TAYLOR BEATS 48 RIVALS TO CLUB ENDURO WIN
A virtuoso solo drive by Lotus Cup UK convert Joe Taylor trumped 48 rival teams to land his first 750MC Club Enduro victory on Saturday.
If dodging constant traffic for two hours from the low sightline of his Elise’s cockpit wasn’t exhausting enough, leaping out at the mandatory three-minute stop and refuelling the car he prepares with mates Chris Cox and Tiff Pedley made it extra special. “I’m spent, but couldn’t believe the car,” said the Walsall warrior. “We didn’t have the pace [to win] but it ran faultlessly as the quickest cars hit trouble.”
Rob Baker (Honda Civic Type-r) and Luke Sedzikowski of race sponsor Tegiwa (BMW M4) outaccelerated Chris Brown’s M4, which son Mika qualified on pole, at the rolling start. Abreast into Stowe, the duo made the running until chaser Baker installed Carl Swift with fresh front tyres at halfdistance. Early fallers included Leon Bidgway (Lotus Exige) and Historic racer Vicky Brooks (Mini Cooper S).
Taylor settled into the chase with Brown, Matthew and Simon Wallis’ bewinged SEAT Leon, Owen Fitzgerald (BMW E36 M3) and David Trigg in a Ginetta G50 his main rivals.
Matt Maxted – starting Ben Salmon’s Spa-winning E36 M3 –
Andy Baylie (VW Golf GTI) and championship leader Steve Cheetham (Porsche Boxster), squeezed off track early on, led the Class B onslaught. James Munro (Mazda MX-5) and Imran Khan (BMW 330ci) disputed C honours initially.
Khan’s demise was dramatic, for his bonnet flew open at high speed, smashing the windscreen and rippling the roof. He crept back into the pitlane, where marshals restored forward vision, but scrutineers vetoed Andrew Lightstead resuming. Nick Dougill in Munro’s car was penalised for refuelling before the fire extinguisher was present. The uprated Ginetta G40 of Amanda Black/ian Anderson thus went ahead in C, but was overhauled by James Kell in the MX-5 started by dad Darren.
Leader Sedzikowski was lapping metrononically, 15 seconds clear, when a left front tyre blew through Abbey corner on lap 52. He nursed it back to the pits with sidewall shredded, but co-driver David Whitmore continued, as Taylor enjoyed three laps in front before stopping. Matt Wallis and Paul Huxley (SEAT Supercopa) led as the pit stagger unwound, but CV joint failure sent Swift spinning into retirement from fifth.
When Taylor returned to the top on lap 71, with a 45s advantage, 1.2s blanketed pursuers Rory Hinde (replacing Fitzgerald), Whitmore and Mika Brown. With fastest lap on his slate, Brown picked the other BMWS off for silver. Whitmore pitted on the penultimate lap, gifting Hinde third, but was still classified fourth, ahead of the Wallis brothers.
Cheetham’s fourth B win from five starts means he could clinch the crown on home soil at Oulton Park next time out. “I’d settled for third, following a spin [exiting The Link] but made up 13 seconds,” he said. He passed Baylie’s partner Luke Schlewitz with five laps to spare.