As most were waking up to chocolate eggs the island petrol heads were gathering at the IOW college for round 1 of the IOW car clubs 2012 season. A damp start was not going to be enough to deter the hardy motorsport enthusiasts on this Easter Sunday as over 30 drivers prepared for the day ahead. A selection of new machinery was on show as well as the usual crowd. Most notable was a Special built by Terry Steele with an MR2 rear end and custom built front end. We shall have to see how it fairs later on!

With a forecast of drying throughout the day competitors were holding off for the moisture to lift from the track. Phil Munday lead early-on in his Mazda 323 making of the most of his FWDs grip to record a 1:14.06 whilst most struggled with the slippery conditions. As the clouds slowly ebbed away the surface showed signs of drying and the times begun to tumble. The Dutch brothers in their Minis looked fast and the timer confirmed this, Dave driving the blue Mini pickup was looking to be the one to try and beat. A time of 1:10.08 in his second run laying down the gauntlet to the chasing pack. Dan Morgan, fast, as ever recorded a 1:07.64 only to be bettered once again by Dave Dutch with a 1:06.62. With the half-way point upon us Dave topped the table with Dan second and Martyn Cutler in third. The surface was pretty much dry by this point and times started to fall off the cliff. Matt Griffin driving his new Honda ‘wedge’ for the first time stunned the regulars by putting himself in to third place with an extremely smooth 1:07.08. The battle of the minis had ensued however and Chris Greenen, Dave Goodwin and Dave Dutch all posted sub 1:06.00 times to top the table. Dan Morgan replied with a 1:03.53 to retake the summit only to be cut down by an immense effort by Dave Dutch 1:02.97. With only Dan left to run he looked to have done enough to snatch victory at the death but unfortunately carried too much speed into the finish box sailing straight through and incurring a 10 second penalty. Round 1 to Dave Dutch!

There were no class 1 competitors however there were some newcomers to class 2. Matt Price and Brian Robbins both bringing standard cars to add some competition to the class 2 stalwarts Dean Long and Daryl Turner. Dean and Daryl were their usual flamboyant selves in their Mk1 Mx5 and Brian and Matt could not get close time wise. Dean took the number one position in class with a 1:11.28 and Daryl 2nd on 1:13.02. Those two boys are worth coming along to watch alone, their RWD car control is extremely entertaining.

Class 3 was as always the class of the Minis, 8 competitors on the day. Dave Dutch drew the battle lines with a 1:06.62 midway through the event only for Dave Goodwin to show his hand and put a 1:05.72 on the timecard. Chris Greenen was feeling left out so he went out and recorded a very respectable 1:05.65. Goodwin replied with 1:05.12 but Dave Dutch was never going to let this one go firstly recording a 1:03.36 but incurring a 10 second penalty for exiting the finish box then went on to startle the on looking crowd to take the victory in both class and overall by making a remarkable 1:02.97 proving that the Minis may be old but they can still mix it with the modern machinery. Well done Dave, well deserved!

Class 4 was the most competitive class of the day with 19 entrants. As stated earlier Phil Munday topped the tables early on but was soon cut down to size as the track dried out. Matt Griffin looked smooth and tidy throughout the day and the times were a result of this. Dave Bizzill, Steve Glasbey and Toby Allen all looked fast as well. Toby was the first to gain places with a 1:06.12 which Dave Bizzill tried his best to cut the deficit but just came up short on 1:07.07. Matt Griffin and Steve Glasbey both had the final say though as Matt recorded 1:06.06 and Steve pipped him at the post driving a TVR to take the class victory by just a hairs breadth 1:06.04. Excellent drives from both Steve and Matt.

Class 5, the Special class! A couple of new entrants into this class this year from Terry Steele and Sam Beckley, an unusual contraption featuring an MR2 rear on a special type front end.

At the sharp end was once again Dan Morgan, Andy Williams tried his hardest to keep Dan in touch but it was a step too far for all of the other class 5 entrants. Dan had overall victory snatched from him at the death but his time of 1:03.53 was enough to take Class honours and 2nd place overall. Andy took second in class and 10th overall.

And so an end to the first event of the season, it is shaping up to be very interesting. A couple of newcomers looking fast and a few of the old heads at the sharp end. I am sure some have gone away now knowing what they need to do to improve whilst others will be happy with a good days work. Steve Glasbey and Matt Griffin are joint drivers of the day, Steve for showing great improvement over last year and Matt for being the season’s newbie showing old hats how it should be done. Fastest lady driver of the day was Vicky Cox finishing an overall 17th with 1:10.73.

Well done to all the class winners and a massive well done to Dave Dutch.
Top 5
Dave Dutch 1:02.97
Dan Morgan 1:03.53
Dave Goodwin 1:05.12
Chris Greenen 1:05.65
Steve Glasbey 1:06.04
Next event is an unsealed surface event held at Knighton on Sunday 13th May.

Healey weekend
BAE Systems, Cowes, Isle of Wight, Saturday 12th November

As competitors dusted off their helmets for the final rounds of the IOW car club championship few could believe that it was also the annual Healey weekend, how time had flew! The Healeys have been visiting us for what is approaching fifty years now, no mean feat in itself. It is lovely to see the old cars mixing it up with the more modern machinery, luckily they are not afraid to get full use of the classic cars using all of the power and grip available. With the final two rounds all within the same weekend there were to be mini battles throughout the field as competitors were looking to finish as high up the leaderboards as possible. Class 4 was very tight as was the overall sealed surface championship. Dave Goodwin entering the weekend just three points ahead of Island PC Services driver – Daniel Morgan. Fast forward to Saturday morning, 10am, BAE systems. The weather was playing kindly into our hands and it appeared as though the marshals should be keeping dry all day ?

The Healey weekend is run slightly differently to the rest of the season as not only is it two events back to back but there are also awards given for the weekend. There is an overall Healey trophy called the Turbine that is awarded to the competitor who has the lowest two combined times of the two events. So championship points, championship trophies and Healey trophies are all up for grabs come Sunday afternoon.

