2010 Island Magic
27-28 November
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Report by Magic – I wasn’t there. So no breathless blow by blow descriptions, just a general overview courtesy of the magic of Natsoft and a bit of loose chatter drifting about.
From all accounts it was a Saturday of half and full wetness for Qualifying and Race 1, with a dry track on Sunday. The event was notable in that two HTCAV father and son combos took part: Ted and Mark Brewster; Ian and Stephen Watt driving the old Lindsay Cripps EH Holden. 2009 Club Champ Nick Cascone not only drove the wheels off the Cortina all weekend but also raced in the 1-hour Sportscar race in his boss’s LHD Porsche 993 working his way up to 15th before handing back to a more conservative driver.
There were three EH Holdens, two BMWs, four Mustangs, five Toranas, two Cortinas, and lone examples of Camaro, Charger, HO, Mini, Triumph and Citroen. Nothing if not an eclectic mix for the most relaxed meeting of the year, famous for “it’s almost Christmas, after the exams” feeling…
HTCAV Rookie of the Year, Fraser Ross, showed again that he drives with a maturity beyond his years topping qualification and taking both races on the dry Sunday. He sneaked on to a slippery pole over a second clear of that cagey Island expert, Scott Slater, ahead of Les Walmsley, Bill Trengrove, Stephen Pillekers, Leo Tobin, Gary Edwards, Andy Clempson and Mark Brewster.
Overseas raider Spike Jones from Tasmania in the BMW was next ahead of Geoff Taylor, soon-to-be Club Champ Russell Pilven was next ahead of Spike’s co-raider Phil Shepherd in the EH, a returning Bill Cutler in the BM and Ted Brewster.
A debuting Steve Watt was next ahead of the EH maestro Tony Pejkovic celebrating a BIG birthday appearing courtesy of his very supportive family, then came Brighton’s Best Butcher Daryl Duff in the neat Camaro, Nick Cascone running in his hastily rebuilt engine, Alan McKelvie in the ex-Tobin Torana, Ian Watt, Fast Johnny Luxmoore, Mick Stupka in the bump-steering, head-for-the-trees Citroen and Rod Hotchkin in the not-well HO. He returned on Sunday to fight on.
Saturday’s race was seriously wet with several competitors electing to pull in after the warm up lap, on which Geoff Taylor, doing his tyre warming squiggles lost it into the wall between Honda and Siberia and was out for the remainder.
Reinmeister Scott Slater scored a win over Tobin, webfooted Mark Brewster, Edwards, Pillekers and Ross. Then came the flying fun boys of Pilven, Walmsley, Hollwood Andy Clempson and Nick Cascone who diced as close as they could see. Spike won the BM tussle and the rest of the field filed gingerly home…
With a bit of grip Fraser Ross muscled home in the Sunday opener and head of the similar Mustang of Leo Tobin, followed by Slater, Walmsley, Edwards, Clempson, Trengrove, Mark Brewster and Pillekers. The under 2-litre boys were next: Pilven, Jones and Cutler before the big HO of HO-HO-Hotchicken.
It was Fraser again in the main event, leading home the Toranas of Edwards and Slater, with Andy Clempson fourth with a PB, ahead of Trengrove and the recovered Hotchkin, Pillekers and Leo Tobin. Pilven snuck ahead of Mark Brewster and Walmsley, who’d had a problem on Lap1 and Spike Jones, his BM battle buddy Cutler not starting with alternator problems. Nick Cascone headed Ted Brewster, Pejkovic, Watt, Luxmoore and Stupka over the line to round off the year’s competition.
RalphE