GIBSON RETURNS TO LEGENDS WINNING WAYS
For Will Gibson, wins in National Legends were like buses. Arriving at Donington Park without a win to speak of in 2019, he subsequently left with two, sharing heat wins with Sy Harraway and Miles Rudman.
“We’ve been in need of some luck,” said Gibson, who snatched his first with a bump-drafting boost from Sean Smith heading into the final chicane, then came through the pack the following day to win again after dodging the spinning Jonty Norman at the Craner Curves. “I was one row away from a massive crash,” he added.
Mickel Motorsport starred in both finals, and series leader John Mickel’s slipstreaming partnership with teammate Paul Simmons was timed to perfection as the former won a nine-car chess game at the final chicane. From a pit start in the second final, Mickel climbed to fourth as Simmons won by 0.051 seconds in a drag with Smith and Rudman, who staged their own heat four photo finish.
The weather was not as kind to others. A sodden Pickups opener dealt a perfect hand to wet weather specialist George Turiccki, who won the restarted race from Mark Willis after a Coppice off for erstwhile leader Mel Collins – one that cost him a maiden victory.
“[Turiccki’s] the master in the wet,” said Willis, but it was points leader Michael Smith who then mastered the dry in a fierce last-lap contest with Turiccki and Dan Petters. The latter pounced after a Turiccki error, but spun in his defence at the chicane as Smith emerged ahead of Collins.
Downpours also prompted Super Silhouettes organisers to put all competitors on wets for their opener, a decision double-winner Malcolm Blackman cunningly countered with a pitlane start on slicks. Despite a visit through the mud giving him doubts, it proved inspired as he clawed back the lost time to overturn Mallory winner Chris Brockhurst’s similar Vauxhall Tigra, charging from seventh to double up in race two.
In contrast, the CNC Heads Sports and Saloons endured deteriorating dry-to-wet conditions for their opener. Victory went to the Caterham of Danny Winstanley, after a costly excursion for Paul Woolfitt’s Lotus Exige.
Both retired from winning positions in the second race, allowing polesitter Luke Armiger to grab victory despite “driving one-handed at times” due to his Vauxhall Tigra’s door making a bid for freedom. Driveshaft issues meant
Danny Bird only contested one race, fighting from last to fifth in his Spire.
A new winner took centre stage in the quartet of Division 1 Truck
races, as Simon Reid broke the 10-race victory streak of in-form Ryan Smith.
Reid defended precisely from Stuart Oliver in a tight five-truck squabble for a maiden win in race two, a wide moment costing a closing Smith in his surge from eighth to third.
“You can’t win them all,” lamented Smith, who won Saturday’s opener from a battling David Jenkins and Shane Brereton. Smith won race three from pole, but could not then catch Jamie Anderson, who battled mechanical issues to end on a high with victory.
Multiple Renault UK Clio Cup champion Paul Rivett rebounded in style to share a brace of Division 2
victories with Luke Garrett.
An early pit visit to change a setting cost Rivett in race one, but the reversed grid allowed him to sprint clear for success by over 12s in race two from the charging Steven Powell, who grasstracked by Erik Forsstrom for second.
Garrett triumphed in the first and fourth races, but injector issues left him limping in the other contests. Rivett’s retirement while leading later helped Garrett return to winning ways, although he admitted “I hated driving for points, because I love racing at Donington.”
Super Mighty Minis shared the grid with their Mighty counterparts. Neven Kirkpatrick was denied a Supers double by millimetres as Greg Jenkins perfectly judged his final corner exit in race two. Mighty Minis matched the theme, as late entry Greg Daw was denied a double by David Burns in a final-lap exchange.