Results / RS300 Fat Face Racing Circuit Milton Keynes SC - 28/04/2007

Gunfight at the MK Corral

RS300 FatFace Open, Milton Keynes SC 28/29 April

From far and wide across a parched, sun-kissed land they came, 12 weary travellers come to do battle with 5 hometown boys at the FatFace sponsored Milton Keynes RS300 open over two tough and dirty days at the fall of April (Ed note – translation – force 4 and cloudless skies).

Local gunslinger John Carron made the most of a steer(age) problem by young gun Tim Keen form the far north (well, Sheffield) to take first blood, ahead of fellow dude Paul Barker just holding off a late challenge from Nick Bolland who had previously shot himself in the foot with an uncharacteristic capsize. Chris (Doc Holliday) Morrissey and Alex (Wyatt Earp) Watkins completed the top slots.

Riding in from the wild, wild west and shooting from the hip, Steve Bolland from Bristol (oo-aar!) Corinthian took race 2 by the horns from brother Nick and a gaggle of local boys – Carron, Barker and Morrissey.

Bolland S also led race 3 initially before being hunted down by Carron as the cattle drive (Ed – sorry – race) progressed. Following these two home to the relative safety of the saloon were Bolland N, the ever-present Barker, Richard (Frank McLaury) Le Mare and Alistair (Wes Fuller) Wood being cheered home by his nippers on the bank.

As the mist cleared and the sun rose on the Sabbath so the duel recommenced between the 17 desperate and hungry men. At least the cruel wind had abated a little to give some respite from the heat of the previous day but the competition was as hot as ever.

Sporting a shiny new sawn-off sail, Ian Smith led the fleet away in race 4. However, he was eventually hung out to dry by Bolland S, Carron and Bolland N finishing in that order ahead of Smith with Barker and Watkins featuring again.

No Barry Steel at this gunfight but his spirit was alive and well as well-known cowboy Phil Underwood skinned the fleet alive will an impeccably judged port-tack start in race 5, taken straight from the pages of the Steel Book of Starting Tactics. Employing a similarly underhand tactic, Barker led the fleet at the first mark and managed to slip away as the rest of the fleet fought amongst itself. Bolland S led the high-speed pursuit aided and abetted by Bolland N and Carron. However, in an act of scarcely believable treachery, Bolland N callously deprived younger brother Steve of a well deserved 2^nd place by overtaking him not once but twice as the race neared it end, leaving Steve struggling to hold off a fast-finishing Carron. Trevor (Billy Clanton) Brooks also showed the majority of the fleet his transom.

And so, going into the final race, Bolland S and Carron were sporting identical 1,1,2,3 scorelines with winner-takes-all in some kind of Wild West shootout at the MK Corral. Trying to spoil the party, however, was Keen who popped out of the fleet to lead at the first mark. He was followed round by Bolland S who, in an improbable manoeuvre, managed to squeeze his steed into a gap of starboard tackers no more than half a length long. As the final act turned into a two-horse race, Bolland eventually overhauled Keen while Carron shook off Smith and Le Mare.

So, as the smoke cleared and the sun set on another hard fought contest, it was Steve Bolland narrowly ahead of John Carron, Nick Bolland and Paul Barker which brought an end, to this correspondent’s eyes, one of the closest and most enjoyable events for many a year. Next FatFace circuit events are at Dalgety Bay in June and Stokes (Tombstone) Bay in July.