RACING EXPOSURE :: Club level motorsport e-magazine

A win, fastest lap and 6 laps in the overall lead of the GT Supercup field, until a safety car intervention, summed up a positive weekend for Jody Fannin at Knockhill in Scotland.

Qualifying was held in extremely wet conditions and, in a shortened session punctuated by a red flag, a change to the car near the end produced a big improvement, but fourth in a tight quartet of cars would make things hard around the tight circuit.

Race one was a largely uneventful affair, finishing fourth at the end of a train of cars with a fastest lap less than a tenth off the quickest.

Race two produced a storming drive from the birthday boy on his eighteenth birthday. Starting fourth at the Knockhill circuit with few overtaking opportunities, he picked off championship leader Tom Ingram with a finely judged move into the hairpin on lap 5. On the next lap he passed Jake Hill after getting a run on him out of Clark Curve. The icing on the cake was a very late braking move on Aaron Williamson for the lead of the G50 class on lap 13. Fannin then got his head down and eaked out a gap at first which had stretched to nearly 5 seconds by the end of the 24 laps and a win which put him in the lead of the G50 class championship. Fifth overall in the race meant that on the reverse grid Fannin would be on overall pole in front of the more powerful Ginettas G55′s – a first in the Ginetta GT Supercup.

As the red lights went out for the start of race 3, the MSA Academy Student made a perfect getaway and led at the end of lap 1 with a healthy lead. This came down slowly and towards the end of lap 4 Tom Sharp in the first of the G55′s was not far behind. The gap stabilised and Fannin looked comfortable and in control until the intervention of the safety car on lap 6. Carl Breeze was in the gravel trap at the hairpin after an off track excursion and time was needed to retrieve the stranded car. The safety car came in and as the eighteen year old went deep into the hairpin to get a run up the straight at the restart, he ran wide on the gravel dragged onto the track by the retrieval of the G55 and was passed by the first four G55′s and the first of the G50′s before the start finish line. The youngster from South Godstone found that his car suddenly had massive oversteer, didn’t feel stable at the left rear, and he dropped back through the field ending up a disappointed 5th in class. This was later changed to fourth after the Clerk’s intervention and fastest lap was scant reward for an excellent drive at the front under pressure from the faster G55′s.

After the race the Team Pyro mechanics found that the left rear tyre had lost pressure as a result of a slow puncture caused by the gravel on the track which made sense of the strange handling. Still second in the G50 championship by only 9 points a frustrated Fannin said “I had really good pace this weekend and enjoy the Knockhill circuit – I felt I had things under control in the last race and unfortunately the safety car and gravel on the track spoilt what could have been a great result.”

Pics: Jakob Ebrey

Liverpool-based youngster keeps his head and puts in ‘absolutely brilliant’ performance in the latest rounds of the Ginetta Junior Championship

Declan Jones put in some sensational overtaking manoeuvres and secured his best finish yet in the Ginetta Junior Championship during rounds thirteen and fourteen at Knockhill last weekend.

Declan, who has graduated to the Ginetta Junior Championship for 14-17 year-olds this season and who was recently accepted onto the MSA Academy AASE (Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence) programme, once again had to learn another new circuit, but he put that to one side and overcame a sizable off in qualifying, to comeback to take eleventh in the first race and a sensational fifth in the second.

The Chicago-Soft-backed youngster warmed up by setting the 13th quickest time in free practice and was looking good early on in qualifying until he made a mistake at Turn 1 and went off into the barriers.

“It was difficult coming here. It is not an easy track to learn. You have got to have real guts in certain parts of it otherwise you are off the pace,” Declan explained. “I was getting quicker and quicker in qualifying and was probably running around P6. I was quickest through sector 1 at one point and was really fast.

“I was trying and trying to run a little bit more kerb at the first corner and then I guess I took a bit too much!

“It just pitched me sideways and I then slid all the way down the hill and hit the wall side on.”

However, while the Liverpudlian suffered a pulled muscle in his neck as a result and had to settle for 14th on the grid in family-run Kelvin Jones Motorsport Ginetta G40J, he set about fighting back in the first race and recovered to finish just outside the top ten.

“It was hard in that race. The car wasn’t quite right because we just didn’t have enough time to get everything just so. But we were determined to collect points and it was nice to make up a few places,” Declan continued.

The following day though, with his car back to full health, he pulled off a number of stunning moves in the second race, which was screened live on UK television on ITV4. He went from 14th to 10th in the first phase of the race, before the Safety Car phase halted his charge. Once racing resumed though, the 16-year-old pushed on, and over the final three laps went from 9th, to 7th and then to fifth, a position he held all the way to the ‘flag.

“I just kept my head today,” Declan added, “and towards the end when they all started battling that was when I got them. I just put the car in where I thought was the right position to put it and it paid off.

“I was actually three abreast three times and every single time I came out on top. It was exciting, especially the time I was in the middle of Max [Coates] and Oliver [Chadwick]. It was a real hold your breath moment as I went the deepest into the corner. I also went around the outside of Myles [Collins] on the final lap.

“Overall it really was a good day and I have to thank the team and Bradley [Ellis – my ‘coach’] for his help. Turning up on the Wednesday I hadn’t even seen the track and to come away with a fifth place is really good.

“It has been hard at times this weekend and I have obviously still got a sore neck from my off in qualifying. But it ended really well and we are all leaving on a high. That is a good thing.”

In the end Declan took 30 points from the weekend and as a result moves up from 15th to 13th in the 2011 Ginetta Junior Championship standings with 118 points on the board. He will now continue his campaign in the Ginettas in two weeks time at Rockingham (September 17-18), when the MSA British Touring Car Championship-support series will resume for rounds 15 and 16. Before that though, he will also make the trip to Le Mans next weekend, where he will test an LMP2 car.

“That should be good fun,” Declan noted. “We are also hoping to do a track day at Rockingham a few days before the next round. That will help for the next Ginetta event, but again I know I am going there and going up against people that will have done days and days of testing and who have raced there last year.”

