2005 race reports archive (by Mike Hogg)

[Catriona]

April 10th, 2005

Winter is (to quote the Sixties) a drag. Dodgy weather, short days and no motorsport. Despite the fact that the first round of the club racing season is usually held whilst Knockhill is still thawing out from its long freeze, no-one really complains as it's time to fire up some racing engines and hit the track again.

***

Formula Ford Zetec had come out of 2004 having provided by far its best season since its inception. Despite there being a number of changes in terms of drivers, there were still some familiar faces to be found. Joe Tanner was one of these and he has picked his game up over the off-season, setting some amazing testing times in his new Mygale. In the first race of the double header for the series he pulled away from a close pack behind him comprising of visiting National FFord runner Rob Sutherland, Alan Kirkaldy who is back for another go at the Championship, Sarah Playfair in her National FFord Marque car and Sandy Forrest, moving from tin-tops to single seaters and relishing his new challenge.

Kirkaldy briefly took the lead before an off track moment dropped him to the back of the group while Tanner continued to lead from Sutherland and Forrest. Playfair and Kirkaldy at this point embarked on an incredible battle which would last several laps and would include an uncountable number of changes of position between them. Suffering from a lack of straightline speed, Kirkaldy would pass Playfair in the twisty bits just to be left for dead on the long main straight, indeed this was the cause of his fifth place finishing position, mere centimetres behind Playfair. Sutherland, meanwhile, took the lead (Tanner was happy to play the points game and not push the one-off visiting car too much) and led to the end ahead of Tanner and a euphoric Forrest on his single-seater debut. Neil Fisher finished a fairly distant sixth with Mike MacPherson and George Smith bringing up the rear. A shout has to go out to MacPherson who finished on the lead lap despite this being his first race in 18 years.

The second race had a little less action but was still a good watch. Sutherland led the race from start to finish, gaining some useful experience for when he and Mackie Motorsport return in May for the National Formula Ford Championship rounds at Knockhill. Sarah Playfair suffered a spin to the rear while Kirkaldy overcame his still present straight line speed issue to pass Tanner for second at the flag.

SCR.co.uk comment: The fight at the front of the Championship this year looks set to be between Tanner and Kirkaldy should they run the full season. Tanner has made a big jump in performance and should be more than a match for the experienced Kirkaldy. It should be interesting to see how Forrest progresses in his new series - early indications are that it won't take him long to get to the front.

***

Anyone watching the Scottish Mini Coopers last season could have been forgiven for wondering if they would be back in 2005. The grid was so small that they were generally added into the Saloon and Sportscar field and despite some good battles between series stalwarts like Mike Connon and Steve Mitchell, things looked bleak. Step forward the new-for-2005 Scottish Auto Trader Mini Cooper Cup. The series has staged a remarkable recovery and is back stronger than ever this year with all the trimmings. Full colour free programmes, prize money and grid girls all make an appearance this year and where before drivers all had identical road-going Minis, a quick look at the car of series front runner Oli Mortimer shows that we are dealing with a different beast this year - gutted interiors, body kits, Yokohama tyres and a myriad of extras make the series a significant step up to what it previously was.

The first race of the double-header saw a lead battle erupt between previous series front runners Finlay Crocker, Vic Covey Jnr and reigning XR2 Champion Olly Mortimer. The three of them were clearly the class of the field and pulled away from the pursuing pack, with Garry Meikle (Caterham Academy 2004) in fourth. Behind him in fifth came Jamie Cleland, son of the great John Cleland. The two battled hard until Cleland snatched a brake into the hairpin and crunched into the back of Meikle, wounding his own car and ending Meikle's day. Cleland admitted his mistake straight after the race however and went on to take fourth at the flag - no doubt the start of a track career worth watching. At the front Crocker, Mortimer and Covey all crossed the line covered by 2 seconds having enjoyed a close battle.

The second race was a good one - though marred by controversy. 2004 Champion Mike Connon having endured an awful first race at the back took a big lead from the pole (starting order the reverse of the first race result) while Ces O'Hagan and Steve Mitchell eliminated each other from the race at Duffus. With Crocker and Mortimer following Connon, Covey and Cleland made contact at the hairpin and again half way up the straight, the cars wobbling alarmingly at high speed and a large amount of tyre smoke being thrown into the air. Now things got interesting.

Connon retired on lap 6 with a gearbox issue while the stewards elected (somewhat strangely as remarked upon by both the commentators and in no uncertain terms by John Cleland when interviewed later) to black flag both Covey and Cleland as they had been seen to be cutting corners and so that their cars "could be checked out" following their rub on the straight. Cleland felt it was more likely that the two youngsters were simply having the law laid down to them by the powers that be so that they knew where the line was drawn. On track, meanwhile, Crocker and Mortimer continued their fight for the win, Mortimer occasionally trying to make the move but Crocker seemed to be well in control. Meikle ran right with them, content to go for a podium finish. Indeed, the three of them crossed the line in that order, covered by under a second with Gary Robertshaw and Carl Bradley filling out the top five. Covey and Cleland recovered from their penalties to take 7th and 9th.

SCR.co.uk comment: This is an incredible turnaround. A series that had almost become an excuse to have a wander around the paddock last year has upped its game significantly. Unlike the variant used last season, the cars are capable of being pushed to the limit all through the race and at the front we have a crop of talented drivers in Crocker, Mortimer, Covey and Connon who should all be able to mount strong overall challenges. Meikle and Cleland are clearly both very exciting young prospects and will no doubt be well in the mix. Quote of the day goes to Jamie Cleland - when asked by Duncan Vincent on Radio Knockhill what the Clerk of the Course had wanted to see him about he replied: " Vic got in my way so I took him out!" The old Cleland wit is alive and well and has spread to the next generation!

***

The Scottish Legends are always one of the highlights of any race meeting they run at and they didn't disappoint. The first race saw a fraught battle throughout the field result in Dave Newsham taking a large lead. A standard Lance Gauld "slam on the anchors and launch it into the hairpin" manouvere saw him into second although Ben Mason eventually passed him. While things remained static between these three to the end, the battle for fourth was a huge scrap between Ronnie Klos, Robin Drysdale, Aly Hunter and Gerard McCosh which saw the three of them cross the line covered by a second. Ali Thom, Jeff Stewart and David Thorburn filled out the top ten.

The second heat was all Mason and Gauld as they vanished into the lead after an early breakdown by Drysdale. Newsham was the only other car close to them at the finish while another big battle for fourth was this time won by Klos ahead of McCosh and Hunter.

The final started with two laps of shaking the field up with several different leaders. Mason, Drysdale and Newsham emerged at the front to battle madly for the victory for several laps. Indeed, the three of them were only covered by a second as they took the chequered flag in that order. Gauld followed a few seconds back with Jeff Stewart and Aly Hunter the only other cars close to them. A number of other battles raged throughout the race with only poor Gary Crawford failing to make the flag after an off with 1 lap to go.

SCR.co.uk comment: Despite there possibly being a lack of "names" in the field this year (Newsham isn't running the full Scottish season and there are no Noble, Pierce, Clark, Grieve or Davison on the grid this year) there are still plenty of cars out there and the fight at the front between Mason, Gauld and Drysdale should be a good one. Despite the field spreading out in the two heat races today, the final was great and hopefully as the newcomers get a handle on the cars we should see some great racing from the Legends again this year.

***

The Saloons and Sportscars Series will run apart from the Radicals this year and started with a double header. Stewart Whyte and Kevin Adam were at the head of the field in their "Cossies" at the end of last season and with Adam not in this race (but rumoured to possibly be coming back with a Super Touring spec saloon), Whyte may have thought things would all go his way. However with the return of Colin Simpson's rumbling V8 Marcos Mantis and the debut of Jim Geddie's super-fast GT3 spec Porsche (ex-Barry Horne), competition was well and truly joined. The three of them were easily the class of the field in the first race and pulled well away in their private lead battle, leaving John Muir nursing a terrible misfire in his Toyota Starlet. Eventually he was forced to park the car instead of risking losing the engine and he packed up for the day to take the car home and find out the problem.

