News

24 September 2000
Second place at Spa

Terry Rymer was full of tales of racing at Spa-Francorchamps on the Superbikes - 190mph approaching Les Combes? Just 30cm behind a rival bike, looking for tell tale puffs of smoke that might mean an engine about to blow up? Blimey.

"If you see smoke, you dodge out of the slipstream straight away."

Somehow though, Geoff found space to set his provisional class pole when the track was at its busiest during the morning session. It seemed to go to his head though, as he started whittering on about an earthquake in Warwick. It allegedly broke a work of art hanging in his kitchen, but more importantly, gave his pregnant wife an early indication of things moving around unpredictably. Emma was OK however.

Geoff's car ended the session a little bruised though. "I was blocked by Steve O'Rourke at Pouhon on that lap. I think it's beatable. I was 17mph faster than on Thursday through Blanchimont." Which begs the question, what were you doing on Thursday, Geoff?

"The next lap was do or die." You found two clear laps? "But I got really excited at the Bus Stop, and bruised the front against the tyres."

Martin Short had been running in another engine in the TVR in the morning, and if this one held together, he would be the biggest danger for pole in the afternoon. As it turned out, no one got near Geoff's time. Short was half a second away, and Terry was reaffirming his confidence around Spa with a 2:30.5. This was looking very promising. Robert Babikan didn't go for a time in the crowded GT part of the session, so Fred would start seventh.

Water fights. Ambushes. Water pistols. Buckets. All the fun of a foreign trip. But did PK Sport come off second best against Dunlop? Mike Pickup was a victim of a bucketful on Sunday, following on from Terry's soaking on Saturday. He's seen carrying on his mobile phone call - dripping wet.

A late start to the race, and it was Barff in the TVR against Rymer in the Porsche for early GTO honours. They were side by side on the grid (just behind Fred), and side by side into Eau Rouge...

... scrapping all the way round the first couple of laps - and then the Safety Car appeared. By this point, Fred had already been both encouraged and downcast. A misfire had set in. "The handling was superb, and I had loads of straightline speed. But the guys couldn't find the fault, even after two stops, so I had to pull out." He's seen chasing the winning Lister and the big TVR up Eau Rouge.

Terry was loving it though. "The car was superb, again. We've really got it sorted now." He was on the tail of the GT Lotus, having firmly despatched the TVR into second in class." Barff pitted after seven laps, but Terry stayed out for ten, by which time he was third overall, 13 seconds clear of his nearest rival.

His pace allowed Geoff to emerge from the pits ahead of the TVR, but on this day, on this circuit, the TVR had the advantage. It hadn't shown its true form in Qualifying. Martin Short also had the racing luck, twice getting by Mantis cars before Eau Rouge, Geoff losing bucketloads of time before he could get past at the top of the hill.

Two seconds became three then four. Surely the TVR would break down - it usually does lunch its engine at some point before the hour is up. Not this time though. Despite problems with fuel starvation and the gearbox, Short came home five seconds ahead.

Geoff pushed mightily at the end, even overshooting the Bus Stop chicane on the last lap, but it was going to be the TVR's day - at last. "They deserve that," reported Mike Pickup. No one was more surprised than the TVR's drivers. They hadn't expected their engine to last around Spa of all places. But good luck to them - this time. Silverstone in a fortnight sees the final battle between these two, who have been the class of the field in the second half of the Championship.

Geoff and Terry consolidated their third and fourth places in the drivers title; in any normal year, nearly 100 points would have seen Geoff crowned the Champion. He's certainly driving like one. Final task was to give Martin Short and Rob Barff a bloody good soaking. After all, they'd been practising this all weekend.