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Scottish XR2 Championship 2006

Rounds 9 & 10 – Croft

23^rd/24^th September

Testing 

18 cars made the journey to Croft and most were out testing on the Friday. I did the morning sessions in the dry but Peter Cruickshank snapped his throttle cable and it was probably one of the only spare parts we didn’t have with us! I lent Peter my cable so that he could continue testing and went on a wild goose chase around Yorkshire trying to buy a new cable which Ford eventually managed to find and deliver on the Saturday morning. 

Testing was otherwise uneventful although Iain Fraser went off at Barcroft – the fastest part of the circuit – in the wet and hit the barriers hard. The Burnbrae boys did a stirling job patching the car up and he was out for qualifying the next day.

 Qualifying 

As we were out with the MGs, the track was very busy and it was tricky to get a good clean lap without running into traffic. Lap after lap I tripped over another car but eventually put a quick lap in on my last lap which put me 2^nd on the grid, current championship leader Scott Fraser taking pole by 0.056 second.

 Race (Round 09) 

I made a mess of the start and was down to 4^th by the first corner. After having to defend for a while, I started making inroads and made a late lunge on Iain Fraser at the hairpin and back up to 3^rd. Scott Fraser was leading with Andrew Winchester on his bootlid. At the end of the 3^rd lap, I closed right up on Andrew at the hairpin and we were three-abreast down the main start straight – Scott on the inside, Andrew in the middle and me next to the pit wall. Going into Clervaux on the outside, I braked as late as possible and came across both of them and just managed to hold it – 3^rd to 1^st in one corner! 

I managed to eek out a gap of around a second but Scott started reeling me back in – he got past when I made a mistake at Sunny In but then got past him again down the start straight. We had a great battle but I was suffering from fuel surge at the hairpin and on the next lap, I lost speed which Scott wasn’t prepared for and he whacked me in the rear bumper. I got around the hairpin where Scott cut across and although I moved over as far as I could he went into the side of the car and put the passenger door in and forced me onto the grass. I managed to keep it straight and start to reel him in again. Although it was hard, it was fair move and we were waving to each other when I caught him again! 

I made a lunge on the final lap but Scott was wise to it and held the place across the finish line, 0.2 seconds separating us. 

Race (Round 10) 

The grid for Round 10 was determined by the result of Round 9 so I started in 2^nd again. I got a good start but Scott kept it tight and led into the first corner. I had to defend from Charlie Cope which allowed Scott to get a small lead and we then pulled away from the 3^rd place car. Scott didn’t put a wheel out of place and although I was charging hard, he kept the second or so gap so I sat comfortably in 2^nd place. I decided to stay there and have a go on the final lap. I closed onto his bootlid when he hit traffic and had a go at the final hairpin but again, Scott saw me coming so I tucked in behind him and took the 2^nd place. 

A fitting result as Scott took the championship title for 2006. Iain Fraser also drove a cracking race to finish 3^rd with a very patched up car.

 A funny tale worth mentioning was on the last lap for Davie Dryburgh. Coming out of Sunny on the last lap, his fire extinguisher system went off for no apparent reason and the car filled with water. He was covered head-to-toe whilst still trying to race!!!

 I enjoyed making a ‘guest’ appearance which will likely be the last in XR2s as it looks like the NS-R car may now be sold. We have a few options that we’re looking into for 2007 where we’re planning on returning for a full season although not in the SMRC categories.

 Nick Sanderson

Fraser does just enough in Winchester shoot-out

Knockhill 22-7-06

Scott Fraser leads the field on the opening lap 

Scott Fraser did just enough in the Scottish XR2 Championship on Saturday(22 July) to win the latest round by a margin of just 0.390secs over Andrew Winchester.

Starting from pole position Fraser made a superb start to lead into the SEAT curve ( formerly Duffus Dip) ahead of Winchester and Ross Malcolm.

He quickly opened up a small gap to Winchester and kept it there for the next 12 laps. On the 13^th Winchester made one final effort and closed up on Fraser’s boot lid  despite this pressure Fraser kept his cool to take the win.

Behind the leading pair there was a much closer battle going on for the last podium place. Initially Ross Malcolm had taken thiod from the start but by the second lap he was back in fourth, John Findlay taking his place at the end of the opening lap. In fifth was Colin MacKinnon with Derek MacDougall sixth.

By lap 4 MacDougall was on the slippery slope, loosing out to Stewart Scott then Charlie Cope followed a couple of laps later by Iain Fraser.