At the front, Whyte led the way but with only a couple of laps left Simpson tried to dive round the outside of the hairpin. Whyte pushed him wide and Geddie went for it, briefly making the crowd gasp at the sight of three large sportscars three-wide at the last track you would expect to see it. Amazingly they all made it through, Geddie took a great win in his first race in the car with Whyte and Simpson right with him at the flag. 40 seconds further back came the MG of Andrew Morrison ahead of Ian Cowie who took a convincing victory in the Caterham race which was running with the field. Jeremy Robertson and Bob Lyons enjoyed a race-long tussle for second and third.

The second race was almost a mirror image of the first, with Geddie, Whyte and Simpson leading away. Battery problems soon afflicted the Escort, however, and Whyte's pace dropped off. Simpson was going all out for victory and slipped past the Porsche to lead to the end. Whyte just barely held on to third ahead of a charging Morrison while Cowie once again took Caterham honours ahead of Robertson and Lyons.

The Radical race was all about Ian Forrest and Roddie Patterson, with Roddie performing miracles in his older and less powerful car to harry Forrest all the way to the end and even briefly take the lead.

SCR.co.uk comment: Some of the best racing all day was in the Saloon and Sportscar races - the battle for the lead in the first race was especially brilliant. The Porsches run by Alan Keith are a great addition with Jim Geddie's GT3 and it's with a glad heart that we welcome the return of the fantastic ex-Glenvarigill Porsche GT2 which has been away from the track for too long. The promise of further interesting entries to come makes this a series worth keeping an eye on this year. The Radicals are a little thin on the ground at the moment but there's a lot of season still to go yet so hopefully a few more will be out.

***

Historic Ecosse has been replaced with two new classes - Scottish Classic Sportscars and Saloons for old tin-tops and sportscars and Formula Phoenix for single seaters. The S+S race saw a win by six seconds for Cameron Stephen in his Lotus 23B ahead of Darren McWhirter's Jaguar XK120. Stan Bernard took third in his Porsche with Barry Wood fourth in the fantastic AC Cobra ahead of Tom McWhirter's equally brilliant ex-Ecurie Ecosse Ford Tojeiro.

The Formula Phoenix race was won by Barry Smith's Lotus 61M and there were some interesting machines in the field, such as the ex-James Hunt Hesketh and a Formula Vauxhall Junior.

SCR.co.uk comment: A good idea to split this into two as it was sometimes a bit disconcerting to watch a huge Aston Martin or Mustang battling with a little sixties Formula Ford! It's worth keeping an eye on these series to see what old treasures show up.

***

The Scottish XR2 Championship has entered a new phase in 2005. Gone are the big names like Ian and Sandy Forrest, Alan Keith and Olly Mortimer, and up to the plate step some of the drivers who in the past have had to settle for fifth place at best behind the names which have dominated for so long.

The first to take the bull by the horns were Ian Milton and Nick Sanderson, starting as they did from the front row. With Peter Cruickshank making a poor start and being swallowed up by the field, these two pulled out a decent lead and were never more than a car length apart, Sanderson looking for a way by and Milton taking the defensive line. With Milton taking the tight line into the hairpin, Sanderson tried a wide in, tight out manouvere with a few laps remaining and managed to cut inside to grab the lead.

Cruickshank had been on a charge back to the front and just at that moment latched onto the back of Milton's car, forcing him to concentrate on defending second rather than grabbing back the lead. The three cars crossed the line covered by 1 second, Sanderson taking a long overdue first win. 20 seconds further back Richard Reed and Marc Baynham completed the top five with Jamie Bickett winning the Newcomers Class in sixth ahead of John Findlay who was revelling in his new car. A number of new drivers filled out the field in this race and did an impressive job, providing some good battles through the race. Special mention has to go to Steven Gray who qualified extremely well in his first race for a while and although he had to retire, he should be a dark horse.

SCR.co.uk comment: From a purely selfish standpoint it's fantastic to see Nick Sanderson get his first victory as he's one of the nicest guys in the paddock and an avid contributer to ScottishClubRacing.co.uk - it's a well deserved victory and well overdue. Whilst the big names may now be elsewhere we still look to have a good Championship battle in the offing between Sanderson, Milton and Cruickshank. A number of the newcomers look like good prospects for the future too.

Full results: www.smart-timing.co.uk/Results%202005_files/Knockhill/10th%20April.pdf

[Catriona]

April 24th, 2005

The second SMRC Club Racing meeting of 2005 ran in much the same way as the first did - great racing and intense cold. Drivers and teams on an early roll hoped they would be able to continue their good fortune while those who had started the season on a low note hoped they would turn things around and kickstart their results.

Out before lunch, the two new classes for Historic racing machines which have been created out of the ashes of the Historic Ecosse Series once again showcased some beautifully restored racing cars of old. The Formula Phoenix single seater class was dominated by Geordie Taylor's Merlyn and he took the victory by a crushing forty seconds. Barry Smith and Ian Taylor fought out the second place in their Lotus and Swift machines, being seperated at the line by a couple of seconds.

The Classic Saloon and Sportscar race may have wielded an easy victory for Cameron Stephen in his Lotus 23B, followed home by the similar machine of John Walker, but the big story was the titanic battle betweeen Nick Fleming's Lotus Elite and the Lotus Elan of Jim Grant. They fought as if they were in modern touring cars, making some great passes before Fleming won the battle by three thousandths of a second! Stan Bernard had the best seat in the house right behind these two in his Porsche and finished right with them.

SCR.co.uk Comment: The fight between the Lotus pair of Fleming and Grant was possibly one of the best on-track battles of the day and both drivers deserve applause for having such a good clean tussle. Looking forward to more of the same next time.

***

The visiting Northern Sports and Saloons provided their usual high dose of entertainment, the Class A, E, F & G cars being the first to race. The Fury of Neil Gregory held off Arthur Robinson's Westfield by just over one second to take the win while Ian Hepburn in his Westfield took third thirty-four seconds back by a whisker from Phil Morris in a Caterham.

The B, C & D class race for Saloons was won convincingly by Andrew Morrison's ever present V6 MG ZR. Dave Botterill's glorious orange front-engined Porsche was the only car to come close to the MG and he still finished sixteen seconds down the road, a further ten seconds ahead of Simon Blanckley's Peugeot 205 and the new Ford Focus of Tony Caig (which replaces his well known orange and white Fiesta SI of previous years).

SCR.co.uk Comment: Our thoughts go out to Nissan Pulsar driver Steven Ferguson and the as yet unknown to us driver of a Caterham who suffered an enormous accident at the hairpin on Saturday in testing. As we understand it, the unfortunate Caterham driver had to be cut from the wreckage and has suffered a badly damaged knee. Get well soon and hope to see you back at Knockhill again in the future.

***

The Scottish Legends Championship may have lost a number of its front runners this season, but there are several very quick pilots out to make it big this year. The first heat of the day saw carnage quite quickly as the diminished field of eleven cars attempted to replicate the amount of action a twenty+ grid makes! Early leader Ronnie Klos clipped the rear of Lance Gauld's No.23 car as he was passed and speared off, ending up beached with deranged suspension. With Ali Thom's car also off the track in a dangerous position the race was red flagged. The three lap sprint that followed saw Ben Mason sprint into the lead followed by Robin Drysdale and Gauld, who attempted a move with just over a lap to go. Drysdale defended and the two were off and out of the race. Aly Hunter nipped through to follow Mason home while the man with the best Legend colourscheme in Britain, Gary Crawford, delighted his fans to take only his second ever podium finish thanks to the attrition and a gutsy drive from himself. He was followed home by Mark Howden, James Willis, Caroline McMurdo and David Thorburn as the only other finishers.

