FSRA Formula Sidecar Racing Asscciation

Simon Neary with Ashley Hawes in the chair of the Hudspeth/Crowe Racing LCR Honda duly won the British FII Sidecar Championship after a fascinating and exciting weekend's racing. Neary won Saturday's opener, which stretched his lead to 21 points, and although 2010 champions John Holden and Andy Winkle (D&A Walmsley LCR Suzuki) won the final race, Neary finished third to take the title by 12 points. In an equally dramatic finale, Frenchman Frank Lelias, passengered by Mike Aylott (L&W Contractors LCR Suzuki) clinched the FII Cup.

Neary had qualified in pole position ahead of Holden with Conrad Harrison and Lee Patterson (Printing Roller Services Shelbourne Honda) third and Ian and Carl Bell (Ian Bell M/cs LCR Yamaha) fourth fastest. Holden led off the line from Neary, and although second place would serve Neary's cause, he put pressure on Holden at Tower on both opening laps. On lap four at the same corner, he dived inside Holden on the approach and made the move stick. Bell was a safe third with Harrison fourth but unbeknown to Bell, he had been penalised ten seconds for a jump start. Behind came the three teams with hopes of the FII Cup, Carl Fenwick and Mark Sayers (Fenwick Racing Shelbourne Honda), Frenchman Lelias and Dave Atkinson and Phil Knapton (Garland Moore LCR Suzuki).

Roy Hanks and Dave Wells (Dorwingear Ltd Molyneux Suzuki) soon relegated Atkinson to eighth and Lelias was closing on Fenwick. Neary and Holden circulated less than a second apart, but on lap ten out of twelve, Neary got the better run through back-markers and emerged with a two second lead, which stretched to 3.57 at the flag, Bell was over eight seconds clear of Harrison but the penalty saw Harrison claim the final podium place. Lelias had mad an audacious bid for fifth at Tower on the final lap, spun, but fortunately for him kept his sixth place behind Fenwick but ahead of Hanks. Dean Lindley and Leon Fitzpatrick (Pegasus Externals LCR Suzuki) had a season-best eighth spot with Gary Bryan and Gary Partridge (Drury Engineering Baker Honda) and Atkinson completing the top ten.

Neary's win took him to 237 ahead of Holden's 216, which meant that even if Holden won the final race, eleventh place or better would see Neary take the title he first won in 2007. However the points situation in the Cup was becoming more acute. Lelias still led on 240 from Fenwick's 235 but if Fenwick repeated his class win on Sunday over Lelias, they would tie on 260 meaning Fenwick would take the title on the class wins tie-breaker.

And so to the fourteenth and final race of what had been a memorable championship  -  and oh, what drama as the outfits made their way onto the grid – Fenwick and Sayers couldn't get their machine to fire, a faulty fuel pump the cause of their huge disappointment. In an instant, their misfortune meant that Lelias was the FII Cup Champion.

Neary and Holden were oblivious to the drama behind them, but when the lights went out, it was Bell with a lightening, but this time legal, start who led into Clervaux with Holden second, followed by Harrison, Atkinson, Bryan, Lelias and Neary languishing in seventh. A problem for the champion-in-waiting? No, he was playing it sensible, not easy for the hard-driving Yorkshireman. He moved ahead of Lelias on the second lap and took fifth from Bryan on lap four just as Holden took the lead from Bell at Tower. Harrison's engine blew at the Complex a lap later and soon Neary was ahead of Atkinson and into a safe third. Atkinson retired with engine trouble on lap nine as Holden stretched his lead on Bell to over six seconds. He took his seventh win of the season but Neary in third had secured the 2011 Championship. Bryan was fourth from Lelias, Hanks and Lindley. Tony Baker and Fiona Baker-Milligan (Team Cumbria Express Baker Suzuki), Tony Thirkell and Nige Barlow (TT Motorsport MR Equipe Honda) and Dave Wallis and Steve Wareham (Team Petpals LCR Honda) completed the top ten.

Neary finished with 253 points ahead of Holden on 241, with Bell third on 192. Lelias was the delighted Cup Champion with 265 points to the 235 of Fenwick and 215 of Atkinson.

Report by John Newton.