RACE REPORTS – 2CKC Matthew Percy Memorial Trophy Race – Nov 2024
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AS TWO COUNTIES KART CLUB, WE ARE VERY PRIVILEGED AND HONOURED TO BE ABLE TO AWARD THE MATTHEW PERCY MEMORIAL TROPHY ANNUALLY. CONGRATULATIONS to the very deserved 2024 winner HARRY SMITHSON! His name will now go down in history on this prestigious trophy for eternity.
This very special and prestigious trophy is a trophy like no other. It was originally won by Matthew Percy’s Dad (Win Percy) and his co-driver Tom Walkinshaw in the 1985 European Touring Car Championship from Vallelunga.
After a successful and eventful racing career which spanned many years, Win Percy escaped unhurt from a terrifying 200mph Le Mans crash, Win Percy’s 28-year career as a professional racer was only ended, with dreadful irony, by a tragic medical error after he put his back out in the garden. He was told he would never walk again.
After two weeks of pain he had a scan and the hospital told him he needed an operation for a prolapsed disc. They said it was all quite straightforward — but when Win came round from the anaesthetic he was paralysed from the waist down. They’d gone in on the wrong disc and done irreversible damage to his spine.
Win was in the wheelchair for three years. The NHS said they couldn’t spend any more on him because he’d never walk again. But he wanted to keep working at it, so from then on Win had to pay for everything himself. Gradually he learned to hold himself up for short periods using a zimmer frame. Win then found a therapy team who hung him from a parachute harness over a slow-moving treadmill and he worked at trying to move one foot in front of the other until his brain had learned about walking again.
It was while living in Australia that Matthew’s parents received the phone call every parent dreads. Their son Matthew had been killed in a car crash in Dorset. “Doing 40mph, he had to swerve to avoid two cyclists in the middle of the road. He hit the bank, turned over, and the seat belt bracket broke his neck. The cyclists didn’t stop. After the funeral Matthew’s parents decided to get back to Australia.
As Matthew Percy was a keen Formula Blue driver, Win’s 1985 European Touring Car Championship trophy was donated to Ron Shone to be used in memory of Matthew. Ron,the then chairman of the Two Counties Kart Club, provided it for the Club to be used as an annual prize in an annual race meeting. It has since been cherished by each and every driver, past, present and of course any future drivers to come. The Matthew Percy Memorial Trophy was born.
Should you wish to read the full story and find out more, have a very interesting read by searching online for “Lunch with Win Percy”.
The Matthew Percy Memorial Trophy is presented to the driver who has the best set of points, achieved by adding together the grid start position and the best finish position in the final. In the case of a tie, the highest place on the track, in the Final, wins.
A grid of nine Formula Blue drivers were present at the Clay Pigeon Circuit for the annual Matthew Percy Memorial Race on 10th November 2024. The race involved the Two Counites Club members who had competed in a minimum of one previous Club round. Scoring included grid start plus finish positions, once any non-eligible competitors had been deleted from the result.
In Heat One with Michael Bell starting in Pole Position, it was David Watts that took first place over the finish line after starting 4th on the grid, with Harry Smithson on his tail.
Heat Two was lead with our very own David Goode on Pole with Stuart Gray in P2. It was Anthony Cleal that took the chequered flag after starting in fourth position with David Watts very close behind.
Heat Three was started off with David Watts on Pole and Harry Smithson in P2. First over the finish line was David Watts for his second time during the Matt Percy Event with Harry Smithson holding on to his second position throughout the race.
The Pole position for the Final was held by David Watts with Harry Smithson alongside in P2. On the second row sat Anthony Cleal and Stuart Gray, followed by Michael Bell, Max Gunter, Steve Groves, Nigel Vickery and David Goode.
With Anthony Cleal’s seat snapping and him having to hang in there for dear life, a big battle between Michael Bell and Max Gunter was being had, side by side and rubbing pods for much of the race before Michael’s throttle cable broke on last lap, David Watts was fighting off the forever speedy Harry Smithson who was also gunning for the finishing line, Smithson managed to make a very late pass to take THE WIN!! David Watts came in at a very close second followed by Stuart Gray. The racing up front, and indeed throughout the pack, was a very exciting and eventful race which was a must-see watch.
CONGRATULATIONS to the very deserved 2024 winner HARRY SMITHSON! His name will now go down in history on this prestigious trophy for eternity.
MATT PERCY 2024 SENIOR BLUE FINAL – 10TH NOVEMBER 2024
GRID RESULT
Pole – David Watts P1 – Harry Smithson
P2 – Harry Smithson P2 – David Watts
P3 – Anthony Cleal P3 – Stuart Gray
P4 – Stuart Gray P4 – Anthony Cleal
P5 – Michael Bell P5 – Max Gunter
P6 – Max Gunter P6 – Steve Groves
P7 – Steve Groves P7 – Nigel Vickery
P8 – Nigel Vickery P8 – David Goode
P9 – David Goode P9 – Michael Bell