Biddenham Upper School win the second Bedford Autodrome Schools' Grand Prix
Biddenham Upper School have taken victory in the second Bedford Autodrome Schools' Grand Prix, after reigning champions Mark Rutherford Upper School suffered battery problems late in the race. A mature and measured drive from the winners contrasted to the pure speed of the two Rutherford teams but if they were not quite on the ultimate pace, consistency and clever pitwork kept them in the hunt throughout the four hours.
The race was turned on its head ten minutes into the final hour as the Rutherford Racing car slowed to a crawl. Almost coming to a halt in the pit entrance, the team worked frantically on the car as it lost two laps to the leaders, once again the BUS Drivers.
Back on their way, Rutherford Racing were back on a relatively quick pace but as the batteries ran low, they were almost a minute off their fastest lap and with a four-lap deficit, looked to have too much to do in the final half hour. The outlook was not much brighter for The Griffins, for they had lost two laps to the leaders.
The closing laps were filled with tension as the teams eked out every last ounce of power from their allocated batteries. However, it was starting to look as though the BUS Drivers approach to the race would pay off. Similarly, albeit less spectacularly, More Car Racing continued to post laps and remained some way clear of the rest.
With twenty-three minutes remaining, The Griffins came to a halt on the back straight, soon to be joined by its sister team. With More Car Racing gaining laps, the formers leaders tried every battery available in the hope of making the finish.
With the BUS Drivers completing a final pitstop without issue, the main focus on was More Car Racing. Taking third from Rutherford Racing, they were two minutes a lap quicker than the Griffins. With the clock ticking down, they fell short by just a couple of laps, a fine performance from a team that were thereabouts for the duration.
Sparks, Team Alice and High Voltage completed the finishers after a hard-fought competition from all of the schools.
Final Finishing Positions:
1. The BUS Drivers, 125L
2. The Griffins, -6L
3. More Car Racing, -8L
4. Rutherford Racing, -9L
5. Sparks, -43L
6. Team Alice, -56L
7. High Voltage, -60L
8. St Thomas More Racing 2, -102L