Up front as Scott Fraser continued serenely on his way Findlay was coming under pressure from Ross Malcolm and Mackinnon. Something was bound to ‘crack’ and on lap 13 it did. As the trio came through SEAT they all tried to fit on the same piece of tarmac at the same time, Findlay on the inside ran out of road, touched the gravel and lost control, thumping the tyre wall hard. He was out on the spot, the side of his car well mangled. Findlay him self was okay albeit a bit shaken up by the impact.

This left Malcolm with a comfortable third place but Mackinnon had been demoted to fifth by Stewart Scott who had taken advantage of the mellee to get past and up to fourth.

In sixth was Ian Fraser with Charlie Cope seventh in close attendance,  the gap from 4^th to 7^th being only 0.9 secs.     

Scott and Scotsman scotches Sandserson

The Scottish XR’s saw a welcome return off 20005 Champion Nick Sanderson last weekend. Sanderson duly put his car on pole by nearly 2 tenths from Andrew Winchester and Derek McDougal. Initially he’d found the new Duffus Dip(SEAT) somewhat quicker than before, especially the approach to Scotsman which he said ‘came on you much faster’  but it didn’t seem to hinder him. However come race time his words turned out to be a bit too prophetic.

At the start Sanderson got away well with Peter Cruickshank and Stewart Scott tucking in behind. By the end of the first lap Sanderson already had a slight lead over Scott with Cruickshank fighting hard for third with MacKinnon, Derek McDougall and Scott Fraser.

As the race unfolded Sanderson slowly but surely extended his lead over Stewart Scott who was pulling away from Cruickshank who had also broken away from the chasing pack now led by Colin Mackinnon. 

On the sixth lap it all went horribly wrong for Nick Sanderson when he lost it at Scotsman for no apparent reason throwing away the lead and dropping to ninth in the process.

This left Stewart Scott with a comfortable lead, Peter Cruickshank equally at ease in second and the Scott Fraser now in third having moved up a couple of laps earlier passing Mackinnon at the hairpin.

Back in ninth Sanderson was desperately trying to get back into the race passing Charlie Cope at the hairpin on lap 9. One lap later and he was back behind again after a trip onto the grass at the ;dreaded’ Scotsman before reclaiming eighth once again on lap eleven slipping up the inside on the approach to the hairpin.  He then came up against Marc Baynham who withstood everything the 2005 Champ could throw at him and despite repeated attempts to pass at the hairpin Sanderson had to settle for eighth at the flag.

At the front Stewart Scott continued to reel off the laps to win by over 5 seconds from Cruickshank, who for once finished a race without throwing his car off onto the gravel and this despite intense pressure in then latter stages from Scott Fraser who finished just 0.2seconds behind in third.

Fourth  was Colin Mackinnon with John Findlay fifth and Alistair Fraser sixth, the latter pair separated by just one tenth of a second after a race long duel which had earlier included Marc Baynham who only dropped back when he became embroiled with Sanderson.

Scott scores as Cruickshank curses

Steven Gray leads Stewart Scott early in the race

Pre-season title favourite Peter Cruickshank took pole with 2 tenths of a second to spare over second placed Stewart Scott. Third on the grid was Steven Gray with John Findlay fourth.

 At the start Cruickshank made a less than perfect start to allow Stewart Scott to grab the lead into the first corner, Cruickshank was second with Steven Gray  tucked into third. By the end of the first lap Scott had made a mistake and  Cruickshank, (leading below in Duffus Dip)was into the lead and making a break for it opening a small gap to the second and third placed cars with Scott Fraser moving into fourth just ahead of John Findlay.

With Cruickshank looking in control up front Scott and Gray were having a real fight for second with Scott Fraser hanging on in fourth. On lap three Gray briefly got into second  but within a couple of laps Scott again resumed control slipping back into  second on the sixth lap. Further down the field Derek McDougall was making progress through the pack.

Starting in tenth he moved ninth at the start, by lap seven he was seventh which soon became sixth when once again Peter Cruickshank through it all away. A mistake on the ninth lap saw the leader slip all the way back to seventh throwing away a comfortable lead,.
Up front the battle between Scott and Fraser as now for the lead and it was Scott who  eventually came good, opening a gap of a 1.7 seconds by the time he took the chequered flag for a somewhat lucky  but well deserved win. Behind him Steven Gray held onto second with Scott Fraser finishing in third . Fourth at the flag was the recovering Peter Cruickshank who was ‘kicking’ himself for throwing away what should have been an easy win. Fifth went to John Findlay who had the charging Derek McDougal bearing down on him at the end after he had passed Marc Baynam with 3 laps remaining to take sixth just  a tenth behind the fifth placed man.. 

