Jackson Cleans Up in Thrilling Spa-Francorchamps Encounters

/in , , , /by

Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium – Sunday 10 June 2018; Dominik Jackson walks away from the legendary Spa-Francorchamps circuit as a triple Radical Challenge race winner, coming out on top of an insanely close three-way battle to the flag for the final spoils of the Radical Festival weekend in Belgium.

After a smooth getaway for the last 40-minute endurance showdown, Jim Booth streaked ahead in the Invitational SR8 class, leaving Jackson to take the Challenge lead. Marcello Marateotto made the most of a run wide from Steve Burgess at La Source to take second ahead of Jérôme de Sadeleer and Brian Caudwell, leaving Burgess to slot into fifth.

While Jackson streaked away in a bid to negate his forthcoming maximum success pit stop penalty, all eyes turned to the battle for second when an excursion from Caudwell at Pouhon on lap three released Burgess to chase down the front runners.

An intense four-way battle unfolded but as Marateotto and Burgess diced coming out of La Source on lap six, de Sadeleer pulled off an awesome move to take them both through Eau Rouge. As Burgess remained stuck behind Marateotto, Team Challenge driver Tom Gladdis joined the fray for third in Challenge, Burgess and Gladdis regularly swapping order as they explored every opportunity to pass the Italian ahead of the stops.

With class leader Jackson, de Sadeleer and Burgess all to serve success second penalties in the pit stop cycle, Marateotto moved into the outright and class lead ahead of his RAW Motorsports teammates, Jackson and Burgess.

From there, the RAW trio fought hammer and tong to the chequered flag, dicing millimetres apart and changing order every tour. In the end it all came down to the final lap, Jackson finally finding a way around Marateotto’s robust defence in a move that started at the Bus Stop and concluded at La Source. Then a spin from Burgess at Bruxelles in turn delayed Marateotto, leaving Jackson to sprint to the flag. But the story didn’t end there.

Post-race penalties for short stops for both Marateotto and Burgess promoted Jim Booth to second overall and the Invitational class win, in turn shooting de Sadeleer up to second in Challenge. Kristian Jeffrey completed the podium slots after a solid run from 13th on the grid.

Mark Crader rounded out a strong weekend with fourth in class, comfortably ahead of John MacLeod, while Marateotto then completed the Challenge top six.

Peter Tyler built on teammate Gladdis’ stellar opening stint to take their second Team Challenge win of the day.

Challenge driver quotes:

Dominik Jackson: “That was one of the best races I’ve ever been involved in. Having the 20 second [success] penalty made it particularly hard. I managed to come out on top of a very, very close battle with Marcello [Marateotto] and Steve [Burgess]. It was as close as you get without ending up in the wall, but it was fair. Very good fun but very challenging. During the first half of the race I just kept putting in times as though I was in a qualifying session and I couldn’t do anymore than that. I just kept my head down and hoped I’d see the right car behind me when I came out of the pits. It’s been a fantastic weekend and we’ll crack on to Oulton Park.”

Jérôme de Sadeleer: “I had a perfect drive in my eyes for race three so I was really excited. I had the success penalty that put me behind a couple of guys [Marateotto and Burgess], but I heard they got penalties so I got bumped up to second place. I kind of feel like I deserved it because that drive was a very strong one – I didn’t make any mistakes and kept pushing, kept being focused. Being at Spa and getting two podiums is a dream come true. This is amazing. The car, I’m really starting to get used to it, to be able to drive it on its limit, to be able to set it up properly with the guys. It can only get better from here on.”

Kristian Jeffrey: “This was a really difficult one. In race two we couldn’t downshift so I was hoping the car was working on the warmup lap. The crew came together to strip the car and put everything back together in time so kudos to them. I didn’t expect to be on the podium coming from 13th. I think Steve [Burgess] and Marcello [Marateotto] had some penalties but we’ll take the gift. It’s good for the championship and points. I’m always knocking on the door for podiums, two this weekend, hopefully I can challenge for the win in the coming rounds.”

BGT: Farmer & Thiim Win Thier First RAC Trophy

/in , , , , , , /by

Mark Farmer and Nicki Thiim picked up their second victory and third podium in as many races to vault into championship contention at Silverstone after recovering from a spin and overcoming a 10s success penalty.

The Aston Martin was running second behind Ricardo Sanchez’s RJN Motorsport Nissan when Graham Davidson spun Farmer around at Maggotts in the opening stint, for which the Jetstream Motorsport driver was handed a stop/go penalty. That gave Sanchez a 16s lead before the first pitstops began after 60 minutes.

TF Sport’s decision to swap Derek Johnston with Marco Sorensen early helped the #17 Aston Martin jump ahead in the second hour, while Sanchez’s co-driver Struan Moore dropped into the clutches of the chasing pack after his seat mechanism slipped backwards, shifting his feet away from the pedals. The resulting early pitstop to rectify the issue effectively ended the pole-sitters’ hopes.

At the same time Thiim was making progress back through the field and moved into third behind Sorensen and Phil Keen when Adam Christodoulou’s Team ABBA Racing Mercedes-AMG retired with front suspension damage. Stopping later then helped the Dane inherit a lead that Farmer would retain when the second round of driver changes shook out.