The second heat was a much calmer affair, with Mason, Drysdale and Hunter pulling well away from the field to finish in that order. Lance Gauld and Ronnie Klos filled out the top five. Probably the best action in the race came from the battle between Willis, Thorburn and Crawford over sixth place.

The final was an exciting one, with Mason, Klos, Gauld and Drysdale fighting hard. An off track moment dropped Klos out of the equation while a fierce struggle between Gauld and Drysdale culminating in both of them almost coming to grief at the hairpin on the last lap saw Mason pull out a lead which he would keep to the end to take his third victory of the day (the only driver ever to do so in Scottish Legends according to Aly Hunter). Hunter came through for fourth while Willis just held off Crawford after a very close battle for fifth.

SCR.co.uk Comment: Whilst the racing was still of top quality, the second race in the Legends especially suffered from the reduced grid. This was mostly down to the fact that the National Legends races at Donington were running on the same day. A number of people are running in both series and such as Gerard McCosh for example elected to run the National Series. With a number of drivers switching completely to National Legends as well, numbers have dwindled. We understand the next round of the Scottish Legends during the F3/GT meeting next month is also running on the same day as a National round so we will be missing a couple of cars. The Legends always seem to have managed to avoid this in the past so it's slightly disappointing to see so many clashing events forcing people to choose between the series. Not to detract from the Scottish Legends at all though - they still usually guarantee fast and close racing, hopefully the numbers will recover in time.

***

The Scottish Formula Ford Zetec Championship saw another double header meeting this time round and the first race turned out to be an Alan Kirkaldy benefit. After a lightning start he pulled out a gap on the pursuing pack while Joe Tanner had to fight his way from last up the order after a troubled qualifying session. He made his way up to second in pretty short order but from that point could not shake off the closely pursuing Sandy Forrest and Neil Fisher to the flag. George Smith won the battle for fifth ahead of Mike MacPherson after a race-long struggle.

The second race saw Tanner take the early lead although Kirkaldy soon took it back. Kirkaldy was still unhappy with the speed of his car though and struggled to lose Tanner who managed to take and hold the lead with a handful of laps to go for his first win. Forrest continued his impressive switch to single seaters by taking third a long way ahead of Fisher while MacPherson and Smith once again had an exciting battle, with MacPherson winning the fifth place this time around.

SCR.co.uk Comment: It's a small field this year it seems but you'd be hard pressed to choose between Kirkaldy and Tanner for the Championship at this early stage. George Smith and Mike MacPherson deserve a special mention for providing the best battles in the races too.

***

The Scottish XR2 Championship had its first double header meeting of the year this weekend, the first race seeing an immediate rejoining of the battle between Nick Sanderson, Ian Milton and Peter Cruickshank from the first round. Rory Butcher (yup - son of Derek and little brother of Jillian) was having an incredible car racing debut and joined in, passing Sanderson for third before dropping back to fourth. A move by Milton to the outside of Cruickshank saw the two of them go wide on the exit of the hairpin and Sanderson elected to join in, coming through on the inside. They ran three wide for a moment before they all met in the middle, a few impacts turning Sanderson across the bonnet of Cruickshank and off the track. Due to a stalled engine Sanderson took a moment getting going and dropped to ninth. The incident allowed Milton to take the lead and he held it to the flag, with Cruickshank second and Butcher taking an incredible podium finish in his first ever race. ICR mechanic Willy Davidson also made an impressive debut to take fourth place ahead of Ross Marshall. The crowd was also entertained by several battles through the field all through the race and also by Colin MacKinnon spearing into the hairpin gravel on the first lap and ending up on his side!

The second race was all about Cruickshank and Milton to begin with as they pulled away from the battling pack behind them. However a missed gear and a buzzed engine saw the end of Milton's race and allowed Cruickshank to take an easy victory - his first in his long XR2 racing career. Sanderson mounted an amazing comeback in his battle scarred car from ninth on the grid after his first race misfortune, picking off car after car as he fought his way up to second at the end for a very well earned second place which keeps him in the hunt for the title. Ian Fitzpatrick took third with a massive tyre squealing battle between Butcher, Davidson and Ryan Stirling following them home.

SCR.co.uk Comment: This is a return to the glory days for the XR2 Championship. An absolutely massive grid of 27 cars is just like it was several years ago - how long until we see a return to the old "qualifying" races to get the field down to 28? Add to this we have a gripping Championship battle forming between Sanderson, Cruickshank and Milton (all of whom, incidentally, have won one of the first three races each) while Butcher and Davidson are clearly very exciting prospects. The return of several old hands such as Andy Allan, Charlie Thornton and Derek McDougall along with the large crop of newcomers is all very welcome and proves that the powers that be made a good move in organising away rounds for this series which clearly has a lot of life left in it. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" should be the XR2 Championship motto and hopefully we have a lot left to see from this series.

***

The Scottish Saloons and Sportscars field has an interesting new entry in an incredible 600 horsepower Fiesta driven by Chris Doherty. A car that can leave a Porsche GT3 for dead out of the hairpin is an impressive beast indeed, and this is exactly what Doherty did, taking the lead and holding Jim Geddie off. His car looks more like a rally car as it's flung through the corners, however following a huge spin into the hairpin he retired soon after. Geddie therefore took over the lead and ran to victory at over thirty-two seconds ahead of Barclay Dougall's Sierra RS500. Ian Hepburn was next up leading a race long battle between himself, Bill Carr's Mallock, Caterham class winner Ian Cowie and George Brewster.

The Radical race saw an immediate dash for glory by Roddie Patterson, taking second place entering the hairpin from Gary Ward and deciding to go for first as well in the middle of the corner when he found himself alongside Ian Forrest. Forrest went wide into the gravel for a moment and dropped to third but immediately fought back, passing Ward and then very quickly closing up to Patterson again. The lead battle would not last for long, however, as Patterson was forced to retire with five laps remaining, allowing Forrest to take an easy victory ahead of Ward and Ian McMurdo.

SCR.co.uk Comment: The new Fiesta is an incredible machine and it'll be interesting to see how fast it becomes with a bit of development. Certainly out of the box it's ridiculously fast!

***

The Scottish Autotrader Mini Cooper Cup race saw Finlay Crocker take the early lead, however as the lead pack jostled for position, he found himself nerfed off the track and into the tyres to end his day. This incident spread the leaders out a little and Oly Mortimer grabbed a lead he would not lose, Vic Covey Jnr shadowing him home. Garry Meikle and Jamie Cleland reignited their battle from the first round which had seen them tangle at the hairpin but they kept a distance between each other this time to come home in third and fourth. Owen Will enjoyed probably his best race to date to take fifth place ahead of Steve Mitchell.

SCR.co.uk Comment: The grid for this race was missing a few regulars and the quality of the racing may well have suffered because of it. After Crocker's demise the leaders were a bit too spread out to re-enact the battling of the first races two weeks ago but the Championship at this early stage certainly seems as though it'll be between Mortimer, Crocker and Covey - all of whom seem to be very competitive.

Full results: www.smart-timing.co.uk/Results%202005_files/Knockhill/24th%20April.pdf

[Catriona]

May 21st-22nd, 2005 (F3 and GT meeting)

When the big boys come to play at Knockhill it's always nice to see the SMRC crowd get a chance to strut their stuff alongside the stars and the British F3/GT meeting is usually the best opportunity for them to get a go, especially last year when only the British F3 Series came to visit. With a full schedule of events this weekend, only the Legends and Minis got their own races, but a small entry fee for the invitational class allowed several Scottish runners to pit themselves against the National Formula Ford Zetec crowd.

