Hobson and Griffith on top in Norfolk’s Civic thrillers
SNETTERTON BRSCC JULY 78
The Civic Cup once again stole the show in terms of action as Daniel Hobson and James Griffith shared the victory spoils.
Hobson led and was beginning to build a healthy lead early in race one, until championship leader Rob Baker escaped from a four-car battle for second, getting the better of Daniel Reason by the end of lap two. Baker then challenged for the lead but Hobson kept him at bay, as Reason retained third, closely followed by Mark Grice and Bruce Winfield.
With the top 10 finishers reversed for the race-two grid, Griffith withstood race-long pressure from Ben Sharpe to take a lights-to-flag victory. But behind them there were six contenders for the final step of the podium. Winfield fended off Grice and Baker in the final moments to stake his claim to it.
Peter Drennan and Conor Farrell took their duel in the first Global GT Lights race right to the flag. Drennan snatched it by a tenth, and the battle for third was just as close: James Thompson ultimately lost out to Mark Braden.
It was shaping up to be another battle between Farrell and Drennan in race two, until Drennan’s ambitious first-lap move at Murray’s resulted in contact and sent him heading for the pits. Farrell pitted a couple of laps later, leaving Braden to take the win over Thompson and Conor May.
Drennan made up for his misdemeanour with a comfortable race-three win, taking Thompson on the second lap, before Farrell and Braden followed through to complete the podium.
Jamie Going took two wins out of three in the Fiesta Championship, which became fairly processional after the initial battling. Harry Gooding was Going’s constant shadow in race one, with Danny Harrison edging clear of the chasers in third. But the roles were reversed in race two as Gooding headed Going and Harrison throughout. Going had the legs of Gooding again in race three, as Ryan Faulconbridge joined them on the podium.
It was a hard-fought win in race one of the Alfa Romeo Championship for Ray Foley’s 147 GTA. Paul Webster (156) chased all the way, having overtaken Fiat Punto
Abarth man Chris Mcfie on lap three of nine. Clutch problems thwarted Webster’s challenge, but he remained well clear of Chris Oxborough’s 75 V6 in third.
Although Foley led again from the start of race two, Oxborough surged ahead on the Bentley Straight on lap three, with Mcfie and Webster finishing nose to tail for third.
Richard Ford’s 147 won the Twinspark class in both races, aided in race one when David Messenger, Tom Hill and Kristian Leith all collided at Murray’s on the first lap.
After alternating the lead for almost every lap, Justin Heap just pipped Ben Buckley to win the Caterham Academy Green Group race, while Chris Moore was a lights-to-flag White Group winner over Dan Piper.
Clive Wood’s Mallock Mk23 took a hat-trick of wins in the Clubmans Sports Protoypes. Alan Cook and
Steve Dickens held second and third in race one, but Dickens retired from second in race two, leaving Cook and Monika Arvidsson to complete the top three. Despite a poor start, Arvidsson snatched second in race three from Pete Richings.
Jonathan Lewis’s 1965 Austin Mini Cooper S was a comfortable Coys Trophy winner. Despite losing two gears, he eased away from early leader Allan Rossjones (Lotus Ford Cortina). In the Allstars race, Charles Rainford (Marcos) was in charge throughout, with Lewis second.