Anthony Dunn Racing
anthony dunn. racing driver. tutor. presentor.
News
Scarlet Dunn has arrived!
| Posted on June 9, 2011 at 5:00 AM |
Amanda Whitaker & Anthony Dunn are proud to announce the birth of their first child Scarlet Jane Whitaker Dunn on Thursday 2nd June.
Scarlet was in such a hurry to meet the world that she couldn't wait to get to Darlington Hospital - she instead arrived at 12.20 pm at Newton Aycliffe Doctors Surgery!
She weighed just 6lbs but mother and baby are doing well and are now home starting their new lives.
Amanda & Anthony would like to thank everyone, particularly the mid-wives at the Jubilee Medical Group in Newton Aycliffe and to all their family, friends and neighbours for the well wishes and gifts.
For more pics of Scarlet and family see here:
Anthony flies at Silverstone
| Posted on April 19, 2011 at 11:08 AM |
Anthony had a good ‘comeback’ race this weekend at Silverstone in the Radical UK Cup championship. The 2007 Radical Enduro SR3 champion proved he’d lost none of his competitiveness in by qualifying 2nd in the ultra competitive SR3 class alongside former SR8 champion and friend Stuart Moseley.
In race one, team mate Timothy Lyons took the start and drove a consistent stint although was unlucky to be tagged by another car causing him to loose a good chunk of time. Anthony set the third fastest race lap, albeit in traffic & finished 13th in class - the earlier lost time robbing the pair of a likely top 10 position.
In race two it was Anthony’s turn to start and after a fraught opening lap found himself in 4th position behind Moseley, Radical works driver Rob Wheldon and 2007 Radical championship arch-rival Bradley Ellis. He closed on Bradley and slipped past at the new Village complex as Bradley started to fade due to a slow puncture.
Anthony then set about closing the gap to Moseley & Wheldon who were circulating in close proximately with Wheldon looking for a way past but the experienced Moseley making no mistakes. A succession of fastest laps took Anthony within striking distance and after Moseley got baulked by a backmarker at Copse allowing Wheldon to finally slip through Anthony had a good run out of The Loop onto Wellington Straight, slipstreaming Moseley and diving down the inside into Brooklands to take 2nd. He then closed on Wheldon and 2 laps later repeated the move to take the class lead!
Shortly after he handed over to Timothy and despite loosing a good chunk of time in the pitlane due to starting problems, Timothy brought the car home in 9th place in class. The pair were also awarded an extra point for Anthony taking fastest lap.
Both Anthony & Timothy were very pleased after the event: “I’m glad I could take the fight to Stuart and Rob” said Anthony. “They are two of the best Radical drivers in the business so to be able to prove my pace compared to them is very satisfying - and especially amongst such a big field. Timothy and I will work together to improve the overall performance to try to get a podium result before long.
Check out a video of the race here:
They next race at Oulton Park in May.
Anthony back in Radical action!
| Posted on February 21, 2011 at 9:38 AM |
Anthony made a return to Radical sportscar racing again this weekend at the Ascari Race Resort in Spain.
He was partnering client Timothy Lyons who he coaches through his IWannaGoFaster.com business. Although racing isn't new to Timothy having raced for a number of years in Formula Ford 1600 in the late 1970's & early 80's, it was his first competitive event for nearly 30 years and his first in a sportscar.
Having won the 2007 Radical SR3 British championship, Anthony was keen to be on the pace of the front runners in this very competitive category. He achieved this by running amongst the top guys in free practice and having a good dice with winner Alex Kapadia on track in race 2 and setting the second fastest lap time.
Anthony & Timothy finished 5th & 9th in class in the two races - a modest result but a good foundation to start with. "We never expected to be on the pace as a pairing just yet - this was just the start to get Timothy used to driving competitively again and how this type of racing works and for us to build on working together" said Anthony.
They will be racing together in the full Radical UK Cup & potentially at rounds of the European Masters, although Anthony may miss one race in June due to the birth of his first child with wife Amanda Whitaker.