“I really feel I am starting to get use to the car now, however,” Declan continued. “I know how it will react in different situations.

“It is just about seat time really. Every time I go out I get quicker and quicker and feel more and more confident.”

Declan’s dad and boss of Kelvin Jones Motorsport, Kelvin Jones meanwhile was delighted to see son come back and take fifth.

He remains concerned about the standard of driving in the Ginetta Juniors though and has confirmed that Declan will test a Formula Ford car in November, as they ponder various options for 2012.

“We are really happy to get this result, especially as we have never been here before,” Kelvin said. “It was a bit of a crash-fest at times again and that is not good. Aside from the danger element there is also the cost issue. For those of us footing the bills all these smashes make things really difficult. That is one reason we are looking at Formula Ford.

“We managed to get through the races though today and despite the fact the bigger teams had been testing all week, it was very satisfying to come here and beat some of them.

“Declan’s overtaking manoeuvres were really impressive and total respect to him on that one when he went up the inside on Oliver [Chadwick] and Max [Coates]. He also drove around the outside of Myles [Collins] and Seb [Morris] – another unbelievable pass.

“It was superb to watch – absolutely brilliant to go from 14th to 5th. We have been waiting for this to happen and all of a sudden it has clicked. He is getting to grips with the car and I feel I am getting to grips with the car too – set-up wise I don’t think we are far away.

“We have just got to move on now. We are determined to get a podium this year, but we will have to wait and see what we do in 2012.”

Hankey claims Carrera Cup GB win at Knockhill

Euan Hankey scored a superb lights-to-flag victory in round 13 of the Porsche Carrera Cup GB at Knockhill today (Sunday 4 September) as Michael Meadows took second place to extend his championship lead.

In a great day for the Scottish drivers, Rory Butcher won Pro-Am1 and George Brewster won Pro-Am2 to complete a double win and Brewster added the ‘driver of the weekend’ award to his tally. Redline Racing won the ‘team of the weekend’ award.

Hankey (Parker with Juta) set the seal on his victory with a blistering start and was able to go a second clear on the opening lap. “I had an unreal start and got away,” said Hankey. “Starts like that come once in a blue moon.” Meadows (SAS/Redline) slotted readily into second with Ben Barker (Parr Motorsport) third and James Sutton (SAS/Redline) fourth. This quartet ran in formation over the early laps but the gaps gradually extended as the race developed.

Mid-race Meadows chipped away at Hankey’s lead, but the result was never in doubt as Hankey drove a faultless race to victory. “It was all down to the start,” said Hankey. “Then I could run consistently good times and it was really enjoyable. I can’t believe that after the first race being so tough.”

Meadows was a safe second to cement the championship lead he had taken in the first race of the afternoon. “Euan was gone straight away and that first lap was it,” said Meadows. “It’s a good turnaround for me in the championship.” Barker completed his two-weekend foray into the Carrera Cup with his second podium. “That was a really good race; it was consistent although I did have a big lock up into the Hairpin.” Sutton was fourth, while Stephen Jelley (Parker with Juta) battled ahead of Ben Hetherington (Oman Air/Redline) for fifth after a tremendous battle.

Seventh overall and a resounding Pro-Am1 victory fell to Butcher (Celtic Speed) who had a gaggle of Pro drivers between him and his category rivals. “We couldn’t have got any lower after the first race,” said Butcher. “I was really disappointed with race one but we made some progress and the car was just great.”

There was a tremendous contest for second in Pro-Am1 as Jonas Gelzinis (Juta Racing) fought tooth and nail to fend off Ahmad Al Harthy (Oman Air/Redline) and Derek Pierce (Dextra/JD Pierce by Parker). Gelzinis had a massive battle on his hands after plunging through the gravel at the chicane after a near miss with a backmarker. That took the splitter off the front of his car and he struggled for pace over the rest of the race as he defended furiously from Al Harthy and Pierce. “It was undriveable and I had to defend so hard,” said Gelzinis.

Brewster (Celtic Speed) completed a superb weekend with another Pro-Am2 victory as Richard Denny (Parr Motorsport) chased initially before a spin at the Hairpin. That allowed Yucel Ozbek (Redline Racing) through to second as Denny recovered to third.  “It’s never a given,” said Brewster. “You saw the determination of Richard; he wanted to win too. I had to take advantage this weekend and suddenly it comes back to you.”

Meadows wins Carrera Cup GB round 12 at Knockhill

Michael Meadows took a resounding victory in round 12 of the Porsche Carrera Cup GB at Knockhill today (Sunday 4 September) and moved into a narrow championship lead as he fended off Euan Hankey and James Sutton.

In an action-packed race, it was a good day for the Scottish drivers as Derek Pierce took his first Pro-Am1 victory and George Brewster topped Pro-Am2.

Meadows (SAS/Redline) converted his pole position into a first corner lead, but it nearly went wrong just behind him as team mate Sutton made contact with Ben Barker (Parr Motorsport) and Sutton caught a big moment to slot into third behind Euan Hankey (Parker with Juta). However, the knock upset the geometry on Barker’s car and he eventually retired to the pits.

Up front, Meadows assumed control as Hankey tracked him and Sutton settled into third ahead of Ben Hetherington (Oman Air/Redline). Once Barker headed for the pits, Stephen Jelley (Parker with Juta) moved into fifth from Jonas Gelzinis (Juta Racing). But Gelzinis then spun at the Hairpin after a nudge and as he tried to rejoin he clipped the car of Yucel Ozbek (Redline Racing). With damage to his rear wing, Ozbek spun into the gravel at Duffus Dip and prompted a safety car while his car removed.

The leading pack duly bunched up behind the safety car, but from the re-start Meadows again took control with Hankey and Sutton tucked in behind and Hetherington having his best race to date in a strong fourth. That was how the order remained, but in the closing laps the major issue was Sutton’s pressure on Hankey as Meadows edged clear by around a second. “It was good to have a relatively clean race,” said race winner Meadows. “Apart from the safety car there wasn’t too much trouble.”

