RACING REPORTS
NATIONAL HOT RODS: IPSWICH BY GRAHAM BROWN MAY 31
WOOD’S WINNING WARM-UP
With the Nationals returning to the world final venue for the first time in 2021, Billy Wood had the best possible warm up for an attempt at regaining the title, taking the final as well as podium finishes in both heats. Big talking point of the meeting though, was the pace of 2.0 Hot Rod convert Paul Wright.
Sam Gray made a great getaway in the opener and built a sizeable cushion thereafter.Although tracked initially by Lance Bowen, Ivan Grayson and Stuart McLaird it was soon clear that debutant Wright and Billy Wood were the fastest men on track.
In the closing stages Grayson and McLaird were catching Gray, but Wright and Wood were coming even faster, both men taking McLaird but just failing to dislodge Grayson. Wright copped one of a raft of penalties for contact in any case but had definitely laid down a marker.
With the grades reversed as usual for heat two Wright now had 17 starters ahead of him while Wood was starting almost last.
Grayson went straight out front from Brett Collison but attention centred on what was happening much further back, where Wright was slicing through the field. He was eighth by mid-distance and fourth when the yellows flew for a multi-car crash on the exit from Turn 2. With the field closed up by the caution, Wright pounced at the green and raced into second, sweeping round the outside of the leader. Despite smacking the wall he kept his foot hard in it to take the lead and his first win coming off the final turn. Wood’s third spot was also noteworthy and it seemed a certainty both men would be in the vanguard for the final.
Of course, that reckoned without Yarmouth final winner, Rob McDonald. Following an overnight engine change, he may have been having a quiet afternoon by his standards at Foxhall – but he was still on row three.
Poleman Grayson shot into the lead while Wood snuck under Wright followed by McDonald and Sibbald in a fraught few laps peppered with black crosses.
Wood was soon clear in the lead and Wright quickly disposed of Grayson and Sibbald, but the two leaders were gone by then. Wood, McDonald and Wright remained well spread out for the duration, their order only affected by a contact penalty for McDonald elevating Wright to second and Chris Haird to third.
Results
Spedeworth May 31Foxhall Raceway, Ipswich 34 : 1 Sam Gray1 Wright; 2 Grayson; 3 Wood; 4 Colin Hitch (Peugeot 206); 5 Rob McDonald (Vauxhall Tigra); 6 Carl Waller-Barrett (Vauxhall Tigra); 7 Gray; 8 Sibbald.1 Wood; 2 Wright; 3 Chris Haird (Vauxhall Tigra); 4 McDonald; 5 Waller-Barrett; 6 Sibbald; 7 Gavin Murray (Vauxhall Tigra); 8 Aaron Dew (Ginetta G40R); 9 Perry Cooke (Vauxhall Tigra); 10 Jack Blood (Vauxhall Tigra).1 McDonald 351; 2 Haird 316; 3 Wood 311; 4 Gordon Alexander 281; 5 Cooke 277; 6 Dew 276.
