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<body> <Table Width="550" border="0" style="border-collapse: collapse" cellpadding="0"><TR><TD Width="35"><IMG SRC="//www.totalmotorsport.com/images/spacer.gif" WIDTH="35" HEIGHT="1"></td><td> <CENTER><Table border="0" width="100%"> <TR><TD width="100%" align="center"><B><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="5">PRIVILEGE INSURANCE BRITISH GT CHAMPIONSHIP</FONT></B></TD></TR> <TR><TD width="100%" align="left"><B><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="2">01/10/2001</FONT></B></TD></TR> <TR><TD width="100%" align="center"><B><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="4">TMS Awards 3</FONT></B></TD></TR> <TR><TD width="100%" align="center"><B><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="3">Spirit Of The Paddock</FONT></B></TD></TR> <TR><TD width="100%" align="center"><img border="1" src="Storage/ds%203SpirPRI.jpg"></TD></TR> <TR><TD width="100%" align="center"><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="1">  </FONT></TD></TR> <TR><TD width="100%" align="left"><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="2">Eclipse Motorsport<BR> <BR> Its no surprise to anyone who has toured the British GT paddock this season that Eclipse Motorsport has come out on top in the ‘Spirit of the Paddock’ stakes.<BR> <BR> Despite a very trying season for Team Principal Chris Pollard and Team Manager John Griffiths, this outfit has always remained cheerful and friendly.<BR> <BR> Chris Pollard in particular impressed many with the team's response to Shane Bland’s awful accident at Donington Park. He was ready, willing and able to answer enquiries from friends and strangers alike in the worrying days after the accident, but mercifully the end result for Shane was not nearly as bad as many had feared.<BR> <BR> The team however were left to regroup, their lead car (one of only three Mantis GTO cars in the world) utterly destroyed. Again they showed the sort of spirit that sets real racers apart. The GTO engine was salvaged from the wreck and a swift upgrade on the team’s second car began almost immediately.<BR> <BR> Blandy himself was a welcome visitor to the paddock in the last three rounds of the season, still with a smile on his face and still very much part of the team.<BR> <BR> Sometimes race results don’t do justice to the efforts of a team over a season – Eclipse are a classic example of just that. Their triumph over adversity (not just the Shane Bland accident but also losing a title sponsor as the season started and early season accidents which dropped the lead car back from being a top six challenger to a top ten struggler) is a shining example to teams throughout motorsport that ‘team spirit’ is still well worth having. <BR> <BR> <BR> </FONT></TD></TR> </TABLE><BR> </CENTER> <BR><CENTER><font size="1" color="#808080" face="Tahoma">Copyright ©2000-©2023 TotalMotorSport</font></CENTER> </td> </tr> </table> </body>