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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">FORMULA FORD</FONT></B></TD></TR> <TR><TD width="100%" align="left"><B><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="2">25/06/2002</FONT></B></TD></TR> <TR><TD width="100%" align="center"><B><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="4">England finally wins!</FONT></B></TD></TR> <TR><TD width="100%" align="center"><B><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="3">Monsoon conditions cannot stop England</FONT></B></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">In conditions nothing less than monsoon, Christian England flew the Panasonic Batteries Team JLR banner, becoming the first driver to beat the Van Diemen works team in Sundays Mondello Park race.<BR> <BR> Starting alongside Jan Heylen on the front row of the grid Christians determination was not fazed by a sudden deluge of rain falling on the track. So sudden and heavy was the downpour that officials had to delay the start to allow the teams to put their cars onto wet tyres out on the grid.<BR> <BR> In spite of having only one warm up lap to gauge the conditions Christian got a perfect start, not only taking the lead into the first corner but romping away from the field in a masterful drive in horrendous conditions. This victory was not going to be handed to him on a plate however. The safety car was soon out allowing the pack to close up on him again but a repeat performance on the restart soon saw him several car lengths ahead of Jan Heylen. Yet again the safety car joined the circuit putting Christian back in the clutches of the works Van Diemens and yet again he pulled away convincingly on the restart but by now the rain had stopped and the Barnsley driver was beginning to struggle on the rapidly drying circuit.<BR> <BR> "I had the job done but the safety car kept appearing and undoing all my efforts. I had it in the bag after the first two restarts but when the safety car pulled out on the track for a third time I realised I was going to have to work hard for the win! The track dried so quickly with very little wet places left for me to try and cool my tyres but I knew I could hold off the rest of the field if I just kept my head together and held the racing line - and I did!"<BR> <BR> "What can I say, the feeling is just out of this world. It was probably the most difficult race I could have won - having to keep concentration through all the safety car periods and having to defend so hard at the end. As I pulled into the park ferme the first person to congratulate me was Richard Dean and it was just fantastic. This is what we have been fighting for all year and I know it meant as much to him as it did to me and the rest of the team, especially my mechanic Ken Clayton, who I think has done a fantastic job all year." <BR> <BR> Peter Duke also enjoyed a terrific race. After a good start "The first corner was a bit hairy, just point and hope!" he climbed to tenth in the opening laps then passed two more cars to eighth. Mastering the wet conditions he caught up to the back of the lead group soon moving into seventh before a trip through the gravel pushed him back down the order to twelfth. Not one to be beaten he came back with a vengeance soon back into eighth.<BR> <BR> "I can't be anything less than thrilled with a top ten finish, and in terrible conditions too!"<BR> <BR> Tom Kimber-Smith, who's weekend started so promisingly, was gutted to exit the race early on. Collecting another car and ending up in the wall early in the proceedings. "I've been quick here all weekend, I just didn't get chance to use that speed in the race. Now I have to put this weekend behind me and look forward to Croft."<BR> <BR> Ecstatic team owner Richard Dean was, for once, lost for words - briefly......<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>