The 1996 Alliance & Leicester Personal Finance

Formula 2000 Championship

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Rounds 11 - Brands Hatch, 19th October 1996

FENNYMORE'S GRAND FINALE

Graham Fennymore scored yet another win at the Formula Ford Festival on Saturday. Graham's total of 10 wins makes him the most dominant driver in Formula 2000 history. All hopes for a change on the top podium slot were on James Beales as the Formula 2000 teams arrived at the final event of the season.

However, for qualifying things did not go well for the young M.E. Motorsport charger. James suffered a series of hold ups and set backs in the qualifying session which was stopped, and restarted halfway through, because of an oil spillage from Gary Findlay's Sceptre Racing prepared car.

Graham Fennymore had an unusual moment going off into the gravel just before the red flag came out. He managed to recover and grab pole on his last flying lap. Elliot Lewis was next up with an excellent performance in the damp and slippery conditions. Meanwhile, James Beales had to settle for sixth. Mike Doble lined up third with Martin Wallbank rounding off the second row for fourth. Local expert Peter Alexander was disapointed with his fifth place on the grid.

Track conditions played havoc with most expectations. Fennymore and Lewis being the only two to apparently get the benefit. Both front row men promised storming starts. As the lights turned green, Fennymore got it right, as did Beales, who came up to fourth immediately. But for Lewis, the fine balance of throttle and clutch, did not come together as he dropped back to fourth by Paddock. Both Lewis and Beales were flying, Lewis found his way back to second within two laps and Beales was pressing Doble for third. Lewis' charge though was short lived. A mistake going into Clearways saw him onto the grass, he was lucky to rejoin to finish sixth. Beales, meanwhile, was determined to finish the way he started and put in impressive performances lap after lap, closing down on Fennymore consistantly. The final three laps were heartstoppers. Beales had closed to inches of Fennymore on numerous occasions and Doble was pressing to displace Beales for second. The gap widened from first and second on the penultimate lap as Beales lost some momentum with gear selection problems. As the trio entered Clearways for the last time, backmarker Mike Bate was on the exit line and looked to threaten a clear finish for Fennymore. Onto the straight, chequered flag ahead, and Fennymore was stuck - undecided as to which way to pass. The closing Beales and Doble went to the left - side by side, this proved decisive for Fennymore as he did the opposite, crossing the line 0.37 seconds ahead of the chasing duo. These two were so close, that officials initially declared a dead heat. After some debate and time checking, Beales was second, with Doble just one hundredth of a second behind.

It's been a great year, but most important, the Championship has proven again its training ground status. James Beales, Robin Liddell and Martin Wallbank have all graduated from either Formula First of Formula Vauxhall Junior and have all impressed. For the 1997 season already 8 existing competitors have pledged to return and 25 new drivers are seeking budgets for Formula 2000. Perhaps the most encouraging sign is that 6 of these are Formula First youngsters, looking to emulate their former peers.

RESULTS

Round 11

If you have any suggestions for improvements please e-mail Ken Clark at kenc@bmrc.co.uk.