However, the race was far from over thanks to the crew’s 10s success penalty for finishing third at Snetterton, which would be served at the final mandatory pitstop. Farmer pitted with exactly that advantage over Jon Minshaw, and when the Barwell Lamborghini followed TF Sport’s V12 Vantage in on the same lap it became a battle between mechanics and the stopwatch. Thiim then narrowly beat Keen off pit road and, with it, retained a lead he wouldn’t relinquish.

Instead, Keen’s attention switched to keeping Jonny Adam at bay behind. The Optimum Motorsport Aston Martin also driven by Flick Haigh started sixth but enjoyed four clean stints en route to its first podium since Oulton Park’s season opener.

Fourth should have gone to last year’s winners Rick Parfitt Jnr and Seb Morris who were reunited aboard Team Parker Racing’s Bentley as a result of Ryan Ratcliffe being taken ill with food poisoning this morning. So late was the call that Morris didn’t arrive at Silverstone until five minutes before his first stint began, by which time Parfitt Jnr had twice charged through from the back of the GT3 field after starting last – a penalty for changing drivers during the event – and then spinning mid-stint. However, the pair’s efforts were stymied by Morris’ yellow flag infringement, which resulted in a post-race two-place penalty.

Moore and Sanchez were also left to rue what might have been but still achieved RJN and NISMO’s best result of the season with fifth on the road and fourth in the final classification after finishing just 0.4s ahead of Johnston and Sorensen, whose 20s success penalty for winning at Snetterton took them out of podium contention. Nevertheless, the Dane’s pursuit of Moore over the final stint saw him claim a new GT3 lap record – 1m59.725s – and third-straight Sunoco Fastest Lap Award.

Barwell’s second Lamborghini driven by Sam De Haan and Jonny Cocker finished seventh after a mid-race spin during a feisty battle with Thiim, Shaun Balfe and Rob Bell’s McLaren was eighth, and Beechdean AMR’s Andrew Howard and Darren Turner ninth. ERC Sport’s Lee Mowle and Yelmer Buurman completed the points finishers in 10th.

Team Parker Racing’s 2am finish on Saturday morning, the result of removing one car’s engine to rectify an oil issue and taking the whole front end off the second Bentley, saw it named PMW Expo Team of the Weekend, while Minshaw’s fault-free run from 12th to second helped him win the Blancpain Driver of the Weekend Award.

BGT Race 1: First Win Of The Season For TF Sport

/in , , , /by

A beautiful morning greeted teams and drivers at Snetterton where the first of two 60-minute races began under blue skies and bright sunshine.

Mark Farmer led away from pole and remained there for much of the opening stint until Graham Davidson and Rick Parfitt Jnr passed the Aston Martin on the same lap as the race clock ticked past one-third’s distance.

However, the timing of a Safety Car – to recover Balfe Motorsport’s stranded McLaren GT4 – would turn the race on its head. The contest was still neutralised when the pit window opened on the 25-minute mark, prompting all-but two cars – both of them GT4s – to stream into a busy pitlane.

With no success penalty to serve Jetstream’s Aston Martin should have re-joined with its advantage intact. However, a radio issue and subsequent confusion allowed TF Sport’s Nicki Thiim to assume a lead he would never lose. Indeed, the Dane completed a straightforward run to the chequered flag 7.4s ahead of Maxime Martin, who claimed his and Davidson’s maiden British GT podium.

Behind, Team Parker Racing’s challenge also faltered in the pits when a slow stop saw Parfitt Jnr’s co-driver Ryan Ratcliffe re-join in 10th. Phil Keen and Jon Minshaw therefore rounded-out the podium after their Barwell Lamborghini completed the opening stint in fourth.

Optimum Motorsport’s Flick Haigh and Jonny Adam came through from ninth on the grid to finish fourth but were penalised 30s post-race in leiu of a drive-through due to contact with Beechdean AMR’s Aston Martin, which retired during the opening stint. Sam De Haan and Jonny Cocker therefore recovered from an early spin to take fifth on the road but fourth in the final classification aboard their Barwell Huracan.

While the top-five circulated apart after the pitstops, the battle for sixth raged until almost the very end. RJN Motorsport’s Struan Moore spent most of the stint trying to fend off TF Sport’s Marco Sorensen, who – try as he might – simply couldn’t prise an opening. He finally found a way past with less than 10 minutes remaining when the Nissan’s tyres cried enough. Yelmer Buurman (ERC Sport) also nipped through shortly after, although Moore did manage to claim P8 – which subsequently became seventh – despite Callum Macleod’s best efforts.

Haigh and Adam slotted into ninth ahead of Ratcliffe and Parfitt Jnr’s delayed Bentley.

GT4: PATTISON AND OSBORNE MAKE SAFETY CAR ADVANTAGE COUNT

The Safety Car’s timing had a significant impact on the GT4 result, just as it did 12 months ago at Snetterton. But, when then David Pattison and Joe Osborne’s victory chances eroded under similar circumstances, so they benefitted this time around to claim their first victory together with Tolman Motorsport and McLaren.

