HENDERSON KEEPS HOLD OF THE WINNING FEELING
Dan Mason watched the Fiesta man mine his rich vein of current form
David Henderson made it two MN Circuit Rally Championship wins in quick succession in a dramatic Dukeries event at Donington Park, as the series leaders hit trouble. The penultimate rally of the season could have decided the fate of the championship with just one visit to Cadwell Park left to settle it. Neil Roskell and Andrew Roughead’s consistency had put the former within reach of sealing the crown early at the Leicestershire circuit.
Dramas for his main rival Barry Morris at both Brands Hatch and Snetterton had put Roskell in the driving seat for a maiden crown, although he would have to rely on further misfortune for his Darrian competitor to amass the points required to put himself out of reach.
And he had another obstacle firmly in his way in an in-form Henderson, who had romped to victory in the previous round at Snetterton to christen his own Ford Fiesta R5’s MNCRC debut in style.
Former circuit racer Henderson would start behind Roskell in the seeding at Donington, but he was quick to press on with his attempts to reverse those roles on a damp circuit in the morning stages. It was a case of ‘when’ conditions would be adequate enough for slick tyres rather than ‘if ’ as drivers took to what proved a treacherous opening stage in the toughest of the day’s conditions.
The Fiesta drivers up top were embroiled in a mental game of second guessing when it came down to the choice of compound. “That was tricky,” was Roskell’s initial verdict after keeping his Fiesta within four seconds of the flying Henderson, both surviving some seat-of-the-pants moments on their first run. “I think we’re nearly ready for slicks though.”
That wish for the field looked to be coming true on the second stage of the morning, but it would be only Henderson up front who blinked and attached a soft set of slicks to the lead car. The result would take its time to reap rewards, but his lead grew to 13 seconds.
“It was a tricky first stage,” said Henderson. “We put soft slicks on for stage two and they were struggling, but then as it went on, they started to come in and I think the others; their tyres started to get away.”
With the nervy phase now a distant memory, Henderson – much like at Snetterton – started to show his increasing confidence in the Fiesta up front. Behind, Roskell was soon looking over his shoulder more often as the snarling group behind began to make a move onto his tail.
Losing time in traffic left him under threat from double podium-finisher John Griffiths in the Ford battle, with the Darrian of Morris joining in after an initially careful start to the rally. A rubber band effect was in play, the trio entering the fourth stage of the day covered by only one second.
Just as the rally was settling into a narrative, a sudden plot twist had its effect on the championship fight, as Roskell slowed to crawl with smoke coming from the Fiesta. The culprit was head gasketrelated, and soaring engine temperatures posed too big a risk as the pair limped through the not-so-aptly named flying finish for a diagnosis.
Out of contention, Roskell braved the fifth stage in the afternoon in a bid to assess the magnitude of the issue, but it would be to no avail as he ground to a halt with overheating on the pitstraight, which prompted his first non-finish after five consecutive podium results.
“It’s devastating,” said the series leader, already thinking of the North West Stages and Cadwell finale. “We’d just started to up our game and we came around the infield absolutely flying. Then the next thing you know, temperatures are going through the roof and we were coasting it home.”
The change in fortune had finally come the way of Morris, who moved into second place overall to further increase his chances of defending the crown and split the Fords of Henderson and Griffiths.
By the time the final two stages had arrived, Henderson looked in a comfortable position. He was now
31s clear of his new opposition and feeling more and more confident behind the wheel.
Another strong run ensured he extended his stage-winning run to six from six, with a double triumph getting ever closer for himself and for experienced co-driver, Sion Cunniff. Although matched for times on the final stage by Andy Scott, Henderson made no mistake and confirmed a second consecutive MNCRC win for the pair, 38s clear of Morris.
“The stages in the afternoon maybe suited the Darrian more,” said Henderson, “but it turned out to be fine and there were no dramas. I gave myself a target to be quickest on them all, and we managed to do just that.”
Second place was still crucial for Morris, grabbing the championship lead back without dropped scores taken into account ahead of next month’s season finale.
Despite the setback, Roskell victorious last time the series visited Cadwell - remained optimistic. “Barry was getting faster which
I think I expected here, but I’m looking forward to Cadwell Park now,” he said. “I like it there, we won last time, and hopefully it rains [and I will be in the hunt].”
Griffths continued his strong form with yet another podium, although rallycrosser Scott came within two seconds of denying him after showing rapid pace in the closing stages.
Fifth place went the way of another rallycross man in Ollie O’Donovan, who this time would see his pace rewarded with a finish after bad luck denied him at Brands Hatch and Snetterton.
A standout performance was that of Mark Jasper in the MG Metro 6R4. On its second rally of the season, the nostalgic machine reached the top six, beating the flying Ford Escort Mk2s of Josh Payton and Martin Hodgson. Ford completed the top 10 with another brace of Fiestas,
Paul Murro backing up a strong Snetterton with ninth ahead of
Darrell Taylor.