MILLS AND FASTRES MAKE THEIR LEGENDS MARK
Guy Fastres and Connor Mills shared the spoils on Saturday’s trio of soggy Legends races at Snetterton.
Belgian polesitter Fastres managed the wet weather to claim his first win of the season in the opener by 9.753 seconds in a car he described as “perfect”.
Stephen Whitelegg tried to challenge for the lead early on but a moment at Brundle and Nelson meant he couldn’t keep up, which allowed Jack Parker and Connor Mills to pass for the two remaining podium spots.
Fastres followed up the victory with a charge from 16th to third in race two, but it was Mills who was most delighted with a first win since the Pembrey event in April. He then went on to take a second victory in race three thanks to an astonishing opening lap that took him from 13th to first. “It just shows what we can do, especially if it’s raining,” he added.
The clouds parted on Sunday for a Stephen Whitelegg victory, holding off the bumpdrafting pair of Mills and John Mickel, the latter nursing a late oil leak.
The title leader repaired the leak in time for wins in races five and six, thanks to two trademark storming starts – including 11th to first in a lap and a half in race five. Parker made steady progress up to second, and looked like he would challenge for the lead, but ended up squabbling with Fastres for the second step of the podium – a duel that ultimately ended in favour of the Belgian.
The first two British Truck Racing Championship races were stop-start affairs in greasy conditions. A spin for Michael Oliver on the exit of Wilson in race one brought the red flags out, leaving a two-lap dash to the chequered flag when racing resumed. Ryan Smith emerged first, fresh from his win in the European series at Most in the Czech Republic, also picking up the race three winner’s trophy. Smith was tagged on the first lap of race two along with Michael Oliver at Agostini to cause a restart, but the biggest heartache was for Oly Janes who was denied a maiden win by an injector issue which forced him to pit from a 10s lead. That gifted David Jenkins the victory after a torrid Saturday. Shane Brereton tasted the race four champagne, while a first 2016 win for Simon Reid was dashed by a gearbox failure on the Bentley Straight, leaving Stuart Oliver to claw a handful of points back in the title hunt with the race five silverware.
Shayne Deegan wrapped up the Mini Miglia title with a pair of wins, crossing the line a breathtaking 43.998s ahead of James Coulson in second place, before confirming the brace in race two. “What a way to sign off,” the 21-year-old beamed afterwards. Ashley Davies goes into the Se7ens finale at Zandvoort with one hand on the title after a race one class win, with Kieren Mcdonald taking the second.
Classic Thunder, Pre-’03 and Classic VW Touring Cars were headed by the Thunder’s Subarus. Vaughan Fletcher won the first race, but with one more lap Dale Gent may have taken it for himself. A spin at halfway at Oggies for Gent remarkably didn’t cost him his second place, and after that lapped between 1.3s and 2s per lap quicker than Fletcher, bringing the lead down from 4.7s to just 0.2s at the flag. Gent made quicker work on Sunday, passing Fletcher for the lead at Oggies before Fletcher spun at Williams, the race one winner eventually crossing the line fourth.
In the Pre-’66 and Pre-’83 races, Stephen Primett got bogged down at the start in his Ford Escort, handing Ted Pearson the win, before Pearson did it again in race two. Phil Manser claimed both Pre-’66 class honours.
Kenny Coleman eased his Ford Capri to victory from the front row in a truncated first Pre-’93, Pre-’05 and BOSS race, shortened as a result of Brian Long stopping at Wilson and causing a red flag just over a minute from the end. Ray West was the weekend’s other winner.
Newly crowned Class B champion Oliver Taylor made the step up to the A1 class in the Kumho BMW Championship finishing second behind James Macintyre-ure. The pair were in a class of their own, finishing more than 28s ahead of third-placed Ian Hill.
Macintyre-ure tried to make it two from two, but Lee Spencer used his E36’s superior straightline speed to pass on the Bentley Straight a lap and a half from home.
The 2013 Luna Logistics Classic Formula Ford champion Adriano Medeiros pulled off the seemingly impossible when he scored two wins by 1m12.143s and 42.213s, lapping more than 6s per lap quicker than his rivals.
David Mellor and Adrian Wray shared the MG Owners’ Championship spoils to keep the title fight alive heading to Silverstone.