RTTC-Tekno Fuel TT Series
22-Aug-1998
| Dangerfield shows his class ONLY seven seconds separated race winner Stuart Dangerfield (unattached) from runner-up Chris Newton (Team Brite) in Saturday's sixth round of the RTTC-Tekno Fuel Time Trial Series at Wootton Bassett, Wiltshire. But the small margin was enough to confirm Dangerfield as the top British-based time triallist over `sporting' courses. It also answered any lingering questions about Dangerfield's victory in last month's BCF Time Trial Championship, which Newton missed because of illness. Third place went to former series winner Richard Prebble (Team Clean), who looked shell-shocked after being caught for two minutes by Dangerfield. "It's a few years since I was caught in a solo time trial," admitted Prebble afterwards. But the national `100' champion had the consolation of moving up to joint leadership in the series. Dangerfreld's revenge Dangerfield led at every time check in the two-lap, 25.3-mile test, to gain some revenge for his defeat by Newton in the Isle of Man mountain time trial. "I wasn't looking forward to racing today, this event has got in the way of my preparation for the Commonwealth Games," said Dangerfield, who - like Newton - competed because the West DC promotion was a selection event for the World Class Performance Plan (WCPP). "It was a good course today, tougher than I expected," added Dangerfield. "I struggled on the main road stretch into the wind. Then I could see Prebble a long way ahead. He took some catching, but I got him on the climb to the finish. "It was nice to get my own back for when he caught me in the National `50' four years ago" Newton, like Dangerfield, was one of 10 seeded riders who started at two-minute intervals at the end of the 62-man senior field. The circuit comprised six miles on the rolling and busy A3102 before switching to traffic-free lanes. Newton praised the course. "It was OK," he said, "there were no stupid gut-wrenching climbs." But Newton, who had a close encounter with a tractor and a combine harvester, was one of the many riders hampered by the slow moving traffic on the main road. He was left ruing the chest infection which had ruled him out of the BCF Time Trial Championship and, under the WCPP's points system, may have cost him selection for the World's. Newton has been selected for the Commonwealth Games, but said: "It's the World's I really wanted. I feel I can definitely move up. "The selectors must use some discretion, otherwise they might as well pick the team by computer." Both Dangerfield and Newton rode evenly-paced races, with Dangerfield clocking 25-46 for his first full lap - nine seconds up on his rival. Meanwhile, Prebble was fastest at halfway in 25-30 but he lost all his gains on the final lap. 1. Stuart Dangerfield (unatt) . . . . . . . . . . 53 22 U-23s.- M Bottrill |