CLASSIC CLUBMANS CHAMPIONSHIP 2006
Malcolm Jackson and Ray Mallock shared the victory spoils in rounds four and five at Snetterton.
A record 29 car entry set out for qualifying, with Mallock’s U2 Mk2 securing pole by 0.324s over Jackson’s Mk20B. “It was a super session and I had no problem getting a clear lap,” said Mallock. “I got my best lap right near the end, it was busy out there,” Jackson replied.
Double winner last time out Peter Harper was third best in his Mk20B, “it had a misfire and got worse,” he explained. Steve Chaplin was alongside and still in shock from his new turn of speed with Phantom P79. “I was nearly caught out a couple of times, going into corners too fast,” he reckoned.
Mike Hickson’s Mallock shared row three with Gavin Childs; Gryphon. “The front end turned in but the back stepped out,” said Childs. “I just wasn’t quick enough,” Hickson thought. Andrew Marler was next up in the Diamond, just ahead of Steve Campbell’s Raffo. “I was a bit ragged but it was my first time here since I raced a bike 11 years ago,” he said. Ray Harper felt there was “no power” after his Mallock started misfiring. Anthony Denham should have started 10th, but a piston failure put the Doris out for the day.
Further down the order Clive Wood out qualified reigning Champion Mark Charteris in class B 7/100ths with Barry Webb and seasonal debutant Dave Facer close behind.
Even further back was Graham Onion debuting his newly built but vastly underpowered Myers and Glenn Eagling in a B Sport for the first time in 16 years, until a rocker shaft broke. “It broke as I left the pitlane, I couldn’t believe it I didn’t even get one lap in,” he said.
With Webb also missing from the line up it became a 27 car grid for race one. As the lights went out Mallock, Harper and Jackson made a first lap break, with Jackson into second through Sear Chaplin led the rest until Childs got past, bringing them gradually back to the lead trio.
Jackson was heaping pressure on Mallock for the lead, while Marler took Hickson for sixth on lap three. A couple of laps later Jackson got a run on Mallock down the Revetts Straight and had the lead as they went under the Dunlop Bridge. Harper started to threaten Mallock too, while Childs pitted to leave Chaplin solo in fourth. “The breather pipe came off,” he explained.
Further back Marler and Hickson were swapping and changing, which allowed Campbell to close on them. Ray Harper had upped his pace and started to close too, before heading pitwards. “It just cut out on me,” he explained.
Although Mallock closed on Jackson towards the end, the lead remained unchanged. “It was a god clean dice and the oil that was down allowed me catch up again,” said Mallock. Chaplin held onto third, after Harper spun at Russell on lap eight. “There was a lot of oil down near the Esses and the Bombhole, but I just pushed as hard as I could after a steady start,” he said. Both Hickson and Campbell made it past Marler in the closing laps, while the recovering Harper was seventh. Robin Booth, Bob Crozier and Reg Powell completed the top ten.
Charteris was pushed hard by Wood for class B in the early laps, before a spin at Sear left the defending champion in the clear. Ian Mitchell’s CTG was third.
The grid was down to 23 for race two, formed on their first race finishing positions. Mallock edged out Jackson on the run into Riches, but Chaplin went side by side with Jackson into Sear and emerged in second place. Harper soon followed as the top four eased clear from lap two. Campbell was back in fifth with Hickson closing rapidly.
Harper was the first to hit trouble on lap five. “I made a good start then the clutch started to go, I tried to carry on for a while,” he explained. A lap later Jackson followed, “the diff went bang as I came past the pits, it had been getting noisy,” he said.
Mallock was left with a clear run to the flag, but Chaplin was never out of sight in second. “I reckoned my only chance of a win was a good start, so that win is my fix for a few months now,” said Mallock. Campbell had edged away from Hickson and was heading for third until he lost it at Russell on the last lap. “I succumbed to Mike’s pressure,” he admitted, Ray Harper also made it by before Campbell recovered in fifth, and Childs completed the top six.
The highlight of the race was the class B lead battle between Charteris and Wood. Charteris was all over the kerbs and grass with a lap to go, only for Wood to repeat on the final tour. “Mine was just a daredevil maneuver and that was that,” said Wood. “I was quicker in some places than Clive and got the power on earlier, but a real tank slapper, it was brilliant,” Charteris replied. Facer took third in class from Mitchell.