Days of Thunder - Rockingham June 2004

Third-placed Hodgson takes championship lead

Michael Vergers won round four of the Days of Thunder series in his NEC Team West-Tec Chevrolet ahead of team-mate Chris Cooke after a dramatic race in which reigning champion Ben Collins and championship leader Colin White crashed out on the opening lap.

Collins took the lead at the start as White and Vergers chased him down, but all hell let loose going into Turn Four as White challenged Collins for the lead. White tried to go inside Collins entering Turn Four but the two cars touched, spearing both Chevrolets into the wall and out of the race. “I’m fine but I don’t know what happened because I was hit from behind,” Collins said immediately afterwards.

This left Vergers in the lead ahead of the three Torquespeed cars of Ian McKellar Jr, John Mickel and Stevie Hodgson, followed by John Steward and Peter Falding. While the yellows stayed out for the next ten laps Anthony Swan, who had started the race in his Fotostop Torquespeed Chevrolet after a complete engine change in between races, pulled back into the pitlane, returning later in the race.

As the race went green again Vergers pulled clear of McKellar Jr and Mickel, while further back Oli Playle in the Liberty X Team West-Tec Chevy had stormed up to 10th place. Vergers continued to lengthen his lead, which was extended still further as McKellar Jr suddenly slowed out of Turn Three and pulled into the pitlane and out of contention.

By Lap 20 Vergers was 6.5 seconds ahead of Mickel, Hodgson and Steward, who was putting in another excellent drive in fifth place. Cooke was now sixth in his learndirect Team West-Tec Chevrolet – and the fastest man on the track – followed by Playle, Proctor and Falding. A lap later and Cooke was by Steward on the outside of Turn Four and was followed by Playle into Turn Three to drop Steward to sixth.

The leaders peeled into the pitlane for the mandatory pitstops on Lap 29, with Vergers in front, but the Torquespeed team did a remarkable job to get the Xerox Torquespeed Ford of Mickel out in front of Vergers. The yellows came out during the pitstop window after Mike Luck stopped by the start/finish line with the race restarting on Lap 35 with Mickel at the head of the field.

His lead didn’t last long, however. Entering Turn One Vergers made an audacious move around the outside to retake the lead, with Cooke now third ahead of Hodgson, Playle, Proctor, Steward and Falding.

Three laps later and Cooke was up the inside of Mickel into Turn One to go second. With Hodgson and Playle holding station in fourth and fifth, the first five cars pulled clear of the rest of the field, headed by Proctor.

Cooke began to put Team West-Tec team-mate Vergers under increasing pressure, closing to less than half a second behind the Dutchman, but Vergers was able to respond. With ten laps to go, the two leaders were 3.5 seconds clear of the Torquespeed duo of Mickel and Hodgson, who was now putting his team-mate under intense pressure for third place.

Backmarkers looked like becoming a factor with five laps to go as Playle joined the battle for third and Hodgson got up inside Mickel out of Turn Four to go third entering Turn One. Playle also went by through Turns Two and Three on the following lap to drop Mickel to fifth.

Up at the front Vergers had the race under control and took his first race win of the season. Cooke was an excellent second, his first podium in Days of Thunder, with Hodgson third.

“We were gifted the result by Ben and Colin’s accident,” Vergers said, “but it certainly makes up for the first race. The move I made on John Mickel to retake the lead must have looked quite good, but it was hard work. I had a lot of push late in the race and Chris put me under pressure.”

Cooke said: “It was an amazing race for me. I must thank the West-Tec team for the great job they did during the pitstop. I came second because of them. I knew Michael was going to be difficult to pass and I’m happy with second.”

Third-placed Hodgson gave the Team Monolopy Torquespeed outfit their first podium and took the Days of Thunder Championship lead by 23 points from White. “The team did an awesome job,” Hodgson said. “We drove the wheels off this thing for 60 laps. I had a great battle with John Mickel at the end.

“I could see that John’s car was understeering more than mine but I knew it was going to be a close, close call. It was good, clean racing.”

	Car number 50 sponsored by American Rap star "50 Cent" who performed on stage at Rockingham after the racing

	Ben Collins wrecked car being moved after his dramatic opening lap crash with Colin White in Round 4

	John Mickels new Xerox sponsored car 66

	Colin White's car 78 before its race 2 incident with Ben Collins

	Sutton Coldfield based driver Skid Carrera with the Legs 11 sponsored car

	Skid Carrera in action against Shaun Richardson in the Team Darkness car number 2

	Another local driver, Mike Luck (Redditch) getting ready for round 4

DAYS OF THUNDER ROUND FOUR RESULT
1 Michael Vergers (NEC Team West Tec) 53:25.487s (60 laps)
2 Chris Cooke (learndirect Team West-Tec) +0.658s
3 Stevie Hodgson (Team Monopoly Torquespeed) +9.393s
4 Oli Playle (Liberty X Team West-Tec) +10.951s
5 John Mickel (Xerox Torquespeed) +11.259s
6 Mark Proctor (Fast-Tec Motorsport) +20.744s
7 John Steward (Virgin Experiences Steward Racing) +21.052s
8 *John Higgins (Crash.net Renegade Racing) +26.383s
9 Peter Falding (Intersport Racing) +35.938s
10 *Skid Carrera (Freephone Legs 11/Kidd-Richardson Racing) +37.394s
11 Phil Weaver (Team Catchpole) +1 lap
12 Shaun Richardson (Team Darkness/Kidd-Richardson Racing) +3 laps
13 *Chris Harris (Team Autocar/Torquespeed) +3 laps
14 *Malcolm Clein (CWS Racing) +5 laps
15 Anthony Swan (Fotostop Torquespeed) +10 laps
16 Tony King (Kent Pharmaceuticals/Torquespeed) +14 laps
17 Ian McKellar Jr (dsi Torquespeed) +19 laps
18 *Steve Hobday (50 Cent Renegade Racing) +21 laps
19 *Mike Luck (Team 24:7 Motorsport with Team Catchpole) +32 laps
20 Ben Collins (Texaco Havoline Racing) +60 laps
21 Colin White (CWS Racing) +60 laps
Fastest lap: Michael Vergers (lap 13) 36.429 seconds – 146.15mph
*denotes rookie

DAYS OF THUNDER SERIES POINTS STANDING AFTER ROUND FOUR
1 Stevie Hodgson 645 points
2 Colin White 622
3 John Steward 615
4 Mark Proctor 605
5 Ben Collins 600
6 Michael Vergers 583
7 Anthony Swan 535
8 Tony King 503
9 Peter Falding 490
10 Skid Carrera 487
11 Chris Cooke 476
12 Steve Hobday 462