Hankey was pleased to be back on the podium and reckoned that he always had things under control as Sutton ran close over the closing laps. But Hankey could not take the fight to Meadows. “Michael drove very, very well; he didn’t put a wheel wrong,” said Hankey. Sutton considered a big attack on Hankey, but was conscious of the need to score strong points for his own title bid. “The car felt really manageable and consistent,” said Sutton. Hetherington was a fine fourth and Sam Tordoff (Parker with Juta) worked ahead of Jelley for a strong fifth. “The first quarter of the race was okay, then the handling just fell off a log,” said Jelley, who was just hanging on to sixth at the finish.

The contest for Pro-Am1 had many twists and once Gelzinis had spun it was Pierce (Dextra/JD Pierce by Parker) who battled ahead of Rory Butcher (Celtic Speed) to lead the class. Pierce then went clear, but a stirring drive from George Richardson (Motorbase Performance) took him through to second and he was chasing Pierce over the closing laps.

“That was really, really hard,” said Pierce. “The car was very good but I worked the tyres hard when Kieran Vernon and Richard Plant from the Pro category caught me.” Richardson was elated with his best result of the season. “Fantastic; I’m really chuffed,” said Richardson as Ahmad Al Harthy (Oman Air/Redline) fended off the recovering Gelzinis for third place.

Brewster was always the class of Pro-Am2, but had to survive a knock from the car of Daniele Perfetti (Motorbase Performance) at Duffus Dip that tipped Brewster’s car into a spin. “I managed to get back to the tarmac as I spun and I was lucky not to get a puncture, but I lost the front splitter,” said Brewster. Richard Denny (Parr Motorsport) also survived a spin to fight back and take second, while Tommy Dreelan (Celtic Speed) made it a great race for the home team by taking the final podium place.

Caine steps aside for Parish in Carrera Cup at Knockhill

Michael Caine has sacrificed his own weekend of racing to allow his Motorbase Performance team mate Steve Parish to maintain his Pro-Am2 title bid in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB at Knockhill this weekend (3/4 September).

An accident in testing on Friday for Parish, on his first to the Scottish track, looked set to end his weekend early as his car was too badly damaged to race. Then Caine stepped forward to offer his team mate the use of his 911 GT3 Cup car for qualifying and the two races.

“It is a measure of the kind of guy he is,” said Parish, who was initially reluctant to accept the offer. “He’s helped me so much in the three years I’ve been racing and as soon as I got back to the pits after the accident he offered me the use of his car.”

While Parish is chasing George Brewster for the Pro-Am2 title, Caine no longer has any hopes of the overall title and was ready to hand his car over to the driver he has mentored over the last three years. “It’s more about the team than me,” said Caine. “I would always offer my car to one of the Motorbase drivers in the same situation,” he added. “We go racing as a team,” said Caine.

Team boss David Bartrum was grateful to Caine for making such a magnanimous sacrifice. “Michael has a very special relationship with Motorbase and he works with all of our drivers; this gives Steve a chance in Pro-Am2.”

Parish’s car was damaged when he ran wide at Clark Curve and hit the car of Keith Webster, which had gone into the gravel a few moments earlier. “I do feel bad for Keith,” said Parish. “He’s out for the weekend through no fault of his own.”

Dreelan wins Michelin award in Carrera Cup at Knockhill

Tommy Dreelan is the latest Porsche Carrera Cup GB racer to benefit from Michelin’s on-going support of the championship by winning a set of tyres this weekend at Knockhill (3/4 September).

Dreelan, racing for Celtic Speed, has competed in the championship since the middle of 2009 and is contending the Pro-Am2 category this season. The Aberdeen-based Irishman is a popular figure in the paddock and has helped young Scot Rory Butcher join the Carrera Cup in 2011.

Having been the control tyre supplier for the Carrera Cup GB since the championship was created in 2003, Michelin is once more supporting the teams and drivers with the award of a complete set of slick racing tyres at each event. Before the start of testing, a name is drawn from a hat to receive the tyres, with a value of more than £1000.

Jelley heads Carrera Cup GB test at Knockhill

The stage is set for two thrilling races in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB at Knockhill this weekend after the leading four drivers were split by less than a quarter of a second during testing today (Friday 2 September).

Current championship leader Stephen Jelley (Parker with Juta) topped the times after the dry afternoon session, but with team mate Euan Hankey and SAS/Redline duo Michael Meadows and James Sutton all covered by 0.235s, it promises to be a tough weekend for the title contenders. Rory Butcher and George Brewster made it a great day for Scotland and Celtic Speed by topping Pro-Am1 and Pro-Am2 respectively.

After a damp but drying first session, the second test session ran on a dry track but a total of three red flags made it a disjointed session for the drivers. Jelley opted to run his new tyres earlier in the 45-minute session and that proved to be a wise move. “Traffic here is always an issue, but I did luck into a bit of clear track,” said Jelley. “It’s a tough little place and it is going to be difficult in qualifying.”

Hankey and Meadows both set their best laps in the closing moments of the session. “It was a kind of crazy session with the red flags,” said Hankey. “We took our new tyres very late and just had to go for it. They were two scruffy laps.” It was a similar situation for Meadows. “There was a bit of chaos out there,” he said after posting third fastest time on the last flying lap of testing.

Sutton was a useful fourth and aiming to get his title bid back on track after a troubled weekend last time out at Snetterton, while Sam Tordoff (Team Parker Racing) had a strong run despite limited prior experience of Knockhill to round out the top five.

Butcher edged Jonas Gelzinis (Juta Racing) back to second in Pro-Am1 after using his local knowledge to good effect. “That was a really tough session and it was hard to get a lap in. It’s good to be P1, but Jonas will be quick as always,” said the young Scot. Gelzinis, meanwhile, was also hindered by the red flags and didn’t get time to have a proper run on new tyres. “There is more time to come,” said the Lithuanian. Derek Pierce (Dextra/JD Pierce by Parker) and Ahmad Al Harthy (Oman Air/Redline) were next up in Pro-Am1.

