Geraghty’s Cooper coronation
MARK GERAGHTY OVERCAME a 12-point deficit during a trio of action-packed races to clinch the Scottish Mini Cooper title in the season-finale at Knockhill. Geraghty, in his second year of car racing, took a win and a second before sealing the championship with 10th in race three.
“It’s amazing,” he said. “I never thought I’d be able to achieve this in my first year in the series!”
Five drivers arrived at the Fife circuit with a mathematical chance of taking the title. At the start of the opening race one of them, Ian Munro, forcefully seized the advantage into Duffus, as poleman Robbie Dalgleish and long-time points leader Morgan Murray collided. Dalgleish was able to continue out of the Leslie’s gravel trap, but Murray’s race was run owing to a broken driveshaft.
Second for Geraghty moved the Perth driver into the points lead, which he subsequently extended with victory over Dalgleish in an enthralling race two. The 19-car field embraced panel-rubbing with such alacrity that three-abreast battles into Duffus and the Hairpin were the norm during the nine-lap encounter, with Geraghty beating Dalgleish and Dylan O’donnell by 0.5s at the flag.
Murray started on pole for the reversed-grid third race by dint of recovering to eighth in race two. He duly took his seventh win of the season, but it wasn’t enough to usurp Geraghty, whose top 10 finish meant the title was his by six points.
Lee Elrick claimed the Scottish BMW Championship after a pair of nail-biting races won by interloper Ally Smith. Elrick was fourth behind chief rival Gary Clark in race one and knew a repeat result in the second would be enough to secure the title. His cause was helped massively by David Mcnaughton, himself an outside bet for the championship. In an attempt to wrestle second from Clark into Duffus, Mcnaughton tapped the reigning champion into a spin at Leslie’s, dropping him to last and allowing Elrick, who finished third, to take the title.
Disqualification from the opening Scottish Legends race due to an underweight car delayed John Paterson’s title celebrations, but the defending champion didn’t have to wait long to be crowned for the fourth successive year. ‘Wee Pat’ took race two victory from pole, before surging ahead of the field in the final race, winning by a staggering 12s in just eight racing laps. Race one victor Ivor Greenwood crashed out in scary circumstances after a collision with Colin Mcneil launched him into a sickening barrel roll exiting the Hairpin.
Ross Martin ended the Scottish Formula Ford 1600 season how he started it back in April, claiming two lights-to-flag victories.
Jordan Gronkowski stroked his
Van Diemen to a brace of second places, with Seb Melrose completing both podiums and consolidating runner-up position in the championship.
Fresh from securing the Scottish Classic title last month, Alastair Baptie gave his new MGB GT
V8 car a winning debut with a comfortable race two victory. Baptie’s guest-entry car headed race one winner Tommy Gilmartin (Morgan Plus 8) to the flag by 3.1s.
Ron Cumming (Nemesis Kit Car) and Kenneth Mckell (Mitsubishi Evo 8) split the Scottish Saloons and Sportscars Championship wins.
Honoures in the Scottish Ford Fiesta races were shared by Steven Gray and Barry Farquharson.