CORMAC O’NEILL WINS TRIPLE CROWN
The BRSCC South Eastern Centre's second race meeting of the season took place August 13 and 14 with the BRSCC Sportscar Race Weekend on Brands Hatch's 1.199 mile Indy Circuit. Saturday started damp, but brightened up. Sunday remained fine, despite the presence of threatening clouds.
Out of an 18-race programme, Saturday’s action featured just five events. The opening 25-minute Saker Challenge qualifier was boosted by some Invitation class cars, with Ian Dockerill's Kia pro_cee'd heading home Saker supremo Paul Rose, also claiming the day's second half-hour outing. Dockerill's absence on Sunday allowed Rose to pick up victory in race three, but gearbox maladies for Rose in the final race saw Paul Spencer's ProSport LM3000 victorious.
The three-hour FunCup race was dominated by the Team Honeywell pairing of Neil Plimmer and Geoff Fawcett, which headed home the trio of Julian Thomas, Nigel Greensall and Joachim Ritter.
Doncaster's Rob Boston finished well clear of Cardiff's Tom Roche in the first 17-minute Ma5da MX5 Cup race, but could do no better than third in Sunday's race two, won by former Formula Ford Festival winner Chrissy Palmer.
Both Design911.com Porsche Championship races were scheduled for 20 minutes. Southampton's David Clark's Porsche Boxster took overall honours ahead of Leeds' Richard Styrin, with fellow home-town man Adam Croft claiming 924 class honours. Sunday's race two was red-flagged early following a nasty Brabham Straight shunt. The top two remained the same, with Banbury's Steven Brown top 924 runner.
The massed ranks of Ma5da MX5 Championship runners had five 20-minute races, each driver having two outings. All five were crackers. The first qualifier saw Roche finally climb the top step of the podium ahead of Cannock's Wayne Le Montais. Race two fell to Towcester's Jordan Stilp ahead of Stanley's Alan Henderson. Race three victor was Radford's Adam Gore, with Henderson once again runner up. Race four marked a double victory for Stilp ahead of Farnham's James Blake-Baldwin. Roche also made it two wins in Sunday's meeting-closing race five ahead of Gore, with the victory margin 0.028 seconds!
Joining Sunday's bill were runners in the Avon Tyres BRSCC Formula Ford 1600 Triple Crown, which also counted towards the FF1600 National Championship. Chris Middlehurst showed his undoubted talent by guiding his Van Diemen LA10 to victory in the first 20-minute encounter ahead of the Ray GRK 09 of USA's Abdul Ahmed. He fended off firstly Ahmed and then Dubliner Cormac O'Neill in race two. O'Neill's runner-up slot was enough to clinch the Triple Crown.
Also just appearing on Sunday was the BRSCC Production GTi Series. Knutsford's Simon Hill won the first 15-minute encounter in his VW Golf GTi 16v, ahead of Wimborne's Nick Porter. Dawn Boyd was the 8v class winner. Race two had the same outcome.
The Centre hosted a Curry Evening in the Kentagon on Saturday night, with some 130 marshals, competitors and guests enjoying the dishes on offer. Thanks to Mandy Scott and her colleagues at MSV for looking after us, and to Secretary of the Meeting Judith Hibbins for co-ordinating the logistics. With two of the regular Senior Clerks of the Course tied up elsewhere for some or whole of the meeting, we were pleased to welcome Glynn Lee from Midlands Centre (also permanent Clerk for the Ma5das) to the clerking team and John Baldwin, who has helped us out at Lydden Hill previously. Julian Floyd looked after the Sakers and FunCup.
Click here for the BRANDS HATCH RESULTS
The next BRSCC South Eastern Centre race meeting sees us join forces with HQ for the Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch on October 15-16.
Colin Mann
