Gill ClaimsThird RallySprint Title
Another dramatic day at Vaucluse Raceway
 Sean
Gill claimed his third Vaucluse Raceway (VRW) RallySprint
title on Sunday (August 7), despite having to race a replacement
car (right), as his regular mount was already en route to
Trinidad. Driving team-mate Brett Clarke's Shell Helix/Courts/Automotive
Art/Kerridge/Simpson Motors Suzuki Swift GTi, Gill took his
score for the season to 92, winning the crown by seven points.
In another dramatic day of competition at the St Thomas
venue, Gill's title rival James Betts crashed out after contact
with a tyre wall - he was also sharing a car, for the same
reason as Gill - while three heavy rain showers interrupted
the action and made track conditions tricky.
The weather also prevented the usual round of Group Winners
Handicap KnockOut races; just one was held, to settle who
would finish runner-up to Gill in the title chase, as two
drivers were tied on points . . . and it proved an ideal climax
to an exciting season.
 With
84 points apiece, Trevor Manning (Shell Helix/Courts/ Automotive
Art/Kerridge/Simpson Motors/Garbage Master Mitsubishi Lancer
Evo VIII) (left) and Jonathan Still (Hitachi Power Tools/Philips
Lighting/Warrens Motors/Crane & Equipment/VP Racing BMW
M3) lined up on the start pad, Manning handed a 17-second
penalty. After Still shot out of the blocks, Manning waited
patiently before reacting promptly to his green light and
giving chase . . . Manning was faster, gaining on Still throughout
the race, but it was Still who reached the chequered flag
first, to claim second place in the Cup standings.
After the first shower resulted in a late start, 36 drivers
lined up for the first of three planned qualifying sessions;
initially, there were few problems, although Sean Dowding
(Mitsubishi Lancer Evo V) failed to complete his first run
when a drive-shaft pulled out, Carlos Humphrey retired his
Toyota Starlet and Shaun Alleyne (Peugeot 106 Rallye) had
a snag with his gearbox.
 During
the early stages of the third qualifying session, however,
things took an unfortunate turn; driving the ex-Roger Marshall
Toyota Starlet, which he and new owner Jeremy Gonsalves had
worked tirelessly for two weeks to prepare for competition,
Betts struck a tyre wall. Launched into a roll, the Starlet
(left) was damaged beyond immediate repair. Betts and Gill
had been equal on points before Sunday and, although Betts
would add his qualifying score to his total, his hopes of
improving on last year, when he finished second to Gill in
the title chase, were dashed. He was to finish sixth.
Shortly after this incident, a second rain shower resulted
in the abandonment of qualifying, the times from the first
two sessions used to seed the remaining 33 drivers for the
Group KnockOut races in the afternoon.
The first seven Groups ran smoothly, with victories for
Sean Corbin (Toyota Starlet), Tristan Gibbs (Toyota Starlet
Turbo), Clarke, Matthew Staffner (Toyota Corolla), Kirk Watkins
(Toyota Corolla), Adrian Linton (Vauxhall Astra GSi) and Roger
Marshall (Hyundai Accent). Of these, notable performances
came from Clarke, who set very impressive times in the 2m
15s bracket, and Linton, whose 2m 12.43s in his final run
was the fastest run of the day, apart from the four-wheel-drive
Mitsubishis of Manning and Barry Gale.
Although his title rival was now on the sidelines, it was
still necessary for Gill to ensure that there was no mishap
. . . and that could so easily have been the case. Competition
in his Group had just started - Krystal Branch (Toyota Corolla)
and Neil Corbin (Toyota Starlet) were half-way through their
run-off -when the rains fell again, hard enough to warrant
a red-flag stoppage.
It was some time before conditions would allow racing to
restart, but the loose sections of the track remained treacherous,
and could easily catch out the unwary. Gill defeated Barry
Ward (Subzero Services Toyota Starlet) in the first heat,
while Josh Read (Baram Services Toyota Starlet) defeated Neil
Corbin.
 By
the time he reached the Group final, with at least second
place guaranteed, Gill knew he had done enough to claim the
title; but the race was among the best of the day . . . with
Gill fighting to get the power down in the front-wheel-drive
Swift, Read rocketed off the start pad in the rear-drive Starlet
(right), gaining a second on Gill before they crossed the
startline. Although Gill would clock a time half-a-second
better, Read's early advantage gave him enough of a cushion
to claim his first Group win at VRW . . . and claim a famous
'scalp' in the process!
 The
Banks Pig'n'Likka Driver of the Day Award went to Barry Ward
(right), who had never raced at VRW until the weekend, and
proved rapid... and entertaining. At the traditional prizegiving,
Clerk of the Course Heath Hazell thanked all the volunteer
marshals and officials for their support during the season,
and confirmed that, for the first time, there will be a separate
championship prize-giving on a date and at a venue yet to
be confirmed.
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