REPORT FROM BRANDS HATCH


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(left to right) David Bearman, Ric Styrin and Gerry Taylor were ever present on the podium across the three Logson Group Porsche Championship races at Brands Hatch over the weekend.

The BRSCC South Eastern Centre's first race meeting of the season took place June 9 and 10 with the BRSCC Caterham Race Weekend on Brands Hatch's 1.199 mile Indy Circuit. The anticipated rain held off until mid-afternoon on the Sunday, making the closing races somewhat miserable.

A 20-minute Avon Tyres Formula Ford Triple Crown race opened Saturday's competitive action, the first of 20 races over the weekend. Bridgwater's Felix Fisher made it a lights-to-flag victory in his Van Diemen RF06, with Luke Cooper and John Murphy completing the podium. Car problems saw
Fisher drop out of contention in Saturday's second race, Cooper's Swift SC10 coming home ahead of Murphy and Dave McArthur.

Earl Shilton's Terry Langley snatched victory in the very final inches of the 30-minute Avon Tyres Caterham Tracksport qualifier, demoting David Robinson to second, with Mike Hart a close third. A dampening track on Sunday failed to deter Kurt Brady's victory charge. Robinson took another second, with Langley third.

David Bearman's Boxster dominated the first 20-minute Logson Group Porsche Championship race, heading home Richard Styrin and Gerry Taylor's similar cars. Steven Brown and Sean Siddall took class honours. Styrin went one better in Sunday's second race, swapping places with Bearman. Taylor repeated his third place. A 5s 'track limits' penalty deprived Styrin of a repeat victory in Race three, allowing Bearman to claim top honours. Taylor picked up another third.

Race four saw more Avon Tyres Caterham action, this time a 20-minute battle for the Roadsport runners. Tamworth's Brad Smith took a comfortable win from Elliott Norris and Robert Smith. He repeated the feat on Sunday, with Norris and Robert Smith swapping positions.

UK series chief Paul Rose claimed the first 20-minute Saker Challenge race ahead of Dutch single-seater ace Melroy Heemskerk, with Tim Wheeldon third. Rose doubled up in Sunday's second race. The 45-minute Enduro Cup race was run under steady rain, with the Invitation Class Ginetta G50 of John Saunders taking the Chequered Flag. Rudolf and Gerrit Meijer were top Saker.

Caterham Superports provided 30 minutes of close racing with the top three of Colchester's Aaron Head, Ben Whibley and Craig Currie separated by less than a second at the flag. Currie won Sunday's second encounter, demoting Head to runner-up.

Saturday's penultimate event, a 20-minute Arrowpack Euro Saloon & Sportscar race, was Red Flagged after four laps following a nasty Brabham Straight coming-together. The resultant tyre wall and armco damage brought a halt to proceedings, with Sunday's timetable rejigged accordingly. Andy Robinson's Ford Falcon was declared winner after count-back to three laps. Sunday's rescheduled race ran the full distance, Gary Prebble's Mitsubishi Evo finishing comfortably ahead of Sevenoaks' Mike Saunders' TVR Cerbera.

Sunday's racing action started with a 20-minute Dunlop TVR Challenge event held over from the previous evening. Local man Mike Saunders mastered tricky track conditions to head home Dean Cook and Martin Crass. The top two remained the same in the second race, Tim Davis claiming third.

Just appearing on Sunday was the Teekay Coupling Production GTi Series. Knutsford's Simon Hill won the first 20-minute encounter in his VW Golf GTi 16v, ahead of John Mawdsley. A lurid moment for Hill in the weekend's closing race run under treacherous conditions gifted victory to Mawdsley.

Chief Marshal Anne Rothberg reports that one competitor looking to earn a licence signature by marshalling on post was hoping to build a Caterham from the assorted components left around the circuit as a result of the close action, but was disappointed to find them too damaged!

Click here for the BRANDS HATCH RESULTS

The next BRSCC South Eastern Centre race meeting is a one-day meeting on Saturday 7 July at Brands Hatch exclusively for championships from Ma5da Racing.

COLIN MANN


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