2013-12-09 09:17:19.2
Despite finishing a close third at the penultimate round of the open endurance championship, it was not enough to retain his championship crown. Eddie once again finished tantalisingly close behind arch rival Andrew Farmer who himself finished barely a couple of seconds behind the eventual winner, Dan Gore.
After qualifying sixth, Eddie made a good start to get up to third by the end of the opening lap. However, he was demoted by Lee Clackett and Dan Gore before falling behind the Dataconnectivity team and losing several seconds. Meanwhile, Johnson had opened up a huge lead. However, another superb pit stop saw Eddie emerge in a net lead. By contrast, Johnson had a slow stop and emerged behind. These two enjoyed yet another close battle for the remainder of the race. Dan Gore was able to jump them both and emerge just in front.
With Johnson only needing to finish fifth to retain the title, he nevertheless defended well and held of Hall to take second and claim the 2012 Open championship.
Eddie was quick to congratulate his rival.
“Obviously it’s disappointing to lose the championship but Andrew has done a great job this year and is a worthy champion. He’s been epic in both this [championship] and the sprints and is always a clean and fair driver. I’ve finished just behind him in most of the races this year which is frustrating but he’s just had that edge on me.”
Despite losing the title, Eddie’s third place was enough to guarantee him second in the championship.
