218
DEREK FAIRHURST
Race Reports 2008
thanks to Chris Clark
Northampton
Sunday 20th July 2008
European Championship Race
Derek lined up on row 6, one
of the last blue tops on the grid, and a row in front of 212 Danny Wainman.
When the green flag dropped, the usual first lap chaos ensued. Coming out of
turn 4 on the first lap, Derek tangled with the 212 car which ended Danny’s
race when he was spun facing the wrong way on the start finish line with a flat
rear tyre. The contact also resulted in some extensive engine bay panel damage
to the 218 car with the side panel flattened by Danny’s wheel. The bonnet and
chassis also received some superficial damage at the same time.
Derek continued in the race but was running at the back after the contact with
Danny. The 218 car came home in 10th place behind 97 Murray Harrison in 9th.
The race was won by young gun 4 Daniel Johnson with 259 Paul Hines in 2nd and 21 Mark Gilbank in 3rd.
Andy Smith was eliminated early on by a full speed bumper attack by 515 FWJ, the attack putting the 391 car hard into the turn 1 wall with enough damage to put the car out the race. The impact also damaged the 515 car, and ended his chances of a good result. Stuart Smith and Joe Booth suffered a scary crash when they tangled on the back straight and then hit the end of the earth bank on the inside of the corner. Joe’s car ended upside down against the banking but Stuart’s car was launched high into the car and came down with a heavy landing up against the H57 car by the fence. The impact appeared to knock Stuart out momentarily and also cracked his helmet in the impact of landing back on the track.
Derek said that his car was smoking a bit when he drove off the track at the end of the race, so decided to call it day and miss the rest of the meeting and not risk damaging the engine until it can be checked out in the workshop.
Northampton
Saturday 19th July. 2008
The weather was a bit mixed at first but cleared up later on and turned out a nice evening.
Heat 2,
The 218 car lined up for heat 2 and Derek got off to a good start and was running in the top three. But in the later stages he was caught and passed cleanly by 391 Andy Smith. He held on to finish in 4th place behind race winner 141 Carl Pickering, 302 Jim Bamford and 391 Andy Smith.
Final,
This was a proper stock car race with plenty of bumper work going on throughout the entire race, and everyone who finished had to fight hard for their places. About 2/3rds distance, 391 Andy Smith had worked his way up to the front and drove away to claim the win, behind him however a battle had broken out for second and third places. This involved 141 Carl Pickering and Derek in the 218 car, who traded blows for the final three laps and swapped places on each bend. Carl eventually got the better of Derek on the final bend and took second place with Derek holding on for third and the final podium place. Derek, Carl and Andy all had a good laugh about the racing as soon as they climbed from their cars.
GN,
With the European race taking place as the first race on Sunday, the 218 team elected not to race in the GN to save the car from any possible damage.
Heat 2,
Derek was treating this weekend as a test to set up the
car for his world semi final race in August.
A fine 3rd place finish was achieved in his heat behind race winner 16 Matt
Newson and 2 Paul Harrison in 2nd place.
Final,
8th place in the final for Derek, the race being won by 37 Chris Cowley with a last bend hit on 170 Mark Helliwell.
Sunday
Heat 1,
Derek drove well to win the heat and gain another trophy at the Lincolnshire track. He finished in front of 515 FWJ and 41 Robert Broome.
Final,
It was a reverse of fortunes in the final with 170 Mark Helliwell taking the win with a last bender on 37 Chris Cowley. 105 Chris Bonner came home in 3rd place, 322 James Neachell 4th and Derek placing in 5th position.
GN,
Another win for Derek taking his trophy count for the weekend up to two. He came home in front of 16 Matt Newson and 1 Stuart Smith Jnr.
Derek was happier with the set up of his car but still feels that a little fine tuning is needed before the semi final. Ideally he would like to have a practice session at the track so that he can set it up properly without having to worry about other cars on the track.
Heat 1,
Derek got off to a good start and had an early battle with 170 Mark Helliwell,
but was soon passed by 305 Carlos Perez who was on a flyer from the front of
the reds. Carlos went on to win the race only to be disqualified due to weight
issues at the scales post race. The 218 car was struggling later in the race
with front shock issues again and was passed late on by race winner 21 Mark
Gilbank, 259 Paul Hines and was pushed wide on the final bend by 1 Stuart Smith
Jnr. A 4th place, the result after Perez’s exclusion.
It was all hands on deck in the pits as the car came back in with it stuck in
gear, so the 218 Team including Alan and Tony set about removing the Doug Nash
box and stripping it down to find the source of the problem and fix it. The
repair was done in time for the final.
Final,
Derek set off again well and was chasing the race leader Mick Harris, but the
car once again struggled with handling and Derek was pushed out wide and then
passed by the field of red tops. He decided to retire from the race in the late
stages.
