Finally the Final! 36 cars with Peter Dempsey (1 - Ray GR05) on pole with Gavin Wills (88 - Van Diemen RF00) alongisde; second row, Neville Smyth (26 - Ray GRS07) and James Nash (Van Diemen RF92). The winner seemed likely to come from these four although the rising star. Wayne Boyd (46 - RF92) was on row three with Peter Barrable (GR05), and whole string of good drivers behind. Former multiple winner, Joey Foster was way back on row 14 but I think he was there for fun and nostalgia in an old Van Diemen RF78 and Michael Vergers was on the back row in the Van Diemen RF99.
By the time the race started the sun was really low in the sky and frankly the amateur qualities of both photographer and his cameras were not up to it. So apologies for the poor nature of the pics which I can best describe as for illustration purposes only!
It was a 4 car battle from the start with Dempsey jumped by several cars early on, with the running made by fellow front row man, Gavin Wills. Here we see Wills, James Nash, Dempsey kicking up dust on the inside, Neville Smyth and a little further back, Wayne Boyd:-
Keith Dempsey and Swift SC92. They were to finish 8th:-
The race was red flagged on the first lap as one car (I don't know who, but we had lost Felix Fisher, Dave Connor and Louis Di Resta at the restart) beached itself just off the racing line on the exit to Brooklands; it was just too close to the track not to stop the race to have it moved. Following the restart, Patrick McKenna (191 - Ray GRS07) did likewise but not only did he go further off but actually made it back on to the track to finish 31st. Here Bob Higgins (61 - Van Diemen RF90 - 29th) passes the troubled McKenna:-
At the restart, Dempsey again did not make the best of starts, but in a superb move up the inside into Brooklands passing both Wills and Smyth, he took the lead. It was the decisive move of the race, and from then on he edged away to a fine win by just under 5 seconds from Nash and Boyd. Here is that move with Nash following Dempsey through to pass Smyth. Both Wills and Smyth were to have problems (mechanical?, spins? - Ian?) finishing 14th and 32nd respectively:-
Robert Barrable was never far away and finished 4th on the tail of Boyd:-
The winner showing clear air between himself and his pursuers:-
Joey Foster finished 27th although his best lap time suggests a higher finishing position was possible. Michael Vergers pulled through half the field to finish 18th. And since we have been following him, what of Oliver Roberts? Well he finished 21st which given his best lap time was probably, within a couple of places, pretty much as far as he would have got had he had better luck on saturday. That he did this the hard way must have been all the sweeter!
That's it. Thank you and goodbye to 2007!.