Birkett 6 Hour Relay Race

Sunday 24th October 1999

Snetterton

BWRDC Ladies First

Team Manager:    Helen Allen

            Drivers:               

           Sponsors:             

All team members are members of BWRDC.  They regularly compete in various championships up and down the country throughout the racing season.  The Birkett 6 hour Relay Race is an annual event organised by the 750 Motor Club.  It is a handicap race which is set before the race begins, calculated on competitors best times at Snetterton (or other circuits if drivers have not raced at Snetterton before).  Teams are made up of 4-6 drivers.

The weather was typical for the time of  year.   Gales and torrential rain made driving conditions very difficult.  The ladies did very well in that no one came to grief, despite one or two dainty pirouettes.   Dawn Marie Turner took the start, giving the team a solid base on which to build.   Much of Anita Broadhead's first session was behind the safety car.  After the first hour the ladies were in 27th place from 33rd on the grid.  The red flag came out after 1 hr 20 mins  and the race was resumed an hour later after the clerks of the course had consulted various local weather stations.  Although the rain abated for a short time during the afternoon, conditions remained poor.  Vanessa Woolley finished her session early after her brakes became "spongey", deciding discretion was the better part of valour.  Karen Hawker duly took over and helped the team to move up the scoreboard, putting in a very good performance in her first outing this season.  Helen Elstrop carried on  where Karen left off, taking the chequered flag and bringing the team home in 29th place.

Thank you to all our sponsors who enabled us to take part in this unique event.  Thank you too to all who helped on the day, special thanks to Karen's mechanic Ian and Steve Turner who spent most of the race on the pit wall!