Toby Allen was the first to break the one minute barrier at BAE, recording a 58.75 in his freshly supercharged MX5, the charger whining away whilst he was at it. With Daniel Morgan recording a wrong test, was the pressure beginning to show? Dave Goodwin took the lead in his classic Mini with a 58.36 closely followed by a stunning 53.92 but unfortunately he clipped a cone to incur a five second penalty. Daniel Morgan returned to snatch the lead with a 52.45. This was probably a mountain too far for the rest of the pack with Dave Goodwins runs coming to an end the best he could achieve was a 53.43. Dave Dutch and Toby Allen put themselves in between Dan and Dave with a 53.38 for Dutch and a 53.11 for Allen. This gave Morgan valuable points over Goodwin and set the Sunday at the college up a treat. Meanwhile the Healeys were out to put a show on, always an interesting bunch of cars on show for this annual event. From a supercharged Austin A35 to Healey 3000, to Sprites and a BDA engined Mk1 Escort rally car. As was to be expected none of them were just here to polish their motors as they all took part and provided great entertainment whilst they were at it.

There were no competitors in class 1 for either day so straight to class 2 we go, just four competitors here but arguably the most entertaining pair of the weekend in Daryl and Dean driving their Mx5 sideways more than forwards. Daryl had issues with finding the right way at first but once his internal sat nav kicked in he was pushing Dean to the wire. Both drivers competing with flamboyance as the little red mx5 danced around the track. Daryl eventually ran out the victor of the two with a time of 58.58 just 0.48 seconds ahead of Dean.

Class 3 as always was dominated by the classic Mini, ten competitors here and nine of them were Mini’s. Dave Best was the unknown of the bunch as he had brought his Mini cooper along with the Healey club. As ever though the battle at the top of this class was between Dave Goodwin, Dave Dutch and Chris Greenen. Goodwin drew first blood but he was soon cut down to size with a 53.45 from Dave Dutch, Chris was struggling to match the front running pair even with some very nifty tight turns on the handbrake. Goodwin regained the upper hand with a 53.43 only to be pipped at the post with Dutches last run of 53.38. This left Dave Dutch in 3rd position on the day, Goodwin 4th and Greenen 8th with a time of 55.03.

Class 4 is where the majority can be found, over 25 competitors in this class. The mix of cars is also at its widest from supercharged Mx5s to a classic 80s BMW 525i. Going into the weekend Toby Allen and Martyn Cutler were in contention to scoop the overall class win. Toby showed his hand early on recording a 58.75 when the track was very green. His freshly charged car seemed to be working very well for him. Matt Price in a race prepped Saxo was keeping the field on their toes also getting into the 58 seconds with a 58.48. Matt is proud of his £75 engine and is willing to tell everyone who will listen that his £75 has gone a lot further than the drivers sitting behind him in the championship. Steve Glasbey has upped his game this season, TVR and man becoming at one with each other. Steve recording a 53.64 putting him in third place for a while. Toby went out and laid down an amazing 53.11 to take second place overall with Steve settling in 5th place at the end of the day. Martyn Cutler could not match either Toby or Steve and so Toby took valuable points for the class into the following day. Jeremy Wells was the fastest of the Healey crowd with a 55.42 driving a Mk1 Escort rally car. Other notable drives came from Paul Wills in a Mazda Mx5, often sideways and even in reverse!

Class 5 is the class of just 3. Dan Morgan driving his 7esque special, Andy Williams in a grasstrack special and Gordon Bushell in an Austin 7 Special race car. Nobody could get close to Morgan as he took not only the class win but the overall win of the day by nearly 3 seconds from Andy. Gordon finished in 46th place with a time of 1:03.15, happy to have contenders behind him in the rankings.

So with Day 1 of the 2 day event over where were we? Well Dan Morgan had taken valuable points from Dave Goodwin for the sealed surface overall, Goodwin was also being challenged for class 3 honours as Dave Dutch was now just 1 point behind. For the overall honours which had been taken by Morgan a few weeks ago the heat was rising for 2nd and 3rd positions. With Andy Williams and Martyn Cutler both making up ground on Neil Glasbey a repeat of the Saturday on the Sunday would see them both leapfrog Neil to send him crashing from 2nd to 4th in one swoop. Class 4 was now neck and neck between Toby Allen and Martyn Cutler. In other words the class and overall honours were all in the mix, all precariously balanced waiting for the victors to steal away with the trophies.

IOW College Sunday 13th November

Early Sunday morning, the college was the venue and competitors were eager. An early start was the order of the day to enable both prize giving at the finale and 2 minutes silence at 11am. The course was dry, damp, grippy and slippery at the same time. With the sun shining on the back part and wet leaves on the left hand side taming the track conditions would be the key to fast times.

Toby Allen once again set his stall early with a 44.72 which could only be matched by Dan Morgan. Dave Dutch was soon to get in on the action though, ever consistent in his Mini Pickup as he drove a faultless 43.03 to put him into temporary second place. Dave Goodwin followed with a 43.04 just 0.01 seconds behind Dave Dutch. Toby responded with a 41.24 but nobody would be catching the runaway leader Dan Morgan as his times just tumbled. From 44 to 41 to 39 to settle with a 39.62 seconds to take the victory from the others. Dave Dutch settled for second place with a 40.99, 1.37 seconds behind Dan and Toby took third place with 41.24.

Class 2 saw the same four drivers as the previous day, Dean just needed to finish to claim overall sealed surface class honours. He did much more than that however as he took the class from Daryl both on the day and the combined times for the weekend. Both lads driving their Mx5 to its maximum ability often living on the edge of sideways. Dean recorded a time of 43.53 just over half a second quicker than Daryl. Dean scoops the overall class with 249 points with Luke Kozakewycz in second on 242. Luke finished in 44th on the day.

