06-08-2008 Sandown 1200cc Race Report

Sandown 1200cc Race Report

Sandown was looking like being one of the better weekends for 1200 turn out this year, equalling the two Phillip Island rounds with six entries.  After teething problems at his first race meeting at the Island, it was good to see Shane Purvis back with his Vee now ready to race.

Shane and fellow driver John Dean spent a very late night rebuilding his car after backing into a wall during Friday practice. Shane was able to turn up for qualifying on Saturday morning only to find that more damage had been done than had originally been evident.  The net result was that despite qualifying 5th of the 1200s, a terminal engine failure in qualifying relegated Shane to a weekend of State League volleyball (which he won) and being a friendly face in the paddock.  The 1200 fraternity looks forward to seeing Shane back in action at Winton.

After qualifying, the 1200 field lined up for the first race with Paul Sharman in front having qualified comfortably from Wilkes, Mark Zellner, John Dean and Phil Oakes.  Oakes, our other newest 1200 driver was unable to attend Friday practice as he had been called up for jury duty.  Wilkes suggested to Oakes that the charge of “buggering up your first visit to Sandown” should have been added to the charge sheet of the accused!  Not only was qualifying Oakes' introduction Sandown, but he had to take it easy as he was running in his newly rebuilt engine.

At the start of race one, a gear selection problem for Sharman let Wilkes slip into the lead on lap one from Dean and Zellner.  By the second lap, Sharman had moved into second place behind Wilkes and drafted past him early on the third lap only for Wilkes to immediately draft him back and then try what turned out to be an overly ambitious overtaking manoeuvre on Sharman into turn one; end result a bent H-beam for Wilkes and some new paint required for Sharman.  Dean and Zellner blasted past and lead the rest of the way home with Dean triumphing after a gutsy but unsuccessful last corner challenge from Zellner.  Sharman, Wilkes and Oakes followed them home.

Race two saw Sharman lead from start to finish.  Wilkes moved through to second place by lap three and held this position to the end after dicing with Zellner and Dean for the remaining laps.  Zellner once again tried a gutsy dive into the last corner but spun as Wilkes had already turned in front of him.  Dean who had been following in the wake of the battle, inherited third followed by Zellner and Oakes.

Sunday morning was wet and that was how it was as the 1200s lined up for race three.  As the field dodged around a stranded George Panagiotidis, Sharman lead the first lap from Dean, Zellner, Oakes, Wilkes (who got a great start off the line but then failed to find second) and a 1600 straggler.  Sharman lead Dean until lap seven when he braked earlier than Dean had anticipated and Dean ran off the track and had insufficient power from his battery to restart.  Sharman then lead Zellner all the way home from Wilkes and Oakes who struggled in the wet and had a spin fest at the back of the field with.  Wilkes had spun on no fewer than five laps, including a last lap drive headlong into a wall to the amusement of Dean who was standing close by and Oakes on three.

Race four saw an improvement in conditions with a drying track, albeit very slippery in parts.  The beginning of the race saw Sharman once again leading the field from Wilkes, Dean, Zellner and Oakes until Sharman spun off at turn two on the second lap.  Wilkes briefly inherited the lead until Dean, in a masterclass of driving in the tricky conditions drove straight past him and disappeared into the distance until Dean in turn spun at turn two on lap four.  Wilkes drove took the “four-wheel-drive only” route through the grass, water and mud inside turn three to avoid Dean and once again briefly lead until Sharman, who had now caught up, once again sailed through to comfortably lead the way home from lap five.  Wilkes, down in confidence after race three struggling to adjust his pace to the drying conditions and was easily caught and passed by Zellner who was now a second and a half quicker per lap.  Wilkes tucked in behind Zellner for the last two laps and finally found some speed, drafting Zellner down the back straight and leading him home despite Zellner once again trying to pounce into the final corner, albeit this time from further back.  Dean followed them home from Oakes who had kissed a wall in the tricky conditions.

Phil Wilkes

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