***

The Legends ran their two heats on Saturday and the first was a sodden affair. On a soaking track Ben Mason sailed off into the distance though Lance Gauld and Robin Drysdale came home not too far back. A long way back the rest of the field fought a huge battle which involved around fifteen different lines through the hairpin in the treacherous conditions. Aly Hunter came out on top with the rest of the field some way behind him.

The second heat was held on a much drier track despite the fact most of the cars were on wet setups! Mason, Drysdale and Gauld embarked on another huge battle with Hunter joining in later and they crossed the line in that order, covered by a second. Gerard McCosh pulled out a great performance and came in just behind them.

The final ran on Sunday with far better conditions than Saturday. After two heats blighted by a misfire, Ronnie Klos started towards the front and took the early lead, with Mason quickly working his way up to second. Surprise of the day was Gary Crawford, running an incredible and very competitive third until he suffered a spin into the gravel on lap five going for second! Hopefully there is more to come from Pocket Rocket Racing! Drysdale retired after contact with Ali Thom while Mason grabbed the lead just as Klos suffered a re-occurence of his misfire, dropping to last at the flag. Gerard McCosh topped off an amazing day by winning the battle with Gauld and Hunter for second with David Thorburn finishing fifth.

SCR.co.uk Comment: A lot of talking points after those three races - Mason has now won an incredible six races on the trot and is becoming quite a star while Gary Crawford was having a fairytale race in the Final until his spin. Despite Mason's great run the driver of the day has to be Gerard McCosh - second in the final was an amazing result and the fact that he set the fastest lap in two of the three races can't be ignored. Napoleon the Pig must be proud!

***

The Scottish Auto Trader Minis ran on Sunday under a leaden sky but on a drying track. Finlay Crocker led the field away taking Olly Mortimer with him and the pair pulled out a lead over a big scrap for third. The four car battle became three when Garry Meikle spun off into the tyres and two when Carl Bradley dropped off the pack, leaving Steve Mitchell and Vic Covey fighting it out, Covey muscling past to take the spot.

Determined to take the win, Mortimer jinked around behind Crocker for a number of laps before diving down the inside into the hairpin just prior to the final lap. It was a move that just screamed "I'm coming through!" and that he did, taking the victory by almost two seconds. Owen Will had been running well until he retired while Jamie Cleland never really got to grips with the drying track and crashed out at half distance.

SCR.co.uk Comment: Olly Mortimer is clearly a born touring car driver. He took to tin-tops incredibly well in the XR2s and is doing the same in the Minis. His move for the lead was a very Yvan Muller type dive and it paid off, showing he isn't afraid to go racing. He may enjoy a somewhat larger budget than some other drivers but he is making full use of it and could well be the next Jonathan Adam.

***

While there was no official Scottish Formula Ford Zetec Championship round running this weekend, the two National FFord Zetec rounds gave "our" guys a chance to see what they could do against some of the up and coming single seater stars of tomorrow.

Joe D'Agostino and Charlie Donnelly were the class of the field all weekend, taking a win apiece but of interest to us in race one was the great qualifying performance of Joe Tanner to start third. With the rain pouring down the field tip-toed away and Tanner fell to fifth just ahead of Alan Kirkaldy where they started a long battle. After a short off Tanner dropped behind Kirkaldy where he was then whacked by Rob Sunderland who was forced to retire. Kirkaldy won the "Guest" class with Tanner two seconds further back (fifth and sixth overall). Duncan Vincent and Sandy Forrest made it to the finish in tenth and eleventh overall. Mike MacPherson failed to finish. Ex-Scottish FFord runner Sarah Playfair finished ninth overall and third in the Scholarship class.

The second race took place later in the day and in totally opposite weather with the sun beating down. Tanner was the class of the field of Scots runners, starting second and initially fighting D'Agostino hard for the lead. An off dropped him down to fourth however and he stayed there to the end, ten seconds behind the leaders and winning the "Guest" class. The rest of the Scottish runners ran in a clump for most of the race, Kirkaldy pulling away from the group steadily to take sixth overall. A coming-together between Forrest and Playfair at the exit of the hairpin saw them both out of the race while Vincent grabbed eighth overall. MacPherson could be pleased with tenth place, one lap adrift.

SCR.co.uk Comment: It's always nice to see the local runners have a go at the National FFord series when it comes up and the majority of the Scottish field gave it a go. Tanner promised much with a second and third in qualifying but it was a shame that he couldn't pull an upset and take an outright win. SCR.co.uk supported driver Sarah Playfair had a disappointing weekend from her point of view but gave it all she could in her ageing car.

***

The rest of the weekend saw lots of good racing. Lothian based Scuderia Ecosse showed well at their home races of the British GT Championship, taking second and third in the first race on Saturday and first and second in the race on Sunday in their Ferrari 360s. SCR.co.uk wishes them the best of luck at Le Mans next month and hope they can do the nation proud. The British F3 races didn't feature a huge amount of overtaking but were still a spectacle while the Caterhams and Volkswagen Cup produced some very good dicing and are welcome back at Knockhill any time.

[Catriona]

June 4th-5th, 2005

Although it hasn't been called the Legends Festival for a couple of years, the visit of the National Legends to Knockhill is always a very welcome occurance. Double headers for both the National and Scottish Legends along with a very large supporting cast meant that over the course of the weekend we would witness no fewer than twenty-seven races!

Saturday

The Scottish Legends endured some of the very worst that Mother Nature could throw at them on Saturday, although the first heat was held on a dry track. The season's usual suspects in Ben Mason, Robin Drysdale and Lance Gauld pulled out a lead initially and ran in that order for much of the race, Drysdale pulling Mason in but unable to pass him. Gary Crawford continued his impressive season by running fourth for most of the race although he dropped behind Aly Hunter and Gerard McCosh on the last lap.

The second race took place just after a massive rainstorm and on the sodden track Hunter proved to be the class of the field, taking the first non-Mason victory in a long time. Drysdale fought his way through the field for second while Gauld took third ahead of Mason after the latter suffered a big spin at Butchers. McCosh was again fifth.

For the final the track was still very wet and Klos initially led the way from Gauld, Drysdale and Hunter. Mason fought his way through the field to grab third place from Gauld while Drysdale and Hunter fought tooth and nail for the win, the former taking it by the smallest of margins. Klos took fifth at the flag.

SCR.co.uk Comment: Ally Hunter finally stopped the Ben Mason steam-roller and really put himself forward as a real contender all weekend. He says that whatever was wrong with his car previously has now been fixed and he's not holding back!

***

The Scottish Radical and Caterham grids ran together for this meeting and went out just after the worst of the rain had abated and any uncovered Radicals had been bailed out! Ian Forrest immediately stamped his authority on the field by pulling away from the second placed battle between Alan Kirkaldy in Aly Hunter's newly bought car and Tony Allison. Once Kirkaldy had passed Allison he actually started to close in on Forrest but there were not enough laps left for him to catch the veteran. Behind them, a three car battle raged for fourth for a while, Roddy Patterson as usual battling the newer cars. He eventually took fifth behind Ian McMurdo.

Ian Cowie won the Caterham class quite convincingly from Jeremy Robertson, indeed he even looked at possibly passing the slowest of the Radical field for most of the race thanks to the conditions!

SCR.co.uk Comment: Seven Radicals is a big improvement in grid size for the fledgling series and hopefully numbers will keep going up. The Caterhams work alongside them in my opinion making for a good multi-class sportscar race.

***

The Scottish Formula Ford Zetec race suffered from a low entry this time round, only five cars making up the field. Running while the track was pretty much awash, Alan Kirkaldy and Joe Tanner pulled well away from the field early, third placed Mike MacPherson spinning at Clark and very nearly taking Sandy Forrest with him. Forrest (in an evil handling car which had been rebuilt after his F3/GT meeting crash and had been found to have been given incorrect suspension parts) took third from Robert Mitchell only for the red flag to fly as the rain came down harder.

