PERFECT STRATEGY HANDS JPR UVIO VICTORY
With the eight-hour ‘into the night’
Fun Cup race breaking time, lap and distance records, it was perhaps fitting that the win went to one of the most experienced and tactically astute teams on the endurance grid. In taking victory, the JPR Uvio squad with drivers Scott Fitzgerald and
Fabio Randaccio not only become the first multiple winners of the season, but also look a step closer to securing the 2019 crown.
Despite being drawn on the penultimate row of the grid, after two hours of consistent lap times and fantastic strategy, the Uvio car was seven seconds clear of its nearest rival 2Rent Dominos (Henry Dawes/chris
Hart). Double fuelling at the start meant the Brands Hatch winners could save time in the initial pitstops by simply changing drivers, while teams behind were forced to also refuel.
It was a tactic Uvio used throughout the eight-hour marathon and, when twinned with mechanical misfortunate for 2Rent Dominos – Hart stating “the clutch exploded” – the lead was well over a minute, with two cars scrapping for second.
That battle was between JPR GT Radial (Ellis Hadley/jonathan Benson/martin Gibson) and JPR Axiametrics (Kristian Rose/chris Weatherill/chris Dove) until the latter suffered from a broken driveshaft mid-way into the fifth hour. With that car stopping on the exit of the pitlane, a safety car period was immediately initiated, slashing Uvio’s significant lead. This meant that on the restart second-placed GT Radial would be right behind, but little did Radial know what Uvio was planning.
Driver Fitzgerald displayed the team’s depth of Fun Cup rule knowledge, opting to pit for a tyre change despite not being within a pit window – a move the rules allow. While track position was sacrificed, being on fresh rubber for the remaining three hours put any tyre worries to bed.
Uvio soon regained and extended the lead and though two more safety cars late into the second half of the race neutralised the progress, Uvio’s double fuelling and cheeky tyre change tactics worked wonders, particularly in the final stages. For the last stops, GT Radial refuelled and changed rear tyres whereas Uvio simply had to swap drivers. The time saving was monstrous, and by the fall of the flag Uvio’s Randaccio was back to a minute ahead of Hadley in the Radial car. Apollo’s Guy Wenham rounded out the top three a lap behind.
“It’s been a great drive, knackering for the two of us, but brilliant,” said Fitzgerald. “It was a great call by the team and strategists to pit [for tyres behind the safety car] and it really paid off.”
Three frantic BMW Compact Cup races of over 30 cars resulted in three different winners, with the title fight still wide open. The in-form Ian Jones made it three in a row, with a race one victory from pole, but couldn’t add to the hat-trick. Leading in the early parts of race two,
Jones eventually lost out to Steven Dailly, admitting: “It [the car] was understeering like a pig and he just crept through at the hairpin.” In race three, Matthew Parkes was drawn on pole and held the position until the chequered flag for his first win of the season.
The title fight for the Fiesta Championship was also blown wide open after championship leader James Waite suffered a huge setback. Waite was an innocent bystander when he was hit by Jake Dawson in race one. Dawson lost his brakes heading through the
School straight and into Rocket and in pulling off track, continued into the front of Waite’s car. While Dawson’s car was entirely written off, Waite’s Fiesta required a complete front end rebuild, finishing with a best of seventh. With opportunity knocking, Isaac Smith – fifth in the standings – took the initiative, taking a hat-trick of wins and getting his 2019 campaign back on track, despite disqualification in earlier rounds.
When asked if he still thought he could be in with a shout for the championship, the now four-time winner simply declared: “Yep – we were unbeatable this weekend and it gives us confidence to continue until the end.”