Event Report, Round 3, Sculthorpe, 6th June 2010
Now in its third year,, the Toyota Sprint Series contenders visited a new location for round three of the 2010 championship. Sculthorpe, in Norfolk provided 2 miles of large airfield track with more open and sweeping corners to stretch all cars and drivers limits.
Threats of thunder also provided excitement to the day, along with the changing surface on the track suggesting high skills were required to keep the cars going forwards.
By lunchtime however it had remained dry, and hot, and many drivers had already found the limits of the track and their cars. In the three timed runs up to lunch, Adrian Smith in the Celica GT4-X had put in a time of 103.49, his closest competitor Jonny Milner answering with a 104.11 in the Celica GT4.
With lunchtime over and the clouds getting darker and lower, the competitors had discussed the best lines and the slipperiest parts of the track and were ready to go. Two more timed runs were had in the afternoon, and most drivers were improving with every run. Unfortunately Milner suffered a gearbox issue and did not improve on his morning times.
The thunder appeared after run 5, and with it came torrential rain. It was decided to run the next few runs with no timing as the drivers wanted to have some fun in the wet on this open track, and the wet weather would not allow anyone to improve their times. This was met with approval from the competitors, especially Dave ‘sideways’ Brooks in his Starlet 4AGE.
Results in class order:
Class F – Up to 1.0l
Paul Thomas in his Aygo once again dominated the 1.0L class with his times slowly increasing throughout the day, ending in a 130.91 on run 5. Runner up was Dan Quinn in his Yaris with a time of 132.91 also set in his final run.
Class D – Up to 1.6l Normally Asiprated
Despite spending most of his time on the track sideways, David Brooks was loving the “Rally Style” track layout and proved unbeatable with his time of 117.7 set in run 2. Chasing was Neil Latham in the MR2 20v with a time of 122.82.
Class C – Over 1.6l Normally Aspirated
Craig Storey was pushing hard in his Celica ST182 and after scattering some cones in previous runs bagged a class winning time of 119.35, this time also earning him the ‘hard charger’ award, given to one driver at each round who punches above his weight. Chasing hard was Alex Meade in his Supra who so narrowly missed out by only 3 hundredths of a second with his time of 119.38.
Class B – Up to 1.6l Forced Induction
Darren Burwash used the power in his Starlet Turbo to great effect and were well suited to this track setting a time of 115.94 to take the class win and 4th Overall. Runner up was Barrie Newsome in his Starlet Turbo with a time of 119.47.
Class A3 – Over 1.6l Forced Induction
A strong time of 111.15 won this class, set by Barry Watling in his Celica GT4. Chris Cooke chased hard all day, had a few spins on track and ended up 2nd in class in his MR2 Turbo with 115.94.
Class A2 – Over 1.6l Forced Induction – Modified
Only one entrant in this class this time and Nigel Levinson’s time of 120.30 got him the class trophy in his newly rebuilt Celica GT4.
Class A1 – Over 1.6l Forced Induction – Highly Modified.
Unstoppable this round was Adrian Smith in his Celica GT4-X, the 2 mile long track certainly suited the powerful A1 cars and Adrian took full advantage to put in a flying time of 103.49. Jonny Milner answered with a 104.11, before a gear selection problem then rain put paid to his last 2 runs.
Results – Simplified:
Overall Winner: Adrian Smith – Celica GT4-X
2nd Place : Jonny Milner – Celica GT4
3rd Place : Barry Watling – Celica GT4
Class A2 Winner: Nigel Levinson – Celica GT4
Class A3 Winner: Barry Watling – Celica GT4
Class A3 Runner up: Chris Cooke – MR2 Turbo
Class B Winner: Darren Burwash – Starlet Turbo
Class B runner up: Barrie Newsome – Starlet Turbo
Class C Winner: Craig Storey – Celica ST182
Class C Runner up: Alex Meade – Supra
Class D Winner: David Brooks – Starlet 4AGE
Class D Runner up: Neil Latham – MR2 20v
Class F Winner: Paul Thomas – Aygo
Class F Runner up: Dan Quinn – Yaris
Hard Charger: Craig Storey – Celica ST182
Fastest Lady : Diane Turner – Celica GT4
Summary
This new venue and 2 mile track proved a massive hit with drivers and supporters alike. The wide and open corners allowed a variety of lines and was a great challenge for all the drivers. The Toyota Sprint Series hopes to return to Sculthorpe in 2011.
The championship is now at the half way stage and the battles are certainly intense, with the close points structure favouring reliability no driver can relax.
Don’t miss Round 4, which is held at Barkston, Nr Grantham, Lincs on the 24th July, All drivers and supporters are welcome.
Another great day professionally organised and with everyone smiling by the end, the true spirit of the Toyota Sprint Series was shown.
We would like to thank Javelin Trackdays for their professionalism and smooth operation of the day. Also thank you to all our sponsors for making the championship a reality.
MR2’s, Celica’s, Supra’s, Lexus, Corolla’s, Auris, Starlets, Sera…….If you like Motorsport and Toyota’s then the Toyota Sprint Series is the place to be….
Don’t miss Round 4, which is held at Barkston, Nr Grantham, Lincs on the 24th July, All drivers and supporters are welcome.
For further information on the series, please visit: www.toyotasprint.com Report by Vykki Cutler
