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 Round eight Oulton Park July 5th The fight for pole was eagerly anticipated
and on paper looked to be a three way fight between Alan Cosby's Ferrari 512, Ted Reddick's 355 and Drummond Bone's Maserati Barchetta (which was making it's debut for 2003). After just
three laps a breakage in the front suspension saw Drummond lose his steering and the Maserati speared into the tyre wall at turn one, causing considerable damage to the front section.
Also in trouble was Lee Penn giving the ex Giles Groombridge Alfa 33 it's first race of the season however on his sixth
lap the engine lost a pot and made some bad noises leaving him a non starter for the race.
Ian Stapletons run of poor reliability continued with head gasket failure compromising
his performance. Back at the sharp end Ted plonked his 355 on pole, 1.7 seconds up on Alan. Less than a second behind were the class B duo of Andy Thompson (Minari) and Tim Lewis
(Alfasud Sprint), both of which were powered by AHM boxer engines. This time it was the
eight valve version in Thompson's Minari which was a fraction quicker than the sixteen valver in Lewis's Sprint. Comfortably heading class D was Westley Evans, his gearbox problems
seemingly behind him, whilst championship and class E leader Roger Donnan was a fine sixth fastest overall and four seconds clear of his nearest rival.
Frantic work and a trip to a nearby Alfa Romeo dealer saw the cylinder head gasket replaced
on Ian Stapleton's Alfa with just minutes to spare. Peter Woodard cut things even finer, an unexpected drive shaft replacement saw him arrive in the pit lane as the grid completed it's
rolling lap and he would have to start right at the back.
It was Cosby who made the early running, hugging the pit wall at the start he hurtled past the
pack and led the first lap. Further back Ted Reddick was a little more circumspect but was
soon tailing the 512 whilst he was shadowed by Thompson and Lewis. After several laps the 512 ran wide allowing Ted's 355 through and he was able to build a small cushion by mid
race. Whilst Cosby posted fastest race lap and closed the 355 down to just 0.4s at the end of the twenty minute race it was Ted who took his third Le Mans AutoItalia win of the season.
Tim Lewis got the better of Andy Thompson for third and fourth places, but Andy had the consolation of fastest race lap.
 The Stapleton GTV was now in rude health and Ian
took fifth whilst Roger Donnan converted his qualifying pace to a satisfying sixth overall. Westley Evans held onto his class victory despite yet more gearbox woes
whilst Stephen Ousley, Charles Cozens and Peter Woodard were engaged in a tussle which ended in Stephen's favour when Charles ran wide at the Fosters
chicane. He clipped a kerb which flicked his 33 into a full roll causing much damage to the car, but fortunately left him uninjured.
News : Roger Donnan still comfortably leads the championship with 238 points. Andy Thompson
is second with 194 points and has yet to play his joker whilst Westley Evans moves into third position with 193 points.
Class A is led by Ted Reddick from John Rutter, Class B will be close between Andy
Thompson and Tim Lewis. Ron Davidson heads up class C but honours here are wide open and could go to Ian Stapleton or Neil Smith by the end of the season. Westley Evans enjoys
a 37 point lead over Peter Woodard and as both have played their jokers it looks to be a battle to the end between them. Class E looks good for Roger Donnan but Bryn Griffiths could catch him yet.
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