McDONALD CONTINUES ‘BUSINESS AS USUAL’ AT FOXHALL HEATH
After Billy Wood swept up the Yarmouth final the night before, the second day of the bank holiday carried on business as usual for the regular National Hot Rod big hitters with Rob McDonald taking a dominant heat and final double at Ipswich. The World champ stamped his authority on the final by heading home the other heat winner Aaron Dew, and Carl Waller-Barrett.
After the meeting start was delayed in order to get the massive crowd into the track, it was Peter Elliott who set off at the head of the first heat, hounded by Andy Lane once he’d passed Ashley Shaw. Elliott still had a decent lead over Lane’s slightly looselooking Ginetta when he threw it all away with a big spin exiting Turn 4.
Lane probably muttered “Cheers” behind his visor but didn’t have long to enjoy his lead as Chris Lehec and others – including the charging McDonald – were hard on his heels. As Lehec dived under Lane he got tagged by Kym Weaver, the contact carrying Weaver to the front but with McDonald on his bumper. The merest chink of daylight inside Weaver was all the Scot needed to record win number one while Weaver got a whopping fourplace penalty for contact elevating Dew to second spot.
Heat two gave Shaw a chance to lead the most laps he’s headed since joining the class, the youngster remaining steadfastly out front until the three-lap board. His chasers were initially headed by Elliott. He was caught by Dew, who went by four laps from home, zapping past the leader a lap later. Waller-Barrett had never been far behind Dew, relegating Shaw almost in sight of the flag, while in the battle for the remaining places Elliott spun again on the final corner, leaving Terry Hunn to just make it over the line ahead of McDonald and Weaver. Elliott still salvaged seventh despite crossing the line backwards on the infield.
Dew’s pole start for the final looked promising after the pace he’d shown all afternoon, but it was never going to be easy with McDonald alongside, the outside front row berth sometimes giving a faster start at Foxhall. The World champ didn’t quite manage to outdrag Dew to the first turn, but he stayed alongside and was in front by lap two.
With McDonald drawing clear, attention centred on the fight for second, where Waller-Barrett was filling Dew’s mirrors, giving the second man not a moment’s peace the rest of the way. Try as he might, CW-B couldn’t find a way through, the pair still tied together as they passed the chequers.
Elsewhere, Paul Wright battled past Chris Aldridge at the expense of a black cross to get home sixth but dropped two spots for contact, a similar scrap slightly further back between Perry Cooke and Billy Wood had Wood prevail though his placing ultimately suffered the same fate as Wright’s. Results
Organiser: Spedeworth When: August 29
Where: Foxhall International Raceway, Ipswich
Starters: 25
Heat one: 1 Rob McDonald (Vauxhall Tigra); 2 Aaron Dew (Ginetta G40R); 3 Ivan Grayson (Ford Fiesta); 4 Carl Waller-Barrett (Vauxhall Tigra); 5 Terry Hunn (Ford Fiesta); 6 Kym Weaver (Vauxhall Tigra); 7 Chris Lehec (Vauxhall Tigra); 8 Ashley Shaw (Vauxhall Tigra). Heat two: 1 Dew; 2 WallerBarrett; 3 Shaw; 4 Hunn; 5 McDonald; 6 Weaver; 7 Peter Elliott (Peugeot 206cc); 8 Chris Haird (Vauxhall Tigra). Final: 1 McDonald; 2 Dew; 3 Waller-Barrett; 4 Hunn; 5 Haird; 6 Perry Cooke (Vauxhall Tigra); 7 Paul Wright (Vauxhall Tigra); 8 Billy Wood (Vauxhall Tigra); 9 Chris Aldridge (Vauxhall Tigra); 10 Lehec. Provisional points: 1 Dew 158; 2 Haird 157; 3 Aldridge 141; 4 Joey Palmer 134; 5 Cooke 129; 6 Hayden Ballard 128.