Motor Racing: Bailey opens account

JOHN CLELAND, the 1989 champion, and Julian Bailey scored convincing wins in rounds 10 and 11 respectively of the RAC British Touring Car Championship at Knockhill, Scotland, yesterday.

Bailey was in pole position for the first race - 27 laps of the tight 1.3-mile track - but it was Cleland, driving a Vauxhall and cheered on by his compatriots, who stole through from third on the grid to pip Bailey and Jo Winkelhock, the championship leader driving a BMW.

Underlining Vauxhall's return to form, Cleland's team-mate, Jeff Allam, fought his way through to sixth and managed to establish a new lap record of 55.65sec in the process.

The result was reversed in the second race, as Bailey recorded his first touring car win and Toyota's first of the season. Cleland was the early leader but Bailey passed him midway through the 30-lap race.

Cleland hung on for second, despite fierce pressure from Bailey's Toyota team-mate Will Hoy, who started 10th and had fought his way through to third by the ninth lap.

There was disappointment for BMW, Winkelhock failing to make the start with a broken clutch, and Steve Soper failing to finish higher than eighth.

Results, Sporting Digest, page 27