Radical Clubmans Cup - Rounds 7 & 8 - Donington Park

Jonathan Wright and Ross Edwards continued their rivalry from last time out at Castle Combe and once again it was even, with one win each for the PR6 drivers, after two terrific racelong duels.

Both Edwards and Chris Grieve (SR3) got the better of Wright at the start of race one, but Wright was into second as they braked for the chicane, at the head of a massive 30 car grid. The SR3’s of Tom Ashton and Simon Fish duelled for fourth, but were already falling adrift of the lead trio.

Grieve spun exiting McLeans on the second and destroyed a marker Board and returnee Simon Packer spun his SR4 at the chicane. But at the front Wright went through to lead at Redgate. They were side by side still at the chicane again with no quarter given, but Wright held on, while Fish was left in third when Ashton pitted.

Edwards was back in front from lap four and started build a slight lead, as Fish closed in on Wright. Having only just taken fourth Roger Bromiley pitted and handed the place to the duelling Paul Steele (SR3) and Alan Hogg (SR4).

But Wright was back to challenge within a couple of laps and Steele made it through the pack for fourth the chicane. On lap nine the lead changed and it began to look decisive after Edwards got put on the grass down the main straight by a backmarker.

But on lap 13 the boot was on the other foot. “I came through Craners flat out and got two wheels on the grass trying to taking a backmarker. Onto the rumble strips at the Old Hairpin I spun,” Wright explained. Edwards was able to ease up and cruise to victory by over two seconds from Fish, with Wright recovering to hold onto third.

“Both my mirrors had been knocked sideways, so I was relieved when Jonathan went by so I could see where he was,” said Edwards. “I was just keeping out of trouble,” Fish replied after sealing a class win too. Steele, Grieve and Nigel Morrison completed the top six and the Supersports class, while in seventh Richard Stables PR6 was second in class to Edwards, after improving 12 places on his qualifying position. In the height of the overall scramble for honours, it may have gone unmissed that there was little to separate Stephen Lindsay and Gary Kane again in the Biduro’s, in the end it was Lindsay’s win by 0.566secs. The Clubsports were as close if not closer, Andy Harwood heading Mark Boot and John Hayman, all three covered by 0.7secs after a racelong scrap.

1 Ross Edwards (PR6) 18 laps in 21m10.369s (99.81mph); 2 Simon Fish (SR3) 21m13.075s; 3 Jonathan Wright (PR6); 4 Paul Steele (SR3); 5 Chris Grieve); 6 Nigel Morrison (PR6); 7 Richard Stables (PR6); 8 Simon Dolan (SR3); 9 Steve Burgess (SR3); 10 Darren Anley (Prosport).  Class winners: Fish; Wright; Stephen Lindsay (SR4); Andy Harwood (Clubsport). Fastest lap: Wright 1m08.882s (102.29mph).

 RACE TWO

It was Grieve’s turn to make the best get away in race two, with Wright and Edwards battling over second. Wright claimed the place at the chicane and both he and Edwards had demoted Grieve within a lap. All three were nose tail still, having broken clear of the duelling Fish and Morrison.

Behind the top five, everyone seemed to pairing off, with Hogg fighting Packer and Darren Anley battling to hold off Kane. The lead pair were not to be outdone either, side by side at the chicane, before Edwards made it to the fore.

With James Cook’s SR4 to be recovered from the gravel, the safety car came out and the whole field were back in contention. Edwards led the crocodile for two laps from Wright, Grieve, Fish, Morrison and Hogg, ready to charge again as the lights went out and the safety car peeled off.

The top six held station, but Anley and Steve Burgess both found their way past Packer. Wright has stuck with Edwards for the lead and Morrison was on Fish’s tail still for fourth. Morrison successfully challenged Fish at the chicane, but the closeness of battle behind made overtaking commonplace. Hogg, Burgess and Steele circulated nose to tail and Packer retook Anley into the chicane.

But as in the first race it was lap 13 that proved decisive, when Wright shot past under braking for the chicane.

