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Round 4 – Monday May 25 1987, Thruxton
After a five week break the British touring car fraternity was at it again, and as at the previous round Thruxton was the scene. Andy Rouse was back in the second ICS Ford Sierra RS Cosworth in a much respected shared third within the class A championship with Tim Harvey. New on the scene was Bill Griffin in an ex-Jean-Louis Schlesser Rover Vitesse that had previously seen action in the 1985 French series, and thus the Griffin entry was still sporting the distinct white and Day-Glo red Marlboro paint job. This made it a season record of 10 cars in the top division. Class B was still about Mark Hales and his Terry Drury Escort RS Turbo and the two Alfa Romeo 75 Turbos. This time Jon Dooley would be the spectator with a broken engine. Roger Saunders would be the lonely Class C contender in his Renault now upgraded to full group A specification, while Chris Hodgetts would concentrate on just one Corolla, but joined by fellow Toyota contenders Geoff Kimber-Smith and Tony Crudgington. After a 18 month lay off Phil Dowsett would make it the crucial maximum point scoring forth class C contender with the Julian May run Ford Escort RS1600i.
Grid:
1./ #1 / Andy Rouse / Rouse / A / Ford Sierra RS Cosworth / 1:22.58 / class A pole
2./ #8 / Tim Harvey / Maguire / A / Rover Vitesse / 1:24.55
3./ #4 / Dennis Leech / Leech / A / Rover Vitesse / 1:25.13
4./ #5 / David Carvell / Richard Potter / A / Rover Vitesse / 1:25.74
5./ #6 / Graham Goode / Goode / A / Ford Sierra RS Cosworth / 1:26.12
6./ #3 / Graham Scarborough / unknown / A / Rover Vitesse / 1:26.15
7./ #10 / Mike Newman / Newman / A / BMW 635CSi / 1:26.47
8./ #2 / Pete Hall / Rouse / A / Ford Sierra RS Cosworth / 1:26.51
9./ #7 / Mike O'Brien / Docking / A / Holden Commodore VK / 1:26.98
10./ #66 / Chris Hodgetts / Hodgetts / D / Toyota Corolla GT / 1:27.49 / class D pole
11./ #? / Bill Griffin / Griffin? / A / Rover Vitesse / 1:28.65
12./ #38 / Mark Hales / Drury / B / Ford Escort RS Turbo / 1:29.30 / class B pole
13./ #71? / Geoff Kimber-Smith / Kimber-Smith / D / Toyota Corolla GT / 1:29.71
14./ #? / Tony Crudgington / Crudgington / D / Toyota Corolla GT / 1:30.53
15./ #31 / Jon Dooley / ARDT / B / Alfa Romeo 75 Turbo / 1:30.89
16./ #30 / Rob Kirby / ARDT / B / Alfa Romeo 75 Turbo / 1:31.40
17./ #? / Phil Dowsett / North Essex Racing / D / Ford Escort RS1600i / 1:32.26
18./ #45 / Roger Saunders / Saunders? / C / Renault 5 GT Turbo / 1:34.43 / class C pole
Come race day and it was the Tim Harvey Rover that took the lead from the pole sitting Ford Sierra of Andy Rouse. The front row twins would have a dog fight through out the whole race with Harvey leading the first two thirds. Rouse made a successive bid for the lead on lap 9 only to face the Vitesse tail lights four laps later. Harvey had obviously learned a thing about tyre choices from the previous round, but was still the looser to a late race Rouse attack. Andy put in a decisive last lap to leave Tim a healthy three seconds adrift in second. Rover men David Carvell and previous round winner Dennis Leech was at it for third. Suffering from some wrong noises from the rear axle, Leech finally lost the battle in a last lap clash with Carvell. While Leech was busy pointing his car in the right position, Carvell crossed the line in third. Fifth went to an unspectacular Mike O’Brien and his Australian Commodore beating a once again tyre troubled Mike Newman. Class A contenders Graham Scarborough and the misfiring Ford Sierra of Peter Hall made it to the line too but in a distant seventh and eleventh overall. After a pair of fine second place finishes, Graham Goode lost his turbo and retired midrace, while Bill Griffin lasted a few laps longer before his engine expired.
