Round 25 - Prescott, Saturday 6th October
Inside the Head of a Champion
Sprinting and hillclimbing is many things to many people.  For some, the aim is to get as much pleasure as possible while trying
to get the most from that fickle pairing of driver and TVR.  For others, it’s primarily trying to go faster than last year, and if that involves finishing further up the standings, 
then all to the good.
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For, a small, special group, of ‘competitors’, it’s all about winning!
Steve Mogg had secured the 2018 Championship title at Loton Park back in August.  But for him, simply ‘coming out to play’ for our final round at Prescott was not in his vocabulary.  Moggy and Alan Hugh Davies have had several epic battles this season, finishing within tenths of each other
​at both Wiscombes and both Lotons.  AHD arrived at Prescott with Class B in the bag, but wasn’t there to make the numbers up – he really wanted to beat Moggy at least once this season.
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And let’s not forget about Iain Stallard – a 
​late entry for this season’s Championship whose mid-term successes led him to commit to a full competitive season.  By merely recording a timed run at Prescott, Stallard Jr would take the Class A crown, but he too wanted to do this by winning. 
At what was a miserably cold and wet Prescott, AHD was out of the blocks fastest (literally and metaphorically - a number of TVRers recorded 5 second 64-foot times, 
​normally under 2.5 seconds in the dry), making the most of his 1A ‘road tyres’, seemingly ignoring the fact that it was raining.  Moggy started on ‘wet’ tyres, but 
​was 2 seconds off the pace.  Stallard Jr chose 1B (‘dry’) tyres following his success in the wet at Blyton, and was feeling his way up the hill. 
In the older cars, Steve Dennis, Steve Thomas and Geoff Stallard were having their own private battle. StevieD led this pack up until the final run, when Steve T put in his best performance of his rookie season, leaping ahead in the drying 
​conditions.  Stallard Sr had one eye on the Lotus awards dinner later that evening, and forfeited his last run to give Ali time to “put her posh frock on”.
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James Howell made a welcome return to 
​the Championship, bringing along a huge fan club of family and friends – great to see Imogen and young Freddie again.  The Ashes continued their season long battle, with Shelagh within a tenth of Peter all day.
The concept of ‘putting a banker in’ didn’t occur to the top 3, however; they pushed with the sole intent of winning!  Moggy was quickest on scratch, but his handicap knobbled him, so AHD was leading with Stallard Jr slightly behind the pair. 
The first run could be crucial, as conditions can change quickly at Prescott.  In this case, the conditions changed for the better, so it was still on for the second run. Stallard Jr was first on the hill and put in a blinder.  Shortly afterwards, AHD put in his own 
​blinder to regain the top spot.  Moggy decided it was time to switch to ‘dry’ tyres and put in a blinder…at the bottom of the hill.  
​However, he was slightly too fast going into the esses under the trees, and lost control on the still damp and cold surface.  An ‘altercation’ with the barriers left him dazed and confused.  As any aficionados of motorsport will know, British marshalls 
​are the best in the world.  The ones at Prescott took every precaution to ensure Moggy’s safety.  A thorough medical check showed nothing wrong physically, but his blood pressure was a little high, so they whisked him away to Worcester ​Infirmary 
​for further checks.  He was discharged later that evening with no lasting damage, already talking about another trip to the fibreglassing shop down the road.
So just what is inside the head of a Champion?  I’ll give Moggy’s wife, Sara, the final word: “He had scans, x-rays and various blood tests…they confirmed what I already knew – there’s nothing in his head”!
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Shunter
(Photography: Bobbox, Shunter)