2012 Whelen Challenge Winner – Felipe Nasr Wins Chevrolet Grand Prix In Detroit

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Detroit, Mich. (2 June 2018)   Whelen Engineering Racing used teamwork, strategy, and great race pace to score its first victory of the 2018 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season on Saturday in the Chevrolet Dealers Grand Prix in Detroit.

This was Whelen Engineering Racing’s second victory in three years at Belle Isle comes on Sonny Whelen’s Birthday!

Drivers Eric Curran and Felipe Nasr, (Sunoco Whelen Winner 2012),  shared the driving duties in the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Racing DPi-V.R to capture their third podium finish of the 2018 season. The post-race celebrations, which included a jump into the Victory Circle fountain for both drivers, were further boosted by the fact that the race victory came on the birthday of long-time motorsport and Team Fox supporter Sonny Whelen.

A crash in Friday’s practice session could have set the team effort back, but instead the group rallied to make repairs in time for qualifying. Curran started the race from sixth in the order and was able to move to run in fifth before taking to the pit lane for a stop for fuel and a driver change. Nasr returned to the field 18th in the order but worked his way forward to the top five by lap 38.

A final fuel-only pit stop on lap 39 set the stage for Nasr’s run to the front as he claimed the lead on lap 44 and refused to relinquish the point to score a big win for the team.

“It is a combination of everything,” said Gary Nelson about the teams run to victory. “The drivers did one heck of a job and we are really thrilled with what they did today. The pit stops were great. I think we have the best pit crew out there and we nailed the timing of those stops with the 31 today.”

“A big shout out to the Action Express, Cadillac, and GM guys who helped us get this win,” said Curran. “This is the place to be, and the place to win in our Whelen Cadillac. Hats off to the engineering team who took a not so perfect weekend and turned it around. The team did an awesome job with the car. This is my second win in the last number of years and if you are going to win a race, this is the best place to win one. It feels so satisfying to have our first win of the year. It is also a special win as it is Sonny Whelen’s birthday from Whelen. Felipe Nasr did a killer job and put it together perfectly. Again, hats off to all the guys.”

“It was a tough race but I will take it! Eric (Curran) and the entire Action Express Racing team did a great job,” said Nasr. “After our first practice, we ended up hurting the back of the car. The guys put the car back together and we had an amazing qualifying. The race itself was all about getting the right calls and we took the Continental tires to the very end, which they hang on amazingly so I was able to drive the car fast until the end. We didn’t have a great start to  the weekend but here we are,  and I couldn’t have asked for a better day to be honest. I am super happy!”

The next race on the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship will be the Sahlen’s Six Hour at Watkins Glen International on July 1.

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

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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.