Brewster headed Pro-Am2 and was very happy with the day’s work. “We found 1.3s on the new tyres and the car feels fantastic,” he reported. “We’ve got a completely new set-up on the car and it just feels like a different car,” he added. However, things went badly wrong for the other two leading Pro-Am2 contenders. Keith Webster (Redline Racing) spun into the gravel at Clark Corner and a few moments later Steve Parish (Motorbase Performance) ran wide and hit Webster’s car. The damage incurred will sideline both cars for the weekend and so Richard Denny (Parr Motorsport) and Yucel Ozbek (Redline Racing) will be the leading rivals to Brewster in Pro-Am2.

‘Normal service is resumed’ as Ingram regains winning form north of the border

It has been a torrid last couple of months for Tom Ingram, of that there can be no doubt, but as the 2011 Ginetta GT Supercup headed north of the border to Knockhill, he brilliantly banished the bad luck that has been hounding him of late to regain the top step of the podium – and rediscover his early-season momentum.

Having held a commanding 96-point advantage in the title standings following race one at Croft in mid-June, Tom arrived in Scotland sitting just a single marker ahead of his nearest pursuer and well aware that he needed to bounce back and re-establish both his authority and consistency following five nightmare outings, characterised by a succession of mechanical failures and incidents not of his own making – with the previous meeting at Snetterton arguably the worst of his career. He knew he had to re-assert himself as the one to beat.

Happily, for a driver whose efforts have been persistently stymied by a funding shortfall, local man Matthew Kirby generously stepped in to sponsor the talented young High Wycombe star for the weekend – but still, the pressure to perform was indubitably on with a vengeance.

“Last year, we were ultra-consistent and finished every race,” Tom mused. “This year, we’ve had so many failures to finish and other problems already. Snetterton had just been a complete disaster, and I could sense the championship was beginning to slip away unless we turned things around pretty quickly.

“Matthew and I had been in contact with each other for a few months via Facebook, and I know he has been following my career over the last few years – but I never anticipated that it would lead to this! To have that kind of support was absolutely fantastic; for him to say out-of-the-blue that he would fund us to race at Knockhill left me flabbergasted, to be honest – it was just so completely unexpected.

“It was a bit of a novelty and actually quite surreal knowing we would be racing so soon before the meeting – it’s usually such a last-minute panic due to finances – and given how we had done at Knockhill last year with a clean sweep of wins, pole positions and fastest laps, I couldn’t wait to go back!

“It’s a phenomenal circuit – so undulating and flowing – and driving it in a Ginetta G50 was absolutely unreal! I just love it and I know I’m quick round Knockhill, but there were some new kerbs this year, it was my first time around the circuit in a G50 and a lot of the others had been testing there in the build-up, so I was a little bit on the back foot going into the weekend from that perspective.”

Be that as it may, in a wet opening practice session – the kind of treacherous conditions in which he invariably excels – the 18-year-old BRDC Rising Star was quickest straight out-of-the-blocks, and on a similarly sodden track surface in qualifying, he went on to secure his sixth pole position out of seven this year to-date.

“I retained the lead at the start of race one,” he recounted, “but immediately, I found myself struggling to get the car to release from the corners, and Aaron Williamson was able to just drive straight past me as we came out of the first corner on one lap. I felt there was no point in fighting him too hard and risking an accident, because Jody Fannin – who is the closest to me in the championship – was behind, so as long as I stayed ahead of him and didn’t do anything stupid, I knew I would extend my lead.

“I was also experiencing some trouble with the brakes, which meant I couldn’t get the car slowed down as well as it should. Round Knockhill, you really need your brakes, and the problem left me particularly vulnerable into the two heavy-braking zones around the lap – the first corner and last hairpin – and on the last lap, Jake Hill slotted down the inside of me with a good opportunistic move to take second. I didn’t realise it was the last lap at the time, which was my fault for not paying attention to my pit board properly.

“That was a bit disappointing, but you live and learn at the end of the day, and with Jody finishing fourth, I still increased my championship lead, which was the main thing. We really needed that kind of result after all the disasters recently – and I knew that once we solved the issues we had, we could find a lot more speed.”

The bottom step of the podium it might have been, but it was a welcome and popular rostrum return nonetheless for the reigning Ginetta Junior Champion following so long away – and race two would yield an identical result, as Tom found his challenge frustrated by an extremely defensive Williamson and more niggling braking issues, with victory for Fannin meaning he lost the championship lead into the bargain.

He entered race three knowing he needed to battle back straightaway – and confident he had the pace to do just that – but with his title rival unexpectedly being gifted outright pole position on the reversed grid, the Plans Motorsport ace and all of the other G50 competitors found themselves at an immediate disadvantage, with four of the faster G55 machines in-between them and Fannin.

“Jody got the jump at the start and managed to keep the lead for the first couple of laps, but then the safety car came out, which bunched the field right up again,” Tom recalled. “There was gravel across the circuit at the top hairpin from a car that had gone off, and Jody bolted surprisingly early at the re-start, which meant that by the time we reached that part of the track, we were already in fourth gear and he hit the gravel and slid sideways.

“That allowed three G55s as well as Aaron to out-drag him down the straight, and left me right on the back of him. Seeing Jody drop so many places in just 100 yards really motivated me, and I immediately tried to put him under pressure and got past into the final hairpin. I then got my head down and focussed on chasing Aaron, who was about a second further in front.

“It didn’t take me long to catch him, and I tried to force him into a mistake, too. He began missing some apexes, at which point I knew I had the upper hand and I managed to get him up the inside into one of the hairpins. From then on, I pulled away pretty easily and it was plain sailing, really; I was even able to back off towards the end, and I had a bit of fun racing against some recovering G55s who were fighting their way through the pack.

“It was probably one of the best wins I’ve had, on reflection. With Jody starting that much higher up the grid than I was, the pressure had really been on as I knew I had to beat him to reclaim the championship lead. It was just a cracking race and – with him finishing further down – the perfect outcome. I was absolutely ecstatic, and I need to say a big ‘thank you’ to Plans Motorsport and Matthew Kirby for the weekend.”