Class 3, another hotly contended class, Dave Dutch and Dave Goodwin were battling it out for class honours, fastest of the weekend and overall. Goodwin was also battling with Dan Morgan for the Sealed surface trophy. He needed to finish above Dan to stand a chance today. Chris Greenen looked very fast on his second run recording a 43.13 to top the class but unfortunately whilst his son was driving the clutch back plate decided to detach itself and launch through the bonnet. Game over for the Greenen family. Goodwin and Dutch were just 0.01 seconds apart at the half way point, could it ever be closer? With Dave Dutch recording a 41.53 and Goodwin a 41.55 it was to go to the wire. Dutch ran out eventual winner though to record a 40.99 to show the old boy still has tricks up his sleeve. This gave Dave Dutch the class win for the day, Healey weekend fastest in class and left him equal with Goodwin for overall class honours. A fiercely battled season ends on equal points of 248, Chris Greenen finishes in third on 240.

Class 4, where do we start? So many competitors and so many micro battles. Toby Allen and Martyn cutler both on equal points heading into this final round. Matt Price, Dave Bizzill, Wayne hole and Neil Glasbey could all take third spot on just this one days event. Toby was always going to be the one to catch, he just seems so consistent. As he put a 41.24 on the timecard anyone who thought he may have an off day had just been proven wrong. Cutler battled with his car to record a 41.90 but it was never going to be enough to topple Allen from his lofty position. Dave Bizzill drove a very respectable 41.92 just 0.02 behind Cutler to take 3rd in class on the day and Matt Price finishing in 4th 0.17 behind Bizzill. So Toby runs away with the class win overall with 244 points, Martyn 243 points and Matt Price on 236. Toby also took fastest driver in class for the Healey weekend.

For the Healeys Jeremy Wells once again was fastest just 0.21 seconds ahead of Oliver Chatham.

Class 5 saw Dan Morgan, Andy Williams and Andy Lee competing against each other. Dan needed to finish above Dave Goodwin to take overall honours and that was his goal. The custom made car has proven to be a winner this season with Dan taking on average little over 49 points from a possible 50 at every event. This was on show again as he walked away with the maximum 50 points overall and in class. Untouchable this weekend! Andy needs to find some valuable seconds in his specials if he is to compete with Morgan next season. Dan won the class and the day with a 39.62 and Andy finished in 8th position with 42.22. Dan topped the class with 249 points to Andy’s 246.

Fastest lady for the weekend goes to Rebecca French, an amazing weekend for ‘Boo’ topping the ladies board at both events, not even a midterm car change for Vicky Cox could get the better of Rebecca. Also competing were Jemma Western, Marion Saunders and Pam Moore. It is so nice to see so many ladies competing but there is always room for more.

In the ‘Healey Class’ Jeremy Wells in a mk1 Escort took fastest overall, closely followed by Oliver Chatham in various steeds. It is so nice to see the plethora of vehicles brought over as this great tradition continues. Thank you to all involved in putting this amazing event on and long may it continue. A massive thanks must be extended to Pam Moore for organising the Healey crowd.

So, here we are at the end of another season. Where do we all stand I hear you cry out? Lets get down to the nitty gritty.

Overall winner is Dan Morgan with 491 points, second place is Martyn Cutler with 451 having leapt above Andy Williams and Neil Glasbey on the final weekend. Third place is Andy Williams with 450 points just one behind Martyn. Well done Dan!

In the sealed surface championship Dan Morgan pipped Dave Goodwin to the title, Dan with 247 and Dave with 243, Dave must have been busy looking over his shoulder as Dave Dutch finished only one point behind to take 3rd place.

Jemma Western takes class one with 200 points, unfortunately there was nobody else to compete against but its still a trophy!

Class 2 was taken by Dean Long with 249 points.

Class 3 is shared between Dave Goodwin and Dave Dutch, both competitors running away with 248 points.

Class 4 Toby Allen takes the crown with 244 points with Martyn Cutler on 243 for second.

Class 5 of course belongs to Dan Morgan with 249 points from a possible 250. Amazing effort Dan, Well done again!

Every year we have a presentation for the Healey weekend itself, there are awards for fastest time overall, most entertaining driver, fastest lady, fastest Healey, fastest Sprite, fastest non Healey and then class wins from the weekend. Awards went as follows:-

Fastest Overall :- Dan Morgan
Most Entertaining:- Dean Long and Daryl Turner
Fastest Lady:- Rebecca French
Fastest Healey:- Oliver Chatham
Fastest Sprite:- Hylton Reid
Fastest Non Healey:- Jeremy Wells

Class 2 Dean Long
Class 3 Dave Dutch
Class 4 Toby allen
Class 5 Dan Morgan

Paul Wills scooped the IOW CC Booby award for most entertaining.

And the season is at its end, that’s all you will be hearing from me until the next season which should start around April 2012

I hope you have enjoyed the reports, the season has been an excellent one for all involved. A massive thank you to all the people that put in effort to make these events happen. The club is very strong right now and long may it continue, see you all next year.

Sunday 30^th October saw the final unsealed surface event of the season, with Daniel Morgan, of Island PC Services, and Neil Glasbey neck and neck for the title the challenge was on. The complete opposite of the event 2 weeks prior at the very same venue as the rain God had given us wet weather for the last fortnight. Very slippery under foot and with a forecast of rain further into the day the dust of the last event was long forgotten.

Andy Williams started the proceedings, getting grip on the slurry was going to be the key to a good time.  With a time of 1:14.89 you could tell Andy had the bit between his teeth. 

The only two to get anywhere near Andy were Martyn Cutler with a 1:16.48 and Neil Glasbey with 1:16.93. Dan Morgan was feeling the pressure as he battled with a sticking throttle, causing a minor coming together with cone and soil causing the tyre to leave the rim. Run over for Dan and round 1 to Neil.

With a patched up car Dan showed his mettle recording a 1:15.49 followed swiftly with a 1:12.61. Now it was Neil who would feel the pressure as his following three times all recording time faults for hitting cones. In fact his 4^th run involved more than just a cone as Neil tried to reshape the front of his mighty Mk2 Golf by adding some concrete girders! Andy Williams efforts to try and keep Morgan honest were dashed when he picked up a puncture on his third run At the half way point Dan was sailing pretty, top of the leaderboard and poised to take the trophy for consecutive years, leaving his rivals hacked off.

