Brands Hatch September 28/28th 2002

The best race of the season for Ancaster and Van Diemen!!!

Some more changes to both car and driver has made the trip to Brands Hatch the best of the season.

We came home from testing the pinto powered car in California that we have sent to Eric Purcell, with some positive information. Eric has a lot of experience with sports 2’s and this proved invaluable in getting some information to back up our thoughts on the cars performance. Eric was able to show with his computer-generated information, aspects of the cars behaviour that we suspected but were unable to prove, with this help and a very good test driver. We came with the confidence to make some changes for the next race, and although we were not able to test, through other commitments, we went in to the qualifying sessions for the Duratec and Pinto races with renewed confidence.

Sunday broke with fine cool autumn sunshine, ideal conditions for quick lap times. Brands Hatch provides difficult qualifying conditions, as being a short circuit with few obvious passing places and nearly 30 cars all aiming for the perfect lap.

Nik drove the Duratec powered car on to the front row, only 2 tenths off the pole and with the confidence to go faster. The dash for the pole for the pinto race was even more exciting with 12 cars at the head of the field all within a second. Nik posted an early fast lap, came in to the pits to watch, eventually to be beaten. A return to the track with the session coming to a close saw Nik post a new lap record time around Brands to end the qualifying with the pole position. The changes to the car together with some refined driving resulted in the car’s handling improving greatly.

The Duratec race saw Nik produce a near perfect start to leave those behind to fight for the same piece of tarmac, a classic formula for incidents, and Jonathan Lewis’s baptism of fire, also my chance to redeem the wager with Ralf Firman made a great start to the day. Nik came home the victor with Jonathon Lewis second in the factory Van Diemen.

The Pinto race was a much nervier affair, away from pole followed by Jonathon Loader who was then overtaken by Glen Dudley. A black and yellow flag period allowed all the cars to close up, whilst as usual at Brands Hatch, the many damaged cars were removed.

Restarted with 20 minutes still to run Nik charged on, hotly pursued by Dudley, lap after lap until they were lapping back markers the duel ensued, Nik loosing ground at Paddock Hill and gaining again in Clearways. Out of my sight an incident occurred as the commentator went wild, at last after what seemed an eternity, Nik emerged on the slope down to Graham Hill bend and no pursuing Dudley, he had gone off at Druids and that was the end for him. Nik charged on through the traffic as now Rupert Russell in his Van Diemen took up the chase. It was all was to no avail as Nik managed to keep it on the rails and came home P1.

A brilliant result that now gives us a very outside chance at the championship with one round left. I said at the festival that the black and orange flag Nik was shown had cost us the championship, I still believe that but it is not totally over yet, Jonathon Loader finished fourth in this last race, with Dudley, Russell, Able, Dodds, Roger, Wilds, Feyerbend, Dyer, Turner and a few other Brands specialists in the fight it could happen!