WINSTANLEY WINS x 2

Danny Winstanley had an extremely busy day when the BRSCC’s North Western Centre took charge at Oulton Park on 29^th June. He entered 50% of the 8 races on the programme.

Winstanley’s first outing was in the Dunlop TVR Challenge. He got the jump on pole man Tim Hood and led for a couple of laps before the rapid Hood asserted himself. Winstanley’s race ended frustratingly on lap 7 when he pulled his sick car into the paddock, however his day was going to get better. He took a brace of victories in both Arrowpak Euro Saloon & Sports Car Championship rounds where he headed home the Saker of points leader Paul Rose. In between these he had a fabulous first lap when the TVR’s returned to the tarmac as he charged from the back of the grid all the way up to the runner-up position which he then held behind Hood until the chequered flag.

In their single-header, the Avon Tyres Northern Formula Ford Post89 runners endured something of an Irish invasion – albeit a very welcome one. Overseen by ‘80s FF1600 legend Bernard Dolan; Kevin O’Hara, Jake Byrne and Graham Beatty were all visitors from the Emerald Isle. O’Hara is the reigning Dunlop sponsored Motorsport Ireland Young Driver of the Year and displayed his pedigree by setting the fastest lap in qualifying only to fluff his start when the red lights went out and complete lap 1 down in third. At the end of a thrilling four-way battle with Martin Short, Skylar Robinson and Jake Byrne, O’Hara had made amends by taking an impressive victory.

Earlier the action in the Pre90 race had been no less frantic. With pole-sitter Chris Hodgen dropping down the order, it was Jamie Jardine, Wayne Poole and Jaap Blijleven who squabbled over the spoils. Jardine, who has recently become a demon starter, led the large field into Old Hall but he then regularly swapped places with Poole. Initially, Blijleven kept a watching brief in third – holding his breath as the pair ahead of him repeatedly took Island side-by-side – but it was the Dutchman who blinked first when a banzai braking manoeuvre at Hislops went wrong and cost him a couple of seconds. However as the front two continued to battle Blijleven was able to reel them in and relieved Jardine of second at the chicane which had previously proved his undoing. This move allowed Poole to open a 1 sec gap which he wasn’t to lose.

The BRSCC always endeavour to offer drivers as much track time as possible therefore the Pre90 and Post89 competitors had the option to contest a non-Championship race which started 30 seconds after their counterpart’s main event. The Post89 “fun run” was a carbon-copy of their points-scoring thrash with O’Hara recovering from a slow start to win it. The corresponding Pre90 victor was John Murphy who enjoyed his first success in the Reynard 84FF that he built up over the winter.

On a day when his championship rivals suffered a myriad of dramas, Richard Mitcham, after what has been a slow start to the season, improved his chances of defending the Formula Jedi title by dominating both encounters for these little pocket rockets. Championship leader Lee Morgan had to settle for second in the first outing with ex-Caterham racer James Maclachlan third. In the second tour, Morgan suffered a DNF, with Richard Gittings and Ryan Lindsay completing the podium.