Sunoco 240 Challenge Standings 15th May 2018

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Standings Drivers Name Team Series Average Points
1 Kyle Reid SCK Motorsport Mini Cooper Pro 130.00
2 Steve Burgess RAW Motorsport Radical Challenge 121.67
3 Stephen Daly Team Fox Racing F3 Cup 116.67
4 Ant Whorton-Eales Jamsport JCW 113.33
5 Jordan Collard Mini UK JCW 91.67
6 Dominic Jackson RAW Motorsport Radical Challenge 88.33
7 Lee Mowle ERC Sport British GT3 AM 88.00
8 Shane Kelly University Of Wolverhampton F3 Cup 86.67
9 Kelvin Fletcher UltraTek Racing Team RjN British GT4 AM 86.17
10 Jon Minshaw Barwell Motorsport British GT3 AM 84.33
11 Jerome De Sadelier 360 Racing Radical Challenge 83.33
12 Adam Balon Track-Club British GT4 AM 80.67
13 Simon Walton Rob Sims Racing/Swanlight Mini Cooper Pro 80.00
14 Stuart Wiltshire CF Racing F3 Cup 78.33
15 Jacopo Sebastiani CF Racing F3 Cup 76.67
16 Andrew Howard Beechdean AMR British GT3 AM 75.17
17 Flick Haigh Optimum Motorsport British GT3 AM 75.17
18 Luke Williams Black Mamba Racing Britcar Endurance 72.00
19 Graham Johnson Balfe Motorsport British GT4 AM 71.50
20 Nick Jones Team Parker Racing British GT4 AM 69.67
21 Duncan Williams Mectech Motorsport LMP3 Cup 68.25
25 Mark Crader Radical Works Team Radical Masters SR8 68.08
22 Robbie Dalgleish JRD Motors Mini Cooper Pro 65.00
23 Toby Goodman ExceR8 Motorsport Mini Cooper Pro 65.00
24 Ian Loggie Team Parker Racing British GT3 AM 64.17
26 David Pattison Tolman Motorsport Ltd British GT4 AM 60.50
27 Mark Murfitt Fox Motorsport British GT4 AM 60.50
28 Andreas Demetriou Black Mamba Racing Britcar Endurance 60.00
29 Tony Wells Ecurie Ecosse/Neilsen Racing LMP3 Cup 59.50
30 Christian Olsen Nielsen Racing LMP3 Cup 57.75
31 Gareth Downing NMA GTCUP GTO 56.00
42 Jeremy Ferguson RAW Motorsport Radical Masters SR8 55.58
32 Manhal Allos Radical Works Team Radical Masters SR8 55.16
33 Stephen Johansen UltraTek Racing Team RjN British GT4 AM 53.17
34 George Line CF Racing F3 Cup 51.67
36 Jayde Kruger Black Mamba Racing Britcar Endurance 51.00
37 Luke Reade Excelr8 Motorsport JCW 50.00
56 Mike Cantillon Valour Radical Masters SR8 47.99
38 Graham Davidson Jetstream Motorsport British GT3 AM 45.83
39 Jason Rishover 360 Racing LMP3 Cup 45.50
41 Derek Johnson TF Sport British GT3 AM 44.00
48 Andrew Ferguson RAW Motorsport Radical Masters SR8 42.58
43 Freddy Nordstrom Ebor 23 GTCUP GTH 42.00
44 Mark Crader Radical Works Team Radical Challenge 41.67
45 Mike Newbould HHC Motorsport British GT4 AM 40.33
46 Kristian Jeffrey Radical Works Team Radical Challenge 40.00
47 Chris Papageorgiou Black Mamba Racing Britcar Endurance 39.00
49 Nathan Harrison Excelr8 JCW 38.33
50 Mark Farmer TF Sport British GT3 AM 36.67
51 Rob Smith Mini UK JCW 36.67
40 Jamie Constable Valour Radical Masters SR8 36.32
52 Michael Igoe JMH Automotive GTCUP GTC 36.00
53 Richard Newman ExceR8 Motorsport Mini Cooper Pro 35.00
54 Patrick Jeans Chris Dittmann Racing F3 Cup 35.00
55 Steve McCulley Invictus Games Racing British GT4 AM 34.83
57 Nigel Hudson JMH Automotive GTCUP GTO 34.00
58 Adam Wilcox JMH Automotive GTCUP GTO 34.00
59 Brian Caudwell Nielsen Racing Radical Challenge 33.33
60 Leo Machitski Barwell Motorsport British GT3 AM 33.00
61 Ben Seyfried EDF Motorsport Britcar Endurance 33.00
62 Tony Bishop CF Racing F3 Cup 31.67
63 Dominic Paul Speedworks Motorsport LMP3 Cup 31.50
64 Phil Glew Horse Power Racing GTCUP GTC 31.50
65 Jacob Andrews ExceR8 Motorsport Mini Cooper Pro 30.00
66 Sam Random Ebor 23 GTCUP GTH 30.00
67 Paul Gibson Gibson Motorsport GTCUP GTO 30.00
68 Daniel Gibson Gibson Motorsport GTCUP GTO 30.00
69 Ollie Pidgley Excelr8 Motorsport JCW 30.00
70 Lewis Brown A Reeve Motorsport JCW 28.33
71 Cian Carey Chris Dittmann Racing F3 Cup 26.67
72 Elliott Goodman RAW Motorsport Radical Challenge 26.67
35 John Harrison Radical Works Team Radical Masters SR8 25.67
73 Paul Bailey Horse Power Racing GTCUP GTC 25.50
74 Calum King Jamsport JCW 25.00
75 Steve Rushton JMH Automotive GTCUP GTH 22.50
76 John Whitehouse JMH Automotive GTCUP GTH 22.50
77 Anna Walewska Team Hard Racing British GT4 AM 22.00
78 Sam De Haan Barwell Motorsport British GT3 AM 22.00
79 Roberto Tirone Stanbridge Motorsport F3 Cup 21.67
80 Marcello Marateotto RAW Motorsport Radical Challenge 21.67
81 Ben Norfolk Invictus Games Racing British GT4 AM 20.17
82 Richard Baxter Nielsen Racing Radical Challenge 20.00
83 PhilipJeans Chris Dittmann Racing F3 Cup 18.33
84 Henry Neal Team Dynamics JCW 16.67
85 Brian Harvey RAW Motorsport Radical Challenge 16.67
86 David Robinson Excelr8 Motorsport JCW 15.00
87 Stuart McLaren A Reeve Motorsport Mini Cooper Pro 15.00
88 John Macleod RAW Motorsport Radical Challenge 13.33
89 Rory Cuff Team Dynamics JCW 13.33
90 Joe Tanner Jamsport JCW 11.67
91 Shaun Balfe Balfe Motorsport British GT3 AM 11.00
92 Spencer Bourne Neilsen Racing Radical Challenge 5.00
93 Jac Maybin Excelr8 Motorsport JCW 5.00
94 James Simons Stanbridge Motorsport F3 Cup 1.67
95 Steve King ES Racing JCW 0.00
96 Callum Newsham Privateer JCW 0.00
97 Brad Hutchinson Privateer JCW 0.00
98 Jack Davidson Jamsport JCW 0.00
99 Will Neal Team Dynamics JCW 0.00
100 Stuart Gibbs Excelr8 Motorsport JCW 0.00
101 Jake Dehan Scott Jeffs Racing JCW 0.00
102 Paul Bell Excelr8 Motorsport JCW 0.00
103 Scott Jeffs Scott Jeffs Racing JCW 0.00
104 Taelor Shand Excelr8 Motorsport JCW 0.00
105 George Sutton Privateer JCW 0.00
106 Oli O’Neill Opposite Lock Motorsport Mini Cooper Pro 0.00
107 Charlie Cooper ExceR8 Motorsport Mini Cooper Pro 0.00
108 Mark Cornell ExceR8 Motorsport Mini Cooper Pro 0.00
109 Ricard Neary Team Abba Racing Britcar Endurance 0.00
110 Peter Brooks Radical Works Team Radical Challenge 0.00
111 Martin Verity 360 Racing Radical Challenge 0.00
112 Brian Murphy Privateer Radical Challenge 0.00
113 Mark Hignett Neilsen Racing Radical Challenge 0.00
114 David Frankland Valour Radical Challenge 0.00
115 Kevin Riley NMA GTCUP GTO 0.00
116 Thomas Webb Team Webb GTCUP GTA 0.00
117 James Webb Team Webb GTCUP GTA 0.00
118 John Seale FF Corse GTCUP GTC 0.00