Wright took the win by 0.7secs over Edwards in a totally clean non contact battle, that lasted for the entire race. “I could have done that all day, really close. Whoever had the best run out of Coppice had the lead, and it proved to be Jonathan,” said Edwards. “It was just a brilliant race,” replied Wright.

Morrison claimed third in a penultimate lap sort out as both he and Fish challenged Grieve. Morrison got through but there was contact with Fish who then spun. So Grieve followed Morrison home fourth, with Steele and Hogg both going through before the recovering Fish. “I left my braking late and had just got a nose ahead of Chris, I didn’t expect Simon to be there as well,” said Morrison.

Morrison’s late charge also gave him the Supersports class over Grieve, Steele and Fish, while Hogg comfortably headed the Biduro’s from Packer. Although Harwood escaped to a clear win in Clubsports, Hayman ad Boot took their scrap for second down to the wire.

1 Wright 15 laps in 19m08.795s (92.00mph); 2 Edwards 19m09.227s; 3 Morrison; 4 Grieve; 5  Steele; 6 Alan Hogg (SR4); 7 Fish; 8 Burgess; 9 Simon Packer (SR4);10 Stables. Class winners: Edwards; Morrison; Hogg; Harwood. Fastest lap: Wright 1m08.760s (102.47mph).

Radical UK Cup - Rounds 9 & 10 - Donington Park

As the UK Cup visited the UK’s future Grand Prix venue, entries were at a record level with no less than seven sleek SR8’s vying for the podium.

Terrence Woodward and Ross Kaiser managed to outpace season long rivals Derek Johnston and Stuart Moseley in both races, but misfortune struck again and it was honours even with one win apiece, just like Castle Combe.

Woodward started from pole and his SR8 led Ben Jackson into Redgate from the start, as the mass ranks of Radicals swarmed through the tricky right hander. But Jackson pushed for the lead down the Craner Curves and went straight on at the Old Hairpin, collecting the tyre wall. He was unharmed, but his SR8 needed some loving care from the dedicated works pit crew to make the start of race two.

Johnston slotted back in second and joined Woodward as they eased away from third place John Stanley. Bahrain based Bob George on his UK Cup debut soon got to grips with his SR8, taking Phil Hall and Ziad El Akabi for fourth on lap five, as he thrived on the flat out swoops of the Craner Curves.. But it was soon all over for El Akabi as he pulled off at Schwantz curve, his race run.

Woodward upped his pace after about seven laps but drama was just around the corner. Into Redgate for the 11th time the leader spun, after what appeared to be an altercation with a backmarker. “No the backmarker may have moved over a little, but I lost my brakes just before I spun and had been pumping them," he explained.

Johnston was left with over eight seconds in hand over Stanley, who had George rapidly closing in. Hall was up to fourth with SR3 class leader Alex Kapadia fifth and Richard Fearns SR8 sixth, after Jamie Patterson had slowed a few laps earlier.

Although the gaps continued to open and close the order remained relatively unchanged until the pit stop window opened. An exception being Hall who had to make an early unscheduled stop. Fearns was the one to benefit, shooting into fourth having earlier charged past Kapadia.

As the frantic pitstop action reached fever pitch, Johnston handed a comfortable lead to Moseley and barring mishaps looked unlikely to change. “I am slowly getting happier, my plan was stay near the lead today and I did,” he said.

Gradually over the next 20 laps Moseley stamped his authority on the race. “It was all down to Derek really, all I had to do was drive around and bring it home in one piece,” he said.

Stanley/ Swift managed to consolidate their hold on second, after George had a few minor excursions at the Old Hairpin and slowed towards the end. “A little bit of off roading didn’t hurt anyone, but I got fuel surge towards the end, otherwise I really had the car working well,” he explained. Fearns slowed up too but still came home in fourth.

Kapadia/Dan Laddiman were cruising in fifth having dominated the Supersport class, when they suffered a late retirement too. “It had been straight forward, just conserving the car and our class lead during my stint,” said Kapadia.

Despite having run more than half of the race with a broken exhaust, Jeremy Ferguson/Ross Allen took the class spoils. “When it went we had no grunt. I started to turn in more on the pace and the times picked up. I didn’t think we would finish though, but the car did us proud” said Ferguson. Ross Kaiser was heading for the top six in the Woodward car until he spun out on Craner Curves after 30 laps.

