2013-12-09 09:17:19.2
What started out as a difficult day ended on a relative high as Eddie stormed from the back of the B final grid to finish a respectable seventh.
After what Eddie had described as an “Exceptional Day” two weeks ago at Clay Pigeon, he admitted that he did not expect much from this race, which Eddie had never seen before.
Eddie started his first qualifying heat from 10th place and remained in the mid field, running between eighth and twelfth while getting to grips with the circuit, to eventually finish eleventh.
His second heat was a nightmare. Starting from second, he made a careless mistake at the start, forgetting that he had to go straight on rather than take the first chicane. This dropped Eddie right down the order and he compounded this on lap three by spinning off when he got on the dirty side of the track attempting an overtaking manoeuvre.
“I couldn’t believe the start, it was just a careless and stupid mistake. I had a good run at the flag and I’m pretty sure I would have taken the lead. It was just a momentary bit of brain fade and I was down in nearly last position. Still, I don’t have anyone to blame but myself.”
Starting fourteenth in his final heat, Eddie made a good start and was comfortably running in the top 10, enjoying a great battle with John Thompson. Unfortunately, the race stewards saw a harmless bit of wheel banging as “Advantage By Contact” and gave Eddie a penalty, classifying him 12th.
His poor qualifying performances put Eddie in a disappointing 19th in the B final. Still, Eddie stormed through the field, making several good passing manoeuvres, to get as high as seventh. The top six were quite a way in the distance and, despite dramatically closing the gap, Eddie could not quite catch up.
Both members of the Hall Racing outfit were nevertheless pleased with the days racing. His manager said:
“Considering that he’d never seen the track before and that the majority of the drivers had been here the day before for the endurance, I think he drove very well. His final was brilliant and he drove really well – I am very pleased.”
Eddie was equally pleased. “To come to a circuit ‘blind’ as I did today, you can’t expect great things. I thought I drove sensibly in my first heat and I think that my penalty in heat 3 was very questionable indeed. I made a complete hash of my second heat and I will put my hand up and admit that. I think without that I certainly could have made another A final but I have to be content with what I got and I think seventh is a more than respectable finish considering the circumstances!”
