THE first two meetings of the season at Wiscombe Park provided a stern challenge for all the drivers.

Two passages of a mechanical road sweeper removed much of the winter detritus but the track surface offered less than the normal levels of grip particularly during the practice runs for the Saturday event when drivers are acclimatising themselves to the conditions and how their vehicles perform in such circumstances.

Multi-Wiscombe Park event winner Rod Thorne attacked the hill in his familiar style aboard his five litre Rover V8 powered Pilbeam MP43 sports racer but a 360-degree spin on the Castle Straight (Wiscombe’s fastest section) saw the large sports racer clattered the banks on both sides of the track damaging suspension and bodywork to an extent that the machine will be out of action for the immediate future.

With Thorne sidelined local honour in the Sports Racer ranks depended on Maiden Newton’s Tim Pitfield at the wheel of his DJ Firecat in the up to 1800cc class. Up against the fleet Radical SR4 of Chard’s Stewart Lillington it was to be two runner-up placings for the Dorset driver.

Single-seater exponent Andrew Forsyth claimed a double in the 1100cc – 1600cc Racing Car class in his OMS CF04. The Shillingstone driver battling hard during the two Woolbridge Motor Club organised events which opened the Wiscombe Park season but unable to defeat Ben Wheeler who took his Empire Evo 2 to a brace of Fastest Time of the Day awards claiming the Channon and Mark Salter Trophies as a result.

Gear selection problems curtailed the action for Weymouth driver Graham Blake who as a result was obliged to leave his usual mount, a Westfield SEiW, in the garage for the second meeting and share the drive in his road-going Peugeot 106 Rallye in which his daughter Debbie was competing.

Debbie claimed the inter-family battle with two climbs which were quicker than her mentor.