ARCHER GRAND PRIX

Farrell Sprints to Hat-Trick in Archer International GP

A REMARKABLE hat-trick was achieved by Steve Farrell with victory in Sunday's Archer Grand Prix Star Trophy, an event he has made his own with a record four wins in five years.

Farrell (Tunstall Wheelers-L & M Motors) took the race in a hotly-contested, controversial sprint, from Mark Gornall (Manchester Wheelers) after the pair had slipped clear from the breakaway group of seven riders in the final stages of the 107-mile race.

Almost on cue, as the field rolled away from the start, the rain started; with the addition of a cold, blustery wind it was typically tough conditions for this gruelling second Star Trophy event.

The bunch had barely left the HQ when the first riders were struggling in the difficult conditions. On a day when the service cars were soon short of wheels, Glenn Longland (Antelope RT) was a (very) early puncture victim after only a mile or so; it took a 30-minute, 12-mile chase before he was to regain the race.

The nucleus of the final break escaped the field on the first of the nine laps of the Beaconsfield-Amersham based circuit. Frenchman Eric Druhay (VC Levallois) and Andy Lyons (Olympia Sport) were the first to slip the bunch, and were quickly joined by Ian Gilkes (Wembley RC), who was to be in the thick of the action all day, eventual fourth Wayne Randle (Dinnington RC), Drubay's VC Levallois team-mate Duedal, and winner Farrell, the last to get across to this initial move. Over the first prime of the day, taken by Randle, the breakaway had some 40 seconds on the main field.

Disaster struck the French effort as the two team-mates, having attacked the break, were taken off course: returning to the circuit just in time to rejoin the main field once the mistake had been discovered.

Up front the initial six had lost the two Frenchmen and gained Andy Hitchens (Bournemouth Arrow). Their lead had slipped down to around 40 seconds, before they pulled away slightly to take it to 1-20 at the 30-mile mark. Behind them the main field seemed well aware of the dangers posed by a group containing such class riders as Farrell and Randle and a number of riders began to put effort into the chase.

At the start of the fourth lap a dangerous-looking group of 10 had slipped the field. Driven along by a Manchester Wheelers combine of Mark Gornall and newly-reinstated Paul Curran, it took just a lap for the 10 to catch the five, to form a leading group of 16 riders made up of the initial five breakaways, Curran and Gornall, Norman Dunn (Paragon RT), John Tanner (Dinnington RC), local man Cohn Roshier (Hounslow and District), Andy Perks (Royal Sutton CC), Brian Tinsley (Solihull CC), Chris Warling (Apollo RT), Jeremy Harrison (Invicta RC) and Andrew Harrison (Wembley RC).

The main field had still not given up the chase, and despite some unselfish working in the break, the lead remained fixed at around one minute; the difficult conditions making it hard for any break to take too much time out of a still-working field.

Going into the sixth lap the race was repeating itself: up front the break had lost Harrison to a puncture and a couple to the pressure, while behind four more had slipped the field to bridge the gap. In this instance it was Tim Hall (Ace RT) who was powering across to the front-runners, bringing with him Martin Maltby (Dinnington RC), Paul Barrass (Ferryhill Wheelers) and Richard Moore (Hull Coureurs).

This was to be it. The initial break had evolved into a leading group of 16 riders, containing a number of potential winners. As the almost constant drizzle turned to a downpour, the attacks began.

Every hill, prime, and corner became the launch pad for an effort: first it was Farrell, then Curran, then Gornall, then Randle; Gilkes never stopped attacking.

Behind the attacks the rest of the breakaway would claw their way back, but inevitably there were casualties. Warling, Tinsley, and Hitchens were gone going into the seventh lap, and we were down to 13 combatants.

With two to go, Gilkes finally reaped the reward for a day of almost constant attacking. As he slipped his breakaway companions to build a tenuous 10-15 seconds lead the all-out chase split the break.

Moore, Jeremy Harrison (Invicta RC), Maltby, Chapman, and Dunn were the riders in trouble as the rest gave chase to the dangerous Gilkes.

Although the five dropped riders gave valiant chase, the writing was on the wall.

Gilkes held on to his lead for just 10 miles, but behind him the damage was done. As the Wembley RC rider was reeled in with just one lap to go there were only seven riders in it: Randle, Farrell, Curran, Gornall, Perks, Hall, and Gilkes.

It was an evenly-matched group, and the riders knew it. If it came to a sprint there were at least four top sprinters, Curran and Farrell were well known lone winners, and Gilkes had shown his attacking abilities all day. It made for exciting racing.

Attack followed attack as each rider tried his hardest to whittle the group down. Farrell, Curran, and Randle all tried maximum effort attacks, but only Gilkes cracked, only to claw his way back on.

As the final part of the circuit approached it seemed as if it would be down to a seven-up sprint.

Farrell tried one last effort and only Gornall saw the move. Working together they quickly established a slim, but at this stage race-winning, advantage.

Farrell led out the sprint past the Magpies public house, round the sweeping left-hander into the finish.

Gornall pulled level, then ahead, only for Farrell to ease him out on the line as the riders locked elbows.

Gornall was visibly annoyed, but quickly regained his composure. Farrell, no doubt well aware of the controversy surrounding his similar encounter with Ben Luckwell on this circuit in 1989, said it was accidental. The incident seemed to have split the crowd and the judges. Gornall left it to the judges and they ruled in favour of Farrell.

Behind first and second, Perks took the sprint ahead of Randle, Curran, and Hall. Gilkes rolled in at 12 seconds suffering from his earlier efforts.

What they said

WHILE it was not quite the victory some had expected of him, comeback amateur Paul Curran had shown that he means business back with the amateurs. Curran was well to the fore as the race-winning move came together, and was constantly on the attack in the final stages of the race. Gornall was quick to praise his team-mate and to warn the other riders that Curran is well and truly back, if a little short of racing miles in comparison to the rest of the field. Curran himself offered a taciturn 'it's hard isn't it' to describe amateur racing after two years with the pros.

RESULTS

1. STEVE FARRELL (Tunstall Wh-L & M Motors) 107m in 4-20-04
2. M. Gornall (Manchester Wh) st
3. A. Perks (Royal Sutton CC at 3sec
4. W. Randle (Dinnington RC)
5. P. Curran (Manchester Wh)
6. T. Hall (Ace RT) all st
7. I. Gilkes (Wembley RC) at 12sec
8. J. Harrison (Invicta RC) at 2-7
9. M. Maltby (Dinnington RC)
10. C. Roshier (Hounslow & Dist)
11. R. Moore (Hull Coureurs)
12. B. Chapman (Featherstone RC)
13. N. Dunn (Paragon RT) all st
14. S. McVitty (Liverpool Mercury) at 3-56
15. P. Longbottom (Manchester Wh) st
16. A. Gornall (Manchester Wh) at 5-10
17. G. Brooks (Anglia Sport) at 5-54
18. P. Rogers VC St Raphael) st
19. S. Bray (Invicta RC) at 5-59
20. B. Charley (Stourbridge CC) at 6-24.

Equity & Law King of the Chilterns.- Wayne Randle(Dlnnington RC- Ideal Travel) 38pt; 2,Farrell, 26.