Meanwhile the battle for fastest lady was hotting up, at the midway point Vicky Cox best time was 1:19.74 and Rebecca French 1:19.47. The battle lines had been drawn and the coveted award of fastest lady of the day was being hotly contested.

Daryl Turner was also trying to reshape the little red MX5 by drifting into banks and Paul Wills had a go at 4×4 trialling with his MX5 as he tried to mount a bank of rubble.

The slippery conditions were proving very difficult for everybody to master. Turn your head for a second and you would miss a moment of pure glory and amusement.

Back at the top Dan was sitting pretty, nobody had told Darren Taylor the fairytale though. Taking his first ever victory at the last event Darren again popped up with a 1:10.66 to push Dan Morgan back down the table and put himself on top of the tree. Andy Williams had also got to grips with both surface and machinery and he also put himself above Dan with a clean 1:12.20. Neil was struggling, the times were just not coming for him, perhaps it was a little too soon to be racing cars after a bicycle accident earlier in the week.  With his last run Neil recorded a 1:13.59 but it was never going to be good enough to catch Morgan on the day.  Dan, pushing for victory launched the Golf off a bank and was lucky not to roll as it took a very big hit. Returning with a damaged rear beam axle the victory was easing away. Darren could not improve on his table topping time so it was left to Dan with a damaged car to try and snatch the victory. A gallant effort took second place away from Andy with a time of 1:12.08 but was nowhere near enough to threaten first place.

And so the day drew to a close, Darren Taylor once again victorious. Darren will be one to watch out for next season as his times have improved tenfold.  

Dan Morgan taking the Unsealed Surface championship by four points from Neil Glasbey. A closely fought battle that went right to the wire.Well done Dan! Andy Williams finishing both third on the day and in the final standings with 228 points.

Vicky Cox eventually ran out victor as the fastest lady with a very respectable 1:15.47 leaving her in 7^th place on the day. Vicky also takes fastest lady of the championship finishing with 203 points, just 6 points in front of Rebecca French. It is nice to see so many ladies competing this year, long may it continue.

The end of another unsealed championship, closely fought battles, entertaining moments and a lot of drifting from the RWD boys. Looking forward to next season already, bring it on!

I  must thank all the marshals that dedicate their time to these events, without you we could not operate. If there was a podium for marshals then Phil Munday would have scooped it this weekend doing three stints throughout the day. Well done Phil, if you put as much skill into driving as you do marshalling one day you will be at the top of the report for opposite reasons 😉

Next event is the double header Healey weekend, Saturday 12^th November at BAE systems and Sunday 13^th at the IOW College. Another closely fought battle to be settled between Dan Morgan, Dave Goodwin and Dave Dutch. Not one to miss!

See you all there.

Knighton top 5

Darren Taylor 1:10.66

Dan Morgan 1:12.08

Andy Williams 1:12.20

Martyn Cutler 1:12.54

John Dutch 1:13.38

Final championship standings

Dan Morgan  244

Neil Glasbey  240

Andy Williams 228

Its Sunday 16th October, Knighton Sandpit at 08.30 in the morning, sun shining and cars raring to go. Of course its another round of the IOWCC unsealed surface championship, the penultimate round in fact. With Dan Morgan, the current leader absent it was a perfect opportunity for the chasing pack spearheaded by Neil Glasbey to take valuable points leading into the final USS on 30th October at the very same venue.

Andy Williams as ever kicked the proceedings off, after a run stating ‘it was like driving on marbles’ the surface was very slippery. With the unseasonably dry weather dust was also going to be an issue for competitors. Andy recorded a 1:16.84 which was soon cut down to size by Neil Glasbey in the Northwood Golf with a 1:14.98. The third rival to Mr Morgan was Andrew Leppard but he seemed to have a continuing issue with hitting cones and incurring penalties.

Meanwhile competition was hotting with the ladies, a fierce (but fair) battle has risen between Rebecca French and Vicky Cox. Vicky set her stall with a 1:19.52 which Rebecca had no initial reply but as the conditions improved so did her time and she took the fastest lady over Vicky, Marion and Jemma with a 1:12.44 driving the wheels off the little orange Golf. Vicky looked disappointed as she was leading the pack with a 1:14.04 right up to the last runs. Unlucky Vicky and Well done Boo! Its nice to see so many ladies competing, the more the merrier ?

Back at the top and a new leader had emerged, it was the half way point and Martyn Cutler was over 2 seconds quicker than the chasing pack. Using the Northwood Golf as the WWC car was out of action was obviously working for him. Conditions were getting ever better and times had started to tumble, the Dutch brothers beginning to get the hang of their space framed Mini were starting to threaten. When Dave Dutch popped in a 1:11.61 the battle was on. Neil, striving for the top popped up with a 1:11.43 to top the leaderboard only to be cut down by Darren Taylor with a 1:10.27 from absolutely nowhere. Only a few drivers remained, Andy Williams having dropped out earlier with wheel bearing issues. Neil had one run remaining, topping the table would leave him 2 points clear of Dan. Unfortunately for Neil his final run was a disaster, recording a wrong test as he was upset with how the run was evolving. Bad luck Neil, but still second place would have left him 1 point ahead of Dan. Alas it was not to be, Martyn Cutler put himself inbetween Darren and Neil on his final run with a 1:10.31 just 0.04 seconds behind Darren. A tough fought battle at the top but with Darren emerging victorious.

I caught up with Darren at the end and he said ‘this is my first win, I am so happy! The little grasstrack car did me proud today’ Well done Darren you deserved the victory for plucking a time from oblivion.

Just one round remaining, Neil and Dan are joint first and uncatchable by anyone else. This is set for a battle of the titans, miss it at your own peril!

