In the early laps, Plato opened up a gap back to Muller, with Thompson in third. Lap 5 saw Tom Ferrier pull off at Graham Hill Bend, with smoke coming from his JSM Alfa Romeo 147. In the following laps, Muller closed back up on Plato, and tried an optimistic move at Paddock Bend on lap 7, but was unable to pass. The same lap saw a worryingly heavy impact for Steve Soper – his Peugeot Coupe hitting the barrier very hard on the way in to Graham Hill Bend. Fortunately he was not seriously injured, although understandably rather shaken. However the same could not be said for his car, with the damage to the front end bringing a sadly premature end to his season. This incident led to the safety car coming out on to the track whilst the marshals attempted to remove the wreckage.

There was by this point an additional factor in the race equation, given the fact that the rain had now started to fall quite steadily. All of the Touring class drivers, except Anthony Reid, chose to enter the pits and change to wet tyres. Had this been any other race during the season, chances are either Plato or Muller would have taken the same gamble, but with so much at stake, it was inevitable that once Plato made the change, Muller would soon follow. What this all meant was that Anthony Reid was left at the head of the field with a lap advantage over his fellow Touring class drivers.

When the safety car eventually pulled off back in to the pits, the race distance was extended to 30 laps, from the original distance of 25. The rain had become very heavy by this point and it seemed that the decision to take on wet tyres was the right one. This is something that is not easy for the Production class drivers however, with a stop taking much longer for them than for their Touring counterparts due to the nature of their ‘Production’ wheel fittings. So with the rain pouring, it was inevitable there would be some spins. Tom Boardman and Gareth Howell were amongst the first to fall foul of the tricky conditions, but were by no means alone. Mat Jackson led the class from Simon Harrison and then Roger Moen, but Harrison was one of a few who did take the gamble, and pitted to take on wets, but possibly should have made the move earlier.

The conditions deteriorated still further, to the point where Anthony Reid, still on slick tyres, was struggling to keep his MG on the track, even in a straight line. Frantic calculations were being done to see how much time he was losing per lap compared to the Astra Coupes that were closing in on him. However he then had two excursions on to the grass at the outside of Graham Hill Bend, as the car simply refused to turn, and the latter of these allowed both Plato and Muller through to take first and second place in the class respectively. In the meantime, Mat Jackson and Roger Moen had collided, again at Graham Hill Bend, and ended up in what was considered to be a dangerous position by the championship stewards. The situation was deemed serious enough, in combination with the weather conditions, to lead to the red flags being brought out, and the race stopped a lap early. As is standard procedure in this situation, the result was declared as at the end of the previous lap, meaning, much to the delight of many of the spectators, that Anthony Reid took the victory for MG – their first of the year, in only their third meeting, and the first race that had not been won by an Astra Coupe. In the Production class, things are slightly more complicated, with Simon Graves taking victory – no problems there, as his tyre strategy worked perfectly, but then behind him, although Moen and Jackson were running second and third on the track at the end of the previous lap, they were not classified in the results, due to the part they played in causing the race to be stopped. This meant that James Kaye was second, and Rick Kraemer took an excellent third position, although neither took up their spot on the podium, as the result was not confirmed until some time later.

In short, a very creditable win for Anthony Reid and the MG – West Surrey Racing team, showing that their hard work throughout the year has paid off, and that they will be a force to be reckoned with in 2002. In terms of the championship, this race did not decide anything – both Production and Touring titles would go down to the last race – proof that the racing is close and there is very little separating the top contenders in either class.

We always said we could realistically win this season, but our target was to finish on the podium, and we’ve exceeded all expectations. I came close to a podium finish at Donington, and would’ve finished third, had I not been taken out by one of my competitors."

It’s great for the Championship that MG have won a race. Well done to them."