SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST GIVES ORGEE AND NORRIS THEIR TITLESNo-one could have predicted the somewhat strange events which determined the outcome of the Castle Combe circuit’s two championship deciders at the final meeting of the year on Saturday October 8.The day began well with an emotional lunch time tribute to 80 year old Pete Diccox from Chippenham, having his final Formula Ford 1600 race after 26 years as a regular in the championship.As Diccox began what he thought was his final race, all eyes were on Langford’s Roger Orgee and Wellingborough’s Michael Moyers commencing battle for the FF1600 title. Reigning champion Orgee had the slight advantage of being able to finish 1st or 2nd whilst Moyers’s only option was to win. With only one task, Moyers made a flying start from pole establishing a useful lead, with Orgee tucked in behind Bratton’s Ben Norton. In these positions, Moyers would be champion. But as the rear of the pack entered the tricky Quarry corner, Moyers’ good work was effectively undone at a stroke as Diccox was hit from behind, sending him into the barriers and resulting in a race stoppage.With less than a lap completed, the race was restarted as if it had never happened, apart from the lack of another ‘green flag’ lap, a sign for which had been shown, yet a few had evidently not noticed.As the lights turned green, Moyers was caught unawares but Bradford on Avon’s Edward Moore not so, launching himself into the lead from the 4th row. Moyers was down to 5th just behind Orgee and at Tower, misjudged, hitting the rear of his team mate’s Van Diemen, effectively eliminating both in the process. Orgee managed to continue, but with car damage withdrew shortly afterwards, knowing he had the title in the bag.Up ahead, Norton and Yatton Keynell’s Luke Cooper relieved Moore of the lead and set about each other in a tremendous battle to the flag, finishing in that order. The Fisher brothers, from Bridgwater, Josh and Felix, took 3rd and 4th, with the surviving Kevin Mills team member, Nathan Ward from Coventry, taking 5th.Orgee, interviewed whilst the race continued, expressing his sadness at being unable to enjoy a good dice with Moyers in a straight fight. “I was hoping to be elated, this has taken a bit of a shine off it” he said.Meanwhile, with Diccox unhurt but angry his final race had ended almost as soon as it had begun, the Wayne Poole Racing team realised his Van Diemen was fit enough to give Diccox his final race, in the Formula Ford Carnival scheduled for later in the day.Similarly, so too did the Kevin Mills team, preparing the cars of Orgee and Moyers for the 20th running of the Carnival. This time it was Moyers and Norton joined inextricably in battle at the front, nothing between them and each as determined as the other to win. With Norton ahead and just over 2 laps left, Moyers knew he must make a bold move. A dive down the inside at Camp when both were already at their limit, resulted in the rear of the Moyers’ Spectrum 90 degrees across the track. Whilst initially recovering from his mistake, the 2015 winner retired a lap later, having to console himself with a new lap record, his only prize from a frustrating day.Meanwhile, Norton was off and away to win a record 4th Carnival by 2.6“ from Ward, with Josh Fisher 3rd. Orgee endured a tricky race in a less than healthy car but still engaged well with Cooper, the pair finishing 5th and 4th respectively. Sadly, Diccox retired with broken rear suspension on lap nine.The second of the circuit’s two championship deciders also had plenty of tension. Calne’s Simon Norris could claim his first title simply by finishing better than 8th in class. But with only six cars entered in class B, merely a finish would be sufficient. Norris’s Colt has enjoyed perfect reliability all season but bizarrely developed a head gasket issue in qualifying, relegating him to 10th on the grid, yet still second in class B.Norris’s only rival, Geoff Ryall from Sturminster Newton, had no option other than to take the C class victory and fastest lap to deny Norris the title. Doing his best to effect that, Ryall qualified his 106 Peugeot an amazing 4th fastest with his two class rivals immediately behind him in 5th and 6th. But ominously, the slowest of that trio was former triple champion, Will Di Claudio from Kelston, Bath, debuting his new 106.Norris knew he only had to nurse his car to the finish, but could not resist an early lap dice with his class rival Mark Wyatt from Bristol. But discretion soon came to the fore, Norris throttling back yet still managing to claim 3rd in class, 17th overall and his first crown. Meanwhile, Di Claudio was busy annihilating his rivals and denying Ryall any chance of the main crown, holding second overall for much of the race until Bath’s Dave Scaramanga finally found a way through to trail Southampton’s Gary Prebble who took the outright win with his SEAT.Ryall was a commendable 4th overall ahead of Bill Brockbank from Stonehouse in the SEAT Leon, with Wyatt 6th and winning the B class despite an off in qualifying in his Astra. His team boss, Reading’s Russ Humphrey smashed the D class opposition in his Corsa.Kelston’s John Barnard recovered from a poor qualifying to take 7th and clinch second place in the A class title battle, whilst Bristol’s Hadyn King was another class C driver punching above his weight in 8th.The circuit’s GT championship had already been won by Chris Vinall but there was still fascination at the front with the contrast of Barry Squibb’s mighty Evo winning from the tiny yet effective MG Midget clone of Chris Southcott. Westbury on Trym’s Tim Woodman was close behind in his Caterham 7 to take 3rd, with Vinall winning B again and 4th overall, ahead of Steve Hall’s Audi TT silhouette.Southcott entertained again in the last race of the day and the season. Having forgotten to qualify (sic), Southcott delighted the crowds with an amazing drive from the back of the grid in the Open sports v saloons race. Eventual winner, Tetbury’s Ben Scrivens, in the much more sophisticated Ginetta G50, only just held Southcott off at the flag, with Vinall 3rd, Woodman 4th and Hove’s Ilsa Cox 5th. Doug Watson from Blagdon took the big V10 BMW M6 to 6th, whilst Matt Higginson drove the Rage buggy to a daring 7th.