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Quaife Radical Clubman's Cup: Pembrey, 26/27 June 2010
27th June 2010
Having seen Darren Luke’s PR6 lead the way mostly this season, it was defending champion Colin Millar’s chance to dominate in his SR3 RS. The Irishman won three out of the four races at Pembrey’s 20th Anniversary meeting, as well as taking a second place to Luke’s one win.
Millar was on pole after qualifying, but the big surprise was Craig Currie, the SportMaxx Cup race winner having his first guest outing in a works SR3 RS taking second on the grid. Darren Luke and Steven Lindsay shared the second row, with Rachel Davies and Paul Marsham on row three. 16 drivers took part in qualifying and less than a second covered the top eight.
RACE 1
At the start of the first race on Saturday Millar led the charge into Hatchets Hairpin from pole, with the PR6s of Luke and Lindsay heading the SR3s of the guesting Craig Currie and Rachel Davies.
By the end of the second lap Millar’s lead was already looking decisive, but Luke was struggling and lost second to Lindsay as they braked for Hatchets. Currie and Davies had also started to catch Luke too, and it was almost a queue forming behind the five time race winner. “I took some rear wing off for more straightline speed and it was sideways everywhere, so not a good idea,” he said.
On lap five both Currie and Davies surged past too, but Luke managed to hold onto them. In sixth Mark Boot’s PR6 was being chased down by Richard Stables, while Richard Carver’s SR3 began to close in too.
Carver made a move on Stables for seventh but touched the grass and was forced to drop back again. But then Boot ran wide at Dibeni, allowed Stables through and gave Luke a little respite in his quest to retain fifth. “After I touched the kerb my back tyre blew,” Boot added.
Having consolidated third, Currie continued to press on but spun at Hatchets on the 11th lap. “My foot fell off the brake,” he explained. So Millar and Lindsay were left in the clear in their run to the flag. “I could do with a fridge in the car, but everything went well and it was a good race for me,” said Millar. “I had managed to get a run on Darren at Brooklands and led him into Honda, then just hung in there with a controlled drive,” Lindsay replied.
Luke managed to get to grips with his car again and successfully chased down Davies, to recover third into Hatchets with four laps to go. “I thought I had a puncture to, but it was OK,” said Luke.
During the latter laps Stables shook off Carver and was right on Davies’ tail for fourth at the flag. “I had cooked my tyres and had loads of understeer,” said Davies. “I just have the usual excuses and not quick enough,” Stables replied.
Carver dropped back during lappery but retained a solid sixth, while in seventh Gary Baxter survived a 360 spin at Brooklands, “too hard on the throttle,” he reckoned. Ray Woolhead’s SR3 RS had a late duel with the recovering Currie, but was able to clinch eighth when Currie crashed out near the crossing and wrecked his car. “I dropped a wheel over the kerb and spun hard backwards into the tyre wall,” he explained.
David Frankland, Danny Hubbard and Simon Garmston completed the finishers.
1 Colin Millar (SR3 RS) 22 laps in 20m38.992s (93.22mph); 2 Simon Lindsay (PR6) +12.232s; 3 Darren Luke (PR6); 4 Rachel Davies (SR3); 5 Richard Stables (PR6); 6 Richard Carver (SR3); 7 Gary Baxter (SR3); 8 Ray Woolhead (SR3 RS); 9 David Frankland (PR6); 10 Danny Hubbard (SR3). Supersports: 1 Millar; 2 Davies; 3 Carver; 4 Baxter; 5 Woolhead; 6 Hubbard. Prosport: 1 Luke; 2 Stables; no other finishers. Clubsport: 1 Simon Garmston; no other finishers... Invitation: 1 Lindsay; 2 Frankland (PR6); no other starters. Fastest lap: Millar 55.248s (94.87mph).
RACE TWO
It was another supreme start from Millar at the start of race two, with Lindsay, Luke, Stables and Davies in close formation behind, before a small gap back to sixth placed Carver.
There were plenty of sorts out behind, but Millar was off into the distance again within a couple of laps. Although the top five became evenly spread, Carver found Boot challenging him for sixth.
But Lindsay soon headed for the pits with only seven laps run, “one injector had gone down, so I pitted to save the engine. It was really good until then,” he said.
Millar cruised through the rest of the race with his car barely missing a beat. “A couple of missed gear changes towards the end, otherwise fine,” he said after taking win number two by over 11 seconds.
“It’s car or driver just not quick enough here. I can’t live with Colin’s SR3, but I found some grip this time,” added second-placed Luke. Stables also had a grip problem but held off Carver’s threat to retain his third place, after Davies had retired with an oil leak. “My tyres have had it, I got a good start and managed to get away from Rachel on the first lap,” Stables added. “One more lap and I would have had him,” reckoned Carver.
Boot still held onto fifth despite a spin at Brooklands, “trying too hard,” he said. Despite losing fifth gear towards the end Baxter just made it home in sixth with Woolhead, Paul Marsham, Frankland and Hubbard completing the top ten.
It was Graham Ridgeway’s turn to take the Clubsport class over Garmston. “We both had 360s trying to keep out of the way under lappery though,” said Garmston. “I just ran out track and had to chase Simon all over again,” added Ridgeway.
