A BLAZE OF SUNSHINE AND GLORY AT SNETTERTON

The Snetterton 300 circuit once again bathed in warm temperatures and bright sunshine as the BRSCC East Anglian Centre hosted its third and final race meeting of the season, as many championships reached the half distance stage, while a selection of guest series also enjoyed a competitive weekend in Norfolk.

If there was one team who left with smiles more significant than anyone else from the weekend, it was likely going to be Jam-Sport, as their cars proceeded to sweep all before them in both BRSCC Fiesta competitions. Team boss Jamie Going began proceedings in the BRSCC Fiesta Championship racing with MRF Tyres with his second ever Fiesta victory at the same circuit he’d scored his first 12 months ago. He managed to fend off points leader Harry Gooding in Race 1 to take the chequered flag, with Gooding’s title rival Danny Harrison getting back on to the podium in 3rd. The same three drivers took to the rostrum in Race 2, albeit this time it was Gooding ahead of Going with Harrison 3rd, setting up a tiebreaker for Race 3 with a win apiece. In the end, Going picked up the better start and lead from lights to flag, with Gooding once again in 2nd place and Rockingham race winner Ryan Faulconbridge completing a Jam-Sport 1-2-3.

In Class D, Jamie White once again took a clean sweep of class wins to strengthen his advantage at the top of his respective points table, albeit not without an unfortunate coming together between himself and Daniels Motorsport compatriot John Cooper in Race 2. Cooper’s weekend saw two DNFs after taking 2nd in class in Race 1, leaving Zachary Lucas, Tim Bennett and Luke Bannister to share the class podiums as a result.

There was more cause for Jam-Sport celebration as James Waite went on to pick up both wins in the BRSCC Fiesta Junior Championship racing with MRF Tyres. On both occasions, he was untouchable, comfortably picking up the victory in both races, while behind it would be four drivers who would share the podium amongst them. Olly Turner collected his best FJC result with second place in Race 1, and likewise for Nathanael Hodgkiss would pick up his first ever podium finish in 3rd. A retirement early on sadly couldn’t see Hodgkiss repeating that feat, as both Magnus Kriklywi and Isaac Smith stormed through from the back of the grid after each retiring from the first race to pick up 2nd and 3rd respectively.

The BRSCC Alfa Romeo Championship would see a slightly emotional Ray Foley pick up the overall and Power Trophy win in Race 1 on Saturday, as he was able to see off both the Power Trophy points leader Paul Webster and the Modified class Alfa 75 V6 of Christopher Oxborough in the battle for the win. In the second race, Foley had to settle for second best overall to Oxborough but still won Power Trophy for the second time in the weekend with Chris McFie’s Fiat Punto Abarth winding up 3rd. In the Twin Spark Cup, Richard Ford recorded his first two class wins in his career, followed home both times by superb drives from Stacey Dennis as she claimed her best results with a pair of 2nd places. Ricardo Losselli and Dave Messenger would share a 3rd place each in class.

Saturday’s action saw both groups in the CarThrottle Caterham Academy take to the track for what would be their second ever race, and they indeed weren’t without action. The Green Group were the slightly more civilised of the two races as points leader Justin Heap and Ben Buckley draw away from the rest of the field in their private battle. Eventually, Heap would beat Buckley to the flag by just 0.140 seconds, while the struggle for 3rd place was a lot more energetic. In the end, the final spot on the rostrum would go to Stuart Bell, who just saw off both Larrs Alexander Hoffmann and Andrew Murgatroyd at the line. In the White Group, the race was barely seconds old when a start line incident took out both of the cars from the fourth row of the grid, one of whom being points leader Gregory Monks. After both vehicles had been cleared up, the reduced race of 15 minutes saw Chris Moore eventually pull out a 5-second lead and win his first Academy race ahead of Dan Piper and Alan Venters.

The Cox Motor Parts Civic Cup appeared on Sunday with two more energetic races helping take the championship’s winning ratio to 7 different winners in 8 races. In Race 1, Daniel Hobson would be the first driver of the season to pick up their second win as he fended off the attentions of points leader Rob Baker in 2nd place, with Daniel Reason completing the podium in 3rd. In the second race that featured a partially reversed grid, the close and competitive nature of the championship helped produce yet another race winner. James Griffith went on to win his first ever Civic Cup race, followed home by first-time podium finishes for both Ben Sharpe in 2nd place and Bruce Winfield in 3rd.

Clive Wood was unstoppable in all three races in the Clubmans Sports Prototype Championship with King Henry Taverns, although he was fortunate to cross the line in Race 1. His engine chose to give out right on the run to the chequered flag, leaving Wood to coast across the line and win before stopping moments afterwards. An overnight engine change, including a trip to Bournemouth to pick up a replacement and an all-night effort to fit it, was rewarded with two more dominant wins to cement his championship advantage in CSP1. Alan Cook and Steve Dickens took 2nd and 3rd in Race 1, but Race 2’s heroics were reserved for young Swedish lady racer Monika Arvidsson. After her car faltered at the start of Race 1 forcing her out on the spot, she charged through the pack to take 3rd place in Race 2 behind Wood and Cook, before going one place better with 2nd place in the final race of the weekend, once again behind Wood but ahead of Pete Richings.

There were more causes for celebration amongst the female contingent in the Clubmans entry as CSP2 points leader Michelle Hayward made it a perfect hat-trick of class wins, even getting close to the CSP1 cars near the front of the field on occasions. As for CSP3, Clive Wood’s daughter Pippa Tanner-Wood collected two class wins for herself, split by a first-ever win for first-year racer Trish Hunter. All weekend, the Clubmans paddock showed a real spirit and camaraderie that had to be admired.

Bringing their competitive spirit and close racing across the Irish Sea, the Golfmech Global GT Lights enjoyed three entertaining encounters on the 300 Circuit over the weekend. “Mad” Max Drennan and Conor Farrell were the class of the field in Race 1 as they diced amongst each other for the win, with Drennan coming out on top ahead of Farrell and Mark Braden, who himself had to endure his position swapping with James Thompson. Both Drennan and Farrell would fail to the see the flag in Race 2 with mechanical issues, leaving Braden to sweep home as victor ahead of James Thompson and Conor May. Then in Race 3, Drennan and Farrell stormed through from the back of the grid to collect 1st and 2nd respectively, with Braden completing a trio of podium visits in 3rd.

The magnificent historical machines of HRDC were in attendance on Sunday for two enticing races showcasing a look back at some of the “good old days” of motorsport. In the 45 minute Coys Trophy pit-stop race, it was left to local peddler Jonathan Lewis to steer his Mini Cooper to victory ahead of the Lotus Ford Cortina of Allen Ross-Jones and the two driver pairing of Frank Slevin and Paul Mullen in their thunderous Ford Falcon. Both Lewis and Slevin and their respective cars would feature on the podium again in the 30 minute Allstars race, although both had to give second best to the charging Marcos 1800GT of young Charles Rainford, who dominated the race and went on to take his first ever win in the car while lapping everyone up to 5th position!

You can find the full breakdown of results from the weekend at Snetterton here – SNETTERTON RESULTS.

Scott Woodwiss