Chasing the titles
Scots racers and rally crews are very much in the mix as season heads to a climax
SCOTS motorsport aces were battling it out in style last weekend to ensure a thrilling end to the 2021 season.
Reigning British GT champion Sandy Mitchell kept himself in the mix to retain the overall title, while Stewart Proctor and son Lewis succeeded in clinching the Silver-Am crown.
On gravel, the Galloway Hills Rally was full of drama and incident to leave the Scottish Rally Championship (SRC) crown up for grabs for a few crews.
Elsewhere, Tarran Mackenzie continued to press for the British Superbike Championship (BSB) and Wallace Menzies secured the British Hillclimb Championship (BHC).
The Scottish Motor Racing Club (SMRC) also had an entertaining round as its competitors travelled south to Cadwell Park in Lincolnshire.
The British GT contenders, which included Scotland’s Jonny Adam and Ian Loggie, faced the challenge of one dry and another very wet race at Oulton Park in Cheshire.
While none of the tartan talent got on the podium at the end of the first 60-minute encounter, better was to follow in the soaking second contest.
Mitchell and Barwell motorsport team-mate Adam Balon managed to grab the number two step on the podium in their Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo.
And not far behind was Loggie and Yelmer Buurman in their RAM Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3.
The results mean that four crews are now realistically scrapping for glory in the decider at Donington on October 17.
Forfar 21-year-old Mitchell said: “We’ve achieved exactly what we wanted to do this weekend, and that was to make sure we’re in the fight to win the title in the final round.
“Adam and I will go there determined to win the race. That’s all we can control. Do that, then we’ll see where we end up in the championship.”
The Proctors were able to put in a couple of decent performances in their Balfe Motorsport 720S GT3 to secure the Silver-Am honours. Lewis said: “We’re pleased to win and it was fun out there this weekend. We’ve learned a lot and look forward to Donington.”
Meanwhile, after struggling in the early stages, MINI WRC crew David Bogie and John Rowan eventually romped home with a 29-second lead in the Galloway Hills Rally.
But as they were not in the SRC title fight, that meant the competition behind them was fierce.
And Borders driver Garry Pearson and his Skoda Fabia R5 co-pilot Niall Burns finished second, despite losing their roof scoop, to strengthen their bid for the championship.
There was a really intense battle for third place but Aberdeenshire’s Scott Beattie and former Scottish Champion co-driver Paula Swinscoe, from Lancashire, claimed the place in their Mitsubishi Evo 7.
Securing the Scottish 2WD title, it was another good day out for Mark
McCulloch and Michael Hendry in their Ford Escort Mk2.
The battle for the overall title in the 2021 Championship is now a two-horse race going into the final round, the Carlisle Stages on October 24, between Ford Fiesta R5 pair Jock Armstrong/ Cammy Fair and Pearson/Burns.
There was also plenty of drama in the BSB as McAMS Yamaha riders Jason O’Halloran and Tarran Mackenzie clashed and crashed out while leading the first of the races at Silverstone.
But despite injuries – including broken hand and wrist bones for the Scot, who was initially declared unfit for the remaining encounters – they bounced back to claim the top two places in the brace of contests on Sunday, swapping the top step.
Mackenzie now lies a very close second to his team-mate as the championship heads towards its “Showdown” conclusion involving the top contenders.
Gould GR59M driver Wallace Menzies, however, has secured the BHC title in a closely fought season at Craigantlet, Northern Ireland, with one round to go. It was a double celebration as wife Nicola set a new ladies’ record at the same event.
The SMRC adventure down south took in Citroen C1, MINI, Classics and
Fiesta championships, as wells as an all-comers race for extra spice.
Kyle Nisbet took the honours in both Citroen Cup races as did Triumph TR8 driver Andrew Graham in the classics, while Liam McGill and Simon Smail shared the Fiesta ST top steps.
The MINI races are a favourite with everyone and Jamie Blake won the first two, with Michael Weddell also victorious. And John Kinmond was delighted to get the all-comers trophy in his Rover 3500.
Overseas, Ryan Dalziel was in second place in his Era Motorsport LMP2 Oreca at Laguna Seca in California when he was shunted off the track by a rival in the final lap.
It meant the Scot could only finish fourth in class the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race.
This weekend sees Gordon Shedden, Rory Butcher and Aiden Moffat all heading south to Croft Circuit in North Yorkshire for the British Touring Car Championship.
Midlothian’s Colin Noble and his Nielsen Racing Ligier team-mate Tony Wells will be hoping to further cement their lead in the Le Mans Cup LMP3 class at Belgium’s Spa Francorchamps.
They will also be worth looking out for in the related European Le Mans Series competition.