NATIONAL HOT RODS: BIRMINGHAM WHEELS
Jack draws Blood at Birmingham Wheels
National Hot Rods: Birmingham Wheels
By Graham Brown Organiser: Incarace When: September 23 Where: Birmingham Wheels Starters: 26.
Jack Blood made good use of new tyres and an advantageous grid position to leave the second city with a dominant hat-trick, with Danny Smith the only other driver to get a look-in when he took the first heat.
Colin Hitch led the opening race before spinning when challenged by Billy Bonnar, the Scot pulling out a short lead while the rest scrapped behind him. It was Smith who burst free from the placemen, towing Kym Weaver along with him as they steadily reduced the leader’s advantage.
Bonnar still looked as though he might hang on until someone laid oil at Turn 1, the sudden decrease in grip catching out several drivers and enabling Smith and Weaver to finally pounce on Bonnar.
Smith still had Weaver breathing down his neck but was careful never to leave even the slightest hint of daylight on his inside in the remaining laps.
With Blood on the front row and on four new tyres (having played his ‘joker’) it did look as though heat two might prove to be a case of ‘who will be second’. Blood went straight to the front at the green flag and rapidly cleared off, opening out a quarter of a lap gap and leaving Bonnar to try and fend off Carl Waller-barrett. Thus Blood was left with a free hand to extend his lead and even once CW-B was through to second he was able to make no impression.
Heat three followed a similar pattern, with Blood coming from row two this time to lead before pulling clear. He put a quarter of a tour between himself and the nearest opposition even faster this time, and in fact, Blood’s only scare probably came when Hitch rejoined after a spin right in front of him.
Mikey Godfrey drove a steady race to claim second from this one just pipping a fast finishing Shane Bland to the line.
With Blood on pole for the final, a third win looked on the cards, despite the presence of Weaver alongside and Chris Haird – who’d been quietly impressive all night – right behind them.
Once again, Blood blasted off into an immediate lead, opening up a sizable margin with only one lap done. Haird relegated Weaver early on and then it did look as though there might just be a race in prospect. However, it soon became clear that the world champion didn’t have any answer to Blood’s pace. Haird never gave up trying but Blood’s handling of backmarkers was impeccable and his pursuer began to lose ground with the finish coming up.
It was finally put beyond doubt when the suspension broke on Haird’s car four laps from home, putting him out and leaving Blood half a lap clear once more. Weaver got home in second, having fended off Waller-barrett.
Results
Heat one: 1 Dan Smith (Vauxhall Tigra); 2 Kym Weaver (Vauxhall Tigra); 3 Layton Milsom (Vauxhall Tigra); 4 Billy Bonnar (Vauxhall Tigra); 5 Alistair Lowe (Vauxhall Tigra); 6 Steve Dudman (Vauxhall Tigra); 7 Jason Kew (Vauxhall Tigra); 8 Lee Pepper (Peugeot 206cc). Heat two: 1 Jack Blood (Vauxhall Tigra); 2 Carl Waller-barrett (Vauxhall Tigra); 3 Bonnar; 4 Chris Haird (Vauxhall Tigra); 5 Stuart Mclaird (Ginetta G40R); 6 Dudman; 7 Kew; 8 Colin Smith (Vauxhall Tigra). Heat three: 1 Blood; 2 Mikey Godfrey (Vauxhall Tigra); 3 Shane Bland (Vauxhall Tigra); 4 Weaver; 5 Lowe; 6 Haird; 7 Paul Frost (Ginetta G40R); 8 Milsom. Final: 1 Blood; 2 Weaver; 3 Waller-barrett; 4 Bland; 5 Milsom; 6 Billy Wood (Vauxhall Tigra); 7 Bonnar; 8 Lowe; 9 Dan Smith; 10 Aaron Dew (Ginetta G40R). Points (after 3/14
rounds): 1 Wood 119; 2 Waller-barrett 113; 3 Haird 110; 4 Chris Crane 106; 5 Milsom 105; 6 C Smith 102.