Top 5

Darren Taylor 1:10.27
Martyn Cutler 1:10.31
Neil Glasbey 1:11.43
Wayne Hole 1:11.44
Dave Dutch 1:11.61

Top 3 league positions

Dan Morgan 195
Neil Glasbey 195
Andrew Leppard 186

IOWCC round 4 was held at Atherfield yesterday (25th September), why round 4 I hear you all ask? This was a rescheduled event due to the venue not being ready earlier in the year. An unsealed surface event which is usually ever changing throughout the day due to the initial wet grass right through to compacted soil.

As was suspected the first few runs were akin to what you may see on TV as dancing on ice. Wet grass made not only navigating tight turns difficult but indeed trying to come to a halt in the stop box was virtually impossible. Steve Glasbey was the first to tame the conditions and record a sub one minute run with a very respectable 58.18 driving a mk2 Golf Gti. Dave Dutch once again kept the field honest with a decent 57.90 in a classic Mini but it was Neil Glasbey who not only looked the fastest but was actually the quickest at the half way point with an amazing 55.15 in the Golf he shares with his brother.

Meanwhile the battle for the fastest lady was on, Rebecca French driving a 57.52 only to be bettered by Vicky Cox with a 57.30. Marion Saunders was trying her best to keep her little Mini up there but could not quite catch the leading lady finishing with a 58.48. Vicky went on to better her time and finish 9th overall with a very credible time of 55.52. Vicky put her new found speed down to the newly installed limited slip differential. Well done Vicky!

Back at the top competition was hotting up, Dan Morgan joining the fray half way through due to competing in a Triathlon in the morning. Dan was using a borrowed Diesel Mk3 Golf as earlier Martyn Cutler had killed the gearbox in the WWC Golf. Dans second run of 55.86 put the cat right amongst the pigeons and the battle was on. Andy Williams took to the challenge with a certain confidence about him and duly delivered with a 55.13. Neil Glasbey came back at the two of them coolly slotting back into the top spot by being the first into the 53 seconds driving the wheels off the little red Golf. Andy replied with a 53.70 only to be bettered by Neil with a 53.65. With a 1-2-3 of Neil, Andy and Dan the competition for the table was getting tighter and tighter. Nobody was looking over their shoulders though when Andrew Leppard stepped up having not read the script. Driving a 205gti on standard road tyres Andrew drove a quite exceptional 53:79 to take third place away from Dan.

And that was how it ended, the times had indeed tumbled as the grass was replaced by compacted soil and as the dust settled Neil came away with a very valuable 50 points. With just 2 rounds left in the USS events and competition getting hotter by the week it all points towards a grand finale.

Driver of the day goes to Neil Glasbey for guiding the red bullet to ultimate victory.

Top 5

Neil Glasbey 53.65
Andy Williams 53.70
Andrew Leppard 53.79
Dan Morgan 54.92
Martyn Cutler 54.97

Unsealed Surface Top 3 Positions:-

Dan Morgan 148
Neil Glasbey 147
Andy Williams 145

Round 7 of the IOW car club could be found at the IOW college on Sunday, rescheduled from last week due to issues with venues this promised to be a cracking event as the college offers us a lot of space for course layouts. Just 28 competitors turning out, probably a casualty of the Bestival!

With fewer competitors you may think there is less competition but the exact opposite proved true with fierce competition in both class 3 and class 4.

Dave Dutch set the early pace recording a 1:15.07 in his Mini Pickup but Chris Greenen was keeping him honest driving a Mini saloon car and laying down a 1:15.90. The day was looking very much like a FWD mini would take overall honours as the RWD cars were struggling to get anywhere near those times…..

Up steps Mr Daniel Morgan of Island PC Services, driving his specially built ‘7’ type vehicle. With a first run mishap meaning he hacked up some of the course, having to drive further than necessary and still recording a 1:16.92 everybody had a right to feel threatened, a second run of 1:11.03 proved the apprehensive justified. A time from the skies that was going to prove impossible to beat was the feeling around the paddock, had an event ever been won so early in the day? And that is how it turned out, everybody else competing for the other honours, Dan went on to better his own time with an incredible 1:10.51 a whopping 2.25 seconds from Dave Dutch in second.

Class 1 was once again Jemma Westerns all to herself, we need more class 1 competitors. Where are you all hiding? Jemma recorded a 1:31.09 in a Ford KA to take all of the class points. Well done Jemma, hopefully we can find you some competition soon!

Class 3 next as there were no competitors from class 2, our usual stalwarts of Dean Long and Daryl Turner nowhere to be seen. This class as usual is the class of the Mini, 7 drivers competing for top honours. As is common these days the Dutch brothers were fast from the outset, John getting a 1:18.76 only to be bettered by his brother with a 1:15.07 to briefly put him top of the leader board. Steve Brett, frequently keeping this class honest was struggling today, his car causing issues throughout. Marion seemed to be getting more out of the little Blue Mini than her husband. Meanwhile with the Dutch brothers thinking they had the class all their own way Chris Greenen was plotting their downfall, putting a 1:15.90 on the board showed intent and then a 1:13.78 to put the cat amongst the pigeons. Dave Dutch responded with a 1:13.25 and at this point the Greenen Mini decided it wanted no more as the clutch gave way. A shame as it was turning into a really nice battle. Dave went on to better his own time with a 1:12.76 to take the class and second place overall. Chris was second in class and third overall.

Class 4 had the lion’s share of the drivers, over 17 in total. A vast variety of machinery from VX220’s to Citroen Saxo race cars. Dave Bizzill was eyeing the class top spot and when he posted a time of 1:17.77 early in the day the line had been drawn. Andrew and Dave Leppard in their 205Gti were struggling slightly with the times, usually battling the front runners their car just did not seem to suit this course. Matt Price driving his freshly prepared Citroen Saxo race car drove a brilliant 1:17.41 to top the class followed by a 1:16.62 to further cement his place at the summit. Toby Allen was struggling with the course also driving an Mx5, we all knew he would come good later though as he got to grips with both course and machinery. Posting a 1:14.96 on his fourth run proved most right. Matt responded and was seen dancing a jig as he returned to pip Toby by just 1/10th second. The jig was cut short however as Martyn Cutler in his VX220 placed a time of 1:14.97 just 2/10th off Matt with a run in hand. Martyn went on to better his time with a 1:14.49, Matt looked glum, he thought he had the class.

