| Zandvoort - Grand Prix Classic '08 |
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- Full race report Zandvoort -
Qualifying
Saturday 14 Sept. 09:00 - 09:30 hrs
LIGHT CARS QUICK IN THE RAIN
 After three private testings on
the Friday in soaking wet weather, it was a relief the next morning to find the
track was only (very) damp. The weather was definitely improving and the
forecast given was of warm sunny weather to arrive later that day. Not only was
the track wet, but very slippery in places, because of spilled oil. Adding to
that are the different patches of tarmac (old and new circuit) offering
different levels of grip. All in all it adds to the fun and changes the racing
into a difficult balancing act.
Heading the timesheets after qualifying were
Fastest lap:
Race #1 Saturday 14 Sept. 13:45 - 14:15 hrs
WHITESIDE
SETS THE RECORD STRAIGHT
 With de Kinkelder on pole (his first ever!), the start
was taken in a dramatically quick fashion, resulting in Dullaert Jnr falling
off even before the start. Entering the straight, the nervous Frogeye could not
cope with the damp track and spun off, bouncing to the outside, but ending up on
the inside heavily blocking everything coming from behind in the process. As a
result a firm gap was established between the leaders and the second group, the
latter never to recuperate. In the first lap Dullaert took the lead closely
followed by de Kinkelder and Whiteside, but de Kinkelder gradually falling back
to sixth during the race. Whiteside taking his chance by lap 4, after which a real
battle developed with numerous brave, overtaking manoeuvres at the front.
Whiteside regaining the lead on lap 9, never to loose it again, leaving Dullaert
second in command, but Sebba,
An interesting detail here is that
Mark Gilbart-Smit arrived in Zandvoort using his race car on the road, as was
common in the old days. Well done Mark!
The 85 year old father Dols, was
invited to the circuit on the Saturday and complimented the full grid, and of
course especially his son Mark, for their sportsmanship and gentlemanly, yet
competitive, racing standards.
Fastest lap:
Race #2 Sunday 15 Sept. 09:30 - 10:00 hrs
SEBBA TAKES HIS
TURN
 With Whiteside, now on pole in the second race (his first ever!), we saw
the two Sprites of Dullaert and Dols crawling over his back in the first lap.
The track still damp in places, and the heavy beast still on cold tyres,
invited the car to run wide in the Renault corner (halfway), ending up in the
gravel trap, never to return. Dols now inheriting the lead, with Dullaert in
his shadow, waiting for Dols to make a mistake. Sebba in his +8 judged the
moment right to overtake both cars on lap 3. Sebba could now concentrate on the
road ahead, while the Sprites were desperately trying to outmanoeuvre each
other. The intense battle took its toll, Dols using more fuel then anticipated,
now sucking air into the fuel hose at times, making him easy pray for the
haunting
Fastest lap:
Race #3 Sunday 15 Sept. 13:30 - 14:00 hrs
DULLAERT,
DEVIL OUT OF A BOX
 Sebba, inheriting pole for the third race, already lost his
advantage in the first “Tarzan” corner, Dullaert and Bakker now fighting it out
side by side and Bakker only taking the lead in the fifth corner. Bakker
controlling from the front and comfortably leading saw his chances for victory
disappear. Stalling on the grid and reclaiming his grid spot, on the warm up
lap, earned him a drive-through penalty, rejoining in 4th, never to
recover. Meanwhile Dullaert, Dols and Sebba continued the fight. On lap 6 Sebba
saw his chance to split the two Sprites and was now setting his sight on
Dullaert. At this point, the Kumho corner was entirely covered in oil, forcing
everybody to take a wide line, which shaved off top speed on the straight in a
dramatic fashion, something the Morgan definitely needed to make it to the
finish in front of Dullaert’s Sprite. By this time Dullaert had to claw his way
back consistently, by out braking the still quicker, but heavier Morgan into
the Tarzan and Audi S corners. A dash to the finish on their last lap, Dullaert
now traversing the oil in Kuhmo corner in a ‘do or die’ fashion, choosing an
ultra tight line, fully using the kerbs and more, which ultimately handed him victory by a
narrow margin of only 0.021 sec’s. Dols came a distant 3rd and
Bakker a lonely 4th. Meanwhile Gilbart-Smit and de Kinkelder were
enjoying an eventfull race as well, trading places from the start on countless occasions.
De Kinkelder taking an inside line into Tarzan corner and now giving it all to
make it stick to the end, ending a happy 5th just 0.174 sec’s clear
of Gilbart-Smit’
Fastest lap:
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