Simon Dolan/Sam Hancock completed the top six and secured second in class over Patterson, Andrew Ferguson/Nigel Redwood and Ian Simmonds, while Hall/Nick Osborn nursed their SR8 home 10th with a slowly deflating rear tyre.

1 Derek Johnston/Stuart Moseley (SR8) 44 laps in 50m18.253s (102.71mph); 2 John Stanley/James Swift (SR8) 50m55.106s; 3 Bob George (SR8) 4 Richard Fearns (SR8); 5Jeremy Ferguson/Ross Allen ((SR3); 6 Simon Dolan/Sam Hancock (SR3); 7 Jamie Paterson (PR6); 8 Andrew Ferguson/Nigel Redwood (SR3); 9 Ian Simmonds (SR3); 10 Phil Hall/Nick Osborn (SR8); Class winners: Ferguson/Allen. Fastest lap: Woodward/Kaiser 1m04.115s (109.89mph).

There was more work for the busy pit crews to get Woodward/Kaiser’s pole sitting SR8 repaired. All the required spares were quickly on hand and the pristine machine was back in action.

Woodward headed Johnston and El Akabi in the charge to Redgate from the rolling start in race two, with Swift joining them in the second lap break, as all four ran inches apart in a dramatic opening lap. George began to establish himself in fifth from Kapadia.

Woodward quickly upped his pace and more than doubled his lead. The order behind became relatively static, apart from Osborn closing on Michael Jackson for seventh. By the end of lap 16 Woodward’s lead was up to 16 secs and growing.

George made an impromptu pitstop just before the pit stop window opened, so lost time when he made his scheduled stop. Kaiser carried on where Woodward had left off, with Moseley and Stanley restored in their pre stop order. Fearns’ SR8 started to catch Patterson for sixth but had Hancock reeling them both in. There were a couple of exchanges, but Fearns had the power advantage over Hancock, and both gained when Patterson retired.

Kaiser’s lead had grown to over 20 seconds when Moseley started to eat into it, Stanley went a lap down on the lead pairs but was still well established in third, while Ben Jackson came storming through the field and held fourth from lap 30.

As in any endurance race the drivers who had preserved there machinery had the easier run to the flag. With just over 10 minutes to go the dramas began to unfold once more. Kaiser’s comfortable lead was looking under serious threat and on the final lap he almost stopped at McLeans. “I think were low on fuel and then there was a surge on the third to last lap. It cut out and then again at McLeans, so I just had to weave on the last lap and hope for the best,” he explained.

After 50 minutes of racing the lead was down to a nailbiting 1.3 secs at the flag, with Moseley having hoped for one more lap. “I saw the last lap board for the car in front, but it was chequered for us,” said Moseley.

Swift/Stanley completed a successful day with a second third place, “it’s been a good and reliable weekend for us,” they said.

Ben Jackson brought the family SR8 home in fourth, “It was sliding a lot at the back end, but my turn to take on the used car, “he said.

Kapadia/Laddiman finally got the reward for their class dominance with a victory and fifth overall, “I watched all the temperature gauges, tried to conserve the car, short shifted and worked out in my head how long was left,” said Laddiman.

A gesticulating Hancock finally made it past Fearns for sixth and was second in the Supersports class, while Roger Bromiley/Rob Wheldon, Paul Steele and Hall/Osborn completed the top 10.

1 Woodward/ Kaiser 45 laps in 50m52.927s (103.85mph); 2 Johnston/Moseley 50m54.226s; 3 Stanley/Swift; 4 Michael Jackson/Ben Jackson (SR8); 5 Alex Kapadia/Dan Laddiman; 6 Simon Dolan/Sam Hancock (SR3); 7 Fearns; 8 Roger Bromiley/Rob Wheldon (SR3); 9 Paul Steele (SR3); 10 Hall/Osborn. Class winners: Kapadia/Laddiman. Fastest lap: Johnston/Mosley 1m04.178s (109.79mph).

Issued by Peter Scherer for Radical Sports Cars, August 4th, 2008