18/10/08
Brands Hatch
Fridays free practice session was cut short after oil was spilt on the track. The session was rescheduled into a busy Saturday, which also hosted a very close qualifying session which saw the top 5 riders separated by less than a second.Pole position was taken by 2008 series champion David Wood (Art of Racing), closely followed by Kelvin Reilly (Inmoto Corse). Richard Cooper (SJB Racing) made a welcome return to the Grid, qualifying in third and the front row was completed by Ed Smith (Gear4 Racing).
With the top 2 championship positions already decided, the race for third really hotted up with Ed Smith, Dave Heal and James Edmeades all in serious contention and only separated by 7 points.
As the lights went out at the famouse Kent track, Wood took the lead from the off with a returning Richard Cooper in form and hot on his tail, followed by Reilly. After an early safety car incident, the pack bunched up with pressure mounting on both Ed Smith and Dave Heal to make a good restart as they both pushed for the final championship position.
Leader, David Wood couldn't shake off Richard Cooper and the final drag to the flag, saw Wood punching the air in jubilation as he celebrated his Championship victory and what he thought to be the final race win. Cooper had other plans and drafting Wood he managed to get his KTM to the flag just 0.04 seconds ahead.
The Battle for third place in the championship was just as close, with Ed Smith and Dave Heal fighting for much of the race. Dave Heal was just 2 points behind Smith in the Championship and although he was in front of Smith on the track, needed a bike between them to clinche the final championship spot. Heal took fouth place and 13 points, followed by Smith in fifth with 11 points. Both riders had tied on 142 points each, but it was Smith that claimed third in the championship, as he had a finished in a higher position in a previous round.
The race and whole season had given all the riders and spectators the thrills and excitement that only single make series can offer.
Results
Race 12 – Sunday 12 October
1. Ricahrd Cooper – SJB Racing
2. David Wood - Art of Racing
3. Kelvin Reilly - Inmoto Corse
4. Dave Heal – Littlewood Fencing
5. Ed Smith - Gear 4
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