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Championship leaders score zero points, Holmes is new leader
First ever non-Class A LMA outright win for Peter Felix
Photo courtesy of  (click for more)
With Stuart Jefcoate unable to make the meeting, it looked a good chance for John Hammersley to cement his position as championship leader.
Qualifying
Simon Blanckley (Honda Accord) set the pace in his first outing since his Mallory Park retirement, and even
though he only did 4 laps, he was a full four seconds clear of John Hammersley's Vauxhall Cavalier. Tony Soper(Alfa Romeo GTV6) was another two seconds back, only just taking 3rd place from the Class C MG
ZR of Peter Felix. David Roberts got the better of Jason Holmes in the battle of the Rover Tomcats, with Jim Mepham's Renault Megane in close attendance, while Mark Hammersley just edged Simon Jackson's
Vauxhall Nova, the Nova having an eventful weekend shearing engine mount bolts on Friday testing, and then losing the back brakes in this session.
Race 1
After the slowest pace lap known to mankind, the race finally started. Alas for Simon Blanckley it was over almost as soon as the new engine in his Honda Accord failed. With championship leader John
Hammersley's Vauxhall Cavalier losing its 100% reliability record this year with clutch failure after 7 laps, it
was time for a new race winner for 2006 to step forward. Conventional wisdom said that Tony Soper should have mopped up the points in his Alfa Romeo GTV6, but Peter Felix had other ideas and triumphed over
Soper by just 0.3 second. An excellent achievement and the first time in three years of the LMA Euro Saloons where an outright win has fallen to a car outside Class A.
Jason Holmes and David Roberts were battling hard in the Tomcats until Roberts' car succumbed to a misfire leaving Holmes to take third place and the Class B win, but not before Roberts had taken the
fastest lap points. Simon Jackson's expected race with Mark Hammersley came to nought as Hammersley's Fiesta was overheating leaving him well off Jackson's pace, but both took their respective
class wins.
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Photo courtesy of (click for more)
Race 2
With an overnight break, drivers had plenty of time to try and solve their woes. Not enough for the super tours of Blanckley and Hammersley, they both left the circuit on Saturday, never to return. Soper had
changed the plugs in the Alfa in the hope of clearing a misfire, and David Roberts hoped he had cured the misfire on his Tomcat.
An excellent start saw Tony Soper pull away from Peter Felix (who was on pole) and take a clear lead into
the first corner, from which he never looked back. The new plugs were plainly working well, it seemed like
his old plugs were now in the MG which had a noticeable misfire through the mountain section. Felix tried to hold on gamely for the opening laps but two or three laps in the gap was already 8 seconds and
increasing at which time his commitment levels dropped away - the marker posts were pleased about that.
David Roberts' Tomcat was still misfiring and he retired early in the race leaving Jason Holmes to romp to
an uncontested win. late in the race Felix slowed dramatically, Holmes taking 12 seconds off him on the
penultimate lap. Unfortunately for Holmes, he didn't realise it was the last lap and he lifted off a touch when
second place could have been his. Jim Mepham also closed up late in the race but not quite enough to threaten Holmes for that last podium spot.
Mark Hammersley's Fiesta was in much better health and he and Simon Jackson were trading places early
in the race before Hammersley made a move stick. Even then Jackson almost got back late in the race as his confidence in the Nova's brakes built back up. Another class win for both of them.
All change at the top. With John Hammersley not scoring any points, and Stuart Jefcoate electing not to enter this round, Jason Holmes moves into the championship lead with Jim Mepham just edging past
Hammersley for 2nd. Holmes has yet to play his joker, but Mepham has already dropped a round, so its going to be close up at the top.
Race 1 Result:
Winner: Peter Felix (MG ZR), 2nd Tony Soper (Alfa Romeo GTV6), 3rd Jason Holmes (Rover Tomcat), 4th Jim Mepham (Renault Megane), 5th Simon Jackson (Vauxhall Nova), 6th Mark Hammersley (Ford Fiesta)
Class Winners: Class A Soper, Class B Holmes, Class C Felix, Class D Hammersley, Class E Jackson
Race 2 Result:
Winner: Tony Soper (Alfa Romeo GTV6), 2nd Peter Felix (MG ZR), 3rd Jason Holmes (Rover Tomcat), 4th Jim Mepham (Renault Megane), 5th Mark Hammersley (Ford Fiesta), 6th Simon Jackson (Vauxhall Nova)
Class Winners: Class A Soper, Class B Holmes, Class C Felix, Class D Hammersley, Class E Jackson
Next race: Anglesey 18-19th August
With support from Mark Fish Motorsport and Alpha Composites
Report by Trevor Nicosia, Car 10 ( www.nyssaracing.com )
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