Smith does enough for Se7ens title
Former British Touring Car Championship racer Jeff Smith was crowned Mini Se7en champion for a second time after three terrific races in wet conditions at Thruxton.
Spencer Wanstall had the early lead in race one, as Smith and Andrew Deviny diced for second. But by lap five of 13, Deviny was seeking the lead as Smith was holding off Lee Roberts. Wanstall then headed for the pits a lap later with alternator problems, ending his race and his title hopes. Deviny therefore took the win with Smith second, while Roberts lost out to Leon Oli Window.
The second race was a battle throughout between Joe Thompson, Wanstall and Smith. There was at least one change of lead practically every lap and, at one point, they were three abreast through Church, with Wanstall ahead at the chicane, only for his sideways exit to hand Smith the lead. It was almost a repeat on the final lap: Wanstall tapped Thompson, who was sent over the grass but held on to win, with Wanstall second from Smith.
Smith finally joined the weekend winners with victory in the last race after another duel with Thompson. With Wanstall out of the running following a spin at the chicane on lap one, Deviny was their nearest threat but, as the rain came down again, Smith consolidated his lead. Thompson was still well clear of Deviny by the flag.
Sam Summerhayes had led the first
Mini Miglia race – which shared a grid with the Se7ens – from the chicane on the second lap but, with continuing pressure from Kane Astin and Aaron Smith, he slid off at Noble three laps from the end. Then, as his rivals battled for the lead, Summerhayes joined them again and it was three abreast up Woodham Hill for the final time. Summerhayes managed to get back in front, with Astin just holding off Smith for second as the trio were covered by 0.552s.
Rupert Deeth was in charge from the opening lap of a restarted race two, while Nick Padmore overcame the fast-starting Summerhayes to secure second.
Padmore had managed to open a gap over Deeth in the finale, but his lead was wiped out by a safety car intervention and Deeth doubled up, while Colin Peacock got the better of Summerhayes for third.
Ian Slark was a comfortable winner in the opening Mighty Minis contest, despite David Kirkpatrick briefly threatening. Mark
Ditchburn took second on lap seven of 12, with Kirkpatrick just holding onto third from Benjamin Butler.
Kirkpatrick led race two until the rain got heavier and Ditchburn went by up Woodham Hill on lap seven. But on the last lap the lead duo were as one into the chicane, and Kirkpatrick won the drag to the flag with only 0.013s to spare, as Adam Bath was a solitary third.
There was a four-car break from the start of the C1 Challenge race, with LB Racing’s Alex Sedgwick, Amigo’s Christian England, Mad Rabbit’s Alex Day and Hybrid Tune’s Stephen James all taking turns to lead. England then fell back with a power issue as his rivals continued their fight, until Sedgwick was the first to pit.
Day led after the first of three hours, from James and Quattro Formaggio’s Alistair May but, as the race strategies unfolded, the Hybrid car – now driven by
Ben Simonds – was a lap up at two hours, from Old Hat’s Callum Hutchings/daniel Bruce, with Quattro Formaggio third in Chris Parkes’s hands.
Into the final 20 minutes, James was in the lead Hybrid car, with over a minute in hand over Amigo’s Rhys Lloyd, while May was third and Baycon’s Oscar Proietti a lap down in fourth.
Lloyd and May made their final stops just before the safety car came out with 10 minutes on the clock, meaning James and Proietti led at the green flag with just six minutes left. And that was how it finished, with the Hybrid trio of James, Simonds and David Meenan taking victory from Oscar/sandro Proietti, but a late stop/ go penalty cost Old Hat third. Mad Rabbit’s Day/rob Austin therefore completed the podium from Old Hat, with Amigo’s Lloyd/mathew Dawson and Quattro Formaggio rounding out the top six.
Brad Sheehan led the opening Kumho BMW race from the third lap, after trailing Darren Morgan-owen initially. Michael Pensavalle won the second race after an earlier battle with Sheehan, with the decisive move on the exit of the chicane just before his rival ground to a halt, which handed Morgan-owen second.