MaX5 Rounds 2 / 3 Croft

19th May 2007 - 20th May 2007

Professional images now added courtesy of www.srh-motorsport-photography.com

Paul was reflective as he commented on the close nature of the weekends racing “it isn’t easy out there – with the cars the way they are, if you out-drive somebody through a corner and gain a cars length, they’ll be back at you as they get the tow down the next straight, gaining 2 or 3 times more ground than that just won in the preceding corner … this then forces a defensive line through the next corner and a less than optimal line for a quick lap … but this is the reason so many people love MaX5 racing!”

Official Results

Testing:

Testing got underway on Friday with Paul Sheard, Ben Taylor, Steve Price and James Maxfield in attendance for the Shearspeed team. By the end of the day Ben Taylor was flying and a top 15 finish in the race looked promising.

Qualifying:

Qualifying took place late the next morning. Sheard secured pole with a time of 1:44.832. This put him just ahead of championship contender Jonathan Greensmith on the first row, Wayne le Montais and the young Tom Roche were a row behind. It was lucky Sheard threw in a quick lap early as mid-session he clipped the tyre wall at the Chicane and sent the car bouncing across the track … sustaining suspension damage in the process.

Ben Taylor never found a clear track and was frustrated after the session with position 26th on the grid. Steve Price, 27th, was followed by James Maxfield qualifying in 32nd position.

Sports and Saloons Race:

Paul went out in a familiar vehicle, a V6 Eurocar in the Sports and Saloons Race. Charles Newton was meant to be behind the wheel but low and behold a post office issue meant his licence wasn’t with him, so the drive was handed over to Paul. The car was on for a top 10 finish, with a good battle with a Ferrari F430 being won, before the exhaust bracket fell off leading to retirement. This gave slightly more time to jump into the Mazda for the MaX5 race that immediately followed.

Race 1:

Race 1 could have gone to one of about 4 drivers, very close and exciting racing was seen at the front throughout. Paul Sheard suffered a bad start tumbling to 4th from pole … this guy really likes to set himself a challenge! That said he managed to fight back to 3rd place fairly quickly passing Roche on the first lap, Montais led, Greensmith was 2nd. On lap 3 Greensmith tumbled down the field after going sideways during an incident at Tower Bend allowing numerous cars to pass at the Jim Clark Esses. This gave Sheard the opportunity to attack and take the lead. Greensmith fought hard and stormed up behind him, from 6th to 2nd in what seemed like a single lap. However, Sheard maintained control and charged on all the way to the chequered flag … the race ended Sheard 1st, Greensmith 2nd, Montais 3rd. Paul Sheard took the fastest lap.

Ben Taylor was buzzing after the race having finished 21st, making up 5 places, and gaining invaluable experience in the mid-field battle. Price and Maxfield finished 27th and 28th respectively.

Steve Price wasn’t happy with the result and went back to look over his old notes from a testing session earlier this year – the decision was made to go back to the earlier setup for race 2.

Race 2:

Sunday brought with it race 2 for MaX5, the grid being formed from the finish places of the previous day. The start for Sheard didn’t go as well as he’d liked as a couple of places were lost off the line … challenge number 2 of the weekend ensued. Tom Roche led throughout the race, followed initially by Montais, then Sheard. Sheard managed to pass Montais sharply before a gap was extended by the front pair. From a spectators view at the Complex with much of the track in view, Sheard looked sure to pass Roche on several occasions. However, the pass never came, Sheard electing to safeguard the Championship points of a second place and fastest lap having had a flyer early on in the race which resulted in the lap record.

Ben Taylor came in 21st (he has finished 21st in each race so far!), James came home 29th and Steve Price had a problem with a fixing under the brake pedal and retired on lap 8.

If the race mechanics haven’t read this far I’m in trouble. Last, but not least, Dave, Charlie & Son, Ollie and Tom all put in a sterling effort – the most taxing event being the reconstruction of Paul Sheard’s car after a “numpty” error at the Chicane … and thanks for the BBQ, Keith!