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Snetterton. 14th October 2007
Graham Heard has won the 2007 Lodge Sports Porsche 924 Championship in the final race of the season at Snetterton. This was the closest title race for years with all the top five drivers in with, at least a mathematical, chance of taking the title when they lined up in the collecting area for the last time in 2007.
Race 1
Timetable pressures forced the meeting organisers to amalgamate the 924 grid with the Super Mighty Minis who set off 15 seconds after the Porsches. Differences in lap times between the two classes made it inevitable that the Porsches would be lapping the minis by mid-race which was bound to make life interesting.
Simon Regitz on pole and Will Penrose, the other front row sitter, battled it out over the first lap with Will crossing the line just ahead, a lead he kept to the end of the race. Simon was in hot pursuit. Mid race the inevitable happened and two of the minis performed a synchronised spin at the Russell chicane, almost completely blocking the track immediately in front of the two Porsche leaders. Somehow both managed to find a path between the stationary minis……but it was close! After that Simon had car problems and was classified in last place at the finish.
Graham Heard clearly had his eyes fixed firmly on the title and had, what was for him, a very quiet race. Having qualified fourth he maintained that throughout the race till he was promoted to third at the finish by Simon’s problems….but it was enough to confirm him as clear title favourite provided he could finish race two.
Elsewhere in the field other people were having entertaining races with spins for Steve Cheetham and Charley Burton amongst others. I don’t think Phil Hatswell would describe his experience as “entertaining”. He lost a rear wheel at the entrance to the Russell chicane but managed to bring the car to a brakeless halt without hitting anything. He expressed relief that it hadn’t happened a few seconds earlier at 100+ mph through Corum. It was also fortunate that new catch fencing, installed at Russell, prevented the wheel from going into the spectator area.
Race 2
Race 2 was the final race of the meeting, getting underway at 5.30pm …..with the October daylight fading fast. Headlights were almost needed to find the way round the track by the end of the race!
Will Penrose was in with a definite chance of the title but suffered a major disappointment when he rolled into the pit lane at the end of the warm up lap with a broken gear linkage and no chance of making the start. The grid looked a little thin as others with mechanical problems from race 1 failed to make the grid.
With Will out, Graham just needed a few points to secure the title and duly took it gently off the line, which held up a few of the cars behind him. This allowed Matt Davies to get into third. “The first time ever, that I haven’t lost places at the start!” he said afterwards. He sneaked past Steve Cheetham on lap 2 and took the lead from Alastair Kirkham a lap later. Thereafter he crossed the line in the lead on every lap, which makes the race seem a little dull, but in fact Matt and Alastair swapped places time after time,with Matt overtaking through Corum on the final lap when Alastair drifted a little wide. He managed to hold the place under braking for Russell and crossed the line to take the final race of the season and his very first win.
Graham finished fifth to secure the title.
Simon Regitz’ battle from last on the grid to 4th place at the finish, taking fastest lap by a distance in the process, was another highlight of the weekend. He was the meeting commentator’s tip for the championship next year!
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