Two TCR support series for German tin-tops provide plenty of excitement
Two contrasting championships for German machinery made their second appearance of the season on the TCR UK undercard. The Volkswagen Racing Cup – now approaching the end of its second decade – pitches itself firmly as a step on the way to the BTCC, with recent graduates such as Mike Epps and Bobby Thompson adding credibility to the claim. But across the paddock, the more humble set-up of the Compact Cup has no such pretensions.
Indeed, the championship for the BMW E36 318Ti model has often seen drivers step back the other way, with former British Formula Ford racer Steve Roberts a double champion, and 2008 British GT title-winner James Gornall adding the Compact crown in 2016.
In 2018, Steven Dailly is seeking to retain his title but at Oulton he did not have everything his own way, with Ian Jones taking his first two wins of the year to narrow the Scot’s advantage.
Disappointingly, the Compacts managed only 10 racing laps all day, a result of earlier delays and a safety car period. Jones dived ahead of fellow front-row starter Dailly at Hislops on the opening lap of race one and clung on tenaciously thereafter, with David May also finishing within six-tenths of the winner. Having borrowed rival Paul Hinson’s old engine after issues with his own in testing, Owen Hunter climbed from eighth to fourth.
With only three laps possible after a caution period in race two, Jones narrowly led from lights to flag. The move of the race came from Hunter, who dived ahead of May at Cascades on the final lap to salvage a podium from the weekend.
VW points leader Chris Panayiotou was unable to take part in the Oulton event and in spite of his race two win being taken off him for a series of track limits infringements, Golf driver Jamie Bond took over the mantle.
Having switched camps and cars – from a Golf to a Scirocco – Tom Walker took victory in a red-flagged first race, having seized control by getting ahead of slowstarting poleman Simon Walton’s Audi TT and the fast-starting Scirocco of Martin Depper on the run to Shell. It was Depper’s crash into the barrier exiting Lodge – following a brush with Tom Witts – that brought about the stoppage. Simon’s son Owen Walton (Audi) was classified second, ahead of Witts.
Depper took over Panayiotou’s car to climb from the back to sixth in a messy race two, but it was Matthew Wilson that took the honours in his Scirocco. He led into Old Hall at the start and only lost the advantage to Bond – who had earlier collided with the Golf of team-mate and fellow championship contender Toby Davis at Lodge, spinning him down the order – in a robust manoeuvre on the climb from Knickerbrook on the final lap.
With the 15s penalty applied to Bond it was Wilson from Witts (Polo), with Paul Taylor (Golf) getting third back after Ruaridh Clark was pinged a place for shoving him aside at Cascades.