The restart was from original grid positions and soon we were as we were in the first race, MacPherson this time spinning at Butchers and Forrest once again grabbing third in a car whose handling he described as "a car with failed power steering and two flat front tyres." Kirkaldy took an untroubled win from Tanner in the meantime.

SCR.co.uk Comment: With only five entries this weekend and the National Series occasionally struggling to reach double figures this year, times are hard for the Zetecs. It's not going to be a one-horse race in the Scottish Series though - Kirkaldy and Tanner are both very competitive.

***

During the rest of the day, the National Legends provided the usual thrills and spills, though they must have felt quite hard done by - by far the worst of the weather during the day seemed to appear when they were on track!

The Max 5 series for Mazda MX5 sportscars was just incredible - as described by the commentators, they raced like Legends despite being more than twice the size and the field was just huge. They were putting on a great show until a pileup at Butchers when the first of the rains arrived brought out the red flag. Great racing though.

Add the great looking field in the TVR Car Club Challenge with some great looking Eighties machines and there was a great programme on offer during the day. It was a shame that so few spectators showed up for what was some incredible free entertainment but was it advertised?

***

Sunday

Sunday's first Legends heat saw a familiar picture emerge as Drysdale, Mason and Gauld grabbed an immediate advantage. Mason eventually won their tussle, Drysdale pushing him hard and Gauld clinging on with his less powerful car. Gary Crawford ran the majority of the race in fourth place, only losing out to Aly Hunter on the last lap after the Scottish Legends supremo was forced to start from the pitlane.

The second heat saw the four usual suspects of the weekend tied together in a huge battle which Mason eventually managed to pull slightly away from to win again with Drysdale, Hunter and Gauld following him home. Further back a collision between Mark Howden and Ali Thom at the hairpin saw debris flying and both cars out of the race early.

The final saw Ronnie Klos initially in the lead, but a spin dropped him to the back. A pass on Gauld saw Mason grab the lead while Hunter then took second, Gauld hanging on to third at the flag. Gerard McCosh just took fifth inches ahead of David Thorburn and Robin Drysdale who was recovering from an early off.

SCR.co.uk Comment: Mason recovered well from his Saturday blip to once again take all three victories, re-affirming himself as the Champion elect. Hunter again impressed and the four-car lead battles we have in prospect from now on should be brilliant.

***

The Scottish XR2 Championship heads to Cadwell Park in two weeks, but there was the small matter of round four of series at Knockhill to sort out before the drivers could pack their suitcases and start thinking of the away trip. Ian Milton had put his car on pole while Willy Davidson lined up a brilliant second, confirming his impressive early season pace had been no fluke.

The two of them led away but it didn't take long for drama to occur. Leaving the hairpin on the second lap, contact was made and Milton was off, spinning into the midfield. Davidson was sufficiently slowed that Nick Sanderson was able to catch and then pass his ICR stablemate into the same corner on the next lap for the lead. With Colin MacKinnon proceeding to monster Davidson for the remainder of the race, Sanderson pulled out a healthy lead to win comfortably from the battling duo. Iain Fitzpatrick and Ryan Stirling filled out the top five. With Peter Cruickshank qualifying in the midfield and getting mired in the pack along with the recovering Milton, Sanderson had a very good points day in the Championship, jumping to the head of the standings.

SCR.co.uk Comment: Yet another great race for the XR2 field - it looks like being another vintage year for the series which is in its tenth year. With any luck a sizable field will make the trip to Cadwell to confirm the strength of the Championship.

***

The Scottish Autotrader Mini Cooper field saw Olly Mortimer take the lead to begin with, while Vic Covey Jnr was an early casualty for the marshals to rescue from the tyre wall. Finlay Crocker, Gary Meikle and Mike Connon were quick to challenge Mortimer, however, and proceeded to make his life very difficult. Indeed Connon was on a mission, attempting some brave outside overtaking manouveres on Meikle which eventually saw the two make contact leaving the hairpin, Connon spinning but gathering up and not losing fourth. Crocker attempted a couple of moves late in the race but could not manage to make a pass on the bright yellow car of Mortimer who took yet another win in the series.

SCR.co.uk Comment: Olly Mortimer was made very aware of the challenge he faces in the Minis this year by Crocker, Meikle, Connon and (for a short while) Vic Covey as well. It's by no means a one-horse race.

***

A small field showed for the Saloon and Sportscar race, Chris Doherty's ridiculously quick Fiesta leading from lights to flag from Jim Geddie's Porsche GT3. While the Porsche seemed to have far better handling, the Fiesta (which is only a Fiesta in body shape!) would take off so quickly in a straight line that Geddie could do nothing but shadow it to the flag. Ian Hepburn finished third a full lap behind all this in his Westfield, even being described as a "backmarker" by the commentary team when he was being passed by the leaders - which shows just how quick they were going! John Muir would probably have kept his stalwart Toyota Starlet on the lead lap had he not suffered a race-ending mechanical issue.

SCR.co.uk Comment: It's strange to see so few Saloon and Sportscar runners at the moment. A number vanished around the time the Radicals arrived and we've been losing one here and there ever since. Anyone with some cash should enquire into the very nice blue and silver Sierra Kevin Adam has up for sale at the moment as it just doesn't seem right for that car to not be on track after all these years!

***

The National Legends again added a lot of action to the day and they were no doubt pleased that the dry weather held out after their soakings on Saturday! The Max 5 Mazdas put up another great show and I'm one of a number of people who hope they come back again next year - it was incredible to see them going wheel to wheel for the entire race. The TVR Car Club race was a much closer affair than on Saturday thanks to the dry track and finally the ever-welcome Northern Saloons and Sportscars put on their usual great show, Steven Ferguson making a triumphant return in his Nissan Pulsar after his gargantuan practice accident back in April.

[Catriona]

July 3rd, 2005

The SMRC classes came together again at Knockhill on July the 3rd for the last home meeting for quite a while. Indeed, it's two months to the next Knockhill rounds! With that in mind, despite the typical downturn in the weather as July got underway, everyone was determined to enjoy the day.

The Scottish Legends were first out and in the first heat of the day, three wide moves at the hairpin on lap one saw the order set, Robin Drysdale and Ben Mason taking the point and staying in that order to the end. Ronnie Klos held third but after being passed by Aly Hunter he spun out of contention. Gerard McCosh and Ali Thom completed the top five.

The second heat featured a classic battle between the same top three from race one. A scare occured when Drysdale hit a seagull at mid-distance and he was forced to throw it from his car whilst at speed, later claiming jokily he threw it at Mason to keep him back! Despite this he still managed to hold on for the win, he, Mason and Hunter covered by half a second at the end. Klos, David Thorburn and McCosh were all covered by a similar margin further back for fourth to sixth.

The final saw Klos lead the field away with Drysdale and Hunter in close attendence while Mason and the sliding pack took up pursuit on a damp track. Drysdale took the lead though a mistake allowed Klos back through again. With Klos then going off track and dropping back behind Drysdale again, a mammoth battle ensued between Klos, Hunter and Mason. Touching the Clark kerbs caused Hunter to spin back to fifth place behind Gerard McCosh at the end with Drysdale coming home seven seconds ahead of Mason, who in turn was a similar distance ahead of Klos who had swapped places with Mason a few times before having a quick spin at the hairpin on the last lap.

SCR.co.uk Comment: The second heat featured one of the best Legends battles ever seen - Mason, Drysdale and Hunter are hot stuff behind the wheel of a Legend at this time. It was a shame there was no Lance Gauld at this meeting to make it a four car battle.

***

The Saloons & Sportscars and Caterhams had a double header to look forward to at this meeting and were running together. The first race saw the ever-impressive visiting Vauxhall Caterham of Robert Pritchard take an impressive victory as he romped away to win by five seconds from Stewart Whyte's Escort Cosworth and Jim Geddie's Porsche GT3 which had thankfully been restored to full health after its Cadwell Park misadventures. Whyte had to fight his way through from the back of the field and led Geddie home by around a second. George Brewster and Ian Cowie led home the Caterham contingent in fourth and fifth overall, the last cars on the lead lap.

