BLACK MAN GAINS LEAD IN SMITH BATTLE
Two more wins for Malcolm Blackman topped up his unbeaten record at Brands Hatch this year and put him on course for another South Eastern Intermarque title.
Blackman’s winning margins looked comfortable by the end of the races, but were both hard-earned after tense tussles with main rival Lewis Smith in a similar Vauxhall Tigra, who qualified fastest.
Blackman and Smith came to Brands level on points after applying dropped scores, but left Kent with Blackman holding the upper hand. He has won every race at the circuit while Smith has won every race held elsewhere. The title decider will be on the Indy circuit in November.
Championship returnee Chris Brockhurst couldn’t stay with the leading duo in race one, but finished well clear of fourth man Ian Hales, who was fighting back after a first-corner incident.
The top 10 were reversed for race two, Brockhurst had worked his way to the lead by lap three from eighth on the grid. Blackman hit the front on lap five, while Smith had to settle for third after a spin at Graham Hill Bend. He had previously passed Brockhurst for second, who then inherited the place after Smith’s spin. The bunch contesting fourth to 10th had a joint moment last time through an oily Surtees, helping Steve Burrows to take the place in his Peugeot 206.
Steve Kite scored his fourth and fifth wins in the Hyundai Coupe Cup after surviving the opening lap scrambles in the weekend’s first race. Alex Cursley made a rocket getaway from row three to head the charge briefly, but Kite was soon in control following a poor start.
Cursley was bundled wide at Druids in race two, falling to seventh before recovering to fourth place. Wayne Rockett gained two podiums, and former Ginetta Junior William Taylforth also showed well with a fourth and a second. Another ex-junior, Geri Nicosia, finished sixth and seventh on his first Coupe Cup appearances.
Dan Fisher enjoyed a near-perfect day among the Tin Tops, qualifying fastest and winning both races in his Honda Civic. Rod Birley (Honda Integra) kept the pressure on Fisher while staying clear of his neighbour Bob Hosier, who twice won his class in a SEAT Leon. James Ross (fourth overall and second in class each time in his Vauxhall Astra) and defending champion Mikey Day both lost ground to Fisher in the chase for the title. Day’s Citroen Saxo suffered a double retirement.
Will Dyrdal extended his Junior Saloons points lead with win number seven on Sunday morning, and earned the title in winning style by heading his only remaining rival, Ethan Hammerton, by a comfortable margin in race two.
Poleman Anton Spires applied massive pressure on Ben Palmer in the first of two Clio Cup races, but Palmer soaked it all up for his ninth win of the year. Tyler Lidsey pushed hard before overcoming Simon Freeman for third place. Roles were reversed in race two, with Palmer applying the pressure to winner Spires. Freeman kept Lidsey at bay second time around.
The top four out of eight Clio Cup Junior entries raced in close formation throughout their first race, but nobody could unseat Max Marzorati from the lead. He was followed home by Gustav Burton, Lorcan Hanafin and Jack Young. Best qualifier Hanafin took the initiative in race two and was never threatened on his way to a first Clio win. Marzorati was only seventh after a dusty off at Clearways.
Rod Birley clinched another Modified Saloons title with two wins on Sunday, and he duly delivered despite some mechanical worries along the way. Malcolm Wise finished second and third in a misfiring Ford Escort, hounded and eventually beaten by Andy Banham’s roadgoing Subaru as the Escort’s condition deteriorated in race two. Tony Skelton (Renault Clio) was a double class winner despite a lap-one spin in race two after contact with Banham at Druids. Race two ended in confusion after two cars collided at Graham Hill and brought out the safety car.
Paul Roddison and Jon Halliwell enjoyed a race win each in the Mazda Max5 Championship, their cars rarely more than a length or two apart in the course of 36 laps in total. Halliwell felt a little short changed when race one was halted after a collision on the Surtees/ Mclaren section as he was poised in second place. He also reported an intermittent misfire. Although the overall leaders were close, the action among the older MX-5 models was more heated in the bottom half of the top 10.