Ratcliffe revelling in Brands Hatch glory
NEATH racing driver Ryan Ratcliffe enjoyed huge success last weekend when he took the Proam Championship title in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB series as the title battle ended on the Grand Prix circuit at Brands Hatch.
The Team Parker Racing man had gone into the weekend as favourite for the title, having finished runner-up last year, and been at the forefront of the championship battle throughout this year, his second in the series.
As he took in his achievement post-race, Ratcliffe said: “A huge thanks to everyone at Team Parker Racing for their hard work all year. None of this would have been possible without you. To be honest, it still hasn’t sunk in yet.”
A full report of Ratcliffe’s victory will follow next week.
MEANWHILE, his fellow Welsh racing driver Seb Morris is ready to embark on the busiest race week of his long and successful motorsport career when the season finale of the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe and subsequent ‘World Finals’ take place in Italy.
Getting under way yesterday (October 26) at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, no fewer than four races await former British GT champion Morris – and he has his sights set on challenging for victory in the coveted World Final which will cap the week’s action this Sunday.
Morris, a former factory driver for Bentley in both GT World Challenge Europe Endurance and the Intercontinental GT Challenge, will be making only his second appearance of the year alongside team-mate Sebastian Balthasar at the wheel of Leipert Motorsport’s Lamborghini Huracan.
During his maiden outing at the Nurburgring in Germany last month Morris secured a podium finish in race two with second position, and he is now determined to go one better with Balthasar at Misano in Morris’s first ever visit to the famous Italian track.
“I’m looking forward to Misano, it’s going to be one of the busiest weeks of racing I’ve ever had with four races in total,” said Greenlight Sports Management racer Morris.
“That’s something new and exciting, plus we have a lot of testing during the build-up so race week will actually be from Tuesday through to Sunday.
“Sebastian, my team-mate, has a lap record there and he’s very quick around Misano so it’ll be great for me to learn the track from him to get up to speed as I’ve never been there before. I’ll be surprised if we’re not challenging for podiums and wins.”
With a vast amount of experience in national and international GT racing, and a successful career in single-seaters before that, the Liberty Properties ambassador is a very highly regarded professional racer but he doesn’t underestimate the challenge of the competition in Super Trofeo.
With the car being quite different from the GT3 version of the Lamborghini Huracan which Morris has also raced this year for Leipert in the 24H Series, the experience gained at the Nurburgring in September will be vital in his bid to become World Final champion this weekend.
“Considering the lack of time I had in the car prior to Nurburgring and yet how well we did there coming second, we’re going out there to Misano on the hunt for wins,” Morris added.
“I’m looking forward to it, and I’m very motivated. Hopefully we can bring home the World title.”
Following testing yesterday and today, additional free practice sessions will take place tomorrow ahead of qualifying.
Race one and two for Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe will be on Friday, with qualifying for the World Finals under way on Saturday ahead of race one for the Pro and Pro-am entries. Race two of the World Finals will begin on Sunday.
HERE in Wales two major rallies run this coming weekend.
The MSUK British Rally Championship Visit Conwy Cambrian Rally in the North Wales forests on Saturday as the penultimate round of the series.
The notoriously challenging Cambrian forests may see a few titles decided.
Defending BRC champion Matt Edwards is at number one in his Melvyn Evans Motorsport Volkswagen Polo GTI in a battle with team-mate Osian Pryce, the winner at the recent Tour of Mull Rally. Both are title contenders.
M-sport field Matthew Wilson in third, another possible winner, and the National Rally title is equally as close.
The biggest prize in UK rallying, the Junior BRC prize drive in the WRC in a Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing i20 N Rally2, may also be decided – that battle is as intense as it’s ever been.
Irishmen Eamonn Kelly and Conor Mohan lead, while Scot Finlay Retson and Swansea co-driver Rhys Stoneman with consistent results are third in the standings, but watch out for fireworks in North Wales from the duo.
In South Wales, the Port Talbot Motor Club Legend Fires Tour of Epynt brings back asphalt rallying to the Sennybridge military land north west of Brecon.
Damian Cole is at No. 1 in his Get Connected Ford Fiesta R5+, Bob Fowden and Swansea codriver Aled Davies next in the Comline-ngk Subaru Impreza, with sponsor John Stone and PTMC co-driver Rhys Stoneman at three, Stoneman dashing back from the Cambrian.
Andy Fraser’s Darrian is at four, and Steve Woods Fiesta WRC fifth.
Other local drivers include Rob Tout in a Mitsubishi Lancer, Roger Moran’s Skoda Fabia R5, Swansea’s Phil Turner in a TCS Plant Skoda Fabia, Thomas Cooper in his No.1 Home Improvements Mitsubishi Evo, Terry Brown and daughter Angharad out in the usual Ford Escort RS, Barry and Seyyan John in a Subaru Impreza, and Clio Cup driver Sara Williams teamed up with Carmarthen’s Dai Roberts in a Renault.
Although spectators can attend the Cambrian (details on the rally website), no spectators can be admitted to the Epynt Ranges by the decision of the Sennybridge Military Authority.
Anyone trying to gain entry will endanger the running of the rally.
PTMC hopes that in future we may see a return to spectators being permitted to attend events on the Epynt Ranges, but currently that is not possible.