1st in Euro, 2nd in UK SPEED Series
| Posted on October 11, 2009 at 4:28 PM |
By finishing on the podium at Silverstone, Anthony, Barry & the RLR Msport team finished 1st in the European & 2nd in the 2009 UK SPEED Series.
The pair won 2 races in 2009 - equal to Rob Garofall's championship winning campaign - although Garofall was more consistent through the year and took a deserving overall title. The team were awarded their trophies in the evening presentations after the Silverstone race.
'The Team': From left to right: Shaun (RLR Msport), Anthony, Barry & Nick (RLR Msport)
Podium to finish
| Posted on October 11, 2009 at 3:45 PM |
Anthony & Barry finished their 2009 SPEED Series campaign with a solid 3rd place at Silverstone in the final race of the season.
Barry took the helm in qualifying, finishing in 9th place in a very tricky wet session. The top order was so close that positions 4th to 10th were covered by just a few tenths.
At the start, Barry ran in a strong 6th place, closing on those ahead but a moment at Becketts dropped him to 7th and he couldn't reclaim the lost ground despite again lapping as fast as the 3rd place driver.
Anthony took over half way through the 3 hour race and chased down Jean Lou Rihon to take 3rd. He resisted a late race challenge from the Woodcock Brothers Ligier to consolidate 3rd place.
The position was enough to earn the team 2nd place in the 2009 UK SPEED Series and 1st in the European Series.
On the pace in CER
| Posted on September 14, 2009 at 6:06 PM |
Anthony shook down Sandy Watson's Chevron B19 at Silverstone on his first competitive outing in a historic racing car. He was on the heels of some much quicker cars in the Classic Endurance Racing series, a support race to the Le Mans Series weekend on the full Grand Prix Circuit.
He qualified 5th, despite missing the opportunity to put new tyres on & get a clear lap in qualifying: "We had the pace to be on the front row, so it's a shame we missed that chance" said Anthony.
Sandy competed in Saturday's qualifying session, but unfortunately, the pair couldn't compete in the race due to an engine problem which couldn't be rectified in time for the 60 minute race.
Snetterton 6hr Revenge!
| Posted on August 23, 2009 at 3:42 PM |
Barry, Anthony & RLR Msport took their revenge at Snetterton this weekend with a resounding victory in the SPEED series 6 hour race.
The team put behind them the their frightening pitlane fire in 2008 as they took the lead after 1 hour and never looked back, winning the race by a clear 3 laps ahead of Sarah Reader / Graham Fennymore's TFL Juno.
The start was dominated by the Ligier of Sam Hancock who had lapped the entire field apart from the chasing Norma of Nick Padmore after just 30 mins. However, the JOTA driver's stint was to be for nothing as team mate Simon Dolan collided with a backmarker shortly into his stint. Barry caught and passed Jean Lou Rihon who had taken over from Padmore and ran strongly, setting a good pace.
A little trip wide onto the grass at the exit of Coram, causing Barry to miss the chicane thankfully didn't cause major damage and Anthony nursed the car home to the chequered flag in the dusk to another deserved victory.
DNF at Brands
| Posted on August 2, 2009 at 3:07 PM |
After the highs of their maiden SPEED series victory at Spa-Francorchamps Barry & Anthony came back to the ground with a bump with an extremely disappointing non-finish at Brands Hatch.
Racing on the majestic Grand Prix circuit, one of their favourite places in the UK, Anthony & Barry were looking forward to the race.
Anthony took the opening laps in qualifying, putting them 3rd on the grid. Concerned that they may slip down the order, Barry attempted to shave a few tenths off the time, but ended up with a heavy trip through the gravel at Paddock Hill, causing an electric problem that was to prove even more costly in the race.
Having to repair the car, the team just managed to get Barry into the race start on time. Despite a big spin at the start, caused by Barry having to avoid a very early braking Richard Philips, Barry quickly reclaimed his 3rd place and settled into a strong stint.
