Winchester driver Steve Hyde was denied the chance of a third successive podium finish in the final round of the 2002 British GT Championship at Donington Park.
Just half a minute into the one-hour race, with co-driver Richard Stanton from Salisbury at the wheel, the Barclays/De Walt TVR Tuscan R was pitched into a spin and collided heavily with the wall at Schwantz Curve. Stanton was unhurt in the shunt but understandably aggrieved.
"Someone was a little bit too keen, I think, and gave me a naughty tap", was the Salisbury driver's diplomatic reaction after walking back to watch the remainder of the race from the pitwall.
The Eclipse Motorsport-prepared car was extensively damaged in the impact, bringing the late season run of form to a disastrous end.
Hyde, manager of the Barclays Asset Finance team in Basingstoke, struggled to hide his disappointment. "We were sure of a good result. The car was beautifully balanced in practice," he said.
The GTO championship went right down to the wire in a thrilling finale to the season. Jamie Davies's Ferrari beat Tim Sugden's Porsche to the line by just one second, and, in so doing, Davies wrested the driver's title from Sugden by a solitary championship point!
There was a similarly close finish in the GT class with the Lister of Mike Jordan and Dave Warnock just holding off the Saleen of new champions Thomas Erdos and Ian McKellar.
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