The opening stint belonged to Century Motorsport’s pole-sitter Ben Tuck who was more than four seconds clear of the chasing pack when the Safety Car intervened. Silver Cup pairings are required to serve a longer pitstop than their Pro/Am rivals, and when the field streamed in nose-to-tail it was clear the latter crews would instantly enjoy a 12s advantage.

Pattison pitted from third in Pro/Am but, despite Tolman having to service three cars, Osborne re-joined in second overall behind Matthew George’s Invictus Games Racing Jaguar, which was subsequently penalised for a short pitstop. But Osborne didn’t wait for the F-Type to serve its penalty and duly took the lead before cruising to a comfortable first British GT win since 2012.

Behind, similar penalties for UltraTek Racing’s Nissans helped Tolman’s #5 McLaren inherit second overall and first in the Silver Cup class. Michael O’Brien’s fast opening stint saw the 570S climb from seventh to fourth before Charlie Fagg took over. He then spent most of the final 30 minutes fending off Matt Nicoll-Jones, whose Academy co-driver Will Moore also ran third before the pit window opened, as well as Team Parker’s Scott Malvern whose co-driver Nick Jones pitted from 11th in class. Only a second covered the trio at the finish.

Two front-runners caught out by the late pitstop call were Century and Track-Club. The latter’s Adam Balon pitted from the Pro/Am lead and would have likely emerged first overall were it not for an overly long pitstop. As it was co-driver Ben Barnicoat finished fifth ahead of Ben Green, whose co-driver Tuck had seen his hard work wiped out by the Safety Car.

Daniel Mckay and Finlay Hutchison’s Equipe Verschuur McLaren and the third Tolman 570S driven by Jordan Albert and Lewis Proctor completed the top-eight, although the latter crew was penalised 30s post-race in lieu of a drive-through for overtaking before the start/finish line after the Safety Car was withdrawn.

That promoted Patrik Matthiesen and Callum Pointon to eighth after HHC’s duo recovered from their additional 10s pitstop success penalty, while Sennan Fielding and Tom Canning also worked miracles aboard their Steller Motorsport Toyota to finish ninth despite starting from the pitlane. Fox Motorsport’s Michael Broadhurst and Mark Murfitt completed the points-paying positions in 10th.

BGT Race 2: TF Sport & Aston Martin Double Up At Snetterton While Century’s Tuck & Green Give BMW First GT4 Win

/in , , , /by

Derek Johnston and Marco Sorensen gave TF Sport and Aston Martin their second British GT victory of the day at Snetterton after fending off Beechdean AMR’s similar V12 Vantage over the closing stages of this afternoon’s 60-minute race.

Meanwhile, a stunning comeback drive resulted in first GT4 wins for Century Motorsport’s Ben Tuck and Ben Green, as well as BMW’s maiden class victory in the series.

GT3: JOHNSTON HOLDS OFF HOWARD FOR VICTORY

Derek Johnston and Marco Sorensen rounded off a dominant weekend for TF Sport by adding to their team-mates’ two poles and Race 1 victory after prevailing in a close battle with Andrew Howard and Darren Turner. Mark Farmer and Nicki Thiim completed the podium after the full 10s pitstop success penalty dropped them behind the top-two at half-distance.

A Safety Car period – required at the end of lap one to retrieve Ben Barnicoat’s damaged Track-Club McLaren – left Thiim with less time to convert his pole position into a meaningful lead over Sorensen, who jumped from third to second at the start.

Indeed, the two Aston Martins circulated roughly two seconds apart before the pit window opened, ensuring that Johnston would re-join ahead after the mandatory driver change.

Turner also remained close enough to the #17 Aston Martin and similarly handicapped #33 Barwell Lamborghini during the opening stint to vault Beechdean AMR from fourth to second after the stops. And from there co-driver Howard set about reducing the gap to race leader Johnston.

The two Vantages were soon running together but, try as he might, Howard was unable to pressure Johnston into a mistake. They remained locked together until the chequered flag where just 0.5s separated the pair.

Behind, slick work from TF Sport’s pit crew helped Farmer re-join marginally ahead of Jon Minshaw whose Barwell co-driver Phil Keen had pitted from third. While the #11 Aston Martin pulled clear to claim its second podium of the weekend, Minshaw slipped into the clutches of Optimum Motorsport’s Flick Haigh, who soon demoted the Huracan to fifth.

That temporarily became sixth in the closing moments when Graham Davidson’s lunge at the Wilson hairpin resulted in contact and sent Minshaw spinning. The move earned Jetstream’s driver a 30s post-race penalty and saw Barwell’s #33 Huracan move back up to fifth in the final classification.

That also promoted Jordan Witt and Struan Moore’s RJN Motorsport Nissan to sixth ahead of Lee Mowle and Yelmer Buurman (ERC Sport Mercedes-AMG), and Rick Parfitt Jnr and Ryan Ratcliffe (Team Parker Bentley). Davidson and co-driver Maxime Martin slotted into ninth ahead of Sam De Haan and Jonny Cocker (Barwell).