So Martyn Cutler took the class victory and fourth overall closely followed by Matt Price in second place and Toby Allen in third. Rebecca French ran away with fastest lady with a time of 1:19.04, her nearest rival was Vicky Cox with a 1:22.84 in a 205Gti.

Class 5 had two competitors, Dan Morgan and Andy Williams, Andy was driving his car engined special and as always started the proceedings. A time of 1:18.55 in the damp and greasy conditions might have given Andy hope that he could do well in this class of two! A 3rd run 1:16.07 and all was looking rosy…..Up steps Mr Morgan, a rare mistake costing him time on his first run but still managing a 1:16.92 boding not well for Andy. A second run and an incredible time of 1:11.03 and Andy knew it was time to get the bus home. Dan went on to better his time with an unassailable 1:10.51 and Andy with a 1:15.77 leaving Morgan with not only class honours but the top step of the podium. Well done Dan, an amazing weekend for you equalling the largest ever win.

So another weekend of motorsport drawn to a close, the 7th round done and dusted and as the dust settles we can see a clearer picture of the championship. Dave Goodwin still tops the table with 149 points but now only 2 points behind is Dan Morgan. Only 2 rounds left in the sealed surface championship and both of those fall on the weekend of 12/13 November for the annual Healey weekend. Should be an amazing finish to the championship as both battle to take the top step of the podium and walk away with the coveted winners trophy.

Driver of the day goes to Dan Morgan for winning an event 4 hours prior to its finish, will this ever be bettered?

Top 5 College

Dan Morgan 1:10.51
Dave Dutch 1:12.76
Chris Greenen 1:13.78
Martyn Cutler 1:14.49
Matt Price 1:14.95

Sealed surface Championship

Dave Goodwin 149
Dan Morgan 147
Dave Dutch 145

Overall Championship

Dan Morgan 247
Andy Williams 231
Neil Glasbey 227

Next event is on 25th September, an unsealed surface event at Atherfield. Please see www.iowcc.co.uk for more information on how to join or spectate.
As always thanks to the land owner for kind permission to use the land, the marshals and the competitors.

With a cancelled fourth round due to farmer based weather constraints the next event was eagerly anticipated and 17th July duly obliged with one of the calendars favourites, BAE systems, Cowes.
Weather was again looking to play havoc with this event, rain, sunshine and heavy wind were all forecast. A very heavy downpour whilst setting up the equipment gave the first indication of what was to come. Track conditions were ever changing from grippy to very very slippery.

With an excellent attendance of over 45 drivers the day was set. The course was fairly flowing but quite large, a sub minute time was going to be the order of the day for top of the leaderboard action. Steve Stotesbury the very man who laid out the course and also did a demonstration run was the first to put a time on the board, unfortunately for him though he recorded a wrong test almost immediately after he left the start box.

Marion Saunders driving a classic Mini was the first to record a meaningful time of 1:19.86 but Andy Williams soon showed us where we needed to be laying down a 58.47 easily breaking the sub minute barrier. The Dutch brothers were proving to be quick again in their Minis but the largest threat looked to be coming from Dave Goodwin and Dan Morgan, as ever!

Dan was quick but could not help but hit cones on his way, Dave was just quick. Never recording a time above 55 seconds anybody thinking they could beat him today was going to have to be very fast and consistent. Due to the changeable weather, the conditions seemed to worsen throughout not helped by a mechanical failure to a car which took almost an hour to clear off the course in which time a short torrential rain burst damped not only the track but spirits as well. Nobody could better their morning runs and so it would prove that Dave Goodwin would run away victor with an amazing time of 53.72

Class 1 was as ever taken by Jemma Western, a class Jemma has now made her own! With only one car to compete a time of 1:10.18 took class honours.

Class 2 at least had two drivers to battle it out, Dean Long as ever driving a Mk1 Mx5 and Luke Kozakewycz in a Toyota Supra. Dean was enjoying his tail happy Mx and the slippery conditions as he drifted his car beautifully between cones. Eventually recording a time of 59.59 three seconds faster than Luke. Where are all the competitors in standard cars? Come along people, bring your car and have some fun!

Class 3 was once again the class of the Mini, this class could almost be renamed. With 11 competitors and 9 of them driving classic Minis chances are that a Mini would take the class win. Both Dave and John Dutch looked quick in a saloon and a pickup recording times of 55.71 and 59.34 but at the head of the pack Dave Goodwin was dancing his car around to not only take class honours but the overall win as well, an incredibly consistent day for Dave considering the inclement conditions. Recording a final all conquering time of 53.72 and a run spare at the end of the day as well! Well done Dave the Sealed surface championship is now yours to lose.

Class 4, once again the most hotly contended with most competitors driving cars in this division. Twenty three cars in total! Dave Bizzill driving a Subaru Impreza was the first to record a memorable time with a very respectable 58.60, perhaps Dave had brought the correct equipment for this soggy Sunday. Steve Glasbey was looking very tidy all day driving a TVR and propelling himself to a final 9th place with a 56.97, the Rover V8 engine sounding beautiful as it went about its business. Richard Weaver and Neil Glasbey made valiant efforts to win the class but ultimately it was Andrew Leppard and Toby Allen battling for the honour. Toby had set an early time of 55.71 to keep everyone on their toes to which Andrew replied with a 55.48, alas Toby was not to lay down and foiled the rest of the class with an astonishing 54.88 to sweep up not only class honours but was also good enough for second position overall. An amazing feat in such changeable conditions.

