Regional News

Competition Car Insurance Radical UK Cup: Brands Hatch, 14/15 August 2010

16th August 2010

The conditions were changeable but the result was the same, as Roger Bromiley and Shaun Balfe came away from Brands Hatch double victors in their works SR8.

It was very wet for the start of Saturday’s race and it was anyone from about six for the lead into Paddock on the opening lap. Ross Kaiser’s SR8 emerged in front, from the SR3s of Alex Kapadia and Rob Wheldon, Balfe’s SR8 and the SR3s of Ben Jackson and Stuart Moseley.

Balfe took Wheldon for third as they completed the opening lap, but Kaiser’s lead was already growing. Jackson was first to slip up with a spin at Graham Hill Bend, but Chris Hillaby was the man to watch, picking off Craig Currie for sixth on lap three.

Derek Johnston was also playing catchup after gear selection problems had left him trailing at the start. Johnston had just made sixth at the expense of Jonathan Wright’s SR8 when the safety car was called out, after Ross Allen spun his SR3 out of 11th at Graham Hill Bend.

Five laps later it was green, but left only a few laps before the pitstop window opened. Johnston continued his charge by immediately picking off Moseley, but then joined the retirement list after gear selection problems left him unable to slow at Graham Hill Bend. Luigi Gatti had already spun at the same place a lap earlier, and not expecting to find Johnston in the middle of track he spun again. “That was the slippiest corners on the circuit but I did it style,” Gatti reckoned.

Out came the safety car again and almost everyone dived for the pits for their driver change, but with Michael Jackson spinning out at Graham Hill Bend too the safety car finally returned to the pitlane.

From the green flag there were 10 minutes left, Bromiley had taken over from Balfe and had the lead, with Terrence Woodward chasing Pete Osborne for second, after they had relieved Kapadia and Kaiser. Osborne defended at Druids initially, but had to give best to the SR8’s power advantage shortly afterwards.”I was really pleased with that, as I felt so confident in the wet,” said Osborne.

It was now down to a straight fight between Woodward and Bromiley and with five minutes left on the clock it was nose to tail. Woodward nosed ahead at Paddock but had the wrong line to retain the advantage, but with three laps to go Bromiley was slightly wide as they turned into Clearways, which was enough for Woodward to chance his arm. They touched and Woodward was on the grass, but after dropping back briefly it came down to a dash for line with Bromiley victorious by 0.023secs.

“There was an opportunity there when Roger seemed to lose his rear end. But if I had tried the wetter outside line, I would have had no chance. I dropped back to check everything was OK and then just planted in the dash for the line,” said Woodward.

“We had pitted well and had a nice buffer until the safety car,” said Balfe. “It was exciting and refreshing to have such a good close race, I think Terrence got frustrated behind me, it was a brave move by him,” Bromiley added.

Kapadia/Osborne retained third and the Supersports class win. “I had overdriven it a bit and allowed Rob Wheldon to close, so I didn’t give Pete the advantage I had hoped for,” said Kapadia. “Well the class win was a surprise to me,” Osborne added.

Mark Smithson was also surprised to be in fourth, after taking over from Moseley. “After the problems we had in testing and qualifying I can’t be disappointed with that,” he said. David Thorburn had closed the gap but ran out time. “We had new wets and they only began to work at the end of my stint. David did really well but the traffic wasn’t kind to him, otherwise I think he would have got Mark,” said co driver Wheldon.

Richard Fearns SR8 claimed a late sixth from Hillaby/Biley and Allen struggled in eighth. “I was down on power and couldn’t pass on the straights. I lost out badly with safety car after the stops too,” said Allen. Mark White/Wright and Gatti/Sami Suominen completed the top ten.

RESULT
1 Shaun Balfe/Roger Bromiley (SR8) 39 laps in 40m40.585s; 2 Ross Kaiser/Terrence Woodward (SR8) +0.023s; 3 Alex Kapadia/Pete Osborne (SR3); 4 Stuart Moseley/Mark Smithson (SR3); 5 Rob Wheldon/David Thorburn (SR3); 6 Richard Fearns (SR8); 7 Chris Hillaby/Clive Biley (SR3); 8 Ross Allen (SR3); 9  Jonathan Wright/Mark White (SR8); 10 Luigi Gatti/Sami Suominen (SR3). Masters: 1 Balfe/Bromiley; 2 Kaiser/Woodward; 3 Fearns; 4 John Lord/Laurence Wilkins; no other finishers. Supersports: 1 Kapadia/Osborne; 2 Moseley/Smithson; 3 Wheldon/Thorburn; 4 Fearns; 5 Hillaby/Biley; 6 Allen; 7 Gatti/Suominen; 8 Richard Carver; 9 Phil Abbott/James Abbott; 10 Ian Flux/Craig Currie; 11 Gary Ramsdale/Shaun Mellors; 12 Michael Burgess/Ben Raincock. Fastest lap: Kaiser 50.140s (86.06mph).

