Qualifying for the 2011/12 championship finished in May 2011. The previous championship field was joined by teams Brighton, Southampton, Peterboro, West Ham, Birmingham and Blackpool. On August 6th the flag was waved to begin the 46 lap race. Team Leicester had spent alot on their car and drivers and along with Birmingham and West Ham set of as pre- race favourites. Only a 1st or 2nd finish on the podium would garuntee success, with a top 6 finish being the aim of most teams including the red and white car of team Southampton. After an exciting first lap in which the Saints car had an interesting battle with the Leeds car, team Ipswich led the race with the saints team up along side. Team Bristol City were following up the rear. Race favourites Leicester had stalled. After lap 2 the Southampton team, who had not made many changes to the car from the previous year had taken the lead. Many put this down to good pre-season practice runs. After much nip and tuck team Brighton led after lap 5, with Southampton 2nd and Derby 3rd. Doncaster were stuttering at the rear. After lap 10 there were 3 cars level, with Southampton just shading it from Middlesborough and Derby. West ham were moving into position in 4th. The Reading car who only just missed out on the prize the previous year were in 14th. Southampton manager Nigel Adkins refered to being on the southampton bus, but the way they were moving it was definately a racing car. By lap 15 Southampton were 5 lengths clear of West Ham, then Middlesborough whom team southampton had come out on top of in battles in recent laps. Crystal Palace, Derby and Hull were in the coverted top 6 positions, Reading were 16th and Doncaster were at the rear. Southampton team rivals team Portsmouth were 20th. By lap 20 West Ham was clearly seen in southamptons mirror. With southampton having come out on top against rival Hull they then got held up by back marker Doncaster. Coventry slipped to last place and cardiff changed tyres and were moving up the field into 4th. Birmingham looked tired in the middle of the pack and Reading were 11th 15 lengths behind the leaders. The weather turned wintery and the leaders again got held up by back markers -this time Bristol city twice coming off better, spoils were shared in a one on one with Portsmouth and then the southampton car came of worse in a bitter clash the brighton car. Southmptons leading driver, Richard Lambert banned for 3 games. However after lap 25 Southampton were still in the lead, just, level with West Ham with Cardiff and Middlesborough fighting it out closely behind. Reading had overtaken a number of cars to move into 5th. January arrived and their was a chance for teams to re-fuel. New drivers signed including an exciting young prospect from Japan. Southamptons exciting, elegant driving was being matched wheel to wheel with west hams more direct approach with a number of their teams drivers banned for aggresive behavior. After encounters with the leicester, cardiff and the Birmingham car in the snow southampton took longer in the pit lanes allowing team west ham to move into the lead after lap 30. Despite the technical problems saints remained 2nd but birmingham, cardiff, blackpool, hull and reading were all closing in. Whilst old rivals portsmouth, had engine trouble and a big blow out that saw them drop to the end of the pack southampton moved into top gear - successfull head to heads with derby, watford and leeds southampton had re taken the lead but couldnt shake west ham off and reading were timing their run to perfection and had stolen 3rd place after overtaking many of their rivals after lap 35. By lap 37 the wheels had seemingly come off for teams Birmingham, Cardiff, Middlesbrough, Hull and Blackpool leaving 3 cars clear at the front. Southampton and Reading were on full throttle sweeping past all that was in front of them. Manager Nigel Adkins and star driver Richard Lambert had their tactics and form spot on as they were heading for the chequered flag. Lap 38 saw southampton see off the Hull car whilst Reading crashed to the Peterboro car and the West Ham car spun off with Middlesborough. There are now just 8 laps to go to cross the finishing line. will it be the red and white striped car of Southampton, The claret and blue car of West Ham or the blue and white Reading car What a race it has been, team Southampton are currently clocking up the fastest laps but there is still debris on the track to get past and many twists and turns in the road yet. Whatever the final result - What a race it has been and congratulations to those that have taken part COYR i posted a similar thread in our first season in league 1 with the 10pt deduction - on that occasion southampton just ran out of track. Better luck this time! Write your own ending. Have we got enough fuel in the engine? can the finishing line come soon enough? Maybe we can have volunteers to keep this updated lap by lap to the end of the season and to record personal thoughts in the run in.
Great post. Do we now have to add the racing car to the bus and boat as metaphors for our team? We'll be looking like a Monopoly board if it carries on like this!