Class 5, the special class! Andy Williams as ever set an early time of 55.96 and could probably have improved had his second driver Russell Thomson not broken the car whilst doing his third run. With a broken car Andy could not improve leaving the door open for Dan Morgan. Dan was fast from the outset but unfortunately was struggling to get a clean round, taking out cones on his runs. With rain distracting him Dan eventually pulled a 55.49 out of the bag to take the class and 4th overall.

Another excellent IOW car club event, Dave Goodwin taking the accolade for what was a very consistent well driven performance. Driver of the day for me was Toby Allen defying logic in his Mx5.
Fastest lady driver of the day goes to Vicky Cox with a time of 1:01.40

Top 5 Positions
Dave Goodwin 53.72
Toby Allen 54.88
Andrew Leppard 55.48
Dan Morgan 55.49
Dave Dutch 55.71

Sealed Surface Top 3
Dave Goodwin 100
Dan Morgan 97
Dave Dutch 96

Overall Top 3
Dan Morgan 147
Andrew Leppard 141
Andy Williams 141

St Georges Park, Newport was the venue for the third round of the Isle of Wight car club Autotest championship. A brand new setting and it proved to be both a very nice circuit to drive and a nice circuit for spectators, able to see the entire circuit from just one vantage point.

With the promise of rain ahead competitors were eager to get on with proceedings, something not often seen at these events as drivers are usually waiting for optimum grip.

As seems to be the way Andy Williams set the first time of the day with a 39:93, if the rain held off it was looking to be a very fast circuit. At the last sealed surface event the challenge from the Mini’s was unassailable and again today the two Dutch brothers both looked fast out of the box. Dave Dutch threatening the top of the table with an extremely quick 36:95 in his Mini pickup.

Later in the day we were promised the attendance of both Daniel Morgan driving his new 7 style race car, supplied by Island PC Services, and Dave Goodwin with his Mini. As soon as Goodwin took his car out he posted a notably quick 37:40. Dave Bizzill driving a Subaru Impreza and Toby Allen driving a Mazda Mx5 were also keeping the fast pack honest, Toby even topped the table for a while with a time of 37:13, unfortunately for him though after that he struggled to remember where he should be going and his place tumbled down the leaderboard.

When Dan Morgan finally arrived we all expected great things, his first four runs all involved hitting cones and incurring time penalties. On his fifth run however he recorded a quite brilliant time of 35:48 over half a second faster than second placed Dave Goodwin.

Class 1 was swooped up by Jemma Western posting a time of 44:37 driving a totally standard Ford KA, with no other competitors to challenge her Jemma collected a cool 50 points for her class.

Class 2 again very poorly attended with only two drivers this time. Dean Long and Daryl Turner seem to have made this class their own, both driving a standard Mazda Mx5 the battle was on. With Daryl having beaten Dean for a couple of previous events Dean was on the offensive, driving a very clean 38:49 which Daryl found just too much to handle. Well done Dean for getting back on top!

Class 3 is the class of the Mini’s, with seven competitors fighting for the class honours. Dave and John Dutch looked very quick in the morning, their cars setup just right for autotesting. Unfortunately for them the party was spoilt by Dave Goodwin arriving late, he was on it from the get go recording a 36:02, which under most circumstances would have taken the overall win, Dave had to settle for 2nd overall but 1st in class and 50 class points.

Class 4 was hotly contended as ever, with over 20 competitors it promised to be a great spectacle. Toby Allen was the first to record a noteworthy time with 37:13 which not only led the class but the overall standings as well. The FWD cars were struggling to match the RWD and 4WD cars in this class, the fastest of the FWD was Matt Price in a race prepped Saxo with a 37:22. Dave Bizzill, driving a Subaru Impreza broke Toby’s supremacy with a very tidy 36:82 to top the class and scoop the 50 points, just 0.01 seconds behind was Martyn Cutler driving his Vx220. Also notable in this class was a very tidy run by Steve Glasbey in his recently rebuilt TVR with a very respectable time of 37:05 to finish 4th in class and 7th overall.

Class 5, the special class! Just two drivers to fight this one out, Andy Williams and Dan Morgan. Andy completed most of his runs early, I think the track rubbered in later in the day, his special looked good and he set a very respectable 38:15. Acclaim must go to Dan Morgan though, only the second time he has driven his new car and he looked at one with the machine. Struggling at first with cone demolition he pulled it all together in his 5th run, a time of 35:48 sweeping the rug from under everybody else. Well done Dan, the car was a long time in coming but now it is here it is where it belongs, at the top!

And that was the end of the day, fastest lady goes to Vicky Cox with a time of 39:91 and driver of the day to the latecomer Dan Morgan. Some fantastic drives from the likes of Dave Bizzill, Dave Goodwin, Dave Dutch and Steve Glasbey. This season is shaping up to be a very competitive one. Well done all!

Top 5 Positions

Dan Morgan 35:48
Dave Goodwin 36:02
Dave Dutch 36:81
Dave Bizzill 36:82
Martyn Cutler 36:83

Overall SS Top 3

Dave Goodwin 50
Dan Morgan 50
Andy Williams 49

For full results see www.iowcc.co.uk

Next event at Atherfield on Sunday 3rd July, see you all there.

Round 2 of the 2011 IOW CC Autotest season took us to Knighton sandpit for the first unsealed surface event of the championship. With such arid conditions recently the track was watered beforehand in an attempt to keep dust to a minimum. A number of new faces helping swell the membership, always a pleasing sight.

Andy Williams started the proceedings in his extremely open to the elements special, setting a time of 64.15 seconds and getting extremely wet and muddy as an added bonus. Steve Brett as always at Knighton was fast out of the box and was doing his best to keep Andy in check recording 62.70 in only his second run. As the surface begun to dry out the FWD cars begun to dominate, Dan Morgan, ever present at the top of the table laid down a 58.45 followed by an unassailable 56.28. The west Wight Golf Gti coupled with driver Morgan proving just too good for the opposition.

As with the last event there were no competitors for class 1, any budding autotest drivers out there with a standard car under 1400cc should come along, there is a gap in the market!

