FUN IN THE SUN AT BRANDS HATCH


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The BRSCC South Eastern Centre’s third race meeting of the season took place over the weekend of September 8-9, with a 14-race programme, featuring the FunCup at the heart of the first day’s action, held as usual over Brands Hatch’s 1.208 mile Indy Circuit. Both days started a little cloudy, but remained dry and largely sunny throughout, albeit with Sunday a little breezy.

Following a Closed Wheel Practice Session and four qualifying sessions, racing kicked off with a 20m qualifier for the Speed Group OSS Championship. Ascot’s Patrick Sherrington seemed to have victory sewn up in his MCR Sport, but hard work from Newport’s Steve Griffiths (Chrysler Jade) and Weston-Super-Mare’s Josh Smith (Radical PR6) brought them back into contention, with Griffiths edging ahead as the trio were lapping backmarkers. Smith also grabbed second, but lost out to Sherrington right at the Chequered Flag to complete the podium.

The second 20m OSS race started Sunday’s competitive action. Smith failed to get away from Pole Position, allowing Sherrington to claim a second win from Griffiths and Burton on Trent’s Martin Heath (Juno CN).

Sunday’s third and final race – shorter at 15m – saw Smith appear with a repaired driveshaft. Starting from the back row he made swift progress through the field, but again had to give best to Sherrington, who claimed a hat trick of victories, and Griffiths.

Polesitter Dean Cook (Tuscan) failed to complete the Green Flag lap prior to the first 20m Dunlop TVR Challenge, the Battlebridge man’s misfortune handing the initiative to Londoner Tim Davis (Tuscan) and Saffron Waldon’s Alan Jones (Sagaris) and Abbots Salford’s Alex Champkin (Chimaera) who enjoyed an entertaining battle interrupted by a Safety Car intervention, arriving at the Chequered in that order.

Cook had better luck in Sunday’s race 2, which was Red Flagged following a three-car off at Paddock Hill Bend, taking a dominant victory ahead of Jones and Berkhamstead’s Matthew Holben (Tuscan), despite starting from the back.

Cook chose to start race 3 from the back of the grid, but was unable to repeat his earlier win, retiring after a handful of laps. Davis also fell by the wayside, allowing Jones to take the victory from Holben and Champkin.

Daventry’s Adam Southgate (Boxter), Alresford’s James Coleman and Follifoot’s Ed Hayes (both Boxters) claimed the top three positions in qualifying for the first of three 20m Toyo Tyres Porsche Championship, finishing in that order.

Sunday’s second outing saw Southgate big down at the start and drop down the order. Despite climbing back up through the field, he could only get as high as third behind Coleman and Hayes.

Sunday’s third and final 20m race saw Hayes win on the road, but a 5s track limits penalty demoted him to third behind Southgate and Coleman. 

After the Lunch Break on Saturday, the 4-Hour FunCup Championship Race took to the track, attracting a healthy field of 27 cars. Barely 10 minutes had elapsed before the first Safety Car intervention for the recovery of three cars off at Paddock Hill Bend, including the #171 Agua Caliente entry, which ended up on its roof. A number of similar neutralisations were required during the race which was won by the #22 Racelogic car, from the #106 2Rent Domino’s and #104 Team Kennedy. The #1 JPR Uvio entry was penalised one lap for a Pit Stop infringement, dropping it down the order.

Sunday kicked off with another Closed Wheel Practice Session, with the first race after lunch being a 15m qualifier for the Cox Motor Parts Civic Cup. Whitehaven’s Daniel Reason (FN2) converted Pole into victory, ahead of Penrith’s Jason Ballantyne and Uttoxeter’s Rob Baker (both EP3s).

Race 2’s Top 10 grid reversal spiced up the next outing, allowing Bristolian Mark Grice to win from Market Weighton’s Daniel Hobson and Bracknell’s David Vincent (all EP3s).

Knutsford’s Simon Hill (Mk5) won the first 20m Teekay Couplings Production GTi Championship race ahead of pole sitter Adam Hance (Milton Keynes) and Stone’s Paul Blackburn (both Mk5s). 

Hill doubled up in Sunday’s curtain closer, taking a comfortable win ahead of Bristol pair James Colbourne and Richard Marsh (both Mk5s). 

The BRSCC SE Centre returns to Brands Hatch over the weekend of October 20-21 for the Formula Ford Festival where we team up with HQ, with the headlining category being supported by the Luna Logistics Classic Formula Ford, BRSCC Fiesta and Fiesta Juniors, ASK Supercar Championship, and Sports 2000s.   

Click here for the BRANDS HATCH RESULTS.


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