Clutton on the button in Radical Challenge races
Marcus Clutton was the man to beat as the Radical Challenge took to the Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit last weekend.
From lights-out it was Clutton and
Jerome de Sadeleer making an early escape in race one, with Jason Rishover a strong third as the rest were left to fight for fourth. Clutton took his pitstop a lap after most, and rejoined with only metres to spare in front of de Sadeleer. As the leading pair retained their race-long places, Rishover lost his hold on third to Mark Richards at Brooklands with a couple of laps to go, while Shane Stoney and Jac Constable had tangled at Club in the first half of the race.
De Sadeleer got the better of Clutton as they started the sprint race, but Clutton went around the outside at Aintree on the opening lap to lead, only for de Sadeleer to snatch it back into Brooklands. A lap later Clutton was back in front at the same spot and this time held it to the flag.
Richards was third until a collision with Constable at Club on lap four of 10 cost him dearly. While Constable continued in third, Rishover was a clear fourth and Rod Goodman just kept Spencer Bourne at bay for fifth.
There was a familiar feel to the early laps of the final race, as de Sadeleer led Clutton and Rishover. Clutton gradually closed in to lead from Brooklands on lap nine of 21, while Stoney had taken third from Rishover four laps earlier.
Stoney emerged as the new leader after the stops, taking his maiden
Radical Challenge victory over
Clutton and de Sadeleer.
One of the highlights of the GT Cup races was the duel between the Ferrari 488s of Lucky Khera and John Dhillon.
Grahame Tilley’s early lead in race one disappeared when his Nissan GT-R GT3 had a gearbox failure and left John Seale’s Lamborghini in the clear. But gradually Seale’s advantage was eroded and Khera had the lead from lap 10 of 12, with
Dhillon soon following. But Khera was given a track-limits penalty, handing the win to Dhillon, with Seale still third from Jensen Lunn’s Marcos Mantis and the Porsche 997 0f Ben Clayden.
Dhillon led the second race at the start, but Khera was in charge from Aintree on lap three and pitted just ahead of Dhillon, with Seale in third. Marcus Clutton was in for Seale, while Ross Wylie and Aaron Scott had taken over from Khera and Dhillon respectively, and it was Clutton comfortably clear at the flag. Clayden paired up with Sam Randon to take fourth, with the Mclarens of Jan Klingelnberg/warren Hughes and Steve Ruston/john Whitehouse completing the top six.
Seale had the second sprint sewn up early on, after outrunning Khera onto the Wellington Straight on lap two. With Dhillon running off at Maggotts, Khera was a clear second, while Clayden completed the podium after ousting Warren Gilbert’s Mantis with three laps remaining.
Khera finally got his win in the last race, supposedly another endurance contest, but red-flagged in pouring rain and abandoned after five laps.
Dhillon was declared second, from
Clayden and Klingelnberg.
There had been little between Scott
Parkin and Andy Godfrey for the entire Focus Cup first outing, but when it mattered Parkin was ahead by 0.19 seconds at the flag. Richard Avis completed the podium after shaking off Gary Mitchell.
It was wet and got wetter for race two, with Parkin taking Godfrey’s early lead only to aquaplane into retirement at Copse on the third lap. Godfrey held on for his third win of the year, while Simon Walton and Avis survived for podium finishes after PJ Gardner slid off at Village on the last tour.
It was Dallaras to the fore in Monoposto, with a double win for Tony Bishop’s F304 machine. Chris Davison (F301) was a clear second in a wet race one, with Neil Harrison (F302) heading a three-car train for third. Davison was second again in race two, from Dan Gore’s Jedi.
John Byrne left his 7 Race Series rivals to dispute second after making an early break. Phil Jenkins finally claimed second on the last lap from Jon Mitchell and David Henderson. Jenkins went one better in race two, after Alex Koeberle and Byrne had led earlier on. Byrne had to settle for second, from Koeberle and Mitchell.