2011 ACU/FSRA BRITISH FII SIDECAR CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 7 - CROFT 15-16 OCTOBER
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- Created on Monday, 10 October 2011 11:58
THE DECIDER!!!!
This weekend sees the final round of the British FII Sidecar Championship and for the fifth year running, both the Main Championship and the FII Cup titles are still to be decided. Other championships may need to operate fancy points schemes to ensure close finishes but you'd be hard pressed to manufacture the points situation which exists in both our championships!
Simon Neary and Ashley Hawes left Brands Hatch with 212 points, a lead of 16 on John Holden and Andy Winkle's 196. There are many ways they could end up level on points after the two races this weekend but the bottom line is that Neary needs 35 points to ensure his second British title and for that he needs one second place and one third place. Four consecutive second places have taken Ian and Carl Bell to a fairly safe third place with 159 points. Neary and Holden have won 11 of the 12 races so far this season (Tim Reeves the other winner) but the last three British championship races that Ian contested here at Croft, he won!! For sure they'll have many supporters on hand at what is their 'local' track. Carl Fenwick and Mark Sayers are fourth with 126 points, with Roy Hanks and Dave Wells just behind on 125, Frank Lelias and Mike Aylott on 111 and Dave Atkinson and Phil Knapton 106.
For Fenwick, Lelias and Atkinson though, the focus this weekend is on the FII Cup which has seen even more changes in fortune throughout the season than the main championship. After the two opening rounds, Atkinson and Fenwick shared the lead with 90 points. Then after Anglesey and Cadwell Park, Fenwick had moved to 165, Atkinson and Lelias some way back on 130 and 125. But Castle Combe and Brands resulted in Lelias claiming 95 points out of 100 to take the lead on 220, with Fenwick on 210 and Atkinson 202. With three teams still in the hunt, even more permutations exist as to the destiny of the title.
If either championship results in a tie, then it goes to the team with most wins. Rather surprisingly, given the mass of possibilities, that could only result in Holden and Fenwick securing the respective titles. A pointer from the past?.............in 2007, the last time the championship came to Croft, Holden won the race, Neary the championship. Enjoy the racing, if your nerves can stand it!
John Newton
FSRA Press Officer.