Indeed, with Fannin dropping away to fifth at the chequered flag – almost ten seconds adrift of Tom – the result has re-instated the former British Karting Champion and Wycombe and Marlow Sports Personality of the Year atop the points table, 11 markers clear and 29 on dropped scores. Having lapped a lot quicker than the other G50 drivers for the majority of the race en route to what was a comfortable triumph in the end, he is now ready to rock on in the next round at Rockingham and really drive that superiority home.

“Everything finally came together and we managed to convert it into a win again,” the highly-rated Bucks speed demon concluded. “I think we proved to everybody that we haven’t dropped off the pace – we’ve still got it and we’re still right in there fighting. We’re back on-track and back to where we were earlier in the season. Normal service is resumed!”

If you are interested in supporting Tom, please e-mail tom@ingram26.fsnet.co.uk, whilst you can follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tomingram80 and keep up-to-date with his latest career news and results at www.tom-ingram.com

Pics: Jakob Ebrey

Special Tuning Racing celebrated its maiden win in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship with victory for driver Tom Boardman in the third race at Knockhill on Sunday.

The Lancaster-based driver was clearly ecstatic as he climbed from his STR SEAT Leon: “Fantastic!” he exclaimed. “We’ve had it tough recently, we’ve been in strong positions before and things haven’t gone our way, but today we fought deep and finally it’s all come good! It’s a huge win for us, the whole team and our sponsors deserve this!”

Having been hampered with engine issues in qualification with Tom placed 13th and Dave in 21st, both drivers were confident that progress would be made in the day’s three races. And both didn’t disappoint.

Gaining a place on the first lap of race one as Alex MacDowall slid wide, Tom then made a great move on James Nash getting the better of him out of Clark’s corner and along Hislop’s straight. And on the very next lap he pulled off the move again on Andrew Jordan at the same spot. Promoted to eighth as a collision on lap seven brought out the safety car, Tom was immediately on the back of Rob Collard at the restart and certainly looked to have the pace on him. Unable to get past though, Collard ran wide and Nash got the overlap on Tom along the pit-straight passing Tom at the Duffus dip. Seeing that Jason Plato was struggling after a small off-road excursion on lap 22, Tom closed down the defending champion but with Plato defending resolutely he couldn’t make the pass. With Mat Jackson retiring on lap 24, Tom went on to finish the race in an impressive eighth place.

Meanwhile, Dave’s excellent pace saw him move through the field to 13th before the safety car deployment and he was looking determined to climb even higher up the order in front of his home crowd.  As the race resumed, he got 12th spot and was pushing hard, when he ran wide losing three places. Then on lap 19 he was squeezed out wide by Jeff Smith which allowed MacDowall to close and pass on the SEAT curve, dropping Dave to 17th. A great move to pass Andy Neate and the puncture to Jackson saw him fifteenth at the chequered flag.

Clearly having the pace on Nash at the start of race two, Tom pulled off a great move to out-drag him down the start/finish line at the end of lap one to take seventh, and by the next lap he was looming large in Plato’s rear-view mirrors. Tom got the upper hand on the pit-straight on lap nine to take sixth before the safety car was deployed for an incident two laps later. At the restart, he pulled out a gap on the chasing pack and with the leaders clashing ahead, he was right back in the mix by lap 20. Tom went on to finish in a brilliant sixth place, his second top ten of the day.

Starting from fifteenth, Dave moved up to 12th having quickly dispatched of Neate and Paul O’Neill and taken advantage of MacDowall spinning off. In a thrilling midfield battle, Dave increased the pressure on Nick Foster after the safety car incident, but ended up losing a spot to a charging Tom Onslow-Cole on lap 23. The middle order skirmish continued right to the flag, but Dave made a great pass on Aron Smith on the next lap to cross the finish line in 12th.

Dave got another cracking start in race three, moving into the top ten by the fourth lap. He lost a place to Jackson on lap 12, but reclaimed tenth passing Foster two laps later. Taking ninth place after Jackson went off on lap 23 he was unfortunate to then drop two spots to MacDowall and Foster after an incident with the latter on the next lap and finished 11th.

As a result of the top seven driver reverse grid, Tom started the third race in second behind Plato. Tucking in behind Plato he immediately piled on the pressure. On lap four, Tom moved inside down the straight. Plato took a tight line into the SEAT curves causing him to lose shape, but pursuing the racing line Tom exited with speed and closed in. Having to back off he touched the rear of Plato’s car and Plato ended up on the grass, triggering the safety car as Tom took the race lead. With the race about to restart, Tom slowed for the hairpin and then got the jump on Rob Collard. But in the final laps, the gap between him and Tom closed as the rear-wheeled BMW strengths came into play. Collard threw everything he could at Tom and there was contact at the hairpin as Collard locked up. Tom held on beautifully under the pressure bringing the SEAT Leon home in first place, his first ever outright win in the BTCC and his first independents’ victory this season.

Speaking after the race, Tom said: “Collard was coming at me hard at the end there, his car must have been better on its tyres, but I held my nerve and we’ve done it. I knew we had the potential to win races and we really showed it today.”

The team now head to Rockingham in two weeks’ time looking to build still further on the success of this weekend.

Pics: Marc Waller – MW Motorsport Media

Michael Meadows and Euan Hankey each took a pole position in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB at Knockhill today (Saturday 3 September) ahead of rounds 12 and 13 of the championship.

In a fiercely competitive qualifying session, it was an unwell championship leader Stephen Jelley (Parker with Juta) who lost out with a brace of sixth places as just eight-tenths of a second covered the top 13 cars on the grid for round 12. Jelley’s session included a spin at the chicane and he had to reverse out of the gravel before rejoining. “It was just a messy session,” he said. Jonas Gelzinis (Juta Racing) clinched a double pole in Pro-Am1, while George Brewster (Celtic Speed) topped Pro-Am2 for both races.