1 Millar 22 laps in 20m46.120s (92.53mph); 2 Luke 11.212s; 3 Stables; 4 Carver; 5 Mark Boot (PR6); 6 Baxter; 7 Woolhead; 8 Paul Marsham (SR3); 9 Frankland; 10 Hubbard. Supersports: 1 Millar; 2 Carver; 3 Baxter; 4 Woolhead; 5 Paul Marsham (SR3); 6 Hubbard. Prosport: 1 Luke; 2 Stables; 3 Boot; no other finishers. Clubsport: 1 Graham Ridgeway; 2 Garmston; no other starters. Invitation: 1 Frankland; no other finishers. Fastest lap: Millar 55.248s (94.87mph).
RACE THREE
For the first start in the weekend it wasn’t Millar that rocketed into the early, as Luke had the edge as they arrived at Hatchets for the first time. Millar made an immediate break, with Boot, Stables and Carver giving themselves a cushion over sixth placed Woolhead, Davies, Garmston, Frankland and Ridgeway.
Luke kept pushing hard to make a telling gap and after a while he seemed to succeed. Stables started to hunt down third-placed Boot and Davies made it past Woolhead before closing the gap on fifth-placed Carver.
The gap between the lead duo began to hold steady, but on lap eight Boot was forced to surrender third to Stables. Lindsay was also charging through the order after starting from the back of the grid and he was up to seventh and chasing down Davies by the end of lap eight.
Although the lead pair were relatively settled, the fight was still on for third. It was side-by-side past the pits, but it was Stables still holding the place, after Boot had nosed ahead only to spin exiting Hatchets.
Boot still hadn’t given up although Carver had begun to threaten too as the laps began to run out. Luke claimed his win by just over two seconds, “Stunned, I don’t know how that happened. I just decided to go for it at the start, saw that Colin wasn’t too close and aimed to be consistent,” he said.
“I was struggling for grip this time, I made a bad start this time and hope I get it all sorted out again for the last race,” Millar replied after securing a comfortable second. Stables was third again, “I am still getting the most out of my old tyres again,” he reckoned.
Boot was set for fourth until he spun again, “I think I need advice on hairpins,” he reckoned. His penultimate lap spin handed the place to Carver, but his swift recovery still gave him fifth over Davies. “My car didn’t feel as fast, we changed the suspension and struggled to stay in touch. I had lost out to Mark at the start and only got him back because he spun twice,” said Carver.
Davies just managed to hold onto sixth, having been almost caught on the line by Lindsay. Woolhead defended hard to try and hold off Baxter, but a late spin not only allowed Baxter through, but Marsham too.
Just outside the top were Frankland and the Clubsport duel which went Garmston’s way on this occasion. Hubbard was the final finisher.
1 Luke 16 laps in 15m01.582s (93.02mph); 2 Millar + 2.172s; 3 Stables; 4 Carver; 5 Boot; 6 Davies; 7 Lindsay; 8 Baxter; 9 Marsham; 10 Woolhead. Supersports: 1 Millar; 2 Carver; 3 Davies; 4 Baxter; 5 Marsham; 6 Woolhead; 7 Marsham. Prosports: 1 Luke; 2 Stables; 3 Boot; no other starters. Clubsports: 1 Garmston; 2 Ridgeway; no other starters. Invitation: 1 Lindsay; 2 Frankland; no other starters. Fastest lap: Millar 55.113s (95.10mph).
RACE FOUR
Luke managed to nose ahead at the start of the finale, but Millar was challenging immediately in the closest opening lap of the weekend. Boot, Stables, Carver, Lindsay and Davies were all in contention, but it was the battle for the lead that held everyone’s attention.
Millar began to push hard and Luke finally surrendered on the third lap. “I couldn’t hold him back any longer so I just waved him through,” said Luke. The gap soon began to open and barring disasters Millar was set for his third win of the weekend.
Boot worked hard to maintain his hold on third, but Lindsay’s pace started to bring him close enough to challenge Stables for fourth, while Davies was on her own in fifth and Carver had Baxter on his tail for seventh.
Millar had built up a lead of over 10 secs by the time the flag came out, “Normal service is resumed. Apart from a couple of gear changes again, it was perfect,” he said.
In second place Luke did just enough to keep Boot at a safe distance, “I had to back off twice around Honda when I touched the grass. I just kept it under control to hold my place, as I knew I had no chance against Colin,” said Luke.
Boot finally got a reward for his efforts in a clear third, “I got a good start and was fifth to third into Hatchets. Steven Lindsay pushed me at the flag. very hard though at the end,” he said after being separated by 0.450secs. I had got Richard into Honda earlier on, worked hard to catch Mark and then made a couple of mistakes and couldn’t get by in the end,” said Lindsay.
Having lost out to Lindsay on lap eight, Stables maintained a healthy hold on fifth. “Baxter ousted Davies for sixth from Spitfires on lap 16, leaving Carver, Marsham and Woolhead to complete the top ten. “That was my best race of the weekend, I had people to race with and a couple of spins,” said Woolhead.
Frankland was 11th just ahead of the duelling Clubsport, which in this occasion went in Ridgeway’s favour over Garmston.
1 Millar 22 laps in 20m39.866s (93.00mph); 2 Luke +10.973s; 3 Boot; 4 Lindsay; 5 Stables; 6 Baxter; 7 Davies; 8 Carver; 9 Marsham; 10 Woolhead. Supersports: 1 Millar; 2 Baxter; 3 Davies; 4 Carver; 5 Marsham; 6 Woolhead. Prosports: 1 Luke; 2 Boot; 3 Stables; no other starters. Clubsports: 1 Ridegway; 2 Garmston; no other starters. Invitation: 1 Lindsay; 2 Frankland; no other starters. Fastest lap: Millar 55.484s (94.47mph).
Published by Peter Scherer