SLATER JUMPS TO GINETTA JUNIOR TITLE GLORY
Four Ginetta Junior winter championship races and a trio for Junior Saloons showcased young talent at the BARC’s final meeting of 2022.
A race running for 110 minutes to mark the club’s 110th anniversary was also scheduled but had to be abandoned after fog covered the circuit.
Former karting star Freddie Slater won all the Ginetta races on the road and took the winter title, despite losing control of his clutch and making a clear jumped start in race one.
This relegated him to a penalised eighth with team-mate Luke Watts the winner. Slater made amends in race two, leading Watts home. Fastest qualifier Alisha Palmowski was third.
Slater was the easy winner on Sunday morning and took a narrow championship lead, courtesy of second man Watts being demoted to eighth by a track-limits penalty. Palmowski was classified second and Luca Hopkinson third.
The decisive fourth race was a disaster for Watts, involved in a crash before the first corner which eliminated him and fellow fourthrow starter Finn Harrison.
Palmowski could still overhaul Slater with the right result, but finished fourth behind Slater, McKenzie Douglass and Reeza Seewooruthan.
A hat-trick of wins earned Maximus Hall the Junior Saloons title on a nightmare weekend for previous points leader Harry Hickton, who was left with a mountain to climb after an engine failure in Friday testing.
While Hall steered his car to victory on both days, Hickton couldn’t reward his team’s refettlng efforts and could do no better than 14th, 10th and 10th again in the weekend’s three races.
Wayne Rockett secured the Hyundai Coupe Cup by winning the first of two races, pressurising Neale Hurren until his rival opened the door near the end. Rockett looked set for a winning double until gearbox problems intervened and he fell to eighth, promoting Mark Ridout to his first win of the year.
Winner of both Intermarque races Lewis Smith (Mercedes) headed the Tigras of Malcolm Blackman,
Ian Hales and early leader Steve Burrows in race one but was out on his own in race two after Blackman stopped on circuit. Eric Boulton and Dave York enjoyed surprise second and third places.
Michael Eustace had to work hard for his first Super Saloons win, the BMW M3 driver hounded by Rod Birley in his Escort. Eustace’s second win was easier, Birley falling away with a deflating tyre, although he remained second. Chris Bassett’s Peugeot was best of the Tin Tops classes in both races.
The planned 110-minute race started late in sunshine, but was promptly enveloped in fog.
It ran for 30 laps, some behind the safety car, before red flags were shown. After a delay the organisers decided racing could not resume.