Sunoco 240 Challenge Standings 21st May 2018

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Standings Drivers Name Team Series Average Points
1 Kyle Reid SCK Motorsport Mini Cooper Pro 124.00
2 Steve Burgess RAW Motorsport Radical Challenge 120.83
3 Ant Whorton-Eales Jamsport JCW 113.33
4 Jordan Collard Mini UK JCW 91.67
5 Dominic Jackson RAW Motorsport Radical Challenge 88.33
6 Lee Mowle ERC Sport British GT3 AM 88.00
7 Kelvin Fletcher UltraTek Racing Team RjN British GT4 AM 86.17
8 Jon Minshaw Barwell Motorsport British GT3 AM 84.33
9 Stuart Wiltshire CF Racing F3 Cup 84.00
10 Adam Balon Track-Club British GT4 AM 80.67
11 Robbie Dalgleish JRD Motors Mini Cooper Pro 77.00
12 Andrew Howard Beechdean AMR British GT3 AM 75.17
13 Flick Haigh Optimum Motorsport British GT3 AM 75.17
14 Graham Johnson Balfe Motorsport British GT4 AM 71.50
15 Simon Walton Rob Sims Racing/Swanlight Mini Cooper Pro 71.00
16 Stephen Daly Team Fox Racing F3 Cup 70.00
17 Nick Jones Team Parker Racing British GT4 AM 69.67
18 Shane Kelly University Of Wolverhampton F3 Cup 69.00
19 Mark Crader Radical Works Team Radical Masters SR8 68.08
20 Jacopo Sebastiani CF Racing F3 Cup 67.00
21 Ian Loggie Team Parker Racing British GT3 AM 64.17
22 David Pattison Tolman Motorsport Ltd British GT4 AM 60.50
23 Mark Murfitt Fox Motorsport British GT4 AM 60.50
24 Luke Williams Black Mamba Racing Britcar Endurance 60.00
25 Jeremy Ferguson RAW Motorsport Radical Masters SR8 55.58
26 Manhal Allos Radical Works Team Radical Masters SR8 55.16
27 Richard Newman ExceR8 Motorsport Mini Cooper Pro 55.00
28 Jacob Andrews ExceR8 Motorsport Mini Cooper Pro 55.00
29 George Line CF Racing F3 Cup 55.00
30 Cian Carey Chris Dittmann Racing F3 Cup 55.00
31 Kristian Jeffrey Radical Works Team Radical Challenge 54.17
32 Duncan Williams Mectech Motorsport LMP3 Cup 54.13
33 Jerome De Sadelier 360 Racing Radical Challenge 53.33
34 Stephen Johansen UltraTek Racing Team RjN British GT4 AM 53.17
35 Toby Goodman ExceR8 Motorsport Mini Cooper Pro 53.00
36 Jayde Kruger Black Mamba Racing Britcar Endurance 52.50
37 Tony Wells Ecurie Ecosse/Neilsen Racing LMP3 Cup 51.75
38 Luke Reade Excelr8 Motorsport JCW 50.00
39 Mike Cantillon Valour Radical Masters SR8 47.99
40 Graham Davidson Jetstream Motorsport British GT3 AM 45.83
41 Andreas Demetriou Black Mamba Racing Britcar Endurance 45.00
42 Derek Johnson TF Sport British GT3 AM 44.00
43 Chris Papageorgiou Black Mamba Racing Britcar Endurance 43.50
44 Andrew Ferguson RAW Motorsport Radical Masters SR8 42.58
45 Mike Newbould HHC Motorsport British GT4 AM 40.33
46 Nathan Harrison Excelr8 JCW 38.33
47 Tony Bishop CF Racing F3 Cup 38.00
48 Marcello Marateotto RAW Motorsport Radical Challenge 37.50
49 Mark Farmer TF Sport British GT3 AM 36.67
50 Rob Smith Mini UK JCW 36.67
51 Jamie Constable Valour Radical Masters SR8 36.32
52 Steve McCulley Invictus Games Racing British GT4 AM 34.83
53 Brian Caudwell Nielsen Racing Radical Challenge 33.33
54 Leo Machitski Barwell Motorsport British GT3 AM 33.00