However, after just 30 mins the electrical problem reoccurred, grinding Barry's Ligier to a halt at Sheen Corner at the back of the circuit. He was towed back to the pits but the team found a major short circuit in the wiring which had destroyed some of the wiring and the car could not be repaired in time.
The race was extremely close and was just won by Rob Garofall in a Juno despite Graham Fennymore closing fast towards the end as the rain worsened. The race was red flagged "at the right time" according to Garofall!
Victory at Spa!
| Posted on May 30, 2009 at 2:46 PM |
Anthony & Barry finally took a victory in the SPEED series (formerly VdeV UK) at their favourite track, Belgium's Spa-Francorchamps.
Barry took his turn to qualify the Ligier JS49 and outlined his continuing improvements by qualifying in an outstanding 3rd position, just 1 second away from Pole Position and ahead of many professional drivers including Le Mans driver & team mate Phil Bennett and regular pace setter Rob Garofall. An impressive acheivement considering it still being only his third full season in racing.
Anthony took the lead of the race from Simon Dolan's Ligier at the first corner and pulled out a lead of nearly 1 minute after driving a full stint of 1 hour 45 mins of the 3 hour event.
Barry then took over and maintained a big gap, despite Rob Garofall closing down his lead initially. Garofall ran out of fuel in his Juno and coasted into the pit lane with nearly 30 minutes to go, giving Barry a lead of over 3 minutes to his next nearest competitor, Lee Atkins Juno.
A late fuel stop was made by RLR for Barry and such was their efficiency that they cruised home to over a 2 minute victory over Garofall who had fought his way back past Atkins up to 2nd.
"I managed the tyres at the start because it was a hot day, so I didn't romp away at first, but once I started lapping the traffic later in the race, it paid dividends and I could pull out the gap" said Anthony.
"We weren't 100% sure if we could do the race on one fuel stop or not, but it soon became clear that we and the rest of the field for that matter - had no choice because of the length of Spa's straights & the time we are on full throttle for.".
"I'd like to thank the team for working so hard over the weekend - it's a long overdue win for all of us!".
Anglesey Disappointment
| Posted on May 17, 2009 at 2:44 PM |
The start of the SPEED series at Anglesey was a disappointment for Anthony, Barry & RLR Msport.
Despite having been on the pace in testing, qualifying was a disappointment as a combination of issues made Anthony start in a grid slot of only 6th. Windy conditions made the car unpredictable and a locking rear end into slow corners caused by a oversized rear tyre caused Anthony to be off the pace.
Despite this, Anthony took the opening stint and raced well to run in 3rd place at the start behind Nick Padmore's Norma & Rob Garofall's Juno. However, the locking rear end caused Anthony to have an uncharacteristic spin and he dropped to 7th just behind team mate Phil Bennett. Anthony repassed Bennett shortly after, but it was all to come to nothing as the car cut out with electric problems that lost the team a dozen laps in the pits and Barry rejoined.
He drove a good stint but could not reclaim the lost time & finished in a distant 8th place.
Finally on the podium!
| Posted on October 20, 2008 at 2:42 PM |
Anthony Dunn & Barry Gates finally made it onto the podium in VdeV UK in the final round at Silverstone.
After starting from 4th place, Barry got quickly into the groove in his Chevron Racing Team Ligier JS49 and consolidated his position, staying with the leading pack on the opening laps. He took 3rd position when Adam Derbyshire ran wide at Becketts whilst attempting to take 2nd place from Lee Atkins.
Over the next 30 minutes, he continued to put in consistent laptimes and although suffering with understeer, still stayed in the hunt and handed the car to Anthony in 4th place. Anthony also suffered with the handling problems - caused by a broken diffuser - and although couldn't keep pace with the leaders, he was still able to run a strong 3rd.
Little by little he was gradually being reeled in by the TFL & Piranha Juno's of Simon Pullan and Graham Fennymore. However, he kept his head and although the gap dropped as low to 4 seconds at one point, he gradually managed to stem the tide and pulled the gap back out.
