DRAMA ALL THE WAY AT THE FUN CUP

The Track Torque team were the winners of the final Fun Cup race of the season. Photo: Bourne Photographic

Regardless of the duration of their races the Fun Cup UK competitors always manage to provide excitement right up to the moment when the chequered flag falls and the inaugural domestic championship for this category ended in the same manner when the BRSCC’s North Western Centre hosted the final round at Oulton Park on 15th October.

Team Honeywell just needed a well placed finish to tie up the title but on the final lap of the 4 hour contest their car was facing in the wrong direction on the Lakeside Straight after a bid to snatch victory from soon-to-be-winners, Track Torque Racing Ltd, on the run up to Island Bend went badly wrong. Their crew members in the pitlane must have held their breath as the circuit commentator relayed the drama that was unfolding out of their sight but fortunately the car rejoined without losing a position.

JPR and Spirit Fitness/Team O’Brien both had long stints in lead during the opening couple of hours but dropped down the order as the race progressed. They finished in fifth and sixth, little more than a tenth of a second apart. Eco Racing briefly hit the front just after half distance but immediately suffered a puncture. They came home fourth, 10 secs behind the second Track Torque car which took the final place on the podium.

The top eight cars were all diesel powered, JPR/Ecurie Escargot won the petrol class although the champions of that section of the series – on count back – were Jolly Rodger White who finished level on points with Purple Apple after they finished fifth and sixth in class at Oulton.

Although most of the starting grid was drawn at random, 360 Racing put in a winning bid to buy pole at a charity auction on Friday night. This annual end of season event raised an amazing £15,000 for Claire House Children’s Hospice. Aside from this vital boost to their funds, kids from the hospice were VIP guests on Saturday when they enjoyed chatting to the drivers on the grid and hot laps in the course cars.

It wasn’t only those involved in the main feature who were raising money for worthy causes, in the S&G Response XR Challenge area of the paddock Mark Edwards was selling stickers and wrist bands in aid of Help for Heroes. When the Ford hatches took to the circuit pole-man Peter Lancaster squandered his hard won advantage with a spin on cold tyres at the first corner. He rejoined at the back of the pack but charged through to take the lead from Steve Poole at Druids on the last lap.

Mark Robinson was not at Oulton because he had already sealed the XR2 class at the previous round. Chris Jones was the first XR3 home in both outings but Jason Hennefer earned enough points to clinch that particular title.

In the Dunlop TVR Challenge Hugh Marshall and Andy Race had already sewn up Classes A and B so it was just a question of who could get the best result to secure the overall title. Alas, the showdown failed to materialise as Race failed to take his place on either of the grids due to a failed oil pump. A fifth place (third in class) was enough for Marshall to take the crown in the first encounter but his joy turned to sorrow on the last lap of the later thrash when he hit the Deer Leap barriers yards from the flag. He had crashed when in the middle of a three-way scrap for third with Darren Smith and Perry Waddams. Smith had won race 1 after a great tussle with Martin Crass. It became a four car dice when Invitation Class runners, Brett Winstanley and Tonge Dowling, joined in the fun. Dowling broke away and comfortably won from Winstanley when these big, loud, fantastic sportscars came back on to the tarmac.

For the offficial results CLICK HERE