55 Phil Glew Horse Power Racing GTCUP GTC 32.75
56 Ben Seyfried EDF Motorsport Britcar Endurance 31.50
57 Ollie Pidgley Excelr8 Motorsport JCW 30.00
58 Elliott Goodman RAW Motorsport Radical Challenge 30.00
59 Nigel Hudson JMH Automotive GTCUP GTO 29.75
60 Adam Wilcox JMH Automotive GTCUP GTO 29.75
61 Paul Bailey Horse Power Racing GTCUP GTC 29.75
62 Christian Olsen Nielsen Racing LMP3 Cup 28.88
63 Lewis Brown A Reeve Motorsport JCW 28.33
64 Gareth Downing NMA GTCUP GTO 28.00
65 Steve Rushton JMH Automotive GTCUP GTH 26.25
66 John Whitehouse JMH Automotive GTCUP GTH 26.25
67 Patrick Jeans Chris Dittmann Racing F3 Cup 26.00
68 John Harrison Radical Works Team Radical Masters SR8 25.67
69 Calum King Jamsport JCW 25.00
70 Jason Rishover 360 Racing LMP3 Cup 22.75
71 Dominic Paul Speedworks Motorsport LMP3 Cup 22.25
72 Anna Walewska Team Hard Racing British GT4 AM 22.00
73 Sam De Haan Barwell Motorsport British GT3 AM 22.00
74 Freddy Nordstrom Ebor 23 GTCUP GTH 21.00
75 Mark Crader Radical Works Team Radical Challenge 20.83
76 Ben Norfolk Invictus Games Racing British GT4 AM 20.17
77 Stuart McLaren A Reeve Motorsport Mini Cooper Pro 20.00
78 Spencer Bourne Neilsen Racing Radical Challenge 18.33
79 Brian Murphy Privateer Radical Challenge 18.33
80 Michael Igoe JMH Automotive GTCUP GTC 18.00
81 Richard Baxter Nielsen Racing Radical Challenge 16.67
82 Henry Neal Team Dynamics JCW 16.67
83 Sam Random Ebor 23 GTCUP GTH 15.00
84 Paul Gibson Gibson Motorsport GTCUP GTO 15.00
85 Daniel Gibson Gibson Motorsport GTCUP GTO 15.00
86 David Robinson Excelr8 Motorsport JCW 15.00
87 Rory Cuff Team Dynamics JCW 13.33
88 Roberto Tirone Stanbridge Motorsport F3 Cup 13.00
89 PhilipJeans Chris Dittmann Racing F3 Cup 12.00
90 Joe Tanner Jamsport JCW 11.67
91 Shaun Balfe Balfe Motorsport British GT3 AM 11.00
92 John Macleod RAW Motorsport Radical Challenge 10.83
93 Brian Harvey RAW Motorsport Radical Challenge 8.33
94 Jac Maybin Excelr8 Motorsport JCW 5.00
95 James Simons Stanbridge Motorsport F3 Cup 4.00
96 Charlie Cooper ExceR8 Motorsport Mini Cooper Pro 3.00
97 Mark Cornell ExceR8 Motorsport Mini Cooper Pro 3.00
98 Mark Hignett Neilsen Racing Radical Challenge 0.83
99 Steve King ES Racing JCW 0.00
100 Callum Newsham Privateer JCW 0.00
101 Brad Hutchinson Privateer JCW 0.00
102 Jack Davidson Jamsport JCW 0.00
103 Will Neal Team Dynamics JCW 0.00
104 Stuart Gibbs Excelr8 Motorsport JCW 0.00
105 Jake Dehan Scott Jeffs Racing JCW 0.00
106 Paul Bell Excelr8 Motorsport JCW 0.00
107 Scott Jeffs Scott Jeffs Racing JCW 0.00
108 Taelor Shand Excelr8 Motorsport JCW 0.00
109 George Sutton Privateer JCW 0.00
110 Oli O’Neill Opposite Lock Motorsport Mini Cooper Pro 0.00
111 Ricard Neary Team Abba Racing Britcar Endurance 0.00
112 Peter Brooks Radical Works Team Radical Challenge 0.00
113 Martin Verity 360 Racing Radical Challenge 0.00
114 David Frankland Valour Radical Challenge 0.00
115 Kevin Riley NMA GTCUP GTO 0.00
116 Thomas Webb Team Webb GTCUP GTA 0.00
117 James Webb Team Webb GTCUP GTA 0.00
118 John Seale FF Corse GTCUP GTC 0.00