Among the rest Geoff Kimber-Smith did the best beating Chris Hodgetts. Hodgetts held the initial lead but was beaten by tyre wear and once again followed the taillights of the class B winning Mark Hales Escort to the flag. Rob Kirby would do what Alfa Romeo teammate Jon Dooley did in practice retiring with a broken turbo. Tony Crudgington finished third in class D beating Escort mounted Phil Dowsett in the process. Class C winner Roger Saunders managed a finish in between the two to add another unchallenged win.
Result:
1./ #1 / Andy Rouse / Rouse / A / Ford Sierra RS Cosworth / 16 laps / 22:45.29 / FL
2./ #8 / Tim Harvey / Maguire / A / Rover Vitesse / 16 laps / 22:48.53
3./ #5 / David Carvell / Richard Potter / A / Rover Vitesse / 16 laps / 23:08.17
4./ #4 / Dennis Leech / Leech / A / Rover Vitesse / 16 laps / 23:21.59
5./ #7 / Mike O'Brien / Docking / A / Holden Commodore VK / 16 laps / 23:40.70
6./ #10 / Mike Newman / Newman / A / BMW 635CSi / 16 laps / 23:43.00
7./ #3 / Graham Scarborough / unknown / A / Rover Vitesse / 16 laps / 23:53.47
8./ #71? / Geoff Kimber-Smith / Kimber-Smith / D / Toyota Corolla GT / 16 laps / 23:59.34
9./ #38 / Mark Hales / Drury / B / Ford Escort RS Turbo / 16 laps / 24:04.25 / FL
10./ #2 / Pete Hall / Rouse / A / Ford Sierra RS Cosworth / 16 laps / 24:07.21
11./ #66 / Chris Hodgetts / Hodgetts / D / Toyota Corolla GT / 16 laps / 24:08.23 / FL
12./ #? / Tony Crudgington / Crudgington / D / Toyota Corolla GT / 15 laps
13./ #45 / Roger Saunders / Saunders? / C / Renault 5 GT Turbo / 15 laps / FL
14./ #? / Phil Dowsett / Julian May / D / Ford Escort RS1600i / 15 laps
DNFs
#? / Bill Griffin / Griffin? / A / Rover Vitesse / 9 laps / engine
#? / Graham Goode / Goode / A / Ford Sierra RS Cosworth / 7 laps / turbo
#30 / Rob Kirby / ARDT / B / Alfa Romeo 75 Turbo / 6 laps / turbo
DNS
#31 / Jon Dooley / ARDT / B / Alfa Romeo 75 Turbo / turbo
Championship standings:
1.Chris Hodgetts, 31 points (10+7+7+7)
2.Mark Hales, 24 points (7+7+5+5)
3.Andy Rouse, 20 points (10+0+0+10)
4.Dennis Leech, 18 points (6+0+9+3)
5.Tim Harvey, 16 points (0+10+0+6)
6.Graham Goode, 14 points (2+6+6+0)
7.David Carvell, 13 points (4+1+4+4)
7.Geoff Kimber-Smith, 13 points (0+0+4+9)
9.Jon Dooley, 11 points (4+4+3+0)
10.Pete Hall, 7 points (3+2+2+0)
10.Paul Longfield, 7 points (4+0+3+0)
12.Alan Minshaw, 6 points (6+0+0+0)
12.Mike Newman, 6 points (0+4+1+1)
12.Mike O'Brien, 6 points (0+0+4+2)
15.Colin Pearcy, 5 points (5+0+0+0)
15.Roger Saunders, 5 points (0+0+5+0)
17.Graham Scarborough, 4 points (1+3+0+0)
17.Chuck Nicholson, 4 points (0+4+0+0)
17.Tony Crudgington, 4 points (0+0+0+4)
20.Alex Moss, 3 points (0+3+0+0)
20.Phil Dowsett, 3 points (0+0+0+3)
Jesper
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