SUNDAY

12th March, 2006

Official Standings

The battle for the top step of the podium in Pau was a straight fight between the BRM of Michiel Pompert and the Lotus of Ken Murray.  First blood went to Michiel as he grabbed pole with a time of 1m22.648s; 0.639s inside the BRM world record set by Dave Nicol on our last visit.  Michiel made most of the early running but when he made what appeared to be only his second error of the race, Ken was on hand to pounce and was never headed thereafter.
As we toiled and cursed our way around the narrow streets, tripping over the vicious curbs as we went, we were perhaps not aware of what a thoroughly suitable venue this was for a bunch of Brits and their friends to hold a race.  Apparently the city has the nickname of La ville Anglaise, dating from when the place became popular with the well-healed British in the late 19th century.  People point to the influence they have had on the architecture and the fact that they can boast as having the first golf course on mainland France.  Others cite the fact that they indulge in fox-hunting and

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2
3
4
5
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8

16
10
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12
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15
18
8

Ken Murray
Michiel Pompert
Hristo Itchov
Clive Loynes
Kevin williams
Galiesch Darksoul
Ian Stanley
Allan Davis

14 laps  19m38.195s
+02.706s
+32.771s
+45.287s
+48.100s
55.047s
+1m17.820s
1 lap

   Fastest Lap

16  Ken Murray                                     1m22.623s

steeple-chasing but for me it is the fact that in 1989, when the rest of France was celebrating the bicentenary of the Revolution, the Palois, as the locals are known, were celebrating the four hundredth aniversary of Henri IV's accession to the throne.  Henri being a bit of a local hero.  Good for them.
Enough history, Pau, it says here, is the fourth capital of the Béarn and is the most elegant of the towns and cities that overlook the Pyrénées from their vantage point on the high bluffs that run parallel with the mountains.

Clive Loynes was third on the grid, his Lotus just edging out the second BRM of Hristo Itchov.  This pair were then followed by Kevin Williams, Andy Livingston, Ian Stanley, Galiesch Darksoul, Allan Davis and Martin Gilmour.
Amazingly, as the flag dropped Michiel managed to keep his BRM ahead of Ken's

Michiel Pompert pulls away from Pont Oscar on lap one as Ken Murray gets cross threaded and Clive Loynes prepares to close the door in front of Hristo Itchov.

Lotus and apart from Kevin flirting with disaster along the wall between turns one and two, everyone made it round the first two corners without incident.
Michiel led the field to Pont Oscar with Ken and Clive in close attendance.  Both of the latter out braked themselves and ran wide and as Clive cut back across the track was only saved from colliding with Hristo by