Sorensen added the Sunoco Fastest Lap of the Weekend trophy to TF Sport’s haul, while Farmer completed a perfect two days for the team when he was named Blancpain Driver of the Weekend for claiming Race 1 pole, a victory and third place.

All of that sees Mowle and Buurman continuing to lead the GT3 Drivers’ standings by 4.5 points from Minshaw and Keen. Howard and Turner are 8.5 further back in third.

GT4: TUCK AND GREEN FIGHT BACK TO WIN

Ben Green, Ben Tuck and BMW claimed their maiden British GT4 victories in Snetterton’s second race this afternoon’s despite spinning in the opening stint. Tolman Motorsport’s McLaren duo of Lewis Proctor and Jordan Albert scored their first podium together in second while Academy Motorsport’s Matt Nicoll-Jones and Will Moore completed theirs and Aston Martin’s excellent weekend with a second third place finish.

Green was running amongst the lead battle when he and Dan Mckay’s Equipe Verschuur McLaren made contact, which sent the M4 spinning down to 12th. Green had recovered two of those places before the pit window opened, and Century’s decision to pit a lap earlier than their rivals – as well as Tuck’s pace thereafter – helped the BMW immediately jump up to fourth.

That became second when both David Pattison and Will Moore were dispatched in quick succession, but it took until the penultimate lap for Tuck to reel in and pass long-time leader Proctor.

The opening stint represented GT4 at its very best thanks to multiple manufacturers battling nose-to-tail at the front. Nicoll-Jones initially converted pole position into a slender lead but was soon overhauled by Century’s second BMW driven by Jack Mitchell, who also started on the front row. Joe Osborne, Mckay, Scott Malvern and Jesse Anttila completed an incredibly close top-six when the pitstop window opened after 25 minutes.

The combination of Silver Cup minimum pitstop times and success penalties jumbled the order after the driver changes shook out, with Osborne’s co-driver Pattison now leading ahead of Tolman team-mate Proctor. The amateur driver was always likely to lose ground against his younger rivals, though, so it was no surprise when he dropped to fourth behind Proctor, Moore and Tuck.

Thereafter it was all about the BMW driver whose charge up the order first saw him pass Moore’s Aston Martin and then Proctor’s McLaren, which had originally pitted from seventh in the hands of Albert. 2.5s covered the top-two at the finish.

Balfe Motorsport’s Graham Johnson and Mike Robinson put the disappointment of Race 1 retirement behind them to claim fourth overall and Pro/Am victory ahead of HHC’s #55 Ginetta driven by Callum Pointon and Patrik Matthiesen, while Tolman’s second Silver Cup 570S of Charlie Fagg and Michael O’Brien completed the top-six.

Pattison and Osborne’s McLaren finished seventh ahead of the BMW shared by Mitchell and Alexander Schjerpen, which had led early on. Two Mercedes-AMGs completed the points-paying positions with Fox Motorsport’s Mark Murfitt and Michael Broadhurst beating Team Parker’s Nick Jones and Malvern to ninth.

Elsewhere, Equipe Verschuur’s Mckay claimed the Sunoco Fastest Lap of the Weekend prize while PMW Expo Team of the Weekend went to UltraTek Racing Team RJN who spent all of Saturday and then Sunday morning replacing their #53 Nissan’s engine and fixing the resulting issues.

Just half-a-point now separates Pointon and Matthiesen from O’Brien and Fagg at the top of the GT4 drivers’ standings. Nicoll-Jones and Moore are third while today’s winners Tuck and Green, and Osborne and Pattison move up to fourth and fifth respectively.

Next up it’s British GT’s blue riband event – the three-hour Silverstone 500 – on June 9/10.

DRIVER QUOTES

Derek Johnston, #17 TF Sport Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3: “Andrew [Howard] made me work really hard for that! I’d gap him by a couple of car lengths and then we’d hit traffic. I thought ‘there’s no way he’ll be able to follow me through,’ and there he was, still right behind! He didn’t give an inch and kept me honest the whole race. The back of the car was unstable under braking – I don’t know if Marco [Sorensen] wrecked the tyres in his stint or what! – but I definitely had an issue over the second half of the stint. It was a great race and I loved the battle.”

Ben Tuck, #42 Century Motorsport BMW M4 GT4: “I could see that I was slowly catching Lewis [Proctor] but every time a GT3 car came past the gap between us grew again. I was on the radio asking how many GT3s were left behind us because I was desperate to get him, which we managed to do on the penultimate lap. The team were really on it and gave me all the information I needed about cars coming up behind. I couldn’t have asked for more.”

Lundqvist Ups The Whelen Ante But Whorton-Eales struggles At Snetterton

/in , , , , , , , , /by

A bumper outing for Sunoco Whelen and 240 Challenge-eligible championships at Snetterton last weekend resulted in respective leaders Linus Lundqvist and Kyle Reid maintaining their places at the top of both standings.

Whelen: Lundqvist strengthens his lead

A combination of increasing his overall score and nearest rivals losing ground helped Linus Lundqvist consolidate his Sunoco Whelen Challenge lead at Snetterton where maximum points for a victory, pole position and fastest lap, as well as another podium, helped the BRDC British F3 Championship leader post an improved average score of 102.5.

