Gulf Radical Cup. Round 3. The Champion is back in the chase

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Not only did we have the UAE GT Championship and the UAE Touring Car Championship (pics to come), there was also the mental Gulf Radical Cup taking place last weekend. It’s been a while since we looked at the Radical Championship, so I thought it high time that I put something together. Not to mention the friendly prod that I got from a good mate of mine….In the third meeting of the season so far of the UAE GulfSport Radical Cup, the main championship contenders continued their epic battle for the title and were at last joined by Buzz Kronfli, last years Radical Champion and reigning Radical European Masters Champion.

Sadly Buzz, who again has chosen to race an SR3 so as to go heads up with Christophe Hissette and Jordan Grogor, has been hampered with technical set backs in his AUH Motorsport SR3. However this weekend he was firmly back in the action!During Race 1, Buzz managed to lead the race until the dying moments, however after a momentary lapse of concentration and some killer driving tactics from Jordan, the door was opened and closed on him in the space of two corners. Current championship leader Jordan Grogor kept it all together and crossed the line in first place, with Buzz Kronfli coming a frustrated but rather relieved second. Christophe Hissette, team mate of Buzz in Europe and also current Euro Masters Champion had to start from the back of the grid, after a Cam Shaft went flat on him. He however went on to finish third in an ace drive onboard an older, heavier chassis…ahead of Bob George.

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In Race 2 Grogor won again, ahead of the hard charging Hissette. Behind the top two was Buzz Kronfli who sadly was pushed wide at the start of the race and was on the back foot for the rest of it. However after having a nightmare of a time in the first two races losing ground on Jordan and Christophe, was more than happy to back in the hunt.

Believe me, having stood next to him after the third failure in four races he wasn’t a happy man. Bob George came in fourth after a good run while the fast improving Henry van den Heuvel had a great meeting finishing 6th in the first race and 5th in the second.

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crankandpiston man and consumate gentleman Keverne McShine in the awesome grey and orange Radical SR3 had a tricky time of it this weekend. After some rubbing and resultant damage last time out, the time between the two races has been very busy for the one man show….He race – He run – He fix – He pay

I sat and watched Buzz Kronfli skipping sideways through turn one and then holding it flat from the exit up through turn two, three and four all of morning practice on day one….might explain missing all the other action.

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Jordan Grogor with a very weird rear wing set-up – after a quick chat we found out that he was in fact running without a section of the rear wing and needed this set-up to generate something over the rear wheels.

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Dave Field in the Yellow Aviva SR8 blows past Carl Rolaston in his lesser powered SR3 down the long main straight of the Dubai Autodrome.

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Dave Fields again in the AVIVA Sponsored Radical SR8. I have never heard such a mental noise as the one this car makes just as David hits the brakes….I dont know whether it was the car hitting the rev limiter of something else…either way it sounded like an air horn going off..

We will bring you a more personal insight from Keverne Mcshine very soon and look forward to seeing Rd4 of the Gulf Radical Cup in Jan 2010