With the track drying quickly, the best times came in the second half of the session, but with a red flag after Steve Parish (Motorbase Performance) spun off, there was a hectic closing seven minutes as drivers tried to find clear space for a final push. Meadows (SAS/Redline) drove a fine session to be first and second for the two races, while Hankey (Parker with Juta) was second and then first. Ben Barker (Parr Motorsport), James Sutton (SAS/Redline) and Ben Hetherington (Oman Air/Redline) were third, fourth and fifth for both races before Jelley in sixth.

“It was just a bit messy on the second set of tyres and I didn’t want to take too much out of them,” said Meadows. “It will be an interesting day tomorrow,” he added. With team mates Sutton and Hetherington close behind and points’ leader Jelley back in sixth, Meadows is well placed to win back some of the current nine-point deficit to Jelley.

Hankey was equally happy with qualifying. “I used my head to make a lot of room and that allowed me to get a couple of good laps,” said Hankey. Barker was also strong despite a spin and underlined his excellent form of the previous round at Snetterton. “I tried to find a bit of space and that gave me one clear lap,” said Barker of a very busy session. Sutton reckoned that two fourth places was a step forward from his troubled weekend at Snetterton, while Hetherington had one of his best qualifying sessions to date to run right among the leading drivers.

The contest in Pro-Am1 is set to be just as competitive as the overall battle, with less than two-tenths of a second splitting Gelzinis, Rory Butcher (Celtic Speed) and Derek Pierce (Dextra/JD Pierce by Parker) for each of the races. “It’s good that my main rival
Rory Butcher is behind me. I expected a better lap time, but it got lost in traffic,” said Gelzinis. “That was frustrating,” reported Butcher. “The red flag broke up the session; I was just onto my second run when it came out.” Pierce was right in contention at his home track. “I’m really pleased with that; the car is very good and I’m pleased to be on the inside of the grid for both races.”

Brewster made it a good day for the Scots with both Pro-Am2 poles. “I always seemed to catch someone at just the wrong place, but I’m not terribly unhappy,” said Brewster, who was chased hard by Richard Denny (Parr Motorsport). “Fabulous,” said Denny. “The car felt wonderful and I’m getting a much better feel for the car.” Yucel Ozbek (Redline Racing) took third in Pro-Am2 for both races with local racer Tommy Dreelan (Celtic Speed) next up.

Round 12 will start at 10.45 on Sunday (4 September), with round 13 at 16.10. Round 13 will be broadcast live on ITV4 during the extensive BTCC programme, which starts at 11.00 and it is expected that round 12 will also be broadcast during the afternoons

A number of big meets this weekend.

Brands Hatch – DTM – the German Touring Cars come to the UK once again

Rockingham – British F3 and British GT

Knockhill – British Touring Car Championships

There are a number of smaller events going on as well…

Oulton Park – BRSCC meeting on Saturday

Thruxton – BARC meeting, including BARC Formula Renault

Cadwell Park – BARC club meeting on Saturday, Bikes on Sunday

Croft – Toyota Sprint Series on Sunday

Anglesey – Lancashire & Cheshire Car Club & MG Car Club sprint

Castle Combe – bikes on Saturday

Snetterton – bikes

The GoMobileUK.com with Tech-Speed team will hope for a quick return to the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship podium this weekend when the series heads to Knockhill for the seventh round of the season (3/4 September).

The Leamington Spa-based team makes the trip to Scotland buoyed by a fine second place finish for Widnes-racer Paul O’Neill in the final race of the weekend at Snetterton last time out, which marked his second podium finish of the season in his normally-aspirated Chevrolet Cruze.

Paul currently sits tenth in the overall championship standings and sixth amongst the Independents’ going into the Scottish weekend and will hope to at least repeat his Snetterton podium when racing gets underway at the picturesque circuit overlooking the Firth of Forth.

“Whereas in the past I’ve said the aim is to be inside the top ten, I’m going to Knockhill aiming to be in the top six all weekend and I hope to come away from race day with at least a podium finish to my name,” he said. “It’ll be a big ask, but we showed as a team at Snetterton that we are more than capable of fighting at the front.

“Before the season started, we didn’t do much testing which meant we were on the back foot a bit through the first half of the year, but we have worked hard on the set-up of the Chevrolet to get it better suited to my driving style. That played a part in our results at Snetterton and on paper, Knockhill is a circuit that should suit the Cruze. The first goal is to qualify well and that will hopefully set us up for three strong races.”

Guernsey-based team-mate John George enjoyed one of his best weekends in the BTCC last season at Knockhill, where he ran strongly throughout at the wheel of his older BTC-spec Honda Integra.

Having shown encouraging pace at Snetterton last time out, albeit without securing the desired results, John makes the long trip to Scotland eager to break into the top ten for the first time this season – with his chances having been boosted by his recovery from a hand injury sustained in an accident at Croft back in June.

“I had a really good weekend at Knockhill in the Honda last year,” he said. “Battling with Gordon Shedden was a real highlight and showed it’s a circuit that suits me. We went well on the Indy layout at Brands Hatch earlier in the season, which is another short and twisty circuit, and I’m confident of a good weekend in Scotland.

“Even though I didn’t get the results at Snetterton last time out, I was a lot happier in terms of the pace we showed, as I was able to compete against the turbo cars. Heading to Knockhill, I really feel this is the weekend where I can break my duck for the season and get into the points.

“If I was a betting man, I’d say Knockhill is my best chance yet of a top ten finish and I hope I’m proved right at the end of it.”

Pics: SpeedSnaps.co.uk

Triple Eight Race Engineering with Collins Contractors is pleased to announce that Dublin-based Aron Smith will drive for the team in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship at Knockhill, near Dunfermline this coming weekend. He joins regular driver James Nash in our two-car turbocharged Vauxhall line-up.