The second race saw Whyte grab the lead at the green and although Pritchard managed to get back ahead, he was finding the Cosworth powered car to be a worthy adversary. At this point a heavy rainshower appeared and as the track got wetter, Pritchard couldn't keep his slick-shod car in a straight line and spun back to second, allowing Whyte to escape to a twenty-three second victory. Almost a full minute behind the leader came Jim Geddie, his Porsche also on slick tyres so requiring a good bit of care under power. Right behind him came Brewster to win the Caterham race, fifteen seconds ahead of Cowie.

SCR.co.uk Comment: Lots of welcome guest entries this week such as Pritchard's incredible Caterham. Stewart Whyte has really become a contender in his Cossie, working his way up from the poor reliability that dogged his early races in the car and getting some real speed out of it.

***

The Scottish XR2 Championship also enjoyed a double header at Knockhill and Nick Sanderson was once again in storming form. At the start of the first race he dived by Rory Butcher into a lead he would not lose to the end. Butcher received a tap from Peter Cruickshank which sent him off-track and to the back of the pack. Cruickshank and Ian Milton then settled into a hard scrap for second which saw Sanderson extend his lead to eight seconds at the flag. Scott Fraser took fourth and Newcomer Class honours with Stewart Scott right behind him. Lots of battles raged through the field initially with Charlie Thornton and Charlie Cope suffering early accidents which ended both of their days before the field spread out towards the end.

The second race was another Sanderson benefit, his Apex Tubulars car pulling away from the battling pack. Cruickshank and a smoky Milton initially fought over second along with Colin MacKinnon and Stewart Scott but the group was soon joined by a resurgent Rory Butcher. With Cruickshank dropping behind Milton and MacKinnon and with Butcher and Fraser on his tail, five cars crossed the line covered by one and a half seconds. Once again the field spread out as the race went on, though John Findlay suffered race-ending damage after rear-ending Derek McDougall and eventually retired in the pits.

SCR.co.uk Comment: A 24 car field at the start of the day meant the XR2s were as entertaining as ever. It's been a shame to witness Charlie Thornton's troubled return to the series - he seems to have to park up with problems at the tri-oval escape road every second race. At the other end of the scale, Nick Sanderson is showing himself to have really got the hang of the XR2s having worked his way up the ladder and is now making the most of it.

***

The Formula Ford Zetec field was at an all-time low last week, only three entries so with that in mind the race was merged with the Formula Phoenix encounter. Alan Kirkaldy and Joe Tanner fought tooth and nail to begin with, running side by side for a while until Kirkaldy gained a small advantage. Tanner got his head down and caught his team-mate again, making a huge effort to get by, only losing out at the flag by point two-six of a second! Mike MacPherson took his first podium with third.

Meanwhile, Geordie Taylor put in a spirited performance to catch and pass the entire Formula Phoenix field having spun out of the lead, winning by over six seconds from Graham Legget.

SCR.co.uk Comment: Scottish FFord Zetecs actually looked quite good earlier in the year when grid sizes were compared with the National Series but both series are struggling for numbers at the moment. It'll be interesting to see what direction Formula Ford takes as a whole in the near future.

***

The Classic Sports and Saloons race may have been led from start to finish by Al Fleming in his Lotus Elan closely followed by Stan Bernard's Porsche 911, but the stars of the race finished around fifteen seconds behind them. George Leitch in his GBL and Nick Fleming's Lotus Elite had a monumental encounter - the GBL having the nimble handling and straight line speed, but the Lotus managing to brake so late into the corners that they were passing and repassing each other on every lap. A good, clean tussle that never looked like ending in tears.

SCR.co.uk Comment: The second classic battle this series had thrown up - real entertainment.

***

The Radicals were the last series to have a double header and the first race saw Ian Forrest and the vastly improving Tony Allison vanish into the distance. Allison took a look at Forrest a few times but couldn't get by, finishing half a second behind Forrest. Scott Caldow led Ian McMurdo and Gerard McCosh (with Napoleon the pig safely strapped into the passenger seat) close behind. Once the two of them passed him however, they had a titanic struggle to the end, McCosh just grabbing the podium place on the run from the hairpin to the flag on the last lap before having to run with Napoleon to his Legend for the very next race!

The second race was on a damp track and Forrest used his experience to pull away. Duncan Vincent was making his first start in the "Legends" car which had been run by McCosh in race one and he made his mark by passing Allison for second early and going after Forrest, eventually catching him and having a lunge at the hairpin with a lap to go. A similar attempt by Allison on the last lap saw him spin, though he still finished third, five seconds behind Forrest and Vincent.

SCR.co.uk Comment: More good racing from this advancing series - the Aly Hunter owned Legends Racing car is proving very entertaining, having shown up in the hands of McCosh, Vincent and Alan Kirkaldy now and doing well every time.

Full results: www.smart-timing.co.uk/Results%202005_files/Knockhill/3rd%20July.pdf

[Catriona]

August 27-28th (BTCC)

To keep the "It always rains at Knockhill" myth alive for those who only visit the track once a year or tune in on Motors TV to watch the British Touring Car Championship when it makes its single trip north of the border each year, Mother Nature elected to give us the wettest and coldest August day in living memory. It was a shame that the weather put a dampener on the proceedings, as Knockhill put on a great show and organised the event very well, doing an especially good job with the parking this year - finally giving the plum parking spots at the track to season ticket holders which we congratulate them for.

With no Scottish drivers running in the BTCC this year, local interest was a bit lower than usual, but there were several names which should be familiar to club racing fans to be seen racing in the support classes. Formula Ford Zetec Championship contender Joe Tanner made a one-off appearance driving for the Hillspeed team in the Formula Renault races and he took to the winged cars very well, keeping his car on track in the sodden conditions and taking 15th and 12th place finishes in the two races.

In the tin-top races, Jonathan Adam continued his charge towards the Renault Clio Cup crown this season by taking a pair of 2nd place finishes at Knockhill, while in the Seat Cupra Cup, ex-Saloon and Sportscar Nissan Primera Super Tourer driver Jonathan Young continues his attempt to make his name in national motorsport, failing to finish the first race but coming home a creditable 7th in second.

Finally, in the Porsche Cup races Gordon Shedden showed he isn't rusty after his season away from racing by picking up two podium finishes with a 2nd and a 3rd place finish in the two races whilst Apex Tubulars boss Jim Geddie took the Porsche GT3 he normally runs in the SMRC Saloons and Sportscars to 10th in race one and 9th in race two.

Normal service resumes next week when we get back to Knockhill for the penultimate SMRC Championship meeting and with the cameras away from the track, probably some glorious weather!

[Catriona]

September 11th, 2005

There's a kind of "Sod's Law" feeling when you arrive at Knockhill only two weeks after the awful weather the world got to watch live on Motors TV for the BTCC meeting to find glorious weather and temperatures. Having said that, it didn't do any harm with bringing in the punters and a larger than normal club meeting crowd was treated to a long day of action.

The Legends entered their final Championship rounds with a double header - Ben Mason not having to do a huge amount to take the series crown. The first heat saw Lance Gauld lead initially and he fought tooth and nail in his underpowered car to keep Mason behind him until the blue #22 surged ahead. Gauld refused to back down, however and although they were soon caught by Robin Drysdale who found a way past Gauld and almost tapped Mason out of the way at the last corner, Mason held on for the win.

The second heat was originally led away by Aly Hunter, but the red flags flew for an accident on the backstretch which saw Ali Thom and Lance Gauld stranded. At the restart, Hunter, Drysdale and Ronnie Klos led the way but a spin by Klos allowed Mason to close up to the leaders, Drysdale taking the lead and the race win and Mason finally grabbing the Championship spoils.

