by Maureen Gibbins

The Thruxton meeting on the weekend 13-14 June consisted of two qualifying sessions and two races, held over two days. Caterham resident, Michael Gibbins, qualified well on Saturday, on pole by 1.6 seconds ahead of second place man. Unfortunately, electrical problems struck on the formation lap, with electrical systems progressively shutting down, until the engine cut out just as the start lights changed. Stationary on pole, Michael was fortunate that the entire field managed to miss his car on the start line. Later investigation found that a wire had become disconnected from the alternator, resulting in the small race battery flattening and failing very quickly. That evening, gear ratios were changed again, so that the engine would reach peak power at the appropriate points on the track. In addition both brake and clutch fluid lines were found to be failing, resulting in emergency repairs being carried out late into Saturday evening.  Sunday’s qualifying was even more successful than Saturday, with Michael once again on pole, this time by a massive 2.3 second ahead of the second place man, as gearing was now optmal. This time, the car remained reliable, allowing Michael the privilege, in addition to starting on pole, to set the fastest race lap, and to lead the race from start to finish. The race win was some conciliation for the car failure whilst on pole the day before.