3rd place looked secure, but with 10 minutes to go a momentary lapse of concentration caused him to go wide at Becketts, across the grass & narrowly missing a gravel trap. He rejoined, but debris in the radiators caused a worry with rising engine temperatures. Luckily, it stabilised and he was able to take the final spot on the podium - and their best results of the year.
"We've been in a similar position a few times this year, but for whatever reason it hasn't happened" said Anthony "But it's nice to finish the year with a good result - and hopefully we can build on this over the winter and into next year".
Setting the pace at Croft, but an opportunity lost
| Posted on September 30, 2008 at 2:36 PM |
Anthony, Barry & the Chevron racing team put on their best performance of the season in round 7 of the VdeV UK Championship at Croft.
After a difficult couple of rounds at Brands Hatch & Assen, the team were determined to get closer to the pace. A good test at Donington in the week before the event allowed them to find a better setup on the car and the pace showed when they got to Croft. Anthony was immediately a pace setter in the practice sessions and lined up 3rd in qualifying, missing pole by just a tenth of a second in the most competitive grid to date. In fact, the top 5 were covered by only 15 hundredths of a second!
Barry took the opening stint and despite making a slightly shakey start, was gradually getting into his rythm when an electrical problem hit the car. The Ligier ground to a halt right at the start of the pitlane, but Barry managed to recover it into the garage and the team set about finding the cause. A master switch problem was diagnosed and although quickly replaced, they had lost a good bit of time and Barry rejoined 11 laps down on the leaders.
However, he got his head down and used 3rd place Ally McKever as a carrot - who was just ahead on the road. He gradually closed the gap to McKever and went past as the Scot made a mistake. He then settled into a pace that soon saw him as the 2nd fastest car on track - even quicker than the eventual winner Gareth Howell.
Anthony took the helm at the 1 hour 45 minute distance and quickly set about a charge that saw him as the fastest car on track by between 1-2 seconds per lap for almost the entire remainder of the race. He passed every front runner, unlapping himself twice from the leader Phil Quaife (who had now taken over from Howell) in the process, although a quick trip to the grass at Sunny In - and then to the pitlane to clear the resultant blocked radiators - meant he actually had to overtake Quaife three times!
Despite the effort, the pair finished in 9th place, 8 laps down from the winner.
"It was frustrating to once again have a problem, but good to have such pace. I feel we've gone in the right direction with the car and I'm actually quite proud of the work we've done, even though on paper we can't show it.
I think it bodes well for the remaining race at Silverstone. Barry drove brilliantly to lap faster than some of the Pro's and we'll all just keep pushing to get the result we know we can" said Anthony.
Anthony & Amanda race against each other in VdeV UK
| Posted on September 30, 2008 at 2:33 PM |
For the first time in their car racing career, County Durham partners Anthony Dunn & Amanda Whitaker competed against each other on track in VdeV UK at Croft this weekend.
Amanda picked up the last minute deal to race a Ligier JS49, partnering former British Touring Car Race winner (and brother of Sporty Spice Mel C) Paul O'Neill in the 3 hour race. It was her first modern sports prototype race - all her background has been in racing open wheel single seaters and she is currently lying 3rd in the HSCC Formula Ford Championship.
Anthony has been racing in the series all season also in a Ligier JS49 with Barry Gates who has just taken over running of the VdeV UK series. Both cars were run by the same team Chevron Racing with Amanda's Dad Ronnie, Uncle Eddie & long term mechanic Rob engineering her car.
"It's really thanks to the work of Barry & Bryce Wilson of If Motorsport - so we are grateful to them for sorting out the deal" said Anthony.
The pair are both 34 and have been together for over 8 years, having met at Silverstone where they are racing instructors. They live in Woodham, Newton Aycliffe - 14 miles from Croft.
For the record, it was 1-0 to the girls with Amanda finishing 8th & Anthony 9th, both having had problems in the race, although Anthony set a faster lap time!
For more information on the race series visit: www.VdeV-UK.com
Hero to zero at Assen
| Posted on September 9, 2008 at 2:27 PM |
Anthony & Barry were once again in the mix in VdeV UK as the series made an overseas visit to the Assen TT circuit in Holland.
