Dave Lowe and his Lotus 69 were hit by misfortune in the opening rounds of the season. (0588384)
DAVE LOWE had a dismal start to his Classic Formula Ford season through no fault of his own.
Bad weather meant that the Sarnian had to make four attempts to get to England and finally arrived at Thruxton late on the Sunday night after qualifying had taken place that afternoon.
‘I was allowed three laps early on Monday morning, but had to start at the back of the 19-car grid,’ Lowe said. Despite a spin in the race, he worked his way up to 10th overall and third in his class before more misfortune struck.
‘On the slowdown lap I saw white smoke pouring out of the back, which turned out to be a blown head gasket.
‘As I was out the following weekend at Donington, I set to to replace it before leaving that night to return to base at Gatwick.’
The Donington race was with the Historic Sports Car Club, which has a very strong Formula Ford class.
An entry of 34 cars and eight reserves practised for the race and again Lowe’s Lotus 69 ran hot, which meant a loss of engine power.
‘I found myself at the wrong end of the grid in a previously unheard-of 32nd.
‘I checked everything I could think of to try and cure the problem, but after making up six places in the first three laps, the engine tightened up as the water temperature went off the clock again, forcing me into retirement.’
The Sarnian put in an order with an engine builder soon after his return to the pits.
Lowe had to miss the next meeting at Pembrey in Wales, which was a double round, but had the replacement engine in time to compete at Mallory Park.
‘After three or four laps to check out the new installation, I went for a time which saw me fifth on the 18-car grid and second in the B class, which was more like the results I expect from the Lotus,’ he said.
‘I had a good race but lost two places over the 14 laps to finish seventh on the road and third in my class, but managed the fastest lap by 0.001sec.
‘The good news is that the engine seems as good as those around me, so I hope to enjoy some good racing for the rest of the season.’
Article posted on 6th June, 2008 - 2.29pm
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