HE INSIDE
first lap, not concede them.
The first lap went well for me until a track blockage
caused a complete restart. It was inevitable that a restart
would be required but still surprising to see fourteen or
fifteen F1 stock cars locked together blocking the bend.
My car was only slightly damaged going into the restart
and once again I got away well. I was moving up the
pack and reached 7th when the yellows came out once
again for the”Speaky” roll over. I had made up good
ground and the car felt good. Looking around me I had
Frankie Wainman JNR, Mark Gilbank and Stuart Smith
close by. At this point bumpers were flying; there was
already a lot of damage. I was keen to keep myself out of
trouble and my tyres clean for the end of the race.
Unfortunately, as is often the case in stock car racing,
trouble found me in the shape of the 390 car.
On the restart, I didn't get away well enough to escape
the inevitable lunge from Stuart Smith jnr. The hit wasn't
that hard, but a lot of oil and debris had collected
between turns one and two and my car didn't have the
grip to slow down. Firm contact with the wall put paid to
my hopes of a finish. Whilst all this was happening,
consolation qualifiers Dan Johnson and Lee Fairhurst
were shooting through the field from the back. It seemed
impossible that these guys could be challenging for the
lead, yet, after 25 hellish laps and a great drive, Lee
Fairhurst finished as the 2012 World Champion with Dan
a brilliant second.
The atmosphere was electric and I will never forget the
look on Lee's face at the end. I’m fairly sure that Lee had
the look of a lottery winner after the discovery of their
win. Although a bit of luck was involved Lee drove an
amazing race and made his own luck on the day. !