Although they only qualified 5th, Anthony took the start and held a strong 4th position in the opening laps and took 3rd from Ally McKever as a light rain shower hit the track.
Shortly after the rain started to fall heavier and Anthony and the team took a gamble staying out on slick tyres in the expectation the shower would be shortlived. Anthony took the lead as the others pitted and kept the car on the track in very difficult conditions.
However, their strategy backfired as the rain continued, leaving them falling backwards through the field.
After 1 hour 30 mins of the 3 hour race, the track started to dry sufficiently enough for the slick tyres to gain some temperature & Anthony fought back through those who had passed him moments before, lapping 4 seconds a lap faster than the rest of the wet shod runners.
He handed the car to Barry in 8th place after the mandatory 1 hour 45 minute limit that a driver can be in car. Barry drove a fine opening stint, lapping at a good pace but after a short while the rain started falling again! This time Barry came into the pits, changing for wets. In an attempt to make back the lost time he pushed too hard & had a few 'moments' into the gravel and fell back to 10th.
The team decided to call it a day after a final call to the gravel trap, concerned of damage to the engine and the pair were classified 11th at the end.
"Not the best of races all round" summarised Anthony "but we'll learn from it as a team and come back stronger for the next one".
They next race at Croft, Anthony's "home" circuit and the scene of the pair's first race in 2006.
Watch a video of the opening stint at Assen below
6th place in 6th gear
| Posted on August 10, 2008 at 2:24 PM |
Following their dramatic pitlane fire at Snetterton 3 weeks ago, Anthony and Barry finished 6th in VdeV UK this weekend at Brands Hatch in their Ligier JS49.
Mechanical problems in qualifying relegated them to 10th place, a considerable way down on their test form as one of the pace setters.
Barry took the opening stint of the 3 hour race and in wet conditions made forward progress to fight for 6th place, despite handling problems in the wet conditions and occasional gear selection hiccups.
As a safety car was deployed due to a stricken car, Barry then handed to Anthony and they resumed in 8th place.
Anthony chased down the gap to those in front, overtaking the No.1 Juno of Freeman / Williams and Sarah Reader's Juno for 6th place, which then turned to 5th as the Ligier of Paul O'Neil / Gareth Howell stopped at Pilgrim's drop bringing out the safety car.
At the restart, Anthony battled to keep the Norma of Nick Padmore behind, but couldn't resist the attack "I was struggling badly with understeer and despite defending hard he was just too quick" said Anthony.
In the last 15 minutes of the race, the car suddenly stopped changing gear and he limped home in stuck in 6th.
"That wasn't the most exciting bit of the race, but at least we finished and got some points - and had less drama than Snetterton! Overall though, we need to work more on our setup, so by the next race we'll hopefully be back to where we should be on speed." said Anthony.
They race again at Assen in Holland in a month's time.
A Potential Win Up In Flames
| Posted on July 20, 2008 at 8:56 AM |
A potential race win for Anthony Dunn & Barry Gates went up in smoke at Snetterton this weekend after a problem whilst refuelling took them out of the lead.
Despite only qualifying in 7th, Anthony made a strong start to stay with the leading pack and kept his head when rain hit the circuit, taking advantage of the conditions to jump up to 2nd behind Rob Garofall's Norma.
Once the track dried, he level pegged Garofall on pace and kept Pole sitter Nick Padmore behind. The trio streaked away and were a lap ahead of the rest of the field after an hour of the 6 hour race.
Anthony took the lead of the race as the others pitted and held this until the pitstops. As the Chevron Racing Team went to refuel the car, the refuelling unit failed, dousing the car in petrol which then ignited on the hot exhaust. Thanks to quick work from Chevron and surrounding teams & fire marshalls, the blaze was quickly brought under control, but left the car badly scorched and covered in powder.
The team went to work checking the car over and cleaning vital components and together with Mountune racing did a brilliant job of getting the car back out with Barry at the helm, albeit 43 laps down.
