Round 1 & 2 - Rockingham

White storms to two victories at Rockingham opener

The 2010 LINE-X Pickup Racing Championship got off to a storming start at Rockingham last weekend with two sensational 35 races, both of which saw veteran Phil White snatch victory by just hundredths of seconds.

Several changes have emerged to the championship over the winter. Along with the welcome addition of LINE-X as title sponsors, is new panels being introduced to the front ends of the trucks, a third engine option and points awarded for the top ten qualifiers.

With the top ten qualifiers still reversed, it was Julian Arnold in the #3 truck who took the first pole for 2010 with Simon Carr joining him on the front row. From the off Simon shot into the lead with Phil White slotting in behind him just ahead of Steve Dance in the #16 Ben 10 truck. On lap four Phil began his surge, taking over at the front with Steve following him through to also pass Simon and a lap later Michael Smith and Nic Grindrod were also in on the action.

Lap seven saw Steve and then Michael take up the helm with the pack pushing Phil back to fifth, but this was no done deal by any means with the leading pack of seven trucks all vying for position and places changing at the blink of an eye. White kept pushing however and used the art of drafting to his advantage moving with the train to retake the lead on lap 11 with Nic just 0.03 seconds behind and Michael 0.3 behind the #22 truck.

The pack, containing White, Grindrod, Smith, Dance, 2009 champion Pete Stevens, Antony Hawkins and Carr, were once again in total unity swapping positions and headed into turns two and three wide but all of kept their focus to keep pushing for the lead.

On lap 19 Nic was to be sent backwards by the pack to fifth before Dance took up the lead two laps later ahead of the LINE-X liveried #15 truck of Carr. But with ten laps to go Phil decided it was time to return to the front and began moving back through the still seven-strong lead pack, bide his time behind Dance. It was at this point the lead pack fell to six as Simon Carr’s engine suffered a misfire, sending him to the pits. On lap 31 Phil made a charge for the lead with Michael Smith and Nic Grindrod using the airflow to follow the #63 but on the last lap Dance got his own back to re-pass Nic and Michael, although his lunge on Phil was to be just centimetres past the chequered flag. This meant a thrilling first victory of 2010 for White by 0.5 seconds ahead of Steve with Nic sealing the last podium spot.

Race two saw just as much excitement plus there was additional weight for race one’s top three who were now carrying success ballast.

Unfortunately Simon Carr was not able to race due to the engine problems experienced in race one, but #2 Dave Briggs was on the grid having missed the first round with his own engine issues. Once again Julian Arnold was the pole man but it was Nic Grindrod who took up the early lead ahead of Phil White and Pete Stevens. But still buzzing from his race one victory, Phil was soon out front from lap three with Nic, Pete and Steve Dance vying for places close behind. Once again there was a seven strong pack also containing Michael Smith, Antony Hawkins and Lee Rogers, who was on for his best Rockingham performance in the #69 truck.

By lap 11 Michael in the Offshore Fuels truck was up to second before taking the lead two laps later. Antony was also on the move and slotted into second place on lap 14 but once again the pack was to be reshuffled, Michael held the lead but now had Nic and Phil on his back panel. The show was not stopping there though as Antony gained momentum again with the train to move up to third from eighth in just a couple of laps and with Phil in the lead ahead of Nic it was Michael who was sent down the order.

On lap 32 Steve Dance played the draft game and crept back from the back of the lead pack to third at a time when it was difficult to know who would enter the next turn in what position, such was the closeness of the racing. But come the chequered flag 50-year-old Phil was powered home to his second victory of the day courtesy of the new Duratec engine just 0.4 seconds ahead of Steve Dance. Nic meanwhile just snatched his second third place of the day out of the grasps of Michael Smith and Antony Hawkins.

At the end of the first weekend, Phil White sits on top of the championship table ahead of Steve Dance and Nic Grindrod. The LINE-X Pickup Racing Championship will be in action again this weekend (April 17-18) at Brands Hatch.