SCOTTISH MINI COOPER TITLE FOR SERIES ROOKIE GE RAG H TY
Mark Geraghty overcame a 12-point deficit and a trio of action-packed races to clinch the Scottish Mini Cooper title in the season finale at Knockhill. The rookie, in his second year of car racing, took a win and a second before wrapping up the championship with 10th in race three.
“It’s amazing,” said Geraghty. “I never thought I’d be able to achieve this in my first year in the series!”
Five drivers arrived at the Fife circuit with a mathematical chance of taking the title. At the start of the opening race, one of them, Ian Munro forcefully seized the advantage into Duffus, as poleman Robbie Dalgleish and long-time points-leader Morgan Murray collided. Dalgleish was able to continue out of the Leslie’s gravel trap, but Murray’s race was run with a broken driveshaft.
Second for Geraghty moved the Perth driver into the points lead, which he subsequently extended taking victory from Dalgleish in an enthralling race two. The 19-car field embraced panel-rubbing with such alacrity that three-abreast battles into Duffus and the Hairpin were the norm in the nine-lap encounter, with Geraghty beating Dalgleish and Dylan O’donnell by 0.1s at the flag.
An incredible stroke of luck placed Murray, who recovered to eighth in race two, on pole for the reversed-grid third race. He duly took his seventh win of the season, but it wasn’t enough to usurp Geraghty, whose top 10 finish secured the title by six points.
Lee Elrick claimed the Scottish BMW Championship after a pair of nail-biting races won by interloper Ally Smith. Elrick was fourth behind chief rival Gary Clark in race one and knew a repeat result in the second would be enough to secure the title. His cause was helped massively by David Mcnaughton, himself an outside bet for the championship. In an attempt to wrestle second from Clark into Duffus, Mcnaughton tapped the reigning champion into a spin at Leslie’s, dropping him to last and allowing Elrick, who finished third, to take the title.
Disqualification from the opening Scottish Legends race due to an underweight car delayed John Paterson’s title celebrations, but the defending champion didn’t have to wait long to be crowned for the fourth successive year. ‘Wee Pat’ took race two victory from pole, before annihilating the field in the final race, winning by a staggering 12s in just eight racing laps. Race one victor Ivor Greenwood spectacularly crashed out when contact with Colin Mcneill launched the Northern Irishman into a sickening barrel-roll exiting the Hairpin.
Ross Martin ended the Scottish Formula Ford 1600 season how he started it back in April, claiming two lights-to-flag victories. Jordan Gronkowski stroked his Van Diemen to a brace of second places, with Seb Melrose completing both podiums and consolidating runner-up position in the championship.
Fresh from securing the Scottish Classic title last month, Alastair Baptie gave his new MGB GT V8 car a winning debut with a comfortable race two victory. Baptie’s guest-entry car headed race one winner Tommy Gilmartin (Morgan +8) to the flag by 3.1s. Harry Simpson, Raymond Boyd, Bruce Mitchell and Mario Ferrari each took class wins.
Ron Cumming (Nemesis Kit Car) and Kenneth Mckell (Mitsubishi Lancer E8) split the Scottish Saloons and Sportscars victories. The Scottish Fiesta races were won by Steven Gray and Barry Farquharson.
Dave Robinson won the Lulworth Cove Car Trial, the opening round of the highly competitive and successful Woolbridge Motor Club winter series of six events. Uncharacteristic hot sunny weather made for dry sections with Robinson taking a very narrow overall win from Mark Hoppe.
Hoppe won the ballasted front-wheel-drive class by a clear margin and secured the ASWMC championship at the final round for the third time. Norton Selwood swapped cars to share Robinson’s Reliant, in the absence of his smaller brother Jack, and finished a fabulous third overall.
New national BTRDA Gold Star champion Shawn Franklin returned to where he started just four years ago to take a class win and fourth overall from Jeremy Searle who drove superbly in his 106. The trial was dominated by Citroen Saxos with nearly half the entry made up of the car in various model variants. Vicki Hayward shared Franklin’s Saxo, and achieved best Lady, with son Harvey best Junior, and husband Craig third in class. Simon Thomlinson borrowed the motor club’s loan Vauxhall Corsa, winning best Novice. Dominic Bishop won the specials class by a single point after 24 tough technical sections.
The next event of the series is on November 5.