The pair had a good pace over the remaining 4 hours and even clawed back a lap on the leaders.
"Our strategy and race pace was excellent this weekend - the fact that we took a lap back showed we could have won. Barry was very quick and the car was reliable - it's just a shame we had this refuelling failure.
It's something that I know VdeV UK are concerned with and the team will work closely with them and the equipment suppliers to prevent it from happening again. We'd like to extend our thanks to the other teams & fire marshalls for their assistance." said Anthony.
The race was won by Rob Garofall & Simon Phillips in their Norma M20F.
The next race is in 3 weeks time on the Grand Prix Circuit at Brands Hatch.
(Before the blaze - did the crop sprayers know something we didn't?!)
Oulton disaster for Dunn & Gates
| Posted on June 29, 2008 at 8:47 AM |
In damp qualifying, Anthony qualified the Ligier JS49 in 7th place, despite only getting one clear lap when conditions were at their best due to an alternator problem forcing them to spend much of the session in the pitlane.
Anthony took the opening stint of the four hour endurance event, slotting in 6th place behind Ivor McCullough's Ligier on the opening laps. He ran closely with McCullough and the Pilbeam of Charlie Hollings for much of the first part of the race and the trio fought their way through backmarkers until the first series of pitstops.
Gates took over the car and after some good pitwork from the Chevron Racing crew, he rejoined in a strong 3rd place and was keeping pace with the leaders.
However, shortly after the 2 hour mark he was caught out by oversteer at Old Hall corner & crashed heavily into the tyres, wrecking the front end of the car & putting them out of the race.
"We struggled in pace a little this weekend and although I initially couldn't match the speed of the top 4, we were strong as a driver pairing and could have won." said Anthony. "It's a shame, and it really was a mistake from Barry but it's still only his 2nd year of racing and he'll learn sooner or later than not everything on a racing car is made of rubber...".
The race was won by Bryce Wilson and Ally McKever in their Ligier JS49, despite having gear selection problems.
Front row but a DNF at Anglesey
| Posted on May 21, 2008 at 8:39 AM |
Anthony Dunn & Barry Gates had mixed fortunes in the 2nd round of the VdeV UK series at Anglesey this weekend.
The pair got off to a good start with Anthony qualifying the Ligier JS49 on the front row of the grid alongside Rob Garofall's Norma M20F.
Barry took the opening stint, slotting in behind Adam Derbyshire's Norma on the opening laps.
He ran strongly in 2nd place until a spin at the hairpin relegated him to 13th place. He recovered quickly & was soon picking his way back through the pack setting laptimes as the 2nd quickest car in the field, but after just 20 minutes of the 3 hour race, he hit problems with the engine.
"I was pushing hard & ran wide on one corner, over some bad bumps which we think dislodged the oil pump belt" said Gates. "I had to pit and although the boys at Chevron Racing did an excellent job to get the car back out again, the damage to the engine was already done and we had to retire shortly after. It was a mistake, which is frustrating but I'll learn from it".
The race was won by Bryce Wilson and Ally McKever in their Ligier ahead of the Norma of Garofall & Simon Phillips.
Watch Anthony's 1.22.9 Qualfiying lap of Anglesey!
Chevron Racing demonstrate pitstop procedures
2008 mixed season opener
| Posted on April 14, 2008 at 8:36 AM |
Barry Gates & Anthony had mixed fortunes in the first race of the 2008 V de V series. Despite limited Donington testing, in a tricky wet-dry qualifying session, they took 5th position on the grid in their Ligier JS49.
In the race, they were hampered by gear selection problems, but Barry still produced a solid performance in the opening stint to stay in touch with the mid-field group.
However, he was caught out by a rain shower after 45 minutes, causing him to slide off the track and become beached in the gravel at Redgate corner. Remarkably, despite loosing 4 laps he was dragged out by a recovery tractor onto the track and back into the race!
At mid-distance the Chevron racing team did an excellent job to refuel the car and change drivers and Anthony took the second stint. Despite the gear problems, he still produced lap times that were competitive and battled through the pack.