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

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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.

Official Whelen Standings 21st May 2018

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Standings Drivers Name Team Series Average Points
1 Linus Lundqvist Double R Racing British F3 100.00
2 Phil Keen Barwell Motorsport British GT3 99.00
3 Yelmer Buurman ERC Sport British GT3 95.33
4 Stuart Moseley Radical Works Team Radical Masters SR8 85.08
5 Darren Turner Beechdean AMR British GT3 75.17
6 Patrik Matthiesen HHC Motorsport British GT4 72.60
7 Nicolai Kjaergaard Carlin Motorsport British F3 72.50
8 Jonny Adam Optimum Motorsport British GT3 67.83
9 Callum Macleod Team Parker Racing British GT3 64.17
10 Brad Smith Mectech Motorsport LMP3 Cup 63.125
11 Callum Pointon HHC Mptorsport British GT4 59.40
12 Michael O’Brien Tolman Motorsort British GT4 57.75
13 Charlie Fagg Tolman Motorsort British GT4 57.75
14 Ben Barnicoat Track-Club British GT4 53.17
15 Theodor Olsen RAW Motorsport Radical Masters SR8 52.58
16 Scott Malvern Team Parker Racing British GT4 51.33
17 Morten Dons Radical Works Team Radical Masters SR8 50.33
18 Kush Maini Lanan Racing British F3 50.00
19 Colin Noble Ecurie Ecosse/Nielsen Racing LMP3 Cup 49.75
20 Jack Mitchell Century Motorsport British GT4 49.50
21 Marco Sorensen TF Sport British GT3 49.50
22 Louis Hamilton-Smith RAW Motorsport Radical Masters SR8 47.24
23 Krishnaraaj Mahadik Double R Racing British F3 45.00
24 Martin Plowman UltraTek Racing Team RjN British GT4 44.00
25 Jonathan Kennard Valour Radical Masters SR8 38.75
26 Will Burns HHC Mptorsport British GT4 38.50
27 Joe Osborne Tolman Motorsport British GT4 36.67
28 Nicki Thiim TF Sport British GT3 36.67
29 Patrick Kujala Barwell Motorsport British GT3 33.00
30 Sun Yue Yang Carlin Motorsport British F3 31.25
31 Manuel Maldonado Fortec Motorsports British F3 31.25
32 Maxime Martin Jetstream Motorsport British GT3 31.17
33 Jesse Antilla UltraTek Racing Team RjN British GT4 31.17
34 Mike Robinson Balfe Motorsport British GT4 25.67
35 Billy Monger Carlin Motorsport British F3 25.00
36 Will Moore Academy Motorsport British GT4 24.75
37 Matt Nicoll-Jones Academy Motorsport British GT4 24.75
38 Jamie Chadwick Douglas Motorsport British F3 23.75
39 Jordan Albert Tolman Motorsort British GT4 23.10
40 Lewis Proctor Tolman Motorsort British GT4 23.10
41 Ben Tuck Century Motorsport British GT4 23.10
42 Ben Green Century Motorsport British GT4 23.10
43 Jamie Spence 360 Racing LMP3 Cup 22.75
44 Jack Butel Speedworks Motorsport LMP3 Cup 22.25
45 Jonny Cocker Barwell Motorsport British GT3 22.00
46 Clement Novalak Carlin Motorsport British F3 21.25
47 Finlay Hutchinson Equipe Verschuur British GT4 15.58
48 Daniel McKay Equipe Verschuur British GT4 15.58
49 Tom Wood Academy Motorsport British GT4 11.55
50 Jan Janck Academy Motorsport British GT4 11.55
51 Tristan Charpentier Fortec Motorsports British F3 11.25
52 Michael Broadhurst Fox Motorsport British GT4 11.00
53 Rob Bell Balfe Motorsport British GT3 9.17
54 Devan Modell RJN Motorsport British GT3 8.98
55 Sasakorn Chaimongkol Hillspeed British F3 7.50
56 Ryan Ratcliffe Team Parker Racing British GT3 7.33
57 Struan Moore RJN Motorsport British GT3 1.65
58 Ben Hurst Hillspeed British F3 1.25
59 Chia Wing Hoong Chris Dittmann Racing British F3 1.25
60 Pavan Ravishankar Double R Racing British F3 0.00
61 Arvin Esmaeili Douglas Motorsport British F3 0.00
62 Callum Hawkins-Row Team Hard Racing British GT4 0.00
63 Matthew George Invictus Games Racing British GT4 0.00
64 Sennan Fielding Stellar Motorsport British GT4 0.00
65 Alex Quin Stellar Motorsport British GT4 0.00
66 Dean Mcdonald Steller Performance British GT4 0.00
67 Benjamin Wallace Team Hard Racing British GT4 0.00
68 Alex Schjerpen Century Motorsport British GT4                –

