GRAHAM CONSOLIDATES
Organiser: BTRDA When: April 16/17 Where: Pembrey, South Wales Starters: 34/36
Tommy Graham surprised himself to win at the opening round at Blyton Park in his Zakspeed Ford Escort Mk2. It wasn’t a circuit suited to the car, but Pembrey last weekend was.
Graham dominated the Super Modified category to add two wins to his Blyton victory and secure his position at the top of the points. Graham was fastest in each of the three heats on Saturday and wasn’t challenged in a lights-to-flag victory of over 21 seconds in the final.
Scottish driver Kenny Hall was second in a replica of the first podium of the year, while Peugeot 106 campaigner David Attiwell completed the rostrum.
Graham again dominated on Sunday, winning the final from Marc Jones, who had been Graham’s closest challenger and led the Escort driver for much of their race in heat three, driving his Toyota MR2.
Attiwell finished on the podium for the third time in succession, in third. Swift Rallycross Championship competitor Simon Ovenden raced at the event and finished fourth in the A final on Saturday, before finishing sixth on Sunday, behind fellow Swift campaigner Chris Woollett.
Mike Dresser finished fourth on day two, driving a Honda Civic Type R.
The Clubmans Supercar and Production 4x4 categories were mixed, with the top three cars covered by less than a second for much of the A final on Saturday, until an accident between Dmitrij Sribnyj and Gary Pusey left the latter driver with a heavily damaged car and two broken ribs.
Mike Manning won the final on Saturday in his Production Subaru Impreza, ahead of Supercar newcomer Nigel Burke. Sribnyj rounded out the podium in his damaged Impreza. On day two, Manning won again by over five seconds.
John Ward qualified on pole position for the Production final and led throughout in round two, pressured by round one winner James Orton. Richard Todd completed the podium. The action was just as close on Sunday, when Ward took his second victory of the weekend ahead of Paul Davis.
In the Clubmans series, the top two cars from each final progress into the next. Production B final winner Mark Finch beat Adam Mills in the encounter, where both progressed, the positions reversed in the A final; Mills finishing sixth and Finch seventh.
In Pre-1995 Historics, former Stock Hatch racer Darren Clark claimed victory in round two in his Nissan Sunny GTIR, having traded places throughout the final with Mark Griffin’s rear-wheel-drive Ford Fiesta. Round one winner Mark Richardson finished third in his beastly Sierra Cosworth.
On Sunday, Ford Escort Mk2 campaigner Shaun Buckley scored a maiden victory, with former Production category driver Ryan Stutchbury second in his converted Peugeot 205 and Mitchell rounding out the podium finishers. Griffin had qualified on pole but engine issues prevented him from starting. Transmission problems led to a similar fate for Richardson and Clark. Results Saturday Clubman Supercar/ Production 4x4 (6 laps) 1 Mike Manning (Subaru Impreza) 6m16.484s, 2 Nigel Burke (Subaru Impreza) +12.777s, 3 Dmitrij Sribnyj (Subaru Impreza) +16.215s, 4 Gary Pusey (Subaru Impreza) -3 laps; no other starters.
Super Modified (6 laps) 1 Tommy Graham (Ford Escort) 5m50.267s; 2 Kenny Hall (Renault Clio) +21.608s; 3 David Attiwell (Peugeot 106); 4 Simon Ovenden (Suzuki Swift); 5 Marc Jones (Toyota MR2); 6 Paul Williams (Ford Focus).
Production (6 laps) 1 John Ward (Peugeot 106) 6m11.042s, 2 James Orton (Peugeot 106) +0.744s, 3 Richard Todd (Peugeot 106), 4 Peter Hamlett (Peugeot 306); 5 Paul Davis (Citroen Saxo); 6 Fred Ling (Citroen Saxo).
Historic (6 laps) 1 Darren Clark (Nissan Sunny) 6m09.858s; 2 Mark Griffin (Ford Fiesta) +0.791s; 3 Mark Richardson (Ford Sierra); 4 Gary Mitchell (Vauxhall Vectra); 5 Ryan Stutchbury (Peugeot 205); 6 Shaun Buckley (Ford Escort). Sunday Clubman Supercar/ Production 4x4 (6 laps) 1 Manning 6m03.114s, 2 Sribnyj +5.518s; no other starters Super Modified (6 laps) 1 Graham 5m51.073s; 2 Jones +19.833s; 3 Attiwell; 4 Mike Dresser (Honda Civic); 5 Chris Woollett (Suzuki Swift); 6 Ovenden. Production (6 laps) 1 Ward 6m17.136s, 2 Davis +0.320s; 3 Orton; 4 Todd; 5 Eddie Gibbs (Citroen Saxo), 6 Adam Mills (Peugeot 106).
Historic (6 laps) 1 Buckley 6m18.441s; 2 Stutchbury +0.766s; 3 Mitchell; 4 Chris Farrell (Ford Escort); 5 David Brown (Mazda RX-7); 6 Richardson.