Rnd 5 & a final trip to action park, its been a while since i last raced here so very rusty on the astro. With an event all to play for as it would be the decider to the championship with 3 possible winners myself, Mark Tatman & Karl Jackson. With Karl away left it to a 2 horse race & realistically who ever was in front would win if around the 5 or 6th position..
For me pratice went well & found a reasonable balance with the car, Elliot was in a different league & no who would challange him all day but having not done enough rounds I was not concerned there.
Round 1 pace was good but average & 4 silly errors & marshals put me 7th in round just behind mark. mmm not so good.
Round 2 some alterations to shock position & reducing the droop a little gave me a race car going 3rd in round & a quick time.
Round 3 reduced the droop some more & pace was spot on, two bobbles but no marshals cost some time but result was enough to give me 3rd & several positions over mark who was 7th on the grid. Job done so far.
A bit of prep to check all was in shape & good to go for the main, with team mate Reece showing up pit **** duties could be returned from the nationals
Start of the main was a school boy mistake & not listening to start procedure which was done by the flag. Half asleep & slow start but got away with it though, a good hard battle here & got into 2nd, I pulled a half lap lead over mark nearing 10 mins so looking good. Race comentry seemed odd as i was not being called as 2nd, understood a lap had been missed at the start due to computer glitches but guessed it would be sorted at the end. Guess not though & race was abandoned, gutted as I had done my race plan & was in position i needed.
With a restart & back into 2nd, a good battle with Mark & Dave Spashett for many laps till i finally broke free & built a good 3/4 lap lead. Disaster now struck & contriversal part as engine cut on ridged astro turf lump after crossover, the momentum gained allowed the car to free wheel around the turn & over the line. Reece let it cross before it was retrieved then a quick restart & onto the track still what i i knew was 2nd & still safe. Later reports said this was not the case, but still pushed hard chasing the lap i had not lost but what i had to except. I did protest the final result as i knew what i was asking for was correct. Marshall pitman & two other witnesses said i had crossed the line so another computer glitch & lost lap. Other racers in the main had laps missed & the truggy main also had to be re run so my argument had weight that there was a computer problem & in a cruel twist had lost out. People belief that a cut means you lose a lap, yes fair enough in the middle of a track but if you cross the line under power or free wheeled its still a hit & a lap scored & the situation i was in. Feel gutted & cheated as i know i had done what was required to take the series but its not to be & officials would stick by the result.
Was not prepared to argue it any further as the SRS series had been so much fun this year, I did not want to ruin the end to a great series for the sake of what can be easily seen as sour grapes. Mark is a worthy champion & took advantage of the good points when many of the top boys where away, where i blew out at kent with a breakage. I had some great clean battles with him all series & have thourghly enjoyed the battle so maybe next year.
Now of on the hols so a week away surfing cant wait, then the slough national.
