FORMULA FORDSTERS PAY TRIBUTE TO BERNARD BAXTER

Martin Short was the winner of the Bernard Baxter Memorial Trophy. Photo: www.bournephoto.co.uk

The sun shone on Anglesey for the BRSCC /Anglesey Circuit Club Winter Raceday and all present were treated to an action packed eight-race programme. Ian Smith was on-hand to report as the curtain finally came down on the BRSCC season.

Having achieved his first overall race win at Oulton Park in late October to secure the 2011 Moose Trophy, Martin Short kept up his winning form on Sunday. The pair of FF1600 races were aggregated for the Bernard Baxter Memorial Trophy and Short took his Ovalworld/Medina Sport Van Diemen to a pair of wins and thus the coveted trophy.

Neil Hunt had brewed a firkin of "Bernard’s Best Bitter" at his microbrewery in Leeds and all the drivers and teams gathered round after the races to toast Bernard. Bernard’s partner Angela, who had travelled to the circuit, along with Bernard’s son Gary and his mother, pulled the first pint. A fitting tribute indeed!

Second and third places went the way of David McArthur’s MedinaSport Van Diemen and Jamie Jardine in his new Dave Hart Racing Ray GR11 – the pair only separated by a fastest lap tiebreak. The aggregate Pre90 winner was the UCLan Racing Reynard 89FF of John Farrell.

The 45-minute Enduro race looked a certainty for the awesome Porsche 993 GT2 of the Winstanley brothers. However, just after the driver change the gearbox broke leaving 67 year-old FF1600 racer Jeff Hodgson in his Harts Caravan Park Chevron GR8 to take the win by a lap. Behind Jeff, a fine scrap ensued between the BMW M3 of James McAllister and Rhodri Hughes and the Tiga SC80 of Charles Fogg and Marcus Carniel.

If you get the chance to see Irish Global Lights on their regular mainland visits then take it – they seldom disappoint! At the flag in the second Irish Global Lights race, just 1.692s blanketed the top six! The gap in the other races were top three 1.336s and top five 2.477s so there was place changing aplenty to keep everybody excited. Peter Drennan, Ivor Miller and Mark Twomey were the respective race winners.

The Sports/Saloon & Caterham Challenge races featured large grids and plenty of action. In the first race, Brett Winstanley took a dominant win in his Porsche 993 GT2 from Doug Carter's Radical and a three-car battle for third that went the way of Cameron Forbes’ Westfield. Keith Ashworth was first Caterham home in 8th place.

Brett Winstanley was non-starter in the second outing so Doug Carter took full advantage winning from Cameron Forbes and Joe Spencer's Stuart Taylor Locosaki. Paul Turley was the leading Caterham in seventh spot.

Finally, with all the help and dedication they give to the sport it is more than appropriate to let a marshal have the last word on the final meeting of the season. When asked for his view of the days racing, regular race marshal Mike Kelly was very impressed, "That was a great weekend. Who said you need a big grid of cars to make a race exciting? The eight Global Lights, with seven of them fighting for the lead, were fantastic! There was a big grid for the sports, saloons and Caterham races and the Formula fords were entertaining as ever – well done Mr Short!”

Full the official results visit ANGLESEY WINTER RACEDAY

Ian Smith