HYLANDS WINS BUT CW-B IS BEST
After a race-long lead battle between Adam Hylands and Carl WallerBarrett, Hylands was still in front when they passed the chequers. But a black cross for Hylands for a jumped start almost before they’d started the first lap counted against him, the steward issuing a two-place penalty to hand the Best in Britain title to Waller-Barrett. Perry Cooke, the other driver to benefit from Hylands’ woe, moved up to second place.
Earlier rain created a really greasy track for the opening heat. Billy Wood briefly snatched the lead from pole before losing it just as quickly to Aaron Dew. The pair passed and repassed as everybody scrabbled for grip but the driver who had things sorted best was Hayden Ballard and once he hit the front he steadily left the rest behind.
The fight for positions was far from sorted though, with much trading of places until a coming together along the back straight put Billy Wood in the wall. He was able to continue but obviously had damage and fell way off the pace.
Going beyond half distance Cooke got up to second but he faded in the closing stages. Hylands, fellow Northern Irishman Glenn Bell and Chris Haird all got past to finish in that order.
The steadily drying oval gave a very different race with rather less contact for the second encounter. Jack Blood took a commanding lead at the green flag but Waller-Barrett was able to close right up on the leader’s bumper when Blood encountered backmarkers nearing the finish. Once they were back on open road though Blood pulled away once more and was comfortably ahead again by flag fall.
As for the rest, Jason Kew had a lonely race in third until the last few laps when first Bell and then Paul Wright caught him, but neither were able to alter the finishing order.
Third and fourth places in the heats were sufficient to net Bell pole for the final. But the first attempt to get the race underway had the poleman go spinning as the pack hustled towards the green flag. Wright collected Bell who was out almost on the spot with damage although Wright was able to take the restart albeit with deranged tracking.
With a space in the grid for the missing
Bell the temptation was always going to be there for someone to close down that space, and that someone was Hylands, giving rise to the early black cross. But potential penalties notwithstanding, the lively and entertaining opening laps skirmishes between Hylands, WallerBarrett, Kew and Blood still seemed likely to determine the eventual winner.
Eventually Hylands and Waller-Barrett took charge and commenced their fight to the finish, while Kew ran third for a time before falling out with a flat.
Nearing the finish backmarkers briefly gave Waller-Barrett a shot at making a pass but there really wasn’t anywhere for him to go and ultimately it took the steward to unseat Hylands.
Results
Organiser: Incarace When: December 4 Where: Hednesford Hills Raceway Starters: 22
Heat one: 1 Hayden Ballard (Vauxhall Tigra); 2 Adam Hylands (Vauxhall Tigra); 3 Glenn Bell (Ford Fiesta); 4 Chris Haird (Vauxhall Tigra); 5 Perry Cooke (Vauxhall Tigra); 6 Jason Kew (Ginetta G40R); 7 Carl Waller-Barrett (Vauxhall Tigra); 8 Derek McMillan (Vauxhall Tigra). Heat two: 1 Jack Blood (Vauxhall Tigra); 2 Carl Waller-Barrett (Vauxhall Tigra); 3 Kew; 4 Bell; 5 Paul Wright (Vauxhall Tigra); 6 Hylands; 7 Haird; 8 McMillan. Final: 1 Waller-Barrett; 2 Cooke; 3 Hylands; 4 Billy Wood (Vauxhall Tigra); 5 Blood; 6 Aaron Dew (Ginetta G40R); 7 Wright; 8 Andy Lane (Ginetta G40R); 9 Ivan Grayson (Ford Fiesta); 10 Nick Roots (Vauxhall Tigra).