Championship battlers show their friendship with late car swap
The title was settled and the season was over, so it was time for a bit of fun. As the top 12 runoff drivers gathered in the top paddock of Loton Park, ready for the final run back down the hill to the main paddock, Summers and Menzies cooked up a plot.
With none of the teams, spectators or marshals aware, they swopped places and each cruised down the hill in the car they’ve spent all season trying to beat. To comply with current safety rules, they even swopped crash helmets as they climbed aboard each other’s cars. The reception they got in the main paddock was priceless.
Of course, the two men of the season are different sizes and while Summers had room to spare in the Gould GR59, the cockpit of the DJ Firestorm was a bit of a squeeze for Menzies.
Summers said: “I did suggest it as I’ve been trying to get a drive in the GR59 for years! We did all the right things with helmets and belts and it’s part of the hillclimbing spirit and it just shows the rapport amongst the competitors.”
Menzies continued the story:
“I was pretty much wedged in there and it’s a bit snug! It was Alex’s idea at the top of the hill and I thought it would be quite funny. We swapped helmets as well, so we had the right helmet for the car.”
It was a bit like Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen taking each other’s car for a victory lap at the end of the season.
But maybe not…