FINNIKIN BREAKS HIS 2022 F1 DUCK IN SUFFOLK
Craig Finnikin picked up his first final win of the year at Mildenhall on Sunday. It was his first at the Suffolk venue and his 38th BriSCA F1 final win.
Willie Skoyles jumped into the early lead and opened up a sizeable gap on the field but things change quickly around the 282-metre Mildenhall bullring. It’s the smallest track BriSCA F1 cars visit and, in the nearly 70 years of the sport, only New Cross stadium where the first stock car meeting was held in 1954 is shorter.
Skoyles lead was negated by a yellow flag. He held the lead on the restart but was passed soon after by Mat Newson even though Newson was a lap down. Finnikin moved into second just before the halfway point and, when Skoyles went wide to avoid a spinning car, Finnikin dove to the inside to take a race-winning lead.
Skoyles, who earlier in the day recorded his first ever F1 win in heat two, held onto to second until the final turn when Liam Gilbank barged his way into second.
Finnikin said: “Skoyles has been going well and I knew he would be hard to catch but I kept patient and waited for my chance. I knew Newson was a lap down as I passed him earlier in the race just before the yellow flag, so I just kept driving my own race knowing I didn’t have to over-drive to catch him.”
After suffering more than his share of bad luck in recent weeks Skoyles was delighted with third place in the final and his days results. He said: “Finally I got that first heat win after being so close so many times. A mega weekend with top three in every race. A couple of punctures and bent axles hindered us a bit, but I’ll definitely take that.”
Results
Organiser: Spedeworth BriSCA F1 When: August 7 Where: Mildenhall Stadium Starters: 30 1 Craig Finnikin; 2 Liam Gilbank; 3 Willie Skoyles; 4 Finn Sargent; 5 Daniel Ford; 6 Bobby Griffin; 7 Mat Newson; 8 Phoebe Wainman; 9 Darren Clarke; 10 Carl Winkworth.