This Is Guernsey

By Rob Batiste

Adam Law (66) leads the junior rotax max class around the Track. (Picture by Alex Digard, 0611489)

COLIN LAINE has insisted he was not to blame for the shunt that threw the senior libre championship final into confusion at the Track on Sunday.

Young Ayrton Hockaday was the main benefactor from the mass coming-together midway through the final when his father, Dave, was leading the 20-lap race. Laine was subsequently black-flagged, but insists he was not to blame and that the penalty has since been rescinded by the Guernsey Kart & Motor Club.

‘I was totally the innocent party,’ said Laine. ‘It ruined my race being called in.’ Laine admits he was involved in the shunt, but says he was pushed from behind as the top end of the field were virtually bumper to bumper lap after lap.

From his viewpoint the declared result leaves him three points adrift of joint leaders Dave Hockaday and Matt Corson with the August and September meetings to come. Corson was another who did not have the best of days.

After the big spin-off he was given seventh place in the final, having earlier collected a second, third and fourth. But at least he had the consolation of equalling the senior libre lap record with a slick 19.37sec. in the first heat.

It proved a busy morning for the marshals with some of the juniors being warned by Mark Scott for their driving.

But one who had no need to drive overaggressively or make use of the added tarmac behind the goal at the old Press Box end was young Angus Torode.

He won all four cadet races, three of them comfortably after Daniel Galpin had pushed him very hard in the opening heat.

Sheldon Davey recovered from a poor start to also enjoy a good morning in the junior rotax max class.

He finished fifth of seven in the opening heat, which witnessed a terrific battle between Adam Law and Charles Falla.

The last clocked the fastest lap time of 20.28, but it was not enough to get him past Law who crossed the finish line one-tenth-of-a-second ahead.

Falla set the fastest lap times for the remaining three races, but on each occasion Davey came out on top as he fought off Law and Falla.

Jordan Caradeuc completed a clean sweep of the junior minimax class and Daniel James won three out of four, including the final, in the sadly depleted 125cc gearbox class.

He also set the day’s overall fastest time with a 19.13.

Article posted on 30th July, 2008 - 2.29pm