Official Whelen Standings 21st May 2018

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Standings Drivers Name Team Series Average Points
1 Linus Lundqvist Double R Racing British F3 100.00
2 Phil Keen Barwell Motorsport British GT3 99.00
3 Yelmer Buurman ERC Sport British GT3 95.33
4 Stuart Moseley Radical Works Team Radical Masters SR8 85.08
5 Darren Turner Beechdean AMR British GT3 75.17
6 Patrik Matthiesen HHC Motorsport British GT4 72.60
7 Nicolai Kjaergaard Carlin Motorsport British F3 72.50
8 Jonny Adam Optimum Motorsport British GT3 67.83
9 Callum Macleod Team Parker Racing British GT3 64.17
10 Brad Smith Mectech Motorsport LMP3 Cup 63.125
11 Callum Pointon HHC Mptorsport British GT4 59.40
12 Michael O’Brien Tolman Motorsort British GT4 57.75
13 Charlie Fagg Tolman Motorsort British GT4 57.75
14 Ben Barnicoat Track-Club British GT4 53.17
15 Theodor Olsen RAW Motorsport Radical Masters SR8 52.58
16 Scott Malvern Team Parker Racing British GT4 51.33
17 Morten Dons Radical Works Team Radical Masters SR8 50.33
18 Kush Maini Lanan Racing British F3 50.00
19 Colin Noble Ecurie Ecosse/Nielsen Racing LMP3 Cup 49.75
20 Jack Mitchell Century Motorsport British GT4 49.50
21 Marco Sorensen TF Sport British GT3 49.50
22 Louis Hamilton-Smith RAW Motorsport Radical Masters SR8 47.24
23 Krishnaraaj Mahadik Double R Racing British F3 45.00
24 Martin Plowman UltraTek Racing Team RjN British GT4 44.00
25 Jonathan Kennard Valour Radical Masters SR8 38.75
26 Will Burns HHC Mptorsport British GT4 38.50
27 Joe Osborne Tolman Motorsport British GT4 36.67
28 Nicki Thiim TF Sport British GT3 36.67
29 Patrick Kujala Barwell Motorsport British GT3 33.00
30 Sun Yue Yang Carlin Motorsport British F3 31.25
31 Manuel Maldonado Fortec Motorsports British F3 31.25
32 Maxime Martin Jetstream Motorsport British GT3 31.17
33 Jesse Antilla UltraTek Racing Team RjN British GT4 31.17
34 Mike Robinson Balfe Motorsport British GT4 25.67
35 Billy Monger Carlin Motorsport British F3 25.00
36 Will Moore Academy Motorsport British GT4 24.75
37 Matt Nicoll-Jones Academy Motorsport British GT4 24.75
38 Jamie Chadwick Douglas Motorsport British F3 23.75
39 Jordan Albert Tolman Motorsort British GT4 23.10
40 Lewis Proctor Tolman Motorsort British GT4 23.10
41 Ben Tuck Century Motorsport British GT4 23.10
42 Ben Green Century Motorsport British GT4 23.10
43 Jamie Spence 360 Racing LMP3 Cup 22.75
44 Jack Butel Speedworks Motorsport LMP3 Cup 22.25
45 Jonny Cocker Barwell Motorsport British GT3 22.00
46 Clement Novalak Carlin Motorsport British F3 21.25
47 Finlay Hutchinson Equipe Verschuur British GT4 15.58
48 Daniel McKay Equipe Verschuur British GT4 15.58
49 Tom Wood Academy Motorsport British GT4 11.55
50 Jan Janck Academy Motorsport British GT4 11.55
51 Tristan Charpentier Fortec Motorsports British F3 11.25
52 Michael Broadhurst Fox Motorsport British GT4 11.00
53 Rob Bell Balfe Motorsport British GT3 9.17
54 Devan Modell RJN Motorsport British GT3 8.98
55 Sasakorn Chaimongkol Hillspeed British F3 7.50
56 Ryan Ratcliffe Team Parker Racing British GT3 7.33
57 Struan Moore RJN Motorsport British GT3 1.65
58 Ben Hurst Hillspeed British F3 1.25
59 Chia Wing Hoong Chris Dittmann Racing British F3 1.25
60 Pavan Ravishankar Double R Racing British F3 0.00
61 Arvin Esmaeili Douglas Motorsport British F3 0.00
62 Callum Hawkins-Row Team Hard Racing British GT4 0.00
63 Matthew George Invictus Games Racing British GT4 0.00
64 Sennan Fielding Stellar Motorsport British GT4 0.00
65 Alex Quin Stellar Motorsport British GT4 0.00
66 Dean Mcdonald Steller Performance British GT4 0.00
67 Benjamin Wallace Team Hard Racing British GT4 0.00
68 Alex Schjerpen Century Motorsport British GT4                –

240: Victories keep Whorton-Eales in the hunt

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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.

Whorton-Eales Hits The Hat-Trick

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Ant Whorton-Eales couldn’t have hoped for a better start to this year’s MINI CHALLENGE JCW Championship, having racked up his third win on the bounce in a disrupted second race at Rockingham.

The win looked in doubt when AW-E drew the maximum number for the reversed grid, meaning he’d start back in eighth. But trouble for many of his rivals essentially handed Whorton-Eales yet another win.

Henry Neal should have started on pole, but his car lost drive shortly after he pulled away from the line to start the green flag lap, meaning the disappointed polesitter had to be towed off the track.

That left Lawrence Davey as the sole starter from the front row, but even he didn’t get the best launch. AW-E did, and was already up to fourth by the time the pack ran into Turn One, and then found himself in the lead when Davey and his closest challengers ran wide at Deene on the brakes.

The safety car made an appearance after the first tour when Brad Hutchison was spat into the Turn One wall after a tangle in the pack. New, and rather surprised, leader Whorton-Eales controlled the restart well, but the race was soon stopped by red flags after a multi-car tangle on the exit of Turn One.

The accident claimed the hopes of many of the race one protagonists, with Calum King, Luke Reade and James Gornall all removed from contention, alongside others.

With just three laps run, the grid was reformed for a standing start, and AW-E again got away well from pole, chased by Rob Smith, Jordan Collard, Ollie Pidgley, Lewis Brown and Davey.

As Whorton-Eales began to forge a sizable gap ahead, Smith was struggling. “I don’t know what’s going on, perhaps it was because we ran slightly older tyres, but the car didn’t feel that quick,” he said. “It was bumping like mad around Pif-Paf so that made it unsettled on the brakes into Gracelands. I was just hanging on.”

First Collard and then Brown deposed Smith, as Nathan Harrison – who had started back in 28th after his race one disappointment – closed in on the top four. With two laps to go Harrison had passed Smith for fourth and latched on to the rear of Brown. He drafted alongside into Deene and secured the final spot on the podium, but ran out of time to do anything about Collard or runaway leader Whorton-Eales.

