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Cheever wins in the rain at Silverstone
Eddie Cheever won a dramatic Grand Prix Masters of Great Britain race at Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit. Torrential rain before the start soaked the track and there were numerous spinners throughout the race. The American took the lead on lap three ...
Edited: Aug 14, 2006, 12:21 AM
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Eddie Cheever won a dramatic Grand Prix Masters of Great Britain race at Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit. Torrential rain before the start soaked the track and there were numerous spinners throughout the race. The American took the lead on lap three from Stefan Johansson and then retook the lead in the late stages after a close battle with Eric van de Poele, who eventually finished second.
"It was good fun," said Cheever. "It was very slipperly but i was flat out the whole way. I got lucky when Derek Warwick and a quick German over there [Christian Danner] took off the first three - they went off skating into the grass and that made my job easier with Stefan. I really love coming to Silverstone. I had so many memories coming back today."
Eric van de Poele spun on the pit straight at the start of the race but fortunately was able to continue. "I spun in the middle of everyone at the start - I did a 360!" he said. "At the end of the day my rear tyres were really bad and I spun again and I couldn't come back to Eddie. It was a great race."
Christian Danner recovered from an early spin to finish in third position. "I must have been dead last. I was facing the wrong direction and it took me quite a while to turn round. It was a great battle, with Hans in particular as that was for third, and everyone was difficult to overtake."
The race began with a rolling start and both van de Poele and Salasar spun before even crossing the line, although both were able to continue. Johansson, Danner and Warwick all remained extremely close but going into Luffield at the end of the opening lap both Danner and Warwick ran slightly wide and spun in unison, promoting Cheever to second place and Lammers to third.
Cheever took the lead on lap three as Johnasson began a steady slide down the field, being taken on lap four by van de Poele at Bridge and on lap five by Lammers around the outside at Woodcotte. Van de Poele closed up on the leader and made a bold move at Bridge on lap thirteen to take the lead, although Cheever briefly put up a fight at Abbey chicane on the next lap but van de Poele repeated his move at Bridge and pulled away in front.
Van de Poele remained in the lead until lap twenty when Cheever passed him at Copse to retake the lead. The Belgian gradually dropped back as he fought with his tyres and he managed another complete spin in the final corner near the end of the race but was able to continue. Cheever held on to cross the line sixteen seconds ahead of van de Poele who was a further twenty seconds ahead of Danner at the end of the thirty lap race.
Nigel Mansell pulled off the circuit very early on and played no further part in the race apart from a couple of demonstration laps for the fans. "I spun three times going to the grid, and when we got to the grid the wheels felt like they weren't pointing in the right direction. Unfortunately the diff exploded on the way to the grid and I had no drive."
Emerson Fittipaldi had a steady race and ultimately finished in eighth place. "It was a very tough race in very tough conditions. The car was good and for the last ten laps I was catching Stefan Johansson. I don't think I spun - I am the most experienced driver! I'm looking forward to coming to Africa."
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