The engine is now coming back out of the car to go back to Dave Powell to have
some work done on the pistons / cylinder bores.
Heat 1
A 10th place finish was enough for the 218 car to qualify for the Millers Oils Final.
Final
Derek raced to a 7th place result
finishing behind 21 Mark Gilbank and in front of 337 Dave Willis. The race was
won by 391 Andy Smith who continued his good form from the day before at Cowdenbeath.
With the engine now having been fitted with a new cam by Dave Powell, the car hopefully has more potential now.
Heat 1
Derek’s race ended in the fence on the first bend, he turned in but the car under steered into the wall due to wrong set up on the front shocks. This puzzled Derek as nobody had touched them since Buxton and they were 11 clicks away from where they should have been set.
Consolation
With the suspension now set correctly, Derek drove a fine race to finish in 2nd place behind race winner 484 Craig Utley and in front of Cowdenbeath favourite 79 Gordon Moodie.
Final
The race ended early when the 218 car tangled with 1 Stuart Smith Jnr and both cars retired with some minor damage. So no repeat of the 3rd place finish that Derek earned in the 2007 Scottish Championship. 391 Andy Smith retained his Scottish Champion crown with an excellent drive and a last bend attack on 2006 Scottish Champion 484 Craig Utley.
GN
The GN took place as the first
race of the day at Knockhill on the Sunday. Derek placed outside the top 10
at the conclusion of the race.
Skegness was Derek’s first meeting of the season and the team had to work hard throughout the week to get both the car and bus ready for the trip. Last year at this meeting Derek won the final and was the first recipient of the Mo Jones Memorial Trophy, so he was going to try and retain the trophy.
Heat
2
Derek drove a superb race and made his way to the front through a field of 8
whites and yellows, and 4 other blue tops. Once at the front he never looked
back and won the race convincingly with 2 Paul Harrison in 2nd and
H247 Gary Castell in 3rd.
Final
The final was a hard fought race and Derek finished in 9th place with the win and the Mo Jones Trophy going to 3 Chris Fort who celebrated with donuts (burning rubber kind !) on the start finish line. 2 Paul Harrison was 2nd and 322 James Neachell finished 3rd.
GN
Due to a large car count and an already full grid, the 218 car was locked out of the race along with 5 other cars including 391, 4, 288.
The race was won by 322 James Neachell with 1 Stuart Smith in 2nd. Matt Newson had been right up there in the Billy Tom O Connor car, but blew his engine coming round the final bend, leaving him to coast across the line to a 5th place finish. This allowed both 515 and 484 to pass him one either side for a drag race to the line with FWJ getting 3rd place and Craig Utley 4th place.
This would be a 4 heat format with each driver racing in 2 heats each. The top 25 points scorers would make the final along with 5 from a consolation event. Derek would line up in Heats 1 and 4
Heat 1
The race was won by 484 Craig Utley who ran away at the front from yellow. 295 Wes Goodwin (one of Team Fairhurst’s sponsors) was 2nd and 2 Paul Harrison was 3rd. Derek placed 4th and reported that the car felt a bit arsey so some changes would be made for Heat 4.
Heat 4
The race started well for the 218 car and Derek passed several cars in the early laps. But then the oil warning lamp came on so he slowed down and dropped to the back of the pack. All appeared to be ok with the engine so he continued to race back up through the red tops. All was fine until he caught up to H217 Ron Kroonder who hit Derek wide on third turn bend. Derek was not happy with Ron’s driving style and race tactics, so returned the favour going into turn one on the next lap. It was a massive hit that sent the H217 car towards the wall and into a huge spin in a big cloud of tyre smoke. It was the hit of the race but Derek also ran wide and was hampered by the spun Kroonder car. A finish out of the top 10 was the result but the result from Heat 1 was enough to earn Derek a place on the final grid.
Ron Kroonder would have to qualify from the consolation race which he duly won.
UK Open Championship Final
Derek was happy with his car set up for the race and got away well. While all the red tops fought hard, not many survived the carnage and there were retirements from 1, 391, 515, H217, 305, 3. Frankie Wainman Jnr tangled with Ron Kroonder in turn 2 and both went out with extensive car damage. 391 Andy Smith had an altercation with 295 Wes Goodwin, 484 Craig Utley ripped of the inside front wheel on the tyre barrier on turn 1. All this allowed the blue tops to run away at the front and four blue tops filled the top 5 places.
The race was won by 447 Dave Hopkins who drove a brilliant race and stayed out of trouble to claim his first title win in his car which is being looked after this year by FWJ Racing. 2nd place went to 55 Craig Finnikin, with Derek finishing a very creditable 3rd. A few more laps and a bit more traffic and Derek might have reeled in the two cars that finished in front of him.
Derek was pleased with his first weekend of racing of the year, with a heat win and 3rd in the UK Open Championship.
