Archive
Round 4, Castle Combe
21st July 2009
After Jonathan Wright’s double win at Donington, Colin Millar stated he would end the defending champions run of success. At Castle Combe he kept his promise and was a double winner himself.
Darren Luke’s PR6 led the initial charge to Quarry from Millar, Paul Steele and Wright, while Simon Tilling was left on the grid. Wright quickly picked off Steele for third and Gary Kane followed before the opening lap was run. But as the PR6 top five pulled clear, Millar started to threaten Luke’s lead. Kane closed on Wright too, with Nigel Place on his own in sixth, as Simon Fish’s SR3 battled ahead of Gary Marsh to lead the Supersports class.
Millar had a couple of looks before snatching the lead on lap five. “I was surprised I stayed ahead that long, but when I caught slower cars I lost momentum and that’s when he got me,” said Luke. Wright was still third but had Kane and Steele still in his wheeltracks. Wright seemed to be lacking his usual pace as the lead pair started to pull out a small lead. Kane shot into third up Avon Rise and Steele tried to follow.
As Millar tried to break the tow to Luke, Kane began to close on the early leader. Although Place was still in sixth, he had the Supersports class battle closing. Charles Loughran darted through at Camp to head Fish, “he took the edge off my rim, so I don’t know how the tyre stayed up,” said Fish. “I had the inside we touched briefly under braking, but I did dive in a bit,” admitted Loughran.
But although Millar had the lead it was far from secure as the race went on. Luke kept him under threat and pounced when Millar got it wrong lap 13. “He got held up on Westway and I was quickest into the corner and retook the lead,” said Luke. It was shortlived as Millar was back ahead two laps later and this time he stayed there to take victory by over two seconds. It was Kane however that grabbed a late second, “I got by into Tower with four laps to go, but I seemed to be bouncing around more than the others,” he said.
Wright also made a late charge to secure third from Luke on the penultimate lap. “I went one side of Mike Roberts and Darren went the other at Quarry, I came out in front. It was really hard work but I was glad it was Colin that ended my run,” said Wright. Steele was only a fraction behind Luke too at the flag, “I thought I had a puncture but it was a CV boot that had gone and put grease on a rear tyre. Until then I had waited to pick up any pieces the other three left,” said Steele.
Supersports winner Loughran pipped Place for seventh on the last lap, “he got me at Quarry, but I had spent the whole race with no one to chase, just defending and looking in my mirrors,” Place explained. Fish retained second in class from ninth overall, followed by class championship leader Steve Burgess. “It was Ok but my lack of circuit knowledge let me down,” said the ex biker. Gary Marsh was a close 10th and David Thorburn’s SR3 was the last unlapped runner, “I found the backmarkers a bit worrying at times,” he said.
Mark Boot once again topped the Clubsports form Simon Garmston, while Rachel Davies surrendered the Biduro’s spoils when her SR4 ran out of fuel and handed victory to Shaun Mellors.
RESULTS
1 Colin Millar (PR6) 19 laps in 20m43.527s (101.75mph); 2 Gary Kane (PR6) 20m46.291s; 3 Jonathan Wright (PR6); 4 Darren Luke (PR6); 5 Paul Steele (PR6); 6 Charles Loughran (SR3); 7 Nigel Place (PR6); 8 Simon Fish (SR3); 9 Steve Burgess (SR3); 10 Gary Marsh (SR3). Class winners: Tuned: 1 Millar; 2 Kane; 3 Wright; 4 Steele; 5 Place; 6 Mike Roberts (SR3). Supersports: 1 Loughran; 2 Fish; 3 Burgess; 4 Marsh; 5 David Thorburn (SR3); 6 Richard Carver (SR3). Biduro: 1 Shaun Mellors (SR4); 2 Richard Fearns (SR4); no other finishers. Clubsport: 1 Mark Boot; 2 Simon Garmston; 3 Jon Morris; no other starters. Fastest lap: Simon Tilling (SR3) 1m04.192s (103.75mph).
RACE TWO
Millar led an almost immediate five car break, from Kane, Luke, Wright and Steele. Wright demoted Luke on the second lap and picked off Kane a lap later. But as Millar started to extend his lead, Simon Tilling began charging through the order, to close on Fish who was on the tail of a four car train for second.
Kane pitted after four laps, “the brakes had boiled,” he explained, which allowed Wright, Luke and Steele to spread out behind. Luke began to comeback at Wright’s second place, but both continued to lose touch with Millar. Behind the lead quartet, Tilling still had the legs of Supersports leader Fish, who had Place separating him from rivals Loughran and Burgess.
Loughran pitted after seven laps, which brought a three way battle between Marsh, Thorburn and Carver into the top ten. But it began to close at the front with Millar’s lead reducing as Wright attacked. “I got level into the Esses but neither of us would give way. I was impatient as I knew his tyres had gone off and could have passed him later. But we touched and I came off worse, broke a wishbone and front upright,” Wright explained after retiring to the pits.
Millar still fought on and managed to retain his lead to make it a double win, but Luke was only 0.599 secs down at the flag. “My tyres were gone quite early on and after that touch with Jonathan, Luke pushed me all the way and my steering had been slightly damaged,” said Millar. “I did get the lead briefly, but got outdragged. At least I am getting the starts right now,” Luke added.
Steele was third on the road but along with Kane and Wright he was given a jump start penalty which dropped him to fourth behind Tilling. Place retained fifth after Wright pitted and Fish topped the Supersports, with Thorburn second, after Burgess pitted with five laps to go. Marsh and Carver were next home, having spent most of the race nose to tail. Bill Henderson was 10th with inches to spare over Phil Abbott.
Boot comfortably headed Garmston for another Clubsport win, while Jon Morris crashed heavily at Camp on the 12th lap. Davies once again retired from the head of the Biduro’s with rear wing problems, which left Gary Ramsdale to head home Richard Fearns.
RESULTS
1 Millar 19 laps in 20m56.203s (100.73mph); 2 Luke 20m56.802s; 3 Simon Tilling (SR3); 4 Steele; 5 Place; 6 Fish; 7 Thorburn; 8 Marsh; 9 Carver; 10 Bill Henderson (SR3). Class winners: Tuned: 1 Millar; 2 Luke; 3 Tilling; 4 Steele; 5 Place; 6 Henderson. Supersports: 1 Fish; 2 Thorburn; 3 Marsh; 5 Phil Abbott (SR3). Biduro: 1 Gary Ramsdale (SR4); 3 Fearns; no other starters. Clubsport: 1 Boot; 2 Garmston; no other finishers. Fastest lap: Wright 1m04.602s (103.09mph).
Published by Peter Scherer for Radical Sportscars, July 20th, 2009.
