SUPPORT RACES

Drivers just missing out on sealing the title with an event to spare was the common theme of the British Touring Car support series at Silverstone – Alex Dunne and Josh Rowledge, in particular, coming agonisingly close to claiming the British

Formula 4 and Ginetta Junior championships, respectively.

Hitech GP’s Dunne is champion in all but name after a contentious weekend. There was contact with his main rival, Carlin’s Oliver Gray, at Brooklands in the opener, which sent Dunne spinning before he recovered to third, while Gray won on the road but was demoted to fourth. After an unsuccessful appeal, Carlin and Gray are set to take the matter to the National Court. There were more penalties in the partially reversedgrid race two, which was won by

JHR’s Georgi Dimitrov.

Gray was sanctioned for sending Dunne off track as he defended out of Woodcote and Dunne for barging Gray out of the way at Becketts. Just three full racing laps were held in race three and, with Gray winning and Dunne third, it was not quite enough for the Irishman to officially be uncatchable.

It was a track-limits penalty when running third in the finale that thwarted R Racing’s Rowledge. He had impressively won the first two bouts, but was demoted to fourth in race three. With Elite’s Will Macintyre promoted to the win when Sonny Smith sent Kanato Le spinning at Brooklands, Macintyre just kept his title chances alive.

For James Kellett in the Ginetta

GT4 Supercup, it was a DNF from a sheared bolt connected to his driveshaft that proved his undoing, before the Century driver triumphed in the rearranged Thruxton contest.

He stormed through from the back to pass Tom Emson into

Becketts for the win on race three’s final lap, but Emson resisted him in the finale.

Two wins for Kiern Jewiss – the second aided by Adam Smalley spinning Will Martin and a tracklimits penalty for Gus Burton – mean the Team Parker racer is on the cusp of Porsche Carrera

Cup GB glory.

Similarly, a win and two seconds for Hybrid Tune’s Sam Weller handed him a comfortable

Mini Challenge advantage.