Archive
Radical UK Cup, Snetterton, 26-27 September 2009
29th September 2009
Derek Johnston took a his second successive Radical UK Cup championship this weekend, scoring a double win with regular partner Stuart Moseley. The 2009 Supersport class fell to Colin Noble, with Michael Jackson scooping the Prosport honours in the BM Racing PR6. Tony Freeman and Duncan Williams shared Pitbull Racing’s win of the Invitation class.
Pole-sitter Terrence Woodward grabbed the early lead in his SR8, with Johnston joining him in an immediate break. Ben Jackson’s PR6 made a lightning start to head Tony Freeman’s similar car, but both were soon reeled in by Richard Fearns’ SR8 and fell to him on laps three and four respectively. Manhal Allos’ SR8 was next to chase down Freeman, which left Mike Gardner, Colin Noble and Paul Thomas to battle it out nose-to-tail in the Supersports class. While Allos stormed past Freeman for fifth on lap six, a lap later it was all change at the front too. “The plan had been to stay behind Terrence and leave it to Stuart in the second half as usual, until he went wide at Riches,” said Johnston. “Then I changed my mind I wanted to lead and give him the easy job for a change.” As Johnston started to consolidate his lead over Woodward, Jackson also began to close again on Fearns for third. “I spun on oil at Sear and then out-braked myself at Russell,” Fearns explained. Jackson was back into third from Allos, but Gardiner managed to take Freeman as they all negotiated Fearns’ stationery car, and the duelling Noble and Thomas had both gone through before Fearns recovered. As the pit stop window approached Fearns had managed to work his way back to fifth, while Freeman retook Gardner.
The second half of the race was more settled, with Moseley easing through to victory by over 11 seconds from Ross Kaiser, in Woodward’s car. “I was nearly caught out on the oil at the beginning of my stint and out-braked myself a couple of times too,” said Moseley. Fearns was set for third until he misread a pit signal. “It was a black-and-white warning flag, but I thought it was a drive-through so I came in,” he explained. The delay was enough to hand third to Allos, but he still held onto a clear fourth. Noble secured another class win and the class title, after Gardner retired early. Despite starting from the pit-lane Bromiley/Rob Wheldon still came home sixth, ahead of Phil Abbott/Simon Fish’s SR3. “What a lovely car to drive, so precise and the chassis was really rigid in a good way. It’s the real business,” said Fish.
RESULTS 1 Derek Johnston/Stuart Moseley (SR8) 50m44.970s (103.84mph); 2 Terrence Woodward/Ross Kaiser (SR8) 50m56.415; 3 Manhal Allos (SR8); 4 Richard Fearns (SR8); 5 Colin Noble (SR3); 6 Roger Bromiley/Rob Wheldon (SR8); 7 Phil Abbott/Simon Fish (SR3); 8 Paul McClughan/Alex Kapadia (SR3); 9 Ben Jackson/Michael Jackson (PR6); 10 Simon Garmston (SR3). Masters Class: Johnston/Moseley; 2 Woodward/Kaiser; 3 Allos; 4 Fearns; 5 Bromiley/Wheldon. Supersports: 1 Noble; 2 Abbott/Fish; 3 McClughan/Kapadia; 4 Garmston. Invitation: Jackson/Jackson. Fastest lap: Moseley 1m03.668s (110.33mph).
RACE TWO
Johnston was first out of the blocks from the start, with Woodward, Allos and Bromiley in contention too. Allos had an early spin dropping him to dead last, as Johnston and Woodward had rocketed clear by the end of the second lap. Bromiley came under pressure from Jackson, with Fearns and Duncan Williams chasing. Gardner had edged clear in seventh and Supersports leader, as Loughran, Sean Balfe, Noble and Fish ran nose to tail for eighth. Williams upped his pace and began to close on Fearns, while Noble took a cursory look at Balfe’s inside through Russell before thinking better of it.
Fish out-braked himself at the Esses and fell off the back of the train, as Allos’ SR8 began to pick off the SR3’s with the pit stop window approaching. But Bromiley’s exuberance had got the better of him as he threatened Woodward for second. “I nipped inside at Sears, went wide on the grass and it was downhill from there. I damaged the rear splitter and scuffed the battery casing, losing power, but I was pleased to have had the pace to get there,” he said. “That was easier today in my head, we just went out to win,” said Johnston after handing a healthy lead to Moseley. “It was hard work for me, I just willed myself to stay ahead of Roger and then he’d gone,” Woodward replied after handing his second-placed car to Kaiser. Bromiley had pitted in fifth behind Jackson and Fearns, but it was a lengthy stop.
Fearns emerged from the stops in second, But Kaiser charged by to retake second in Riches on lap 27. Moseley cruised home with nearly 30 seconds in hand over Kaiser. But there was worse to come for Fearns. “Only three laps from the end, safe in third, I picked up a puncture,” he explained. Mortimer and Gardner therefore not only dominated their class, but shattered the lap record and finished third overall. “It just felt easy today, the car was perfect and we were cruising,” said Mortimer.
RESULTS
1 Johnston/Moseley 45 laps in 50m44.095s (103.87mph); 2 Woodward/Kaiser 51m14.031s; 3 Gardner/Mortimer; 4 Sean Balfe (SR3); 5 Loughran/Thomas; 6 Noble; 7 Fearns; 8 Jackson/Jackson; 9 Allos; 10 Duncan Williams/Tony Freeman (PR6). Masters Class: 1 Johnston/Moseley; 2 Woodward/Kaiser; 3 Fearns; 4 Allos. Supersports Class: 1 Gardner/Mortimer; 2 Balfe; 3 Loughran/Thomas; 4 Noble. Invitation class: 1 Jackson/Jackson; 2 Williams/Freeman. Fastest lap: Moseley 1m03.807s (110.13mph).
