Big thrills from entertaining Mini contests
Single-seaters usually provide some of the best slipstreaming contests at Thruxton, but last weekend it was the Mini Challenge Cooper class that produced some thrilling action at the Hampshire speedbowl with three breathless races.
The first was held in drying conditions on Saturday afternoon, and this meant the Goodyear wets took a pounding with drivers battling on the ragged edge. It was Matt Hammond who grabbed the initial advantage, going around the outside of polesitter Alex Solley at
Allard, but his lead did not last for long. Solley, Louie Capozzoli and Lewis Saunders all had stints at the head of the pack as the power of the tow meant there was a new leader at the chicane each time, before Capozzoli began inching away during his third spell in front.
But Hammond, who dropped to sixth at one stage, grabbed top spot back on the penultimate lap with a move at Club. He was under intense pressure from 2020 runner-up Dominic Wheatley heading into the chicane on the final lap, and Wheatley almost hit the pitwall in his desperate attempts to outdrag Hammond to the flag, but ultimately fell 0.094 seconds short.
“I thought I went a lap too early as I got a really good tow and crossed the line with a minute to go,” said Hammond. “Coming into the last corner, I was fully locked up, sideways.”
Wheatley added: “It was pretty wild with places changing all the time. It was like we were all racing on jelly – I was trying to preserve my tyres for the end. It was about slowly picking them off and I was one metre away from winning!”
The second contest had to be restarted after Josh Porter tipped Capozzoli into a spin at the Complex, with the stranded LDR driver then collected by Morgan Wroot and Mike Paul, with Paul sent onto his roof. Reigning champion Harry Nunn snatched the lead midway through the shortened contest, while Wheatley claimed another second.
It was virtually five-abreast out of the Complex on the opening lap of the finale, and Solley was the one to lose out as he had a massive slide through Noble and dropped to 11th.
But the Junior Saloon graduate staged an impressive recovery, twice grabbing the lead. The decisive move came through Church, and he withstood an attacking Hammond into the chicane for the final time to land a maiden win in the series. “I didn’t think I would actually save that!” he admitted about his opening-lap moment.