Taylor Wows Brands Hatch
Thursday, 24th August 2000.
HAVERHILL track star Gerry Taylor earned accolades for his fighting spirit at Brands Hatch, Kent, over the weekend when he took part in several races at the Caterham Festival.
For things went badly wrong for the 42-year-old company director in his first outing on Saturday when, while challenging for the lead of the 10th round of the PTP Autosport Caterham Superlight Challenge, his Taylor’s Foundry Motor Sport-prepared car was in collision with another at the notoriously tight Druids hairpin.
Taylor, who had been holding third place behind title rivals Matt Bettley and Rob Jenkinson with just five laps to run when the accident happened, was left with a badly damaged car and little hope of competing in Sunday’s 11th round.
“My team were magnificent,” said Taylor. “They worked all night cannibalising another car and creating a new one from the best bits of both.”
As he was technically at the wheel of a new car, Taylor had to start Sunday’s race from the back of the grid, setting the scene for a dramatic fight through the field.
He had made it into the top 10 by mid-distance and was up into third with five laps remaining.
Although his bid to wrest a top-two placing from Jenkinson and Bettley came to nothing, third place — just in front of team-mate Paul Stephens of Stoke-by-Clare — was a superb result.
With three rounds remaining, Taylor holds third place overall behind Jenkinson and Bettley, each of whom took a race win at Brands.
Taylor did get to enjoy some victory champagne at Brands — immediately after his Sunday Superlight race he leapt into the cockpit of a 1.4-litre Caterham to contest the Goldarts Lotus 7 Club Championship race, and beat the series regulars by nearly a second.
On Bank Holiday Monday, the runners in the Superlight Challenge — which is supported by Power Train Projects, Autosport Magazine, Alcon Components, Cooper-Avon Tyres, Bilstein, Prodrive, Stack and Minister — are in action at Oulton Park in Cheshire.
In the Safety Devices Caterham Roadsport Challenge races at Brands Hatch, Taylor’s Foundry driver John Gladman claimed twin wins to accelerate into the championship lead.
PTP Autosport Caterham Superlight Challenge Provisional points positions after round 11:
1 Rob Jenkinson (Keswick), 209 points;
2 Matt Bettley (Buckingham), 164;
3 Gerry Taylor (Haverhill), 151;
4 Alexander Pilgrim (Rayleigh), 128;
5 John Stack (Cobham), 123;
6 Peter Mangion (Lewknor), 110.
For things went badly wrong for the 42-year-old company director in his first outing on Saturday when, while challenging for the lead of the 10th round of the PTP Autosport Caterham Superlight Challenge, his Taylor’s Foundry Motor Sport-prepared car was in collision with another at the notoriously tight Druids hairpin.
Taylor, who had been holding third place behind title rivals Matt Bettley and Rob Jenkinson with just five laps to run when the accident happened, was left with a badly damaged car and little hope of competing in Sunday’s 11th round.
“My team were magnificent,” said Taylor. “They worked all night cannibalising another car and creating a new one from the best bits of both.”
As he was technically at the wheel of a new car, Taylor had to start Sunday’s race from the back of the grid, setting the scene for a dramatic fight through the field.
He had made it into the top 10 by mid-distance and was up into third with five laps remaining.
Although his bid to wrest a top-two placing from Jenkinson and Bettley came to nothing, third place — just in front of team-mate Paul Stephens of Stoke-by-Clare — was a superb result.
With three rounds remaining, Taylor holds third place overall behind Jenkinson and Bettley, each of whom took a race win at Brands.
Taylor did get to enjoy some victory champagne at Brands — immediately after his Sunday Superlight race he leapt into the cockpit of a 1.4-litre Caterham to contest the Goldarts Lotus 7 Club Championship race, and beat the series regulars by nearly a second.
On Bank Holiday Monday, the runners in the Superlight Challenge — which is supported by Power Train Projects, Autosport Magazine, Alcon Components, Cooper-Avon Tyres, Bilstein, Prodrive, Stack and Minister — are in action at Oulton Park in Cheshire.
In the Safety Devices Caterham Roadsport Challenge races at Brands Hatch, Taylor’s Foundry driver John Gladman claimed twin wins to accelerate into the championship lead.
PTP Autosport Caterham Superlight Challenge Provisional points positions after round 11:
1 Rob Jenkinson (Keswick), 209 points;
2 Matt Bettley (Buckingham), 164;
3 Gerry Taylor (Haverhill), 151;
4 Alexander Pilgrim (Rayleigh), 128;
5 John Stack (Cobham), 123;
6 Peter Mangion (Lewknor), 110.
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