“I like this place, I’ve always gone well around here – perhaps it’s because ovals are in my blood,” beamed AW-E. “I never expected to be into the lead off the first lap. I just got a great start and then the doors just got opened for me when they all went too deep into Deene. I just went straight through. I couldn’t have imagined a getter start to the year.”

Collard celebrated another strong weekend with second, but Harrison was a man relieved. “Starting so far back I just needed some points and never thought a podium would be possible,” said Harrison. “It just shows what can happen when you don’t give up and keep pushing. Ant’s on a roll, so recovering a podium here is massive in terms of keeping me in the fight.”

Brown, who had started the day 23rd for race one, said fourth was a strong result. “It was so near yet so far from the podium, but I can hardly be unhappy as I’d have definitely taken a P4 at the start of the day,” he said.

Rob Smith wound up fifth ahead of Pidgley, Rory Cuff, Davey and Jac Maybin. Ryan Dignan completed the top 10 ahead of Scott Jeffs, James Loukes, Ben Dimmack and newcomer Louis Doyle.

Lundqvist Launches Into BRDC F3 Championship Lead With Successful Sunday At Rockingham

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Double R Racing’s Linus Lundqvist is the new BRDC British F3 championship leader, after a Sunday full of silverware for the Swede.

Lundqvist finished third in the reverse grid race two earlier this morning, which fired him to the top of the standings, which he then extended with victory in race three, successfully holding off a determined Nicolai Kjaergaard, who made amends for a difficult Saturday with two second places today.

Kush Maini meanwhile announced himself as a championship contender, with his first ever car race win in race two this morning. This weekend’s results mean there have been five different race winners from the six races held so far, with Lundqvist the only driver to have won twice in 2018.

Race two
Lanan Racing’s Maini came from fifth on the grid to take victory in a thrilling race two, and made it five different race winners from the first five races of the year. Carlin’s Kjaergaard surged from 13th to claim second ahead of Lundqvist, who secured third with a last lap move having started 10th, and with his second podium of the weekend, moved into a narrow championship lead.

Jamie Chadwick finished fourth on the road, but was handed a five second time penalty for exceeding track limits and dropped to 10th, promoting Krish Mahadik, race one winner Tom Gamble and Manuel Maldonado to the top-six. Billy Monger, Jordan Cane, Clement Novalak and Chadwick completed the top-10.

Sasakorn Chaimongkol started the race from pole, and made a decent start to lead the majority of the first lap from his fellow front row starter Chia Wing Hoong. However it was a tightly packed field behind, and Maini had already worked his way up to third half way around the first lap from fifth on the grid. He picked off Chia and then claimed the lead at Tarzan, stretching a gap of almost a second from Chaimongkol at the end of the first lap.

Starting from 13th on the grid after his first lap retirement yesterday, Kjaergaard was already impressing and was up to fifth at the end of the first tour. While Maini stretched a lead of almost three seconds at the front, it was the Danish driver who was also catching the eye, moving into second by the end of lap two, and passing Chadwick, Chia and Chaimongkol, who dropped to 11th.

Maini though was pumping in fastest lap after fastest lap, and constantly stretching his lead at the front, his fastest laps being enough to secure him pole for race three.

The Indian driver claimed the win by almost five seconds from Kjaergaard, but behind them, the race was anything but decided. Chia held his own towards the front for a handful of laps, but eventually drifted back to finish 14th, one place ahead of pole man Chaimongkol.

As the faster drivers climbed through from the back, it was Chadwick who looked on course to claim third though she was holding a queue of drivers behind, which included Lundqvist, who started 10th, Mahadik who started eighth, Gamble who started 11th and Monger, who fought up from 12th.

Lundqvist tried on several occasions to force a move, notably on the approach to the Deene hairpin on lap 11, though he finally forced his way onto the podium by going around the outside of the hairpin on the last lap to claim the inside line for Yentwood. By this point though, Chadwick had picked up a five second penalty, and with the chasing pack so close behind her, plummeted down the order as the classification was settled at the flag.

Mahadik in fourth held off Tom Gamble by just 0.309s, with Monger just 0.240s further back, though Monger was given a three second penalty post-race after an incident with Maldonado. Cane meanwhile was pushed down the order a little in the opening stages, but battled away to claim eighth, 0.798s behind Maldonado, who started seventh and finished seventh on the road, but was elevated to sixth after Monger’s penalty. Novalak backed up his overtaking abilities demonstrated at Oulton Park by finishing inside the top-10 here, having started 15th, and classified 0.102s ahead of Chadwick.

Race three
Championship leader Lundqvist extended his advantage at the top of the standings with an exciting and hard fought win in the final BRDC British F3 Championship race of the day at Rockingham.

Starting third, the Swede made a great start to take the lead at turn one, and then rebuffed a constant challenge from a menacing Nicolai Kjaergaard to take his second win of the year. Pole sitter Kush Maini claimed third, with just 0.638s covering the trio at the flag.

Manuel Maldonado was fourth, with Jordan Cane fifth and Krish Mahadik sixth. Sun Yue Yang claimed seventh ahead of Sasakorn Chaimongkol, with newcomer Josh Mason ninth and Ben Hurst completing the top-10.