Smith, 21 is the younger brother of former BTCC driver Gavin Smith who drove for our VX Racing team in 2005 and 2006. He is a structural engineering student and has alongside his studies been competing in the Renault Clio Cup for the past two seasons. Last year he raced in Italy where he finished fourth in the Championship and has this year competed in the UK series. He has won three times already this season, including last time out at Snetterton and is currently second in the Championship standings and its leading graduate.

Aron Smith: “I’m over the moon to be making my BTCC debut with a team with such experience as Triple Eight. I’m certain that they have a very competitive package and I’m equally sure we will work very well together. To get to make my debut at Knockhill makes it even better. The track itself should suit my driving style and now I’m just dying to get out in the car! I know it’ll be a steep learning curve but with the help I’ll be getting from the team I’m sure we can get some good results.”

Ian Harrison, Chairman Triple Eight: “Aron is an impressive young driver and we are delighted to have signed him to drive one of our cars at Knockhill. Making a BTCC debut at Knockhill won’t be easy for him, but the Vauxhall chassis is well sorted and should be good around there. I’m sure that once he has settled in to the car he will give a good account of himself.”

The AmD Milltek Racing.com team is targeting a return to the points scoring positions as the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship gears up for its annual trip to Scotland for the seventh round of the season next weekend (3/4 September).

The West Thurrock-based team will make the long trip to the picturesque Knockhill circuit – overlooking the Firth of Forth – buoyed by a solid start to the second half of the season at Snetterton earlier this month, when new driver Martin Byford acquitted himself well to the rough and tumble of touring car competition on his BTCC debut.

Despite only having a day behind the wheel of the AmD Milltek Racing.com Volkswagen Golf prior to his first weekend with the team, Colchester-based racer Martin – a former champion in the BTCC supporting Renault Clio Cup – was quickly up to speed and made good progress throughout the weekend, where he secured a best finish of 14th.

Martin now heads to Knockhill looking to build on the early promise shown at Snetterton as he seeks to become a BTCC points scorer for the first time at a circuit where he has enjoyed success in a range of formulae earlier in his career.

“Looking back at Snetterton now I’ve had time to really reflect on it, I think it went well as a whole,” he said. “I know I pushed a bit too hard in qualifying and its shame we were forced to retire in race two with a gear linkage issue, but we made good progress throughout the weekend and I couldn’t have asked for much more – apart from a point!

“I’ve now had a weekend to get used to the car and to get to know the team a bit more and I’m going to Knockhill trying to unlock more of the potential that I know is in the Golf. I’ve raced there quite a lot in the past and it’s a circuit I enjoy, and it’s also one where I think the Golf will be strong. The car carries speed through the corners well, which is something you need at Knockhill, but you can’t afford a mistake as the lap is so short that the smallest of mistakes is going to cost you positions.

“I’m looking forward to my second weekend in the BTCC and hopefully I can continue the progress we made at Snetterton and push towards the top ten.”

Team principal Shaun Hollamby said he was hopeful that the long trip north would see the team rewarded with its fourth top ten finish of the season after missing out at Snetterton.

“We had a few small problems at Snetterton that meant we didn’t score points when we probably should have done, but at the same time, there were some things that we discovered that we will now benefit from,” he said. “I was pleased with how Martin performed in his first weekend and how well he fitted in with the team, and I’m looking forward to seeing how he does at Knockhill, It’s a real drivers circuit and he is a good driver.

“The gearbox issue in the second race at Snetterton probably cost us points but hopefully we’ll put that right next weekend. The Golf is now performing well on all kinds of circuits and we went well at Knockhill last year, so we’re aiming to break back into the top ten again.”

Australia-based British racer Ben Barker will join Parr Motorsport for the Snetterton (6/7 August) and Knockhill (3/4 September) rounds of the Porsche Carrera Cup GB during a mid-season break in the schedule for the Porsche Carrera Cup Australia.

After winning the 2010 Australian Formula 3 title, Barker (20) has been impressive in the Carrera Cup Australia with Team BRM, taking pole position at round two in Perth and is currently sixth in the championship standings. Barker, originally from Cambridge, started his racing in karts and then contested the 2009 British Formula Ford Championship before switching his career to Australia.

“I’m very excited to be returning to the UK during the break in Porsche Carrera Cup Australia,” said Barker. “I haven’t raced in the UK since my first year in car racing back in 2009, so after some decent seat time in Australia, I’m confident I can show my pace and produce some good results in the Carrera Cup GB. I’m looking forward to the challenge.

“The main aim is to get my name a little more known back in Europe,” said Barker. “It will also keep me on my toes for the Australian series when I return to Phillip Island. In only my third year in car racing, I need to drive as much as possible; the more experience I get, the better driver I’ll become.”

After competing in the Carrera Cup GB, Barker will return to Australia for round four of Carrera Cup Australia at the L&H 500 at Phillip Island, Victoria in mid-September.

“We’re excited to have Ben on board,” said Paul Robe of Parr Motorsport. “He’s been identified as a rising star in British motorsport so we’re optimistic that he can produce some good results and mix it with the front runners. He’s got some experience in the car and of the circuits and with some testing we feel that he’ll do well. We’re looking forward to working with him.”

In front of a huge appreciative crowd, the second round of the Time Attack series took place at Knockhill racing circuit in Scotland on Sunday 16th May. Despite the bitterly cold conditions, the crowd were kept entertained all day by the field of some of the fastest modifed cars in the country.

Warm up

Despite the chilly conditions on track, the leading Club Challenge drivers were keen to find the limits of their cars and the Pirelli P Zero control tyres. The top 6 drivers were separated by just over a second with the Impreza of Chris Bennett setting the fastest time of 59.205 ahead of the exuberantly driven Impreza of Adam Kindness (husband of Time Attack regular Fiona), who was stood in for Gary Searl who was unable to make the journey north. It was interesting to note that almost all the drivers set their fastest times between the 4th and 6th laps, which indicated that the tyres were taking some time to reach their peak performance on the cold track.

In the FWD class, Bo Nielsen in the Forge Motorsport Astra VXR was again biting on the heels of the Japanese 4WD machinery, with his best time of 1:01.851 being almost a second clear of nearest challenger Romain Levesque in his Buddy Club CRX.