The Swede began the weekend just one point ahead of nearest rival Phil Keen. However, a solid if unspectacular British GT3 round for the 2015 Sunoco Whelen Challenge winner has seen the gap widen to 10.1. His new overall mark of 92.4 is 6.57 more than a resurgent Nicolai Kjaergaard who increased his average by more than 13 points after claiming a British F3 win, pole, fastest lap and podium.

Radical European Masters’ Stuart Moseley remains fourth after enjoying a weekend off, while British GT3 Pro Yelmer Buurman has dropped 20 points and two places to fifth.

The biggest movers over the weekend were British GT3 Pro team-mates Nicki Thiim and Marco Sorensen. Race 2 victory and fastest lap helped the latter vault 14 places to seventh, one spot behind his Danish counterpart whose win, pole position, fastest lap and podium gained him 22 positions. However, their new 69.3 and 68.2 averages are still more than 30 points less than Lundqvist’s current table-topping total.

Darren Turner dropped from fifth to eighth, LMP3 Cup’s Brad Smith – who wasn’t in action –  moved up one place to ninth, and Tolman Motorsport team-mates Charlie Fagg and Michael O’Brien became British GT4 Pro’s best placed entries in joint-10th.

Elsewhere, former top-10 drivers Patrik Matthiesen, Jonny Adam and Callum Macleod slipped to 13th, 14thand 24threspectively.

240: Mini Challenge JCW aces falter

A tough weekend at Snetterton saw Mini Challenge JCW front runners Ant Whorton-Eales and Jordan Collard both lose significant ground to Sunoco 240 Challenge pace-setters Kyle Reid and Steve Burgess.

Whorton-Eales went into the weekend third overall and 10.67 points behind Reid, whose exceptional start to this year’s Mini Challenge Cooper campaign has helped him amass a 124-point average. Only a strong weekend would help his JCW counterpart maintain the pressure, but that’s exactly what Whorton-Eales didn’t achieve when a mechanical issue in Race 1 not only resulted in retirement but also 27thon Race 2’s grid. The handful of Sunoco 240 Challenge points scored for finishing seventh came as little comfort after dropping to ninth overall and 38.33 points behind Reid.

JCW championship rival Collard also endured his fair share of tribulations. An administrative error not only cost him pole position but also resulted in starting Race 1 from the back of the grid. Fastest lap in Race 2 limited the damage a little, but – just like Whorton-Eales – his overall 240 score took a sizeable hit after dropping from 91.67 to 68.

Radical Challenge driver Dominic Jackson inherited third at both Mini drivers’ expense, while F3 Cup racer Stuart Wiltshire moved ahead of three British GT Am drivers after Jon Minshaw, Kelvin Fletcher and Lee Mowle all lost ground.

Problems for others actually helped Minshaw move up three places to fifth in spite of his new, lower 79.2 average, while Fletcher also picked up a spot to lie sixth overall.

Robbie Dalgleish (Mini Challenge Cooper) and David Pattison share seventh, the latter jumping up from 22ndafter a first British GT4 victory improved his average by 16.5 points. The pair’s 77-point total is just seven less than Wiltshire’s in fourth.

Whorton-Eales and British GT4 Am Nick Jones complete the top-10, while Mowle dropped to 12thbehind Adam Balon.

Smith Takes A Whelen Tumble As Burgess Slashes Reid’s 240 Advantage

/in , , , , , , , , /by

Outings for a number of Sunoco 240 Challenge-eligible series have resulted in a few significant changes at the competition’s sharp end in recent weeks as the 2018 campaign begins to hit its stride. However, it’s still Mini Challenge Cooper’s early pace-setter Kyle Reid who continues to lead an incredibly competitive top-10 from Steve Burgess and Ant Whorton-Eales.

Meanwhile, the ‘senior’ Sunoco Whelen Challenge is set for another crucial weekend at Snetterton following a reasonably quiet fortnight.

 Whelen: Smith tumbles to fringes of top-10

With the majority of the top-10 not in action until this weekend, all eyes were on LMP3 Cup contender Brad Smith at Brands Hatch last Saturday and Sunday. Two fastest laps plus a second and third would have ordinarily helped to consolidate his fifth place in the Whelen standings, but such was the low turnout that the Mectech Motorsport driver actually dropped five positions and almost 20 points.

BRDC British F3 ace Linus Lundqvist therefore maintains his place atop the standings ahead of this weekend’s outing in Norfolk. The Swede is just one point clear of British GT3 Pro and 2015 Sunoco Whelen Challenge winner Phil Keen who, in turn, enjoys a 3.67-point advantage over title rival Yelmer Buurman. Stuart Mosely, 10.25 marks further back in fourth, resumes his Radical European Masters campaign at Spa-Francorchamps on June 9/10.

240: Burgess closes on Reid

 Brands Hatch was the place to be for Sunoco 240 Challenge categories last weekend when Radical UK Challenge, F3 Cup and GT Cup all staged rounds at the Kent venue.

