Neil and last but defiantly not least to Michelle Dempsey (the boss) for keeping us all fed well all year.
On the sponsorship front I have of course to thank all my excellent backers; Lamberhurst Corporation, Essex Gas Utilities, ScanDoc, Baines Unit Leasing and my newest sponsors Laserfiche Software. Special mentions have to go to Philip Garner, Michael Sandys, Lynne Baines, Steve Livermore, Edwin Phack and Stephen Donaldson. And finally I must not forget Andreas for this fantastic website!
Footnote to Rory Butcher. I really enjoyed our battles through the season and I think we really helped bring the best out of each other. I even thought we got along well off track although I know its difficult to make real friends with your rivals; but I considered that we had a healthy respect for each others abilities. That is why it has been sad to see you resort to desperate driving tactics in the last two rounds. I thought you were better than that and I?m sorry that our championship must now be settled by a committee rather than out on the track where it should have been.
