Claydon House - 2007
A revised course, high-speed engine
re-builds and even a party night. Claydon House served up
the usual blend of cracking racing and high jinks.
Bob Beech was there to record it all.
There were big changes to the course this year, making it
much safer and longer. The notorious water exit had
disappeared to be replaced with one that was so smooth that
a comment was made by a member of the public that it was
almost to the point of being boring. That's all very well
but surely this is much better than masses of red flags and
rides in ambulance helicopters. The course is now perhaps a
mile in length so with the races being still of standard
duration, eight laps or ten minutes plus one lap, most
drivers did not think about how much fuel to put in their
tanks, they just filled them up to the brim. The wind was
quite breezy and caught out some drivers as on the Saturday
it was in their face when coming down the water but on
Sunday it was behind them, causing several plough-ins.
...the head was soon off. Drat!!!! Wrong head.
It was, perhaps, no surprise to see Dan Turnbull (1) again being dominant and winning all four races in F1. Team Gill (2) came second in three of the races but the first was a bit of a disaster. The lift engine was not working properly so a quick return to the paddock was needed for a head gasket change. An enthusiastic team of helpers dived onto the engine and the head was soon off. Drat!!!! Wrong head. By the time the engine was working there were just enough laps left to rejoin the race and get some points. Without these second place overall would have been lost to Team Vortex (10) with their F1X specification craft which goes very quickly for the power. They had to settle for third place for the weekend in F1 but beat John Rees (18) into second in the F1X division.
In F2, Les and Rupert for Team Beez (32) won three of the races to finish in second place overall. Mind you, they did work hard to do this as the first race had to be rerun when Les came to grief going onto the water. He had just overtaken Kevin Eastwood (69) when the back of the craft snagged on the transition and twisted so that when it hit the water it overturned. Kevin was so close he could not avoid hitting Les's craft and his craft overturned as well. So both drivers in the water and two upturned craft. Had to be a red flag. Les still won the rerun. And in race three, when near the end of the water section, the craft spun and then rammed the bank very hard. There were attempts to restart but it looked as thought the steering had been damaged. So no points for this race which lost them the winners trophy for the weekend. The top prize went to Bryan White (34).
...he threw caution to the wind and just kept the throttle wide open...
In F3, it was a case of, hello stranger. Nick Long (132) felt he should give his craft an airing for the first time this year and was rewarded with top place. Behind him were Tony Broad (133), David Lovegrove (141) and Barry Staples (140) finishing in that order for the weekend. They were quite closely matched and in the last race David just had to beat Tony to take second place for the weekend. But come the last water straight on the last lap David was behind Tony. However, he threw caution to the wind and just kept the throttle wide open despite the following wind. He got past Tony but he had got his line wrong and hit the buoy and, I think, he pulled off his lanyard as he stopped just a few feet from the line. He restarted and finished but Tony was in front of him so took second for the race and the weekend.In F503, Steve Walsh (78) seems to have got his craft well sorted as he ran out the winner in all the races. Mark Talbot (70) never gave up chasing but couldn't get close and had to settle for second. Team CD (100) was third. Conrad didn't finish the first race, coming back into the paddock with his exhaust hanging off. Didn't see how this happened but would suggest that another driver would argue it was a racing incident!! Another incident occurred in race three when, on the first lap, the Team Drew (81) craft caught the wind when going round turn three and rolled over. Driver was up and running away unhurt and the race continued.
Laura Broad (133) won all her Junior races. The four stroke engined craft of Bearwood College A team (7) was pulled out of race three when the engine started losing power. Nevertheless, it finished second overall. Rhian Black (20) was third despite not gaining any points in her first race, which she started late and finished up on the recovery trailer. Race three was a great one for Cullompton College (25). It finished in second place although afterwards the craft was found to have a very large crack in the hull. Sir got the blame for this. He couldn't be blamed for part of the silencer going missing though, could he?
Dan Turnbull (1) doesn't venture out in the Opens that often but he won three of the races this weekend. He even proved that he can win a race although having to start from the pit lane. Bryan White (34) was always chasing Dan but had to settle for second best. Dan was trying to get his new Predator craft to work properly. He dropped out in the last lap of race three and, very unusually for him, had to return to the paddock on the trailer. This race was won by Bryan. Nick Long (132) rounded off his weekend by finishing third in his F3 craft. It really is quick.
What a gentleman.
The Novice races were really good to watch. A lot of action. Race 1 had new F3 driver David Norhthall (184) surviving for only half a lap. Another casualty was Jim Waddell (185) who finally plucked up the courage to venture out in the Cullompton College craft. He dropped out on the water. I am not sure whether the crack in the hull was caused when he hit the bank or whether the crack caused him to veer off course and hit the bank. He says, it was obviously the latter. Another new driver, this time in F35, Colin Hales (210) lost his lift engine and had to be trailered in. Stuart Stanley (96) was leading when a fuel problem caused a piston failure. Another "new" driver (well returning one, but from some time ago) Roger Drew (84) went very well and for some time lead the race. But on the last lap he waved Sue Folland (111) by, not realising that she was taking the lead from him. What a gentleman. Sue is another returning driver. Race two was another battle between Sue and Roger, who obviously was not going to repeat the mistake of his first race. Roger got by Sue when her craft lifted just before the water exit. But then at the start of the last lap, Roger lifted side on approaching the paddock turn and came down into the catch netting. Sue was past to again win. Sue also won the third race but this time it was David Norhthall (184) taking second place and Ashleigh Wells (215) in his F35, third.
...but David just stuck to his line...
And the last race. Sue got in the lead with Stephanie Clark (196) in her last weekend in Novices, second, Stuart Stanley (96) third, then Roger Drew (84) and fifth David Norhthall (184). There was a big shuffle around over the first four laps after which the order was David, Roger, Stephanie and Stuart. Sue had dropped out with an engine problem. They remained in that order to the end of the race but not for want of trying on the part of Roger. He was dodging first one way and then the other trying to get past David, but David just stuck to his line while Roger seemed to get progressively more ragged in his desperation to get past. On the last charge down the water, Roger was obviously the faster and was lining himself up to overtake but got thrust air from David and lifted up in the air and lost it. Great race to watch. Overall, Sue Folland came out the winner in F2, Stephanie and David shared the honours in F3 and Colin Hales won F35.
Bob Beech.
[All photos by kind permission of Paul and Rebecca Taylor of www.hovercraftvideo.co.uk]