Mini Challenge Cooper’s outing seven days earlier at Snetterton had seen Kyle Reid maintain his excellent start by bagging all three victories, two fastest laps and a pole position. However, such was his even better season opener at Donington that the SCK Motorsport driver actually dropped from 130 points to 124.

While still a very impressive total after five races, it did at least give nearest rival Steve Burgess a chance to capitalise. An average of 120 for the weekend thanks to three Radical UK Challenge wins and as many fastest laps allowed him to do just that, with 3.17 points now separating the pair after the same number of races.

Mini Challenge JCW duo Ant Whorton-Eales and Jordan Collard both have another chance to make further inroads this weekend at Snetterton after already benefitting from Stephen Daly’s Brands Hatch non-score, which cost the F3 Cup driver 46.67 points and 12 places.

Two podiums and fastest laps left Radical UK Challenge’s Dominic Jackson with the same total as he began the weekend – 88.33 – while British GT3 Am Lee Mowle – currently just 0.33 points behind Jackson – has two more points-scoring opportunities this weekend at Snetterton. The same goes for leading British GT4 Am contender Kelvin Fletcher who picked up two places in the overall standings at the expense of Daly and fellow F3 Cup driver Shane Kelly.

Jon Minshaw is eighth, one place and just 0.33 points ahead of F3 Cup’s new leading contender Stuart Wiltshire, who recorded a victory and second place at Brands Hatch.

 

 

 

Burgess Seals Brands Hatch Hat-Trick

/in , /by

Brands Hatch, Kent – Sunday 20 May 2018; Steve Burgess continued his Radical Challenge winning streak with a hat-trick of race victories in the second round battles around the Brands Hatch GP circuit. The RAW Motorsports man nearly didn’t have it all his own way as Dominik Jackson came agonisingly close to taking his maiden career win whilst four different drivers occupied the rest of the podium throughout the three-race weekend.
 
Race 1

Burgess began his winning ways with a satisfying third victory of his 2018 campaign on Saturday afternoon, in a race which saw nothing to choose between the top three championship protagonists.

Although Burgess led from pole, Jackson and Jérôme de Sadeleer refused to allow the 2016 Champion to gain any advantage, with the trio running equidistant just a few tenths of a second apart for much of the shortened 20-minute race. As the leading three pulled clear of the pack, the order remained unchanged until the final corner of the final lap when, in an attempt to secure second at the flag, de Sadeleer ran wide and ended his race in the Clearways tyre wall.

Continuing his strong qualifying performance, Marcello Marateotto led the fight for fourth, leaving him perfectly placed to pick up the final podium position. Brian Murphy and Kristian Jeffrey vied for fifth place, Jeffries eventually making a stellar move stick at Surtees on lap five.

With fierce battles up and down the 20-car field, Elliot Goodman pulled off a superb pass on Spencer Bourne into Paddock Hill Bend to take sixth with five minutes remaining. Behind them, a six-car battle for ninth came to a head at Druids on the penultimate tour, resulting in John Caudwell losing the Team class lead to Peter Tyler.

Race 2

Jackson was denied his maiden Radical Challenge win on Sunday morning, despite leading from lights to flag. The RAW Motorsports charge was judged to have jumped the start, the resulting 10 second penalty dropping him to third, leaving Burgess to pick up win number two.

Whilst Jackson romped away at the lights, Burgess didn’t get the best of starts leaving the championship leader with it all to do heading into Paddock Hill Bend. Securing second, a jostling pack behind saw de Sadeleer take to the gravel but able to re-join at the back of the field. John Caudwell wasn’t so fortunate and with Brian Caudwell’s car beached across the inside kerb at Druids, an early safety car was required.

Clean away at the restart with 14 minutes remaining, Jackson led from Burgess and Marateotto. Unaware of Jackson’s impending penalty, Burgess was relentless in the pursuit of his teammate and threatened to send it up the inside on more than one occasion, but Jackson remained undeterred.

Marateotto crossed the line third on-track but moved up to the second step of the podium ahead of Jackson. Jeffrey, making his GP circuit debut, finished fourth despite also jumping the start. Brian Murphy mirrored his race one result to pick up points for fifth ahead of Spencer Bourne.

Race 3

Starting from pole for the final 40-minute endurance race, Jackson threatened to once again spoil Burgess’ party. Running side-by-side from the rolling start and down the Brabham Straight, Jackson managed to seize the initiative at Paddock Hill Bend but Burgess remained glued to his rear bumper throughout the opening stint.

The gap ebbed and flowed as Burgess overheated his tyres and had to drop back and re-group before attacking once more, but an off-track moment from Jackson at Stirlings on lap 12 was all the invitation Burgess needed to surge through. Although Jackson recovered well, a lengthy pit stop meant Burgess sailed clear to the flag whilst Jackson took important points for fourth.

With the leading duo setting a blistering pace from the off, the intense battle for third between Murphy, Brian Caudwell, de Sadeleer, Jeffrey and Richard Baxter ran right to the pit stops. Caudwell came out on top and pushed on to pass Baxter the following tour to secure second.

