TEENAGER FENWICK HOLDS SWAY IN MX-5s
Fraser Fenwick secured the Mazda MX-5 Championship with three top-five finishes, resisting the temptation to get embroiled in scraps.
With 10 wins already to his name, a 34-point championship lead meant teenager Fenwick could largely keep a watching brief as title rival Steve Foden took three maximum-score second places behind dominant guest Ben Short. Foden twice battled back after dropping positions early on, while Sebastian Fisher – who took two podium finishes – and Callum Greatrex played their parts in three entertaining races.
Alex Sidwell’s mighty ex-Garry
Rogers Motorsport Holden Commodore powered to two Super Saloons wins. Third fastest in qualifying, Sidwell benefited from opening-race woes for the Subaru Impreza of Mark De’Ath (non-start due to wheel bearing failure) and Rod Birley’s Ford Escort WRC, which dropped a wheel off track exiting the Wilson hairpin, damaging the wheel, brake and suspension in the process. Adrian Bradley’s BMW E46 M3 harried Sidwell through the corners, only to lose out on the straights. In the sequel, De’Ath scythed through to second, passing Bradley and his brother Ronan (E36) in one move as the trio ran three-wide towards Riches on the final tour.
Despite multiple safety cars negating their advantage, James and Jack Little took their Emax Motorsport entry to Saturday’s C1 Endurance victory. After finishing second to the pair for the third consecutive race, JW Bird’s Phil House and Nick Beaumont tried pitting earlier in Sunday’s rematch. They benefited from a subsequent safety car, but James Little successfully chased down Beaumont in the final stint. Team Trojan’s Adam Willis, Charlie Bingham and Austin Munday were twice third, while British Touring Car racer Jade Edwards teamed up with Sylvain Rubio for fourth on Sunday.
Will Blackwell-Chambers overcame gearbox issues to win the Mazda MX-5 Supercup title. The two-time MX-5 Championship winner inherited the opener after Ali Bray was excluded for an engine infringement.
Struggling for grip on new tyres, title contender Colin Bysouth was only fifth but, with old rubber back on, rebounded to win the sequel from Blackwell-Chambers as Bray charged from last to 10th. Nudged onto the grass at the first corner, Bysouth fought back to fifth in the reversed-grid finale but Blackwell-Chambers’s fourth – behind category first-time winner Nic Grindrod, Michael Knibbs and Jack Brewer – was enough for the title.
An opening-race track-limits penalty cost Chris Dawkins an MX-5 Clubmans double. Jon Pethick inherited the opener after passing Declan McDonnell and was then third behind Jack Warry in race two. A nervy McDonnell clinched the title with fifth.
A non-championship 40-minute pitstop race for MX-5s was won by Brian Chandler’s Mk4 ahead of Ben Taylor’s similar car. Multiple champion Luke Herbert relayed Tom Seldon’s Mk3 to third after Aidan Hills blew an engine.