Title-chasing Finnie prepares to step up

CHRIS LAKEY

Wymondham sidecar racer Mick Finnie is to step up a gear next year and try his luck in the British Formula One championship.

Finnie is way ahead in the F3 series and, barring any major catastrophes, should end the season as champion - and that means it's time to rub shoulders with the big boys.

"We will probably have to feel our way in so it could be that we will combine F3 and F1, probably for half a season," he said.

The decision to move into F1 - and a 1,000cc machine that reaches speeds of 200mph-- doesn't come cheaply, with an estimated £50,000 needed to combine the two.

"We've made the decision and it's now the time to try and get the sponsors on board," Finnie added.

"It's no use waiting until the end of the season before we start.

"It's an expensive sport and we have a lot of money to find, but we believe combining the two will give sponsors the expose they demand."

Finnie retains his big advantage in the F3 series, despite a troubled outing at Oulton Park at the weekend. His problems began when regular passenger Joe Shadlow was forced to withdraw from the meeting with a back injury. A rookie replacement was found, but with the wet conditions causing problems, Finnie erred on the side of caution.

However, even when his clutch blew on the final lap, Finnie had enough of a lead to take the chequered flag - until his fuel ran out - all in the space of 50 yards.

"We had an advantage of more than 20 seconds and ended up in second by barely half a second," he said.

With points in the bag and a big lead in the series, Finnie opted not to run the risk of taking part in the second race.

"I had an inexperienced guy on the back and the rain meant it was better suited to speedboat racing than sidecars," he said.

Finnie's next outing is at Elvington in three weeks time.