Class 2 was also lacking many competitors, the two it did have though have always had in house battles for supremacy. Dean Long usually the victor driving the shared Mazda Mx5 but Daryl Turner, refusing to lay down to Dean won the class with a time of 60.61 a mere 0.37 seconds in front of his stable mate. Well done Daryl!

Class 3, usually a hotly contested class on sealed surface is lacking the depth of cars on the unsealed, however with 6 drivers battling it out at least there was something to play for. Steve Brett took the class with relative ease, his classic Mini just seems to be setup so well for this event. Steve Stotesbury driving a Mk3 Fiesta was trying his hardest at times overdriving as he clipped banks and rubble heaps. It looked like fun though as the incredible little car just seems to live forever.

Class 4 is where the bulk of the drivers were for this event, most driving FWD hot hatches of the 90’s era. VW Golfs seem to be the car of choice if you wish to take a class win but rest assured the 205Gtis give it a good crack as well. Andrew Leppard and Neil Glasbey were Dan’s main rivals as times begun to tumble. Neil having replaced all of his glass with plastic to shed yet more weight from their Mk2 Golf Gti laid down a time 57.93 to briefly top the table. Andrew Leppard responded with a 56.88 but it was not good enough to take the class and overall win as Dan Morgan powered his way to an incredible time of 56.28 with 2 runs left in his hand. With nobody even getting close to Dans time he finished the day on top having only completed 4 runs, not often seen as the days are usually hotly contested until the bitter end. Well done Dan for taking the Class 4 honours and the overall win.

Class 5 was contested by just two drivers today, Andy Williams in a grasstrack special and Andrew Lee driving a Beetle based Buggy. They could not have been more in contrast to each other if they tried. Andy was fast all day, throwing stones everywhere as both man and machine looked at one. Andrew Lee on the other hand was testing his buggy for the very first time and some more setup on the suspension is needed I feel to get closer to the competition. Andy Williams won the class with a 58.25 and leaving him 4th overall.

Final positions are as follows:-

1st Dan Morgan 56.28

2nd Andrew Leppard 56.88

3rd Neil Glasbey 57.93

4th Andy Williams 58.25

5th Grant Sabin 58.40

The next event is at St Georges Park on SATURDAY 18th June

Easter Sunday saw over 40 competitors turn out for the premier event of the season at the IOW college. With unabated sunshine hats and sun cream were the order of the day. A slightly tighter course than usual meant competitors were going to have to be on their toes to get the course correct and avoid hitting any cones. Two complete 360 degree turns were laid out, a first for a while!

As suspected the usual suspects were topping the leader board from the outset, Andy Williams setting a time of 60.78 in a car engined special when most were struggling to get close to 68 seconds. Dave and John Dutch were out to show the others how it was done, dancing their little minis around the course and worrying the seasoned pros as their times were tumbling. Dave put in a 60.43 keeping Andy honest at the top. Of course Dave Goodwin, last years sealed surface champion was yet to set a time and when he did he jumped straight to the summit with a 60.36. The course was undoubtedly suited to the smaller cars, times were being made or lost in the 360s.

It was almost as if Mazda had brought their MX5 showroom to the competition, with 6 Mx5s on show there was a variety of success amongst the drivers. Dean Long, Darryl turner and Paul wills seemed to have an in house competition to see who could dance closest to the cones without hitting them, I think the final crown went to Dean for that one. Danny Grist, last seasons Rookie award winner was also in amongst the Mx5 drivers, he showed why he scooped last years award driving his little roadster with skill and a deftness usually seen from older heads.

There were no class 1 cars entered so in class 2 we had 6 cars. Dean Long scooped the fastest in class with a 64.50 closely followed by Pete Hughes driving a Clio 182 who recorded 64.77. It is nice to see the RWD and FWD cars competing so closely. Proof that the machinery is not as important as the person behind the wheel.

Class 3 was hotly contended as it is where most of the Minis hang out. Steve Brett had to retire early due to mechanical failure meaning two less drivers competing for the class honours. As reported earlier Dave Dutch and Dave Goodwin were topping the overall board so naturally they were also hotly contending the class as well. Chris Greenen was doing his best to keep them honest but Goodwin eventually ran away with a time of 58.27 just over one and a half seconds faster than Dave Dutch. The way the minis were taking the course they shall be hard to beat this season, Dave Goodwin has just installed a new engine and informed us it was not yet using all of its RPM available. Watch this space!

Class 4 is where the rest belong, the largest class of the club. Wayne Hole driving a Vauxhall powered Mk1 Escort was fast from the outset, adept at 360s using the natural oversteer happy nature of the car to power his way to a 62.63 Matt Price was driving a well prepped Saxo race car for the first time, hoping for reliability he not only got that but he was also rewarded for some very capable smooth driving with a time of 62.95. Andrew Leppard outclassed them all late in the day to prove his up and coming drivers award last year was not just a one off. Pushing the 205 Gti to a very credible time of 62.05 to take the class win, well done Andrew!

With only 3 drivers in class 5 Dan Morgan would have been hopeful he could have taken a class win. Driving a brand new seven inspired vehicle he was pitting himself against Steve Wells and Andy Williams. Dan had brought his own pit crew with him and after setting his car up he was struggling with the front end washing out, a few adjustments were made and he propelled himself up the leader board with a very respectable time of 61.27, Steve was very close behind with a 61.57 but Andy scooped the class with 58.32.

And so the day drew to a close, Dave Goodwin using only 5 of his 6 runs to take the overall win closely followed by Andy Williams and Dave Dutch into third. An extremely enjoyable first event of the season, hope to see you all at Knighton on June 5th.

Top 5 Finishers:-

Dave Goodwin 58.27
Andy Williams 58.32
Dave Dutch 59.79
Dan Morgan 61.27
Steve Wells 61.57

Fastest lady driver of the day was taken by Vicky Cox driving a 205GTi and recording a time of 67.76

Photos courtesy of Allan Marsh