Bicket’s blessing is Baynham’s Bane 

Bicket leads Scott Fraser in race 1 before the latter is removed!

The 2006 Scottish XR2 Championship got underway at the weekend with a double header at Knockhill. In wet and tricky conditions Jamie Bicket made the fewest mistakes, kept his head  and came out on top with two wins from two while Marc Baynham must be ruing the day and the weather!

Practice, on the new, wider and slightly faster Knockhill, saw Andrew Winchester take pole position from Bicket with a time of 65.189, just 0.012secs up. Scott Fraser lined up third with Marc Baynham fourth and perennial XR2 favourite Peter Cruickshank fifth.

As race one got underway Bicket bogged down slightly allowing Winchester and Scott Fraser to get ahead into Duffus for the opening lap, Fraser going slightly wide at Scotsman, dropping him back into third. Into lap 2 and Winchester made a mess of it at Duffus going off onto the gravel trap on the outside allowing Bicket into the lead, as Winchester fought to regain the track he lost it (pictured below at the point of impact!) on the grass spinning back across the pack at the foot of the Dip straight into the path of the pack and the unfortunate Scott Fraser

 The impact put the pair out on the spot and forced everyone else to take evasive action, surprisingly most managed it with David Dryburgh the only victim, his front wing talking a knock in the melee before the marshals put out the red flag.

At the restart, Bicket with a clear track in front off him led the field into the first corner with Marc Baynham putting in a strong challenge before drifting onto the grass at Scotsman, rejoining in fifth. Colin McKinnon took second mounting an early challenge for the lead along with Peter Cruickshank. That was before the latter had a massive off at Duffus Dip on lap 6. As he turned into the corner he got it all crossed up, went sideways and dug into the gravel on the inside of the circuit and  then rolled a couple of times. Cruickshank emerged intact and somewhat muddied as most of the infield appeared to have gone into his car through the open window, shame about the new overalls Peter!.

McKinnon kept up the pressure and during the middle of the race looked as though he would get by, looking the faster car at that tpoint  However it was Bicket kept his head and the lead,  even pulling out a slight gap  in the closing laps. In third place was Charlie Cope who had a lonely race in the first  laps before he was joined by Marc Baynham who had had that early off. As the laps reeled  off Baynham closed in little by little until on  lap 10 he was right on Cope’s tail , slipping by one lap later. He then made a ‘pigs ear’ of it on the very next lap, loosing it at Scotsman  and going off onto the grass and with it Third place (below). This was becoming something that was becoming a habit and one that would have dire consequences later on! At the line Bickett held a two second advantage over Colin McKinnon, third went to Cope  with the recovering Baynham fourth. Fifth was Alistair Fraser with John Findlay sixth.

Race 2 saw more carnage to the XR2 field with Bicket again taking an early lead ahead of once again, Colin McKinnon. Baynham slotted into third and Alistair Fraser fourth. Lap two had most cars holding station apart, that is to Billy McMillan who spun out of ninth at Duffus while back in tenth Peter Cruickshank had somehow got his battered car onto the grid and was making good headway. That was before the marshals spotted what looking like a fuel leak forcing a black and orange flag.

Lap five and things started to get interesting. First Bicket lost it at the foot of Duffus dropping two places in the process, then Charlie Cope and John Turner also had ;’moments’ dropping them towards the back of the field.

Up front Mckinnon had looked relatively comfortable with Baynham second and Alistair Fraser third when on lap 7 steam (or smoke) started to issue from his car. One lap later and it was all over, Mckinnon spinning violently at Scotsman, the car flipping onto its roof up against the tyre wall. Fortunately no harm done and with the car well out of the way the race continued as before but now with Marc Baynham in the lead. Second was Bickett, John Findlay third, David Dryburgh now up to fourth and Alistair Fraser fifth.Lap 13 and it was John Findlay’s turn to loose it in the slippery conditions, his spin dropping him 2 places to fifth.

Finally on lap 14 Baynham had another  moment he would rather forget, his bad habit of coming out of Scotsman too fast struck again, this time  sliding off onto the grass and into the tyre wall and of course out of the race, a race he should have won.This left a grateful Jamie Bicket with nothing to do but coast to finish, crossing the line 24 seconds up on his nearest rival. Second was David Dryburgh, happy with a podium finish after his problems in the first race, while third went to Alistair Fraser. Findlay held on for fourth while in fifth was Scott Fraser and sixth Charlie Cope.

A good day for Bicket who may have been a little fortunate but he kept his head while everyone around him appeared to loose their's. Net result 50 points and two wins! Marc Baynham could only look an and think of what might have been!.

R Pascal

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