University of Derby's Gordie Mutch dominated race one, but a troublesome pitstop cost him dearly in race two, leaving Valour Racing’s Cian Geraghty to take a maiden victory, on his first weekend of car racing.
There was only 0.122 secs between our weekends victors after Saturday mornings red flagged qualifying session. “I was happy with my time and the car, but was on another flyer when the red flag came out, so I could have improved,” said Mutch. “It would have been nice to have been a bit nearer pole, maybe another 10th,” Geraghty replied.
North Motorsport’s Tom Hodge was still third quickest on his car racing debut, despite an off at Paddock Hill, which ended the session. “I was just too fast into the corner, too late to turn in and spun into the gravel. I had good pace though,” he explained.
Returnee James Ockenden was next up for Valour Racing. “I didn’t really get a clear run, maybe one lap only when the tyres were coming in,” he said.
The University of Wolverhampton’s Shane Kelly headed row three. “We are still learning the car, so it was more of a test and I ran out of laps,” he admitted.
Last years Fangio Trophy rivals Andy Lowe (360 Competition) and John Macleod (RSR) were together again, qualifying sixth and seventh, just 0.201 secs apart. “I had a cautious start, but not enough laps for me and gradually improved after two flyers,” said Lowe. “I was in a new car, it was nice and stiff and fast,” Macleod replied.
Tim Gray Motorsport’s debutant Sam Venning was next quickest. “It felt good, but I will probably finish where I start, best of the rest but I need a good start,” he admitted.
The next row was all RJ Motorsport, with Brian Huang well over two seconds up on Matt Yard. “The car was good, but hopefully I can move up in the race,” said Huang. “It was OK but I didn’t get into the flow,” Yard admitted.
RSR’s Vik Sudera reckoned he was “thinking too much” and Valour’s Byron Crawford was looking for “consistency and a finish.”
RJ’s Ross Board and Laura O’Connell were the last official qualifiers, but had teammates Lowen Stephens and the shared Scott Marshall/Ryan Lindsay car starting behind them, after they both had off’s. Marshall was off on the first lap and Stephens went off at Druids on his fourth, but his time would put him 10th. “I came in too fast, overcooked it, lost the rear end and was in the gravel,” he admitted.
RACE ONE
The lead trio held station into Paddock Hill Bend from the start, with Mutch leading an early break, as Ockenden tried to retake Lowe having lost fourth place at the start.
As Mutch, Geraghty and Hodge continued to break, Lowe’s defence continued to repel Ockenden’s attacks, but their dual allowed the sixth places fight to close to, with Macleod, Huang and Kelly, nose to tail through Graham Hill Bend on lap four.
A lap later Ockenden was through into Paddock, but it was a five-car train for fourth, with the top three long gone.
Lowe took the place back a lap later, before Ockenden finally made it stick and behind them Kelly had taken Huang too and began piling the pressure on Macleod for sixth.
Stephens had taken Yard and Venning in the early laps and a clear track allowed him to close in on the line of cars ahead too, which was further aided when the safety car came out after 13 laps, with Board off on the exit of Surtees.
The safety car intervention coincided with the pitstop window, which caused a reshuffle of the order before they all rejoined.
Mutch and Geraghty were still in front, but Hodge had lost third to Lowe. Macleod was fifth, from Kelly, but Ockenden had slipped to seventh, as Stephens, Huang and Crawford completed the top 10 as the green flag was waved.
Lowe was under tremendous pressure from Hodge, but it was a seven-car train all looking to complete the podium.
Kelly soon took Macleod, with Ockenden following a lap later and the already intense pressure on Lowe’s third place became even stronger.
Hodge was the one who had lost out, but Kelly finally got through on lap 21, after he had gone three abreast into Surtees a couple of laps earlier, with Ockenden trying to take them both.
It was fairly straightforward for Mutch though, taking victory by over three seconds, as the race ended prematurely, red flagged with O’Connell off at Sheene Curve. “All according to plan, there was a slight swear in my helmet when the safety car came out, after all the work to get the gap had gone. But I was away with Cian after the stop, so it was all OK,” he said.
Geraghty was delighted with second, “I think I was better at the end of the race and closed a little, but he was so strong in the first half,” he replied.
