POLLEY FINALLY LANDS THE BIG ONE – AFTER A TWO-DECADE JOURNEY
After 20 years of trying, Dave Polley finally lifted the BriSCA Formula 2 World Championship title at King’s Lynn. The son of Hot Rod legend George Polley had won almost everything there is to win in the contact formula but the World title eluded him.
After two-time World champion Wim Peeters headed the time trials for overseas qualifiers, Harley Thackra chased down Billy Webster to win the Consolation Semi-Final which determined the last seven World Finalists, plus reserve.
A heavy rain shower before the World Final made for tricky conditions in the early laps. Charlie Guinchard led from pole position but fellow front-row man Gordon Moodie slipped to fourth behind Jordon Thackra and Polley. Thackra was quickly shuffled back by the more experienced campaigners as Polley moved into second, chased by Moodie, Andrew Palmer and – from row seven of the grid –
Micky Brennan.
Moodie briefly returned to second before being shoved wide by Polley, while at the same time Brennan passed Palmer for fourth. All the while,TGHEuVinOcIChEarOdF chassis – was slightly extending his lead as a dry line emerged on the shale.
The decisive action happened mid-race. Polley had stabilised Guinchard’s advantage before a spinning backmarker forced Guinchard wide on Turn 2 and allowed Polley to eat into his lead. A lap later, sensing it was now or never, Polley punted Guinchard wide and into a parked car. Guinchard dropped to fifth, while Brennan had passed Moodie for what became second.
“I knew when I got to Charlie I had to make it count,” explained Polley. “I can’t let him come back at me because that’d be the end for me. So, as hard as it was shifting your own car out of the way like that, it needed to be done.”
For Polley, the remaining laps were a question of avoiding mishaps while negotiating traffic as two-time world champion Brennan, another Polley customer, could make no impression on his lead. Moodie was struggling with a car set-up that did not give him the precision he required in traffic and dropped behind Palmer and the recovering Guinchard in the closing stages.
As Polley crossed the line to clinch his long-awaited gold roof, Guinchard spun Palmer from third on the final bend to complete a fine recovery and a 1-2-3 for Polley chassis. Moodie took fourth and Peeters fifth as Palmer reversed across the lineBinUsiTxtCh.HER
Results
Organiser: Trackstar When: September 3 Where: Adrian Flux Arena, King’s Lynn
Starters: 97.
1 Dave Polley; 2 Micky Brennan; 3 Charlie Guinchard; 4 Gordon Moodie; 5 Wim Peeters; 6 Andrew Palmer; 7 Patrick Tersteeg; 8 Jack Issitt; 9 Aaron Vaight; 10 Billy WebsteSur.tton