ALDRIDGE SCORES HEAVILY AS McDONALD VAULTS INTO ENGLISH POINTS LEAD
Despite languishing in 19th place in the points coming to Aldershot, Chris Aldridge made the most of an advantageous grid position to lift a well-taken hat-trick of wins as well as the John Butler Trophy at Aldershot last weekend.
He came under immense pressure in the final from Billy Wood, who tried his hardest to retain the trophy he won last year, while former Superstox ace Nick Roots took the laurels from the other heat.
As the Nationals got back on the World Series trail, blue skies and sunshine greeted the nicely weighted entry that included several newcomers. But the atrocious weather of the previous few days had left its legacy, with a weeper creeping onto the track at Turn 3.
Paul Strawson set the pace for a time in the opening heat before being challenged by Damon Wellman. The encounter did not end well for either man with contact between them leading to both non-finishing and incurring the steward’s displeasure.
With them out Aldridge was only too happy to assume the lead and stay well clear of the runner-up, the evergreen
Dick Hillard.
Aldridge made a demon start to the second heat but it counted for nothing as they were all brought up short when Paul Wright’s motor blew, plastering the pit bend with oil.
Following a clean-up, Aldridge blasted away into a reasonably comfortable lead that looked like netting him win number two. But Ivan Grayson was slowly chipping away at the gap to the leader and was just about within striking distance when an awkward backmarker or two lost him the few car lengths that was all it took to see Aldridge first past the chequers again.
With Aldridge not in heat three, a different winner was guaranteed. Hillard and Roots scrapped for the lead before the former went spinning along the back straight. That left Roots to fend off first Grayson and then Danny Smith, but
Roots is looking much more comfortable going the other way round the track these days and was able to keep Smith at arm’s length to the finish.
Naturally Aldridge annexed pole for the final but he was surrounded by the day’s other fast movers, Roots, Grayson and particularly Billy Wood, keen to keep hold of his grandad’s trophy.
Aldridge was quick away again leaving the other three to argue the toss behind. Wood got past Grayson at the expense of a black cross and was challenging
Roots when Roots suddenly retired in a cloud of expensive looking smoke.
That left Wood rapidly closing on the leader, the pair fighting it out the rest of the way with Wood repeatedly lunging up the outside at the pit bend only to be defeated by the weeper on the next turn. So at flag fall it was still Aldridge’s race ahead of Wood, Grayson and Hayden Ballard, while Rob McDonald’s relatively lowly fifth spot was still enough to give him the points lead.
Results
Organiser: Spedeworth When: March 3 Where: Aldershot Raceway Championship: National Hot Rod World Series Starters: 28. Heat one: 1 Chris Aldridge (Vauxhall Tigra); 2 Dick Hillard (Vauxhall Tigra); 3 Mark Shelper (Peugeot 206cc); 4 Lance Bowen (Ginetta G40R); 5 Hayden Ballard (Ginetta G40R); 6 Billy Wood (Vauxhall Tigra); 7 Carl Waller-Barrett (Ford Fiesta); 8 Aaron Dew (Ginetta G40R). Heat two: 1 Aldridge; 2 Ivan Grayson (Ford Fiesta); 3 Nick Roots (Vauxhall Tigra); 4 Bowen; 5 Shelper; 6 Rob McDonald (Ginetta G40R); 7 Waller-Barrett; 8 Dew. Heat three: 1 Roots; 2 Danny Smith (Ginetta G40R); 3 Grayson; 4 Wood; 5 Ballard; 6 McDonald; 7 Kym Weaver (Vauxhall Tigra); 8 Damon Wellman (Vauxhall Tigra). Final: 1 Aldridge; 2 Wood; 3 Grayson; 4 Ballard; 5 McDonald; 6 Weaver; 7 Dew; 8 Joey Palmer (Vauxhall Tigra); 9 Terry Hunn (Ford Fiesta); 10 Bowen. Provisional points: 1 McDonald 296; 2 Dew 291; 3 Paul Wright 276; 4 Hunn 271; 5 Ballard 270; 6 Palmer 263.