Sawtry’s Guy Jolly will have to wait as dream of V8 Hotstox world title slips for another year
Guy Jolly with his stock car at his Team Meerkat's headquarters in Easton. Picture: Helen Drake. - Credit: Archant
Guy Jolly’s dream of winning a World Championship is on hold for another year after an up-and-down weekend in Coventry.
The Sawtry V8 Hotstox racer competed against 32 other stock car drivers from the United Kingdom and overseas at the Coventry Motor Speedway track but was forced to retire with a broken drive shaft after being shunted from behind and sent spinning.
“The dream didn’t go to plan this year,” he said. “The track was perfect and we gridded 13th but as soon as the premature rolling slow laps had commenced it became apparent that we had a misfire in the engine.
“That wasn’t too serious but is something you don’t want in a world championship race when the green flag drops.
“After going steady and surviving the opening couple of corners I tried to find a rhythm – after all, it’s a race and not a sprint – but five laps in, out of 25, a slower car hesitated going into a corner and the cars behind were late to react hit my back wheel.
“That spun me around and at the same time broke the drive shaft so sadly we had to retire the team.
“I was gutted after racing up and down the country all season but that is racing and we will try again next season.”
Most Read
- 1 MBR Acres releases image of graffiti message
- 2 Pictures show dramatic skies over Huntingdonshire and the Fens
- 3 Work starts on affordable 56-home development in Huntingdon
- 4 White roses and political history in Huntingdonshire
- 5 RSPCA investigating 'welfare of beagles' at Huntingdon dog breeding unit
- 6 80th birthday celebrations for the East's longest-serving lollipop lady
- 7 Huntingdon thief jailed after stealing watch, iPod and iPhone from vehicles
- 8 Beer from Lidl and vegan chocolates among items recalled over safety fears
- 9 Family pay tribute to brothers, 13 and 17, killed in horror BMW crash
- 10 Met Office weather: Yellow storm and flood warning for East of England
Loughborough’s Chris Bracher continued his dominance in the sport by winning the title for the fourth year on the trot – a feat no other drive has achieved since the competition’s inaugural season in 1984. However, to lighten Jolly’s disappointment, the 22-year-old was first in heat one of the national points meeting the next day before failing to finish again in heat two.
“That sums up the highs and lows of stock car racing,” said Jolly, whose Team Meerkat is based at Easton.
The next meeting in the national points competition is in Birmingham on Saturday.
