Woodwood rides his luck for 116 triumph
A perfectly timed first pitstop after 12 laps, moments before a safety car interlude during which the window was suspended, enabled Louis Woodward to establish an advantage of more than a minute that he protected through the second stops to win Sunday’s 90-minute Gaz Shocks 116 Trophy race, watched by an appreciative BMW Sommerfest audience.
Having made the early running with Jack Godden and Tom Sibley – who both enjoyed turns ahead – soloist Woodward joined the queue behind the MSV BMW course car without losing a lap, which flummoxed his 38 rivals. While Godden relayed dad Chris and Sibley was relieved by Lewis Tindall in the middle stints, Woodward barely slowed as he became the fifth winner in five races in 2022.
Sibley’s fastest lap of 1m30.27s (78.96mph) was set before Godden rounded Woodward boldly on the uphill Schwantz arc then retook the lead, but Godden equalled it as he clawed the family E87 back to 10th having faded in the middle phase. Sibley/Tindall and Anthony Seddon/Alan Corfield completed the podium, ahead of Matthew Highcock, advantaged when Antonio Almeida Souza, who finished ahead on the road, was among 17 drivers who attracted time penalties for exceeding track limits.