Ford Essex Regional Heat
Sat 12 July 2008
The 2008 entry for the Essex Regional Heat was the best yet with two schools fielding four car teams. Veteran campaigners Bexley Business Academy entering their three well known racers ‘AON’, ‘Jewson’ and ‘Deep Purple’ and their, as yet un-named new car. New school Leigh Technology Academy from Dartford entering four of their five vehicles, ‘Blackadder’, ‘T.P.S.’, ‘Green Machine’, and another ‘as yet un-named’ machine.
Due to sponsorship from e2v in Chelmsford some old schools made a comeback and several Seagull kit cars were in evidence. The result was a field of twenty-five cars although ‘X-2’ from Tendring Technology College was not to make it out onto the track despite feverish attempts by the team to reconcile scrutineering and other technical problems.
The start was in pairs and the cars took some time to get away with ‘Phatman’ the other Tendring car, luckily on the back row of the grid, having to make a last minute driver change due to the lead driver suddenly not feeling well!
The honour of leading the first lap went to ‘AON’ from the Business Academy Bexley and it was closely followed by two more Bexley cars ‘Jewson’ and ‘Deep Purple’. These cars then started to pull away from the pack and after thirty minutes it was a total Bexley ‘whitewash’ with the top three being joined in fourth place by car 25 the new, and as yet unnamed Bexley car. The Leigh Technology Academy had three cars in the top ten with ‘Black Adder’ in fifth, ‘T.P.S’ in seventh place and ‘Leigh Stormers’ eighth place.
With pit stops starting early on the tight Dunton Circuit positions started to jump around as the first hour came to an end. The three Bexley cars maintained their domination of the top three places with ‘AON’ leading ‘Jewson’ followed by ‘Deep Purple’ but ‘Superglide’ from Stanway School had moved into fourth with ‘Purple Blazer’ from Colchester Royal Grammar School taking fifth place. The Leigh Academy cars suffered a change in fortune as they all dropped down the leader board with only ‘T.P.S’ keeping in the top ten in tenth place. It had been a disappointing day for The Plume School with their fast ‘Plume Projectile’ car not even getting going until the end of the first hour. ‘Phatman’ from Tendring Technology College was another late starter after a lot of work was required to get through scrutineering.
At the ninety minute mark things had changed at the top, as they often do on the tricky Dunton track. ‘Jewson’ had moved into the lead and ‘Superglide’ had taken second place pushing ‘AON’ down to third. ‘ACC Racing’ from the Air Compressor Centre had made a rapid move up the field and was in fourth place with the other Plume School car ‘Project Plume Power’ in fifth. With the top ten cars all within four laps positions were bound to change rapidly as pit stops were made. Two Seagull kit cars sponsored by e2v were now up into the top ten with ‘Hot Prospect’ from the Basildon Young Engineers Club in eighth place and ‘Griffin’ from Thomas Lord Audely School in ninth place. ‘Deep Purple’ had slipped back to tenth and the nippy little ‘Franc en Stein from Philip Morant School and College had raced up to seventh place. #Phatman’ and the ‘Plume Projectile’ were still at the back of the field and both were having difficulty negotiating the notorious Dunton hair-pin!
At the halfway point in the race ‘Jewson’ was still holding the lead by one lap from a suddenly resurgent ‘T.P.S.’ and ‘Hot Prospect’ who was being cheered on by the large Basildon contingent at the event. ‘Superglide’ had slipped to fourth and ‘Deep Purple’ had recovered to get up to fifth place. The early leader ‘AON’ had suffered a crash which damaged the front wheel and it came back to the paddocks on the back of the recovery trailer causing it to slip to a lowly fifteenth place.
As the second half of the race progressed ‘Deep Purple’ started to move up the field again taking fourth place and ‘AON’ got back on the track and was starting to move up through the field again. ‘Franc en Stein’ was up to sixth and ‘Griffin’ moved up to seventh and another Seagull, ‘e2v’ from Stanway School got up to tenth place. ‘Purple Blazer’s’ race came to a premature end when it flipped in the hairpin and completely wrecked the chassis but the roll bar did an excellent job and the driver walked clear unharmed.
After three hours with battery condition now becoming a major factor the leaderboard started to change rapidly. First ‘T.P.S.’ burned its motor out and withdrew leaving the second place open for ‘Hot Prospect’ to take it. ‘Superglide’ was resurgent and moved back to third place ahead of the still improving ‘Franc en Stein’. ’Team Meteor’ a hardy veteran of Dunton races from St. Mary’s School for Girls was just into the top ten as ‘e2v’ slipped out of it. As ‘T.P.S.’ withdrew it was down to the other Leigh Technology Academy cars to fill the gap and ‘Blackadder’ responded by moving up to twelfth place. ‘The Flying Cow’ from Westcliffe High School for Girls created a bit of excitement as it exited the hairpin and one of it batteries fell out of the car. The girls’ reaction and quick re-fitting of a new one and their general enthusiasm as they fought to keep their car in the race gained them the ‘Spirit of Greenpower’ Award at the end of the race.
With just half an hour to go in the race ‘Jewson’ was six laps up on ‘Hot Prospect’ whose supporters were both surprised and pleased with their position. However their main concern was keeping their place as their batteries started to fail at an alarming speed. ‘Fran en Stein’ now up to third was showing no such signs of power drain and ‘Griffin’ in fourth place was also looking ominously fresh. The main mover however at this late stage of the race was the new unnamed Bexley Business Academy car that was suddenly up into fifth place. ‘AON’ was flying in its vain attempt to recover all of the laps it had lost after its crash and broke the lap record in its chase. ‘Blackadder’ had surged up to seventh and looked to be one of the fastest cars on the track.
As the chequered flag went out to greet ‘Jewson’ drama unfolded. ‘Jewson’ was in trouble with expiring batteries. It was sighted creeping down the main straight towards the Start/Finish line. Excitement was rising in the Philip Morant camp as ‘Franc en Stein’ used this time to chase down an expiring ‘Hot Prospect’. As ‘Jewson’ finally crossed the line ‘Franc en Stein’ went past the almost stationary ‘Hot Prospect’ to take second place. ‘Hot Prospect’ however were well pleased with their excellent third place and, as ‘Jewson’ had already qualified for the final, fourth placed ‘Griffin’ also got automatic entry to the Goodwood race in October..
Supplementary Awards:
Fastest Lap - Business Academy Bexley, AON, 2 mins 41.342 secs
Best Newcomer - Basildon Young Engineers Club
Scalextric Best Pitstop - Philip Morant School and College
Spirit of Greenpower - Westcliff High School for Girls
Best Presented Team - Basildon Young Engineers Club
IMechE Best Engineered Car - The Leigh Technology Academy, Black Adder
IoM3 Innovative Use of Recycled Materials - Air Compressor Centre