He had a good race with ex-F3 driver Charlie Hollings, overtaking his friend on the outside at Redgate and eventually took 8th place as the red flag was thrown 15 minutes early due to a stricken car on track.
"That was a baptism of fire, but at least we finished!" said Anthony. "We were lucky to still be going at all after the gravel trap moment, but we picked up a good handful of points, which may be helpful later in the season. We need to do a bit of work to be more competitive, but we know where the time is to be gained and we'll be more on the case at the next round."
2007 Radical SR3 Champions!
| Posted on October 8, 2007 at 8:22 AM |
Anthony and Barry Gates ended their year successfully winning the 2007 Radical SR3 Enduro British Championship title at Brands Hatch!
Going into the weekend the pair had a 23 point lead, over 'Team RPM' team mate Phil Bailey and his driving partner, newly crowned 2007 British GT Champion Bradley Ellis. In a closely fought contest, the pair did what they had to do in order to take the championship, knowing a 3rd and 4th place would be suffice to win, regardless of what the competition did.
Qualifying
It was a very tight affair in the SR3's, with Anthony and Bradley battling for the Pole Position. The pair traded the top slot throughout the session, inching hundreths here and there until Ellis finally cemented his position with a fantastic 44.8, two tenths faster than Anthony. Former Formula Vauxhall Champion Wayne Douglas made a welcome return to racing on British soil - his first visit to Brands for 12 years - when he was racing against Dunn's now-partner Amanda Whitaker! Sharing with Jeff Collier, Douglas was also in the battle for the SR3 top slot, having causing a stir by setting the fastest time in practice and lined up just a tenth from Dunn in 3rd place, ahead of regulars Paul Thomas, James Harrison and Nigel Greensall.
Race 1
Paul Thomas took the lead at the start, but it was short lived as the red flags were shown due to Martin Schlaeppi's stricken SR3 at the approach to Graham Hill bend - a victim of first lap contact with Jean-Lou Rihon. At the restart, Phil Bailey held the lead from Paul Thomas with Barry just behind and James Harrison and Jeff Collier hot on their heels.
Barry made a decisive moved on Phil Bailey, diving up the inside of his championship rival at Druids on lap 9. He held a close 2nd to Paul Thomas knowing he was in a strong position points position and really showed the maturity he has developed through the year. He handed the car to Anthony and although there was a longer than normal pitstop due to a starting problem, causing them to drop to 4th. Anthony was soon back in 2nd place behind Thomas and treaded carefully through the traffic, ever mindful of the potential points at stake. This allowed James Harrison and the pursuing Bradley Ellis to close, but he held his nerve, just slipping past a backmarker to give himself some breathing space on the last lap with Bradley nipping past James to finish 3rd.
Race 2
Into the final race, Barry & Anthony knew they just had to collect 5 points - a 13th place in class - and the championship was theirs. With this in mind, they opted to start from the pitlane to avoid any first lap collisions. In hindsight it was a wise decision...their main rival Phil Bailey was hit from the rear by James Saggers at Clearways on their first lap, breaking his rear suspension and with it loosing any hope of winning the title. So Barry and Anthony were champions!
Anthony radio'd through to Barry the good news and the clear signal "GO FOR IT!" which Barry did! Although he'd lost approximately 20 seconds on the field due to starting from the pitlane, Barry got his head down, lapping faster than the class leaders and soon was climbing back up the order.
However as the leading SR8's began to close in to lap the SR3's, being anxious not to get in their way now that his title was decided, Barry looked one too many times in the mirrors and approaching Paddock Hill bend missed his braking point and with it a graceful end to the campaign!
"That was the biggest anticlimax possible!" laughed Anthony after the race. "However, we worked hard for the title this year which is my first National Championship win and Barry's too - which isn't surprising considering it's his first full year of racing!".
"The decision to start from the pitlane may have looked odd and it probably cost us any chance of going for a win but we wanted to reduced all the risks to the title and it worked out fine."
ALL PHOTO'S COURTESY OF OLIVER READ
