SOMERFIELD OUTFOXES SUPERSPORT RIVALS
Reece Somerfield was crowned Supersport champion at Silverstone on Sunday. Photo: Rachel Horgan Photography
History was in the making with this being the inaugural meeting on the new Silverstone International South circuit and it proved to be a fitting venue for some dramatic racing to conclude the season for all five championships in action.
Jamie Orton and Paul Wilson had a tremendous battle to decide the destiny of the BookaTrack.com Caterham Superlight R300 title. Wilson drew first blood winning race one with Orton second. Wilson now needed to repeat the feat and set the fastest lap to snatch the title from his rival.
Despite a dreadful start to the final race, Orton clawed his way to the front where Wilson was battling hard with Jamie Ellwood. When Ellwood was tapped into a spin, it looked like a straight fight between the title protagonists but Ellwood stormed through the field to snatch his first win. Jamie Orton just held off Wilson challenge to take second and thus the title.
With all to play for and the Caterham Supersport championship very much up for grabs, Silverstone played host to an epic scrap not only for race glory but championship victory as well. The Supersports were joined by Wesley Fox, the newly crowned Roadsport champion who focussed on the job in hand and gave the usual podium contenders a run for their money, qualifying second, winning the first race and finishing on the bottom step of the podium in the last race.
Meanwhile the championship was decided in a clean, feisty and thoroughly entertaining scrap. The first seven cars in race one swapped position countless times with the leader dropping from first to seventh in a breath and then climbing back up again. The main championship rivals Somerfield, Lee Wiggins and Jeremy Webb were joined by Ian Payne, Ben Whibley and Wesley Fox in a titanic battle. Fox won, closely followed by Whibley with Payne biting at his heels in third.
The second race played to the favour of Whibley who left it to the final hour to claim his maiden victory. Carlton Brown joined the usual suspects from race one; Somerfield, Whibley, Wiggins, Fox and Webb momentarily taking the lead, then being shuffled back down the order. On the penultimate lap, with the cars just millimetres apart Somerfield edged past Fox to claim second place and more importantly the title.
Wes Fox was already secure as Caterham Roadsport champion but the action was unrelenting none-the-less. There was mass commotion in race one caused by a start-line incident calling for the safety car. Before it could be deployed, further pandemonium arose just after Club Corner with cars scattered across the track trying to avoid contact, as half slowed for the waved yellows and SC boards, and half continued at race pace. After the restart a fantastic scrap between the leaders surfaced, resulting in the underdog for third in the championship, Jon Mortimer, clinching his first race win. He was hounded throughout the entire race by Mike Hart, with inch perfect driving and numerous changes for the lead between the pair of them. Local man James Needham was third.
An immense battle at the front unravelled in the second race, with five cars locked in combat, Mortimer, Aaron Head, Hart, Needham and the ‘shoe in’ for second place in the championship Kurt Brady. Every time the pack crossed the line a different leader emerged. On the penultimate lap Hart misjudged the clearance distance and rather than overtaking Needham, he mounted him, somehow lodging his front wheel into the cockpit of Needham’s car taking them both out of the race and dashing his third place championship hopes. Head put the ‘bad luck demons’ to bed with a well-deserved win, Mortimer snatched second and Brady finished third.
As expected, Richard Mitcham secured the Formula Jedi Championship although James Fletcher gave the Boston driver a good run for his money. However, it was Stuart Abbott who won the opening race ahead of Fletcher and Mitcham. Fletcher ended his season on a high note with victory in the final round with returnee Andrew Dunn second. Dunn has missed almost all of the season having suffered a broken leg playing football! Matthew Bett was third and Champion Mitcham was fourth.
The curtain came down on the Arrowpak backed Euro Saloon & Sportscar Championship with a win for Gary Prebble in a Mitsubishi Evo 9. Andy Robinson was second in a Ford Falcon and Class B’s Richard Hawken took the final podium spot at the wheel of his Nissan Primera Super Tourer. Ian Craig won Class C (BMW E46 M3), Stewart Calder Class D (Renault Clio) and Nick Boon Class E (Honda Civic).
For the offficial results CLICK HERE