Having finally seen off Lowe and Ockenden, Kelly consolidated third, “I had been trying to force Andy into a mistake and finally got him, after I had taken Hodge earlier at Surtees. It wasn’t my best start either in second gear,” he said.
The fight behind continued though with Ockenden finally escaping in fourth, as Lowe started to drop back. “Andy had jumped me at the start, then I was held up before the stops and stalled in the pitlane so had to chase him again and finally got him at Paddock,” said Ockenden.
Macleod got Lowe to take the Fangio Trophy win, just two laps before the stoppage. “It was close, it was clean, I got places early on and finally took Andy under braking,” he said.
Hodge had fought back sixth but lost out again. “Up to the stops it was great, but then I spun at Surtees and had an off at Stirlings,” he explained after dropping back to eighth.
Stephens also benefitted from Hodge’s demise and took Lowe near the end too. “I had been stuck in the line behind Andy and finally got him at Hawthorn and pulled away,” he said.
Having been third for much of the second half, Lowe finally came home seventh. “I was defensive, had a good stop but had a queue of cars behind me. Then John finally got a run on me into Paddock near the end,” he admitted.
Huang’s hopes of a top 10 were dashed with a stop-go penalty for pitlane speeding, so Crawford and Venning completed the top 10. “A mega race, ticked all my boxes,” said Crawford. “A good start, but not enough pace, and I stalled at the stop,” Venning added.
Sudera was 11th after escaping from Yard, while Huang and Marshall/Lindsay completed the finishers, a lap down.
RACE TWO
Lights out and it was desperately close for the lead, with Mutch and Geraghty side by side as they plunged down Paddock Hill, but despite just nosing ahead Geraghty was on the outside and had to give best into Druids, before defending an attack on second from Kelly.
Having secured his place exiting Surtees, Geraghty soon joined Mutch in an early break, leaving Kelly in a solitary third, from Hodge, who had retaken Ockenden, leaving him under pressure from Lowe, Venning, Macleod and Huang into Westfield.
Once Macleod had passed Venning, both Huang and Stephens soon followed, while having dropped away from the fourth places dual Lowe was running solo for fifth.
Ockenden started to look for third and challenged Hodge into Surtees on lap six, before a quick response opened the gap again. But it continued to close up in midfield, where Stephens finally caught and passed Huang and having taken eighth on lap 12, he continued to close until the pitstop window opened.
Kelly was the first to make his stop along with Hodge, while Mutch waited and Geraghty stayed out another lap before rejoining as the new leader.
“The car wouldn’t restart in the pitlane, so I had to be bump started ,” Mutch explained, rejoining down in sixth.
With all the stops completed, Geraghty was in front from Hodge, Kelly, Ockenden and Mutch, followed by Lowe, Macleod, Huang, Stephens and Venning.
But penalties started to be given, with Geraghty still a clear leader, but Kelly had started to chip away at second placed Hodge.
Lowe, Stephens and Venning pitted again to serve penalties and by lap 26 Mutch was back into fourth after taking Ockenden.
Then Kelly’s hopes of another podium ended when he was given a stop-go penalty too, dropping him to sixth and leaving Hodge troublefree in second, while Mutch, Ockenden and Macleod al moved up too.
Geraghty had a post-race penalty added too which reduced his final winning margin to 4.573 secs. “There was a lot of traffic, so I pitted early. I had pace and just made sure I kept it steady and it was great, “he said after taking his maiden victory.
Hodge was also delighted wit his second place, “Over the moon, a good clean race. I got a track limits warning and had some pressure until Shane got his penalty,” he added.
Although Mutch had closed, he had to settle for a disappointing third, with Ockenden initially fourth until he was disqualified for repeatedly exceeding track limits. “I struggled a bit at the start, sideways at Paddock, but later on I didn’t really know what my position was,” Ockenden admitted.
Macleod and Kelly completed the top six on the road, with little to split term. “Once Andy went in for his penalty, I knew I had the Class win. Shane put me under pressure at the end too, so it was just park and ride and he wasn’t coming through,” he reckoned.
Huang and Stephens were the last unlapped runners, but Stephens was also disqualified for exceeding track limits.
Lowe was next home followed by Lowe, Crawford and Marshall/Lindsay, with Yard, O’Connell and Board the final finishers, after Sudera retired with brake failure.