In an eventful race, Lundqvist twice had to contend with a safety car, as well as the ever present threat from Kjaergaard. The Swede made the best start from third on the grid to launch into the lead at turn one, passing Kjaergaard and Maini, while Billy Monger also challenged, but was boxed in on the way to Deene.

Once more, there was drama on the first lap as Arvin Esmaeili hit trouble at Deene, with team mate Jamie Chadwick stranded at Chapman and Pavan Ravishankar also failing to complete the first lap. Post-race Chia Wing Hoong was disqualified from the results for causing Esmaeili’s retirement, while Clement Novalak, who had finished seventh, was disqualified for contact with Chadwick.

Amongst this drama was the added spice of Lundqvist and Kjaergaard almost wheel to wheel around several corners, before the safety car was deployed to recover the three stranded cars, with Lundqvist just holding off Kjaergaard, with Maini, Monger and Gamble the early top-five.

The safety car pitted at the end of lap two, with Lundqvist and Kjaergaard resuming their duel. Just behind, a good restart from Monger put him into the slipstream of Maini and the Brit tried a move at Deene, only to be pushed wide on the exit and dropped down to sixth. Lundqvist established a lead of almost nine tenths from Kjaergaard, with Gamble and Mahadik profiting from Monger’s scrap with Maini to jump into fourth and fifth. Monger wasn’t down and out though, and immediately repassed Mahadik for fifth.

Lundqvist’s lead was trimmed to 0.6s by the end of lap five, with Kjaergaard charging him down, the pair lapping at almost identical speeds. Further back, an excellent scrap developed between Maldonado, Mahadik, Novalak, Cane, Sun Yue Yang and Owega, with the six drivers operating almost as one. The scrap was brought to a close though when Owega challenged Mahadik at Tarzan on lap eight, lost traction and hit the barrier, bringing out the safety car for the second time.

The safety car pitted at the end of lap 11, leaving three laps for Kjaergaard to find a way past for the lead. He challenged for the first time at Deene, but Lundqvist held him off, while Monger was challenging Gamble, passing him for fourth at Tarzan, only for Gamble to fight back and retake the position.

Lundqvist and Kjaergaard went side by side at Deene once more on lap 13, with Lundqvist just keeping his lead, and bringing Maini into the lead scrap too. Meanwhile Monger was again challenging Gamble at Deene, the Carlin driver opted for the outside line and the pair made contact, forcing Monger out of the race with just over a lap remaining. Gamble was disqualified post-race for his part in the incident.

With yellow flags flying at a prime overtaking position, Lundqvist was able to keep his cool on the final lap to secure his second victory of the year, and his third podium of the weekend, taking the flag less than three tenths clear of Kjaergaard, and Maini just behind.

In the championship standings, Lundqvist holds an 11 point lead over Kjaergaard, with race one winner Gamble third and 26 points further back. Race two winner Maini is fourth, six points behind Gamble, with Maldonado and Mahadik completing the top six.

Lundqvist commented: “It was a tough one, I can tell you that much! I’m very happy to end the weekend like this, ending it on a high and we’ve been on the podium in all three races. It feels very good, it’s great for our championship and a good boost for both me and the team going into the next round. Hopefully we can continue having weekends like this one!”

BRDC British F3 Championship, Rockingham race two top-10:
1. Kush Maini, Lanan Racing, 14 laps
2. Nicolai Kjaergaard, Carlin, +4.910s
3. Linus Lundqvist, Double R Racing, +14.433s
4. Krish Mahadik, Double R Racing, +16.136s
5. Tom Gamble, Fortec Motorsports, +16.445s
6. Manuel Maldonado, Fortec Motorsports, +19.056s
7. Billy Monger, Carlin, +19.685s
8. Jordan Cane, Douglas Motorsport, +19.854s
9. Clement Novalak, Carlin, +20.876s
10. Jamie Chadwick, Douglas Motorsport, +20.978s

Click here for full result.

BRDC British F3 Championship, Rockingham race three top-10:
1. Linus Lundqvist, Double R Racing, 14 laps
2. Nicolai Kjaergaard, Carlin, +0.260s
3. Kush Maini, Lanan Racing, +0.638s
4. Manuel Maldonado, Fortec Motorsports, +4.073s
5. Jordan Cane, Douglas Motorsport, +4.462s
6. Krish Mahadik, Double R Racing, +6.295s
7. Sun Yue Yang, Carlin, +6.901s
8. Sasakorn Chaimongkol, Hillspeed, +7.216s
9. Josh Mason, Lanan Racing, +9.563s
10. Ben Hurst, Hillspeed, +11.788s

Click here for full result.

BRDC British F3 Championship standings after race six of 24:
1. Linus Lundqvist, Double R Racing, 156pts
2. Nicolai Kjaergaard, Carlin, 145pts
3. Tom Gamble, Fortec Motorsports, 119pts
4. Kush Maini, Lanan Racing, 113pts
5. Manuel Maldonado, Fortec Motorsports, 97pts
6. Krish Mahadik, Double R Racing, 86pts
7. Billy Monger, Carlin, 70pts
8. Jordan Cane, Douglas Motorsport, 67pts
9. Jamie Chadwick, Douglas Motorsport, 67pts
10. Sun Yue Yang, Carlin, 57pts

Click here for full standings

The next rounds of the BRDC British F3 Championship take place at Snetterton on 26-27 May. For more championship information visit www.britishf3.com.
 

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