Safety car prevents a Seale and Stanley Britcar clean sweep
John Seale and Jamie Stanley easily secured a third Britcar Endurance victory of 2021, after an inopportune safety car handed John Dhillon an insurmountable advantage to wrap up victory in the opening encounter at Snetterton.
The fortuitous mid-race interlude allowed the late-stopping Ferrari of Dhillon to benefit from a slip by Jay Morton at Oggies to lead the dominant Lamborghini home, despite Seale having an early spin at Turn 3 that dropped him to 19th. Further back, Johnny Mowlem held off the potent Nissan GT3 of Danny Harrison for third.
An early safety car in race two wiped out Phil Quaife’s advantage, in Dhillon’s Ferrari 488, allowing Stanley to cruise to victory. “We got lucky with the safety car this time,” said Stanley. “After passing the Nissan it was pretty straightforward.”
A late charge by the Praga R1 of Chris Wesemael/richard Morris clinched third place from Mowlem in Bonamy Grimes’s polesitting Ferrari 458.
Oliver Reuben had to overcome a spin at Wilson and a 10-second deficit to Mark Lee to take victory in the opening Britcar Trophy race with a pass into Brundle on the penultimate lap. The BMW M3 of Jasver Sapra had led the race, but a penalty for speeding in the pitlane ended his challenge.
Reuben didn’t make any mistakes in his opening stint of race two, handing over the BMW 1 Series to Simon Baker with a healthy lead. Lee took up the chase after his pitstop and entered the final lap over three seconds in arrears, before outbraking the leader at the final corner, but the Ginetta G56 was unable to win the drag race to the finish line. “I didn’t realised Mark was that close,” admitted a relieved Baker, who narrowly kept his winning streak intact.
Tyre selection decided the outcome of the first Mini Miglia race, with poleman Andrew Jordan’s slick-tyred car easily outpacing the field. Rupert Deeth, also slick-shod, left the best of the grooved tyre runners, Ben Colburn and Aaron
Smith, squabbling over third.
Just as race two started, so did the rain, which Jordan took advantage of as he weaved his way to the front from eighth on the grid by the end of the opening lap. As the rain abated, Smith started to close in on the leader, but the former British Touring Car Championship racer upped his pace to hold off the challenge to claim a second victory.
Jamie Winrow looked well in control of the first Caterham Sigma 150 race only to find dropped liquid at Brundle, and the ensuing half spin elevated Jamie Ellwood to victory. But Ellwood’s run of wins came to an end in race two as his own half spin, on the rain-affected surface at
Nelson, allowed Winrow to pass on the penultimate lap and greet the flag first.
Jeff Smith crushed the opposition in the opening Mini Se7en race, leading from lights to flag. Starting eighth in race two made life more difficult but, by the end of lap three, he had unseated leader
Spencer Wanstall at Brundle. A hectic battle ensued in Smith’s wake, with Jonathan Lewis fighting both Wanstall and Connor O’brien for the position, before O’brien grabbed second on the final lap at the Esses.