Although Baxter finished third on the road, a penalty for speeding in the pit lane dropped him outside the top 10, gifting Jeffrey the final podium position.

Goodman was once again on form to finish fifth, having started from 12th on the grid, while Barry Liversidge notched up his best result of the season so far in sixth.

Peter Tyler and Tom Gladdis managed a clean sweep of Team class wins across the weekend, heading John Caudwell and Stuart Moseley in race three.

Driver quotes:

Steve Burgess (Winner all races): “That was a perfect weekend, pole and the three wins, it can’t get much better, can it? I think I had the legs on Dom (Jackson) by a fraction but it’s hard to pass here. I kept overheating the tyres following him too close so I kept backing off and going again and he then made a mistake out the back and I managed to get by.”

Brian Caudwell (Second race three): “It was excellent, it’s been a long time waiting. I’ve had a fairly tough year so far. I knew I was never going to win as Steve has a lot more pace on me, but I’m really happy. I look in the top ten now and there’s guys finishing in ninth, tenth, eleventh and they’re podium finishers. It’s fiercely contested at the minute.”

Dominik Jackson (Second race One, third race two): “There wasn’t much in it during race one, we were all setting nearly identical times. It was a shame in race two as I was rolling slightly and got a penalty. But I still managed to take third with the penalty so it’s not too bad considering.”

Marcello Marateotto (Third race one, second race two): “At my age you have to be happy if they let you start and if you finish on the podium then it’s an excellent weekend! I was able to watch the guys at the front fighting each other but I wasn’t able to challenge. I’ve still got some work to do on the car and myself.”

Kristian Jeffrey (Third race three): “It was a good weekend, considering I didn’t have the pace of the front runners. I’m happy to come out top five in all three races. You guys should be happy the Caribbean bought the weather! The team really worked hard on the car making me more comfortable throughout the weekend. We got better and better each race but it just wasn’t enough.”

-Ends-

Kyle Reid Continues His Winning Run

/in , , /by
Can Kyle Reid continue his run of wins? Yes! He took just 1 lap to reel Robbie Dalgleish in. Kyle had a mix of wets and dry tyres on while Robbie had full wets. More grip initially but with a drying circuit, Kyle had made the right choice in Rubber. Kyle led for the rest of the race. Simon Walton gave him a good run for his money but 3rd was as high he could climb.

In the Am class, Alex Nevill was giving a clean pair of heels to Andy Godfrey who in turn was keeping Neal Clarke and Gary Papworth in check. Adrian Norman meanwhile was putting in the fastest lap of the class. Now if only he could string a few of those together. At the chequered flag, it was a predictable finish.

Race 1 Results
Pro:
P1: Kyle Reid
P2: Robbie Dalgleish
P3: Simon Walton

Am:
P1: Alex Neville
P2: Andy Godfrey
P3: Neal Clarke

Race 2
Weather Cloudy/dry

A not so good start to the race with a red flag so soon after the start. Oli O’Neill and Charlie Cooper having a coming together on the first bend. The track staff and Marshals quickly recovered the cars, the cars were restarted after a 10-minute delay. Kyle again shot off but was quickly outmanoeuvred by Simon Walton. Only for Kyle to get the lead back in the next lap to again be outmanoeuvred in the same place. Kyle again took the lead back but made it stick. Great to watch. Meanwhile, with these 2 playing tag, Robbie Dalgleish and Jacob Andrews were gaining on them. It was not long before Robbie attacked and Simon took to the infield and dropped down the order.

In Am class, Alex Nevill was making look too easy with total class dominance, with Andy Godfrey and Neil Clarke in close proximity. Adrian Norman took Gary Papworth and would let him pass. Darryl Brown, Elspeth Rodgers and Keir McConomy bring up the rear.

Result Race 2
Pro:
P1: Kyle Reid
P2: Robbie Dalgleish
P3: Jacob Andrews

Am:
P1: Alex Neville
P2: Andy Godfrey
P3: Neal Clarke

Race 3
Weather Bright/Dry

Can he make it 3 out of 3 for the weekend? Can he keep his unbroken run of wins up? Yes and Yes. Even a reversed grid could not hold him back. From P5 to P2 in the first lap with Simon Walton out in front again having been pole. The penultimate lap saw Kyle overtake and stay in front. Richard Newman had been playing a waiting game and he too took Simon for a well-deserved P2 from Jacob Andrews.

In Am class, Alex Nevill scored his hattrick of wins with total domination of the class. This time Andy Godfrey had to let Gary Papworth go and get P2 while he still had 3 podiums for the weekend. All over too quickly. With all starters finishing an enjoyable sprint around the Snetterton 300 circuit.

Kyle Reid travels back to Scotland successfully defending his unbeaten run. Andy Godfrey and Alex Nevill keeping the podium to themselves.

All is looking good for Silverstone on the short National Circuit, in a few weeks time.,

240: Victories Keep Whorton-Eales In The Hunt

/in , /by

Dominant opening weekends for Kyle Reid and Steve Burgess ensured that Mini Challenge JCW and British GT Am front-runners were unable to overhaul the Mini Cooper and Radical Challenge drivers’ totals at Rockingham. However, several remain in contention should either of the early pace-setters falter next time out.

