‘A late move gave Whorton-eales glory’
The Clio spoils were shared between Ant Whorton-eales and Paul Rivett, though the former could have been a double victor if not for a technical infringement that excluded him from the race two results.
Max Coates, who impressively secured his first pole by 0.2 seconds, made errors on both his initial start, and the restarted race after the red flags were shown for Dan Zelos rolling at the Old Hairpin and WDE Motorsport team-mates of Charlie Ladell and Rory Green taking each other out.
A strong second start by row two man Whorton-Eales moved him into second behind Lee Pattison, with fellow series stalwart Paul Rivett in close company behind. The trio went three abreast heading into the Esses, with Rivett seizing the lead of the race on the inside line, though Whorton-eales impressively passed Pattison on the outside to reclaim second.
A move into the final chicane on lap five gave Whorton-eales his first victory of the season, in a race that ended three laps early due to another red flag stoppage as Senna Proctor also rolled his car.
The second contest was comfortable for Whorton-Eales, who reclaimed the lead after initially losing out to Pattison off the start. Rivett then demoted Pattison to third as they closed out the opening lap, while four drivers including George Jackson were penalised for false starts. Pattison’s poor luck continued as he and Ladell made contact heading into the chicane, leaving the former in a spin and bound for the pitlane.
Whorton-eales was set to double up his honours, ahead of Rivett and Charlie Ladell, who claimed a first ever podium finish in the series, but Whorton-Eales’s exclusion for a technical infringement ensured Rivett inherited the win, and extended his championship lead.
Whorton-eales’s Jam Sport team has subsequently lodged an appeal regarding the exclusion. It is already the second time he has failed technical checks.
Further back, Rory Collingbourne completed a strong rise through the field to finish ninth after starting six rows further back in 20th.