The final was a fantastic event, initially seeing Klos and Gauld pull out a gap to the warring pack behind them between Mason, Hunter, Thom, Drysdale and Mark Howden. The battle raged until Mason, Drysdale and Hunter had pulled out a little and on the last lap a spin by Klos sent Gauld off track and the three-car group rushed past in that order to take the flag, Gauld regaining the track in fourth.

The first heat of the second round was no different to previous encounters - the usual suspects in Drysdale, Hunter, Mason and Gauld fighting it out to the end followed by the pack which was split into two groups of battling cars.

The second heat was all about Mason. He vanished into the distance to leave Klos, Willis and Drysdale battling over the podium places. Sadly a spin for Willis would end his race, Ali Thom also losing a potentially great result in the incident which dropped him from fifth to the rear. Gauld took third with Klos and Hunter filling the top five.

The final saw Mason once again burst to the front in double quick time, taking the lead from Klos who then fought with Drysdale and Willis over second. Another off-track moment saw Willis lose a potentially great result while Drysdale passed his team-mate to take second, the top three spreading out over the remaining laps. A huge battle behind them originally saw Ali Thom in a great fourth though he dropped behind Hunter and Gerrard McCosh in the dying laps, leading home a train of six battling cars.

SCR.co.uk Comment: As usual the Legends Championship comes to an end earlier in the year with only an exhibition event due to run at the final SMRC meeting in October at the same time as the World Championships in the USA. Ben Mason has broken all the records in his Championship year and no-one seriously looked like taking the crown for him. Big things beckon in 2006.

***

The Formula Ford Zetec field was treated to a double header at this meeting and the usual suspects were joined by some friends this time, eight cars in all. The Championship battle between Alan Kirkaldy and Joe Tanner dominated each race, with Tanner taking the lead in the first from Kirkaldy who had been on pole and taking the major defensive line for the entire race. Unable to work his way by, Kirkaldy came in glued to Tanner's gearbox for second place. Sarah Playfair made a welcome return and ran behind them in third ahead of Sandy Forrest until her gear linkage broke, forcing her out. Forrest finished a lonely third ahead of Robert Mitchell and Neil Fisher who also had a race-long battle. Mike McPherson took sixth with Linda Playfair (16 year old sister of Sarah) finishing seventh in her car racing debut.

The second race saw Tanner lead initially but Kirkaldy was determined to get by this time and after two side-by-side laps he took a lead he was able to build on, winning by a second. Forrest again took third with Sarah Playfair following him home.

SCR.co.uk Comment: The double-header obviously brought a lot of part-time cars out of the woodwork to more than double the field when compared to the previous meeting - maybe there's life in the category yet. Was this the first event in the UK to feature two sisters?

***

With the possibility that the Championship could be wrapped up at the double header at this meeting, there was a lot to play for in the XR2 Championship. Nick Sanderson had been on form all year while his competitors had run hot and cold, leaving him on the brink of taking the title in a year that had gone amazingly well.

Rory Butcher took pole for the first race and initially put up a great pace but, spurred on by the need to get away from the pack behind, Sanderson took a lunge up the inside of the entry to Duffus Dip and (on two wheels over the kerb) took the lead. Peter Cruickshank tried to follow him through but contact was made and Butcher was turned 90 degrees. In an amazing show of car control, he wrestled the car into a tank-slapper and bounced off the side of Cruickshank, straightening the car and continuing in third! After getting his nerve back, Butcher immediately repassed Cruickshank and began closing on Sanderson while Ian Milton, Steven Gray and Colin MacKinnon got to work on Cruickshank. The race was unfortunately ended at this point following a broken axle for David Dryburgh stranding his car in the gravel at McIntyre.

The win in the first race meant that Sanderson only needed a top ten finish to clinch the crown in the second race and he took the lead from the pole. With Butcher, Cruickshank and Milton going quickly behind him, however, he didn't make it too difficult for them to pass, dropping to a safe fourth where he could watch Milton work his way to the point, passing first Cruickshank and then Butcher. The top four crossed the line covered by three seconds with a big battle behind between Steven Gray, Scott Fraser and Ross Marshall for fifth and the usual tight midfield group battles continued all the way to the flag.

SCR.co.uk Comment: Having entered this season having never stood on the Knockhill podium and just hoping to grab his first win, Nick Sanderson can be justly satisfied with his year. As he was one of the drivers behind the idea of the SCR.co.uk concept from the outset we are especially delighted for him and wish him all the best for the 2006 season, wherever he drives.

***

The Saloon and Sportscar race followed a pattern we are becoming used to, with Chris Doherty once again taking a fairly straight-forward victory in his Fiesta. Jim Geddie followed home in second some thirteen seconds behind while Bill Carr looked set to pull off a surprise result in his Mallock, only losing third to the MG ZR of Andrew Morrison in the dying laps, the top four being the only lead lap cars. Iain Cowie dominated the Caterham class once again.

SCR.co.uk Comment: Interest this weekend came from the addition of Alistair McRae to the entry list, running in a Ginetta as he attempts to get his licence upgraded in order to go sportscar racing. In the race, however, he fell foul of a Caterham at the hairpin, going off track and losing a couple of laps in the pits.

***

The Scottish Autotrader Mini Cooper race was something of a stalemate, Oli Mortimer immediately pulling away and leaving a five car battle in his wake for second place in which a few attempts were made but there were no actual changes of position. Vic Covey Jnr, Finlay Crocker, Jamie Cleland and Steve Mitchell eventually filled out the top five.

***

The Radical race at the end of the day looked like an Ian Forrest benefit at half distance with his competitors all strung out around the track, but in the closing laps Tony Allison reeled Forrest in until on the final lap he made an incredible late-braking lunge at the hairpin which saw him go around the outside of the Championship leader. In the drag-race to the line, Allison just managed to pull ahead by a whisker to grab a popular victory.

Full results: www.smart-timing.co.uk/Results%202005_files/Knockhill/11th%20September.pdf

[Catriona]

October 9th, 2005

It's never a good thing to reach the end of the SMRC season as it means 6 months of dark days and cold nights, miserable weather and no racing until April. However the reason for this was made very obvious by the weather at Knockhill on October 9th as it was literally freezing cold. The racing, however, was red hot and the last meeting of the year was probably the best.

As is usual for this time of year, the front-running Legends drivers are in the midst of preparations for the World Series in the USA meaning that those left over met for an end of year exhibition race. 2005 Champion Ben Mason decided to join in and immediately took victory in the first heat after an initial red flag after cars were stranded at two points on the circuit. After passing early leader Gerard McCosh, Mason extended a gap to his main competition which, after a spin by McCosh, came from one-off runners Duncan Vincent and Alan Kirkaldy. David Thorburn and Ali Thom filled out the top five at race end.

The second heat saw Mason once again take the point but all eyes were on Vincent who threw caution to the wind and passed eight cars in two laps! Clearly on a mission, Vincent then dragged up to Mason and passed him to take a lead he would succesfully hang on to until the flag waved, Mason sticking to him like glue all the way. McCosh made up for his first heat disappointment by taking third with a battle between impressive newcomer Lee Fitzpatrick, Kirkaldy, Thom and Stuart Gilchrist.

The final was initially led by McCosh while Mason and Vincent worked together to pass all the other cars one by one until they caught McCosh and his pig, Napoleon. At this point Mason made his move and double-teamed Vincent who was attempting to pass McCosh, latching onto the back of the red car instead and drafting past them both. Vincent passed McCosh and then attempted a last lap, last corner dive at the hairpin to grab the lead, briefly doing so but going too deep and being repassed, then being forced to drag race McCosh to the line for second. James Willis took a lonely fourth with Thorburn and Thom disputing fifth to the line.

