BRANDS HATCH RESULT FOR GULFAIR DRIVERS

Team GulfAir enjoyed an encouraging end to its British GT Championship season at Brands Hatch on Sunday (28 Sep).The team's turbocharged Golf GTI - driven by Stuart Scott (Sandy) and Steve Wood (Ruislip) - collected ninth place in the championship's GTC class despite some mechanical problems.Scott and Wood had overcome trouble with the Golf's turbo in qualifying to line up on the 12th row of the grid, ahead of five slower class rivals, but struck further problems early on in the race.

"A misfire set in on the warming-up lap," said Stuart, MD of team sponsor Cambridge Business Travel. "Steve was at the wheel for the start and came into the pits as soon as he was able to hand over to me, in the hope that at the same time we could find a quick cure.

"It was a little better when I took over, but then I lost the clutch. But I decided to stay out there are give it a go, and we were rewarded by a good finish."Ten of the 27 starters failed to make it to the chequered flag.

Added Stuart: "The positive thing was that we had none of the gearbox problems which have blighted our season, but we're a little frustrated because we know the potential of the Golf is enormous."

Team GulfAir now plans an intensive winter-season test and development programme to ready the Golf for the 2004 British GT season

Scott and Wood will be back in race action at Rockingham on 1 November for the annual Bill Taylor Memorial endurance race, in which they will crew a Porsche 944.

30 September 2003