Birthday boy Oly finally Sleigh-edposted in KNOCK22 | 08 | 2010
BIRTHDAY BOY Oly Mortimer, a multiple Scottish and British Mini Cooper Champion, came within half-a-car’s distance of giving himself the perfect gift, five wins out of five in one day.
The 27-year-old from Edinburgh, competing in the latest rounds of the Scottish Motor Racing Club Championships at Knockhill, tackled three races in the Scottish Mini Championship and made his debut in the Scottish Ford Fiesta ST Championship.
Mortimer demolished the opposition in his Ian Cowie-prepared Fiesta, winning both races and coming within 7/1000ths of the lap record, and then won the opening two races in his Tyncastle Garage-prepared Mini from pole position.
"It was a pretty successful day; four pole positions, four wins and a second, and fastest lap in all five races"
"I came so close"
The talented racer, tipped to graduate to the British Touring Car Championship next season, was then only pipped for his fifth and final race by fellow Edinburgh racer David Sleigh.
“I came so, so close,” Mortimer, whose five-in-a-day challenge coincided with his 27th birthday, explained. “Because the championship operates a reversed grid for the final Mini race of the day, I started sixth.
“I had a great ding-dong battle right through the race with David, and Vic Covey from Aberdeen. We were within inches of each other most of the time but not one of us made contact with each other. It was great, controlled racing.
“Coming out of the hairpin for the final time David was just ahead of me, but as we headed up the main start-finish straight I was closing all the time. He held on though and got me by just half the length of a Mini. At almost 100mph as we crossed the finish line, that’s not a lot.
“Still, it was a pretty successful day; four pole positions, four wins and a second, and fastest lap in all five races. Certainly a birthday to remember.”
McDougall emerged unscathed
Sleigh meanwhile was content with his win and two podiums in the Minis while, in the XR2s Peter Cruickshank took another win ahead of Charlie Cope and championship leader Tim Sleigh, the pair scrapping right rough the race to the chequered flag.
The second XR2 race was red-flagged after Derek McDougall's car dug itself into the gravel after he slewed off the track after hitting oil at the very first corner. Thankfully he emerged unscathed. At the restart Sleigh disappeared into the distance, his cause aided by the driveshaft failure which halted Cruickshank's progress, with Cope again finishing second.
In the Scottish Formula Ford Championship, Kenneth Thirlwall continued the fight against Craig Brunton by winning race one, then found himself third at the end of the second race behind winner Scott Fraser and Brunton.
And while there were two wins for reigning champ Ross Marshall and one for Colin Atkinson in the Legends, the victories in the Sports and Saloons Championship were shared between Charlie Shaw and his Ford Focus, and the Westfield of Garry Watson.
Jim McGill (Pic by Steven Carrie)