SCR.co.uk comment: Fourteen runners for an exhibition race is to be applauded, especially welcome were all the newcomers trying out a Legend for the first time. Special mention to Ali Thom who took his first ever overall "podium" finish with third overall in the points for the day. Duncan Vincent ran like a dream in the car previously driven by Ronnie Klos and provided some great racing and some interesting comments over a microphone taped inside his helmet during the races which was a great touch added by Gary Stagg and the commentary team.

***

The Historic classes had double headers at this meeting. In the Formula Phoenix single seater class, Geordie Taylor dominated each race. The battle to watch each time came from David Kerr and Barry Smith who had a good clean tussle in each race, taking a second and third place finish each.

The class for Classic Sports & Saloons belonged to Al Fleming, though he had to fight for it in the second race to wrest the lead from Adam Bernard's Porsche which would take second place each time. Keeping the podium a family affair was Nick Fleming in each race.

SCR.co.uk comment: Splitting the Historic Ecosse series into Saloon and Single Seater classes this year has worked really well from a spectator standpoint - allowing the similar types of cars to just battle each other has led to some excellent racing.

***

The Radicals have produced a few excellent races recently and this weekend was no exception. The first race was held on a damp track and saw Tony Allison make the correct tyre choice to go with wets while most others went with slicks. After shadowing Ian Forrest for a few laps he chose his moment and slipped by, pulling away bit by bit to the end. Roddie Paterson took third place ahead of Ian McMurdo and Scott Caldow while Aly Hunter's Radical debut came to an end with a mechanical failure following a spin at the hairpin.

The second race saw Forrest needing to take first or second to take the overall Saloon & Sportscar Championship crown of which the Radicals are officially a class. Having passed Allison at Butchers for the early lead he pulled away a little only for Allison and Patterson to close the gap. After Patterson had lost time with a spin at the hairpin, Allison made a last lap lunge into the same corner for the lead, the end result being both he and Forrest touching on the exit and going into the gravel, Forrest facing the wrong way. Allison kept it going to take the win while Forrest got going just in time to finish second ahead of Patterson. The mystery entry of George Brewster's Caterham Cosworth took fourth ahead of McMurdo and Caldow who both suffered spins.

SCR.co.uk comment: Well done to Ian Forrest who apparently takes his 26th Championship in 35 years with the S+S title this year! The Radicals themselves have had a hot and cold year - the field size has been low but occasionally some great races have been had. Allison has obviously been building confidence while Patterson's heroics in his lower-spec Radical have been incredible.

***

The Scottish Formula Ford Zetec Championship has been all about two men this year - Joe Tanner and Alan Kirkaldy have fought tooth and nail for the crown. With a double header at this meeting it was all to play for and in the first race the two of them in the company of Sarah Playfair (sporting new sponsorship in the form of Raceland Karting) led the way. Tanner led while Kirkaldy suffered a spin at Clark under pressure from Playfair, recovering to find himself in fourth behind Mike MacPherson. Tanner won the race by two seconds from Playfair with Kirkaldy grabbing third from MacPherson on the very last lap. Linda Playfair came home fifth.

The second race began with the title chasers knowing they were one point apart and that whoever finished ahead would win. Kirkaldy worked his way past Playfair at the start to shadow Tanner, the three of them pulling away from the others. A great battle ensued with all three nose to tail but we were robbed of a grandstand finish in the Championship when with five to go Kirkaldy slowed right down and toured into the pits to retire. Seeing this, Tanner didn't fight back too hard when Playfair went for the lead and he toured to second place behind her to be confirmed as champion. MacPherson took a deserved podium finish with Linda Playfair in fourth.

SCR.co.uk comment: A great year of the Scottish FFord Zetec Championship which will possibly be its last given the low grids over most of the season. Tanner worked hard for the series win and has made known his desire to move on to Formula Renault in 2006 if the funds can be found. Hopefully they can as he is clearly a very promising single seat racer.

***

The Scottish Saloon and Sportscar classes boasted a twenty-two car field for this event, with some top class machinery on show. Stewart Whyte's ever-quicker Escort Cosworth was on pole for the first race but at the green light he had to pull off with immediate mechanical issues. Chris Docherty immediately spun his "mental" Fiesta into the gravel at McIntyre/Scotsman's and after regaining the track had a mammoth task ahead of him to catch the leaders, who were Robert Pritchard's visiting Caterham Vauxhall and Jim Geddie's Porsche GT3. As Docherty caught up, George Brewster was attacking Geddie in his heavily modified Caterham Cosworth. The Fiesta passed them both, but Brewster then took the second place from Docherty after passing Geddie, only to fall behind the sheer power of the Fiesta which started to reel in Pritchard towards the end. Andrew Gallacher followed this lot home in his Nissan Primera super-tourer ahead of Bill Carr's Mallock, Andrew Morrison's MG and Iain Cowie's class winning Caterham as the only lead-lap cars.

The second race was a bit less fraught but saw a mammoth battle at the front between Pritchard and Docherty all race which went the way of the Caterham driver by a fraction of a second. Their closest challenger was Stewart Whyte some eight seconds back with Brewster right behind him. Geddie and Carr were the only other lead-lap cars with Cowie being first of the Caterham class home again.

SCR.co.uk comment: After the civil war which erupted in the Saloons and Sportscars last year following the inclusion of the Radicals and the tiny saloon fields which resulted, it was heartening to see the largest field in the series in quite some time. Some new cars were on show along with some visitors from the Northern series and it's great to see the category coming back to life as its always a joy to see what new pick'n'mix of cars has shown up at each round.

***

The Scottish XR2 Championship was decided in Nick Sanderson's favour a while ago, but the fight for second place between Ian Milton and Peter Cruickshank was just as interesting as these three had been the class of the field all year.

It was Rory Butcher who was the man to beat on this occasion, however, taking pole and leading the field away. The race was red flagged for an incident which saw Scott Fraser and Ian Milton in one wall, with Ross Marshall in another and the race was restarted over nine laps, minus a few of the original competitors. Butcher pulled away convincingly and would win the race by a second with Cruickshank second and Sanderson close behind in third after he had managed to fight off the attentions of Andy Allan, making one of his infrequent starts. Steven Gray, Ian Fitzpatrick, David Dryburgh and Henry Gillespie were all fairly spread out behind them with Ryan Stirling, John Findlay and Charlie Cope fighting over the lower top-ten positions.

SCR.co.uk comment: Well done to Rory Butcher for winning his first Knockhill race and also taking the Newcomer crown - he'll be an interesting name to follow as he moves up the motorsport ladder. As to who will be back in XR2s next year? Your guess is as good as ours as once again a number of the front-runners will be moving on to new things so chances are we'll have some new names hitting the front in 2006.

***

The Scottish Autotrader Mini Cooper Cup saw Olly Mortimer take his second tin-top series title in two years, though he was made to fight for it by Finlay Crocker, who still had a slim chance of glory. With Mortimer leading away from the line, Crocker shadowed his every move, closely followed by Carl Bradley who was having easily his best run of the year.

A clean tussle between the three resulted in the same finishing order at the flag to give Mortimer the title while Jamie Cleland and Garry Meikle enjoyed a brilliant fight which involved three passing moves in three corners at one point, the second-generation Cleland coming out on top by a fraction. Further down the field, Ronnie Klos made a start prior to his full-time return to the series in 2006, while XR2 Champ Nick Sanderson made a bruised debut as he looks into what he will be doing next year, taking a top ten finish but at the same time not being too happy with some of the driving standards on show.

SCR.co.uk comment: Mortimer once again takes a series win in his first attempt. What will he choose to do in 2006 to try and make it three on the trot?

Full results: www.smart-timing.co.uk/Results%202005_files/Knockhill/9th%20October.pdf

[NS-R]

My favourite season!

N.
www.nicksandersonracing.com