Race 3 - Oulton Park - 11 June 2005 (cont...)

A few others also got put a lap down with the safety car, splitting the pack. Up front the trio swapped the lead, Martindale forced to change a bent wheel and SsangYong losing time with their belts too. Then Honeywell took themselves off and brought out another safety car giving a few cars the chance to regain earlier last ground.

Into the final stint and still the trio were battling up front with the exhuberant Martindale car in the lead. But then it all went wrong with the Martindale and Chad cars hitting twice in two corners leaving a chuckling Paul Rose in the SsangYong car to nip through and take the lead with minutes to go. That clash had serious results with first Chad stopping to change a punctured tyre and dropping places and Martindale retiring on the last lap with the battered rear suspension finally causing a driveshaft to break.

So with the chequered flag waiting it was SsangYong who took their first win of the year, with an amazed SSJ taking their best ever with a second and consistent Racecar.com in third. Martindale were 4th ahead of Chad with Hyside just taking 6th a whisker in front of Beetlejuice, who had romped back through the field. Another tremendous race on what is a very exciting and demanding circuit which received widespread enthusiasm from just about everyone – even those minus splitters!