Two victories and a pole position represent a good return by anyone’s standard. However, a higher average at Oulton Park actually saw Ant Whorton-Eales lose ground in the 240 standings to not only Reid and Burgess but also F3 Cup driver Stephen Daly. Nevertheless, the JCW ace’s new total of 113.33 – reduced by 6.67 marks – still represents an excellent return from the first two weekends.

Indeed, current leader Reid – as well as Burgess and Daly – must maintain incredibly high standards throughout the campaign if they’re to fend off Whorton-Eales and fellow JCW title challenger Jordan Collard who remains fifth in the 240 standings, albeit with 13.33 fewer points than at the start of Rockingham’s race weekend.

British GT3 race winner Lee Mowle increased his average by 11 points to move up six places to seventh behind Radical Challenge racer Dominic Jackson, who also inherited a spot without turning a wheel. That was partly thanks to Jon Minshaw dropping from seventh to 10th following a frustrating British GT3 outing.

Minshaw’s misfortune also promoted F3 Cup’s Shane Kelly to eighth and partly helped British GT4’s Kelvin Fletcher, who climbed from 18th to ninth with a much-improved 86.17 average score courtesy of the class’ fastest amateur lap and Pro/Am podium.

But there was also disappointment for fellow GT4 Am Adam Balon who dropped from sixth to 12th overall.

British F3’s Lundqvist Stakes His Daytona Claim At Rockingham

/in , , , /by

 

British GT, Mini Challenge JCW and BRDC British Formula 3 all staged their latest rounds last weekend at Rockingham where the latter’s Linus Lundqvist surged into the Sunoco Whelen Challenge lead.

Meanwhile, both Ant Whorton-Eales and Jordan Collard consolidated their status as Sunoco 240 Challenge contenders by again dominating the JCW class’ latest outing.

 Whelen: Lundqvist leaps into top-spot

A stellar weekend for Linus Lundqvist at Rockingham not only helped the Swede take the BRDC British Formula 3 Championship lead but also head the race for 2019’s Rolex 24 At Daytona prize drive.

Two of British F3’s races carry Sunoco Whelen Challenge points, and Lundqvist made both count courtesy of a victory, second place, pole position and fastest lap. That took his season’s average score to 100, 12.5 more than he achieved at the opening round earlier this month.

Lundqvist therefore leads Phil Keen by just one point after the British GT3 Pro suffered a mixed bag at Rockingham where points for pole position helped boost a relatively modest sixth place finish. However, his overall average was still cut by 13.75 points.

Mercedes-AMG factory driver Yelmer Buurman enjoyed a solid first British GT appearance at Oulton Park but announced himself as a genuine Whelen contender by winning from the back of the GT3 grid at Rockingham. The 100 points earned for doing so took his season’s average to 95.33, 7.83 more than fourth placed Stuart Moseley (Radical Masters SR8) and another 5.25 clear of Brad Smith (LMP3 Cup), neither of whom were in action last weekend.

Four of the top-10’s remaining places are now also filled by British GT drivers, Darren Turner’s GT3 podium helping him climb four positions to sixth ahead of GT4 race winner Patrik Matthiesen whose new class lap record also helped increase the Dane’s average by 33 points.

Jonny Adam and Callum Macleod are ninth and 10th, the latter moving up 10 places thanks to a GT3 rostrum, but both remain behind British F3’s Nicolai Kjaergaard despite the Dane’s average total being cut by 30 points.

240: Victories keep Whorton-Eales in the hunt

Dominant opening weekends for Kyle Reid and Steve Burgess ensured that Mini Challenge JCW and British GT Am front-runners were unable to overhaul the Mini Cooper and Radical Challenge drivers’ totals at Rockingham. However, several remain in contention should either of the early pace-setters falter next time out.

Two victories and a pole position represent a good return by anyone’s standard. However, a higher average at Oulton Park actually saw Ant Whorton-Eales lose ground in the 240 standings to not only Reid and Burgess but also F3 Cup driver Stephen Daly. Nevertheless, the JCW ace’s new total of 113.33 – reduced by 6.67 marks – still represents an excellent return from the first two weekends.

Indeed, current leader Reid – as well as Burgess and Daly – must maintain incredibly high standards throughout the campaign if they’re to fend off Whorton-Eales and fellow JCW title challenger Jordan Collard who remains fifth in the 240 standings, albeit with 13.33 fewer points than at the start of Rockingham’s race weekend.

British GT3 race winner Lee Mowle increased his average by 11 points to move up six places to seventh behind Radical Challenge racer Dominic Jackson, who also inherited a spot without turning a wheel. That was partly thanks to Jon Minshaw dropping from seventh to 10th following a frustrating British GT3 outing.

Minshaw’s misfortune also promoted F3 Cup’s Shane Kelly to eighth and partly helped British GT4’s Kelvin Fletcher, who climbed from 18th to ninth with a much-improved 86.17 average score courtesy of the class’ fastest amateur lap and Pro/Am podium.

But there was also disappointment for fellow GT4 Am Adam Balon who dropped from sixth to 12th overall.