RACE TWO

It was sunny and dry for Sunday’s race with the SR3s of Allen and Osborne sharing the front row of the grid.

Allen managed to retain the lead over the opening lap, after Woodward had his hands full holding off Johnston for second. But both of the SR8s followed each other through into Paddock, leaving Allen open to attack from Phil Abbott and Suominen, after Osborne began to slip down the order.

The lead duo were soon on their own and once Bromiley had battled his way into third on lap five, the SR3 class battle resumed with Allen, Abbott and Suominen nose to tail. Currie had made it past Osborne and Smithson was next to challenge, taking eighth as they past the pits for the 11th time.

While Woodward did his best to build a good cushion to hand to Kaiser, Johnston was reeled in by Bromiley. They were nose to tail into Paddock but Johnston held the line, until he was badly baulked passing the pits on lap 16, allowing Bromiley to take the outside route and move ahead into Paddock.

Woodward’s lead had grown to 5.8secs when the safety came out after Ben Raincock had fallen off at Druids. “It was the wrong time for us, I tried to pull a gap and nurse the tyres to hand to Ross, which we did until the safety car,” said Woodward.

It was total chaos as everyone headed for the pits for their driver changes, except one. “I could see them queuing to get into the pitlane and thought well I won’t queue at Tesco’s so I am not doing it here,” said Phil Abbott. Which resulted in a later stop and 16-year-old son James being sent back into the race as the new leader.

Abbott Jnr held on to his lead for about four laps before Allen retook him through Paddock.  “It was hard work, so I just did my best to hold my line,” he said. Balfe headed the SR8s in third from Johnston, with Wheldon fifth but being closed on by Moseley, after Gatti began to slip down the order.

Kaiser picked off both Wheldon and Moseley on the same lap and began to close on Johnston. While back at the front Balfe continued to chip away at Allen’s lead.

It was another seven laps before the inevitable finally happened. Balfe led into Paddock and began to pull clear. Kaiser had got past Johnston but both were also closing on Allen as time began to run out. “But with a couple of laps to go they both went by. “We ran the rear wing higher for this race but it was like a barn door and wouldn’t go, just no power. We dropped it a bit at the stop but couldn’t change the tyre pressures and wrecked the front tyres,” Johnston explained.

Second placed Kaiser had his problems too, “we lost the electrics so I had no read outs and intermittent gear changes. The engine kept running fortunately,” he said.

It was Balfe and Bromiley weekend though,” We started so far down that I just had to take every chance and Derek’s not the easiest person to pass,” said Bromiley. “A surprising weekend for us, we both drove well and were in the right place at the right time,” Balfe replied.

There was a further blow for Allen and probably the cruellest, when Wheldon pipped him for fourth overall and the class win on the last lap. “I had got a run on him out of Paddock and he was stuck behind Chris Hillaby, they went for the inside and I got by on the exit, so really happy,” said Wheldon.

Moseley finished the race on Allen’s tail too, while Kapadia, Manhal Allos, Abbott and Flux completed the top ten. “We lost time in the pitlane and Rob got clear, which didn’t give me enough time to catch Ross either,” said Moseley. “Pete was disappointed with his stint, he had got the confidence with not testing in the dry, but had a good fight with Fluxy, Manhal and James Abbott,” added Kapadia.

RESULT
1 Bromiley/Balfe 48 laps in 40m01.708s (86.23mph); 2 Woodward/Kaiser +6.540s; 3 Derek Johnston (SR8); 4 Thorburn/Wheldon; 5 Allen; 6 Smithson/Moseley; 7 Osborne/Kapadia; 8 Manhal Allos (SR8); 9 Abbot/Abbott; 10 Currie/Flux. Masters: 1 Bromiley/Balfe; 2 Woodward/Kaiser; 3 Johnston; 4 Allos; 5 White/Wright. 6 Lord/Wilkins. Supersports: 1 Thorburn/Wheldon; 2 Allen; 3 Smithson/Moseley; 4 Osborne/Kapadia; 5 Abbott/Abbott; 6 Currie/Flux; 7 Carver; 8 Suominen/Gatti; 9 Fearns; 10 Michael Jackson/Ben Jackson; 11 Biley/Hillaby. Fastest lap: Kaiser 44.929s (96.04mph).

Published by Peter Scherer for Radical Sportscars, 16 August 2010