In Club Pro, Warren Kelly again set the early benchmark in the Airtec Escort Cosworth with a time of 58.737, beating local expert Fiona Kindness in her Track Scotland Nissan Skyline by almost a second. Fiona in turn was almost a second clear of Neil Robertson’s EVO and Walter Morris (Nissan Skyline). Rob Cowling was finally getting to grips with the Ameon Racing EVO which wasn’t ready for the first round at Oulton Park.

In Pro class, Marcus Webster stayed out for almost the full session, and was the only car to dip into the 56 second backet with a 56.674 set on his 11th lap. Despite undergoing spinal surgery only a few days after the first round, Mike Mahoney showed the potential of his Wallace Performance EVO, setting the 2nd fastest time of 57.106 ahead of fellow EVO drivers Gavin Renshaw, and Russ Paton.

Practice

With dry conditions on track, it was only a few laps before some seriously quick times were posted during the morning practice session. Leading the pack was Allan Freeland in his distinctive pink EVO setting the Club Challenge benchmark at 56.685 on lap 3. Under new rules for this season Allan was standing in for regular Eric Holmes, who despite many long hours in the nights leading up to the event, was unable to resolve his engine problems in time. Jon Mathers in the Pro-R Impreza was just over 1 second adrift with a 57.804, with EVO driver Andrew Barbour close behind on a 58.053.

Despite some talented and aggressive driving by Adam Kindness, who at times was using all the track and more, he was unable to improve on the time set in the earlier warm-up session and just failed to get under the minute with a 60.240. A special mention must go to Gerry Atkinson, in his 300bhp Seat Leon Supercopa backed by Billy Connolly’s Ticketyboo Films. Despite heavy rainfall midway through the session which saw all his rivals return to the safety of the pits, Gerry stayed out lap after lap, completing a total of 18 laps during the 20 minute session.

Fiona Kindess made full advantage of her many hundreds of laps experience of the Knockhill track in all conditions, to lead the Club Pro times and set 4th fastest time over with a 57.658, some 1.5 seconds better than rivals Warren Kelly and Neil Robertson. Walter Morris suffered a power steering failure in his Midlands Performance Skyline, and could only manage two laps during the session.

Still nursing head gasket issues after winning the previous round, Duncan Graham managed an impessive 57.947 in Pro Class, to keep close to leader Gavin Renshaw in the NR Autosport EVO who recorded a 56.748 in the challenging and variable conditions. Mike Mahoney was only 3/100ths slower than Gavin, with local expert Russ Paton only 3/10ths behind with a 57.198 in his Performance HQ EVO whilst demonstrating his drifting skills around some of the slower corners.

Qualifying

Whilst still cold, the track was at least dry for the afternoon qualifying sessions. Allan Freeland wasted no time in setting the fastest time of the session, with a 56.958 on only his second lap.

Andrew Barbour improved on his morning times with a 57.258 and earned him valuable qualification points. Jon Mathers qualified 3rd with the Pro-R Impreza on 58.298 ahead of first time competitor Matt Lawson in his Wallace Performance EVO. Adam Kindness again pushed hard to break the one minute barrier, but struggled against the higher powered cars now their drivers were more familiar with the track.

In the FWD class, Romain Levesque stayed out on track for most of the session, and his perseverance payed off as he qualified in first place with a 60.257, ahead of Gerry Atkinson’s Leon Supercopa (60.563) and Bo Nielsen’s VXR Astra on 60.727. The stage was now set for a thrilling final between these closely matched rivals.

It appeared as though distaster had struck RWD title contender Umar Masood, in his flame throwing Mazda RX7 as his car completely died midway through the session. Umar had endured a tortuous 16 hour journey to Knockhill from Wolverhampton as his tow car broke down 3 times en-route. Having set his fastest time of the day of 61.699, he was unsure if he could get the car fixed again in time for the final. First round winner Jimmy White in the lime green VX220 was not without his own problems, despite the extra confidence gained from a new front splitter. Jimmy struggled to match his earlier times, and could only record a 62.244 to qualify in second place behind Umar.

Slippery conditions once again confronted the Pro and Club Pro drivers as they took to the track for their qualifying session. Gavin Renshaw set the pace early on with a 60.289 on his 3rd lap, despite some lurid powerslides around the lower section of the circuit, before returning to the pits to preserve the car for the final.

However the light rain eased off, and with a strong wind blowing the track conditions quickly improved. At the midway point of the session, Walter Morris lead the field with his best time of 59.562 on his 10th lap, before his power steering gremlins returned. With the conditions improving by the second, the crowd were enthralled as the lead times changed several times per lap. In the end, it was the powerful Skyline of Marcus Webster that mastered the tricky conditions to qualify first overall with a 57.076. Marcus was recording terminal speeds in excess of 140mph on the main straight before braking for the blind Duffus Dip corner, a remarkable feat under the circumstances. Fiona Kindness also took advantage of the fast drying conditions to qualify 2nd fastest outright near the end of the session, with a 57.783, closely followed by Russ Paton’s EVO (57.844) and Duncan Graham’s Impreza on 57.871

Club Challenge Finals

FWD

Romain Levesque in his Buddy Club CRX inflicted a rare defeat over Bo Nielsen’s Astra VXR in the FWD cateogry. Bo had set the early pace, recording his best time of 60.415 on only his second lap. Ever wary of the threat from the hard charging Romain, Bo remained out on track for most of the session, recording a long consistent series of laps in the 60 second bracket, but none to better the earlier effort when his tyres were at their peak. Bo was right to be concerned, as toward the end of the session Romain bettered Bo’s time with a 60.263, and on his very last lap raised the bar even higher with a 60.222. Dave Thorpe in the Civic EP3 took the third podium spot, ahead of Gerry Atkinson in the Seat Leon Supercopa.

4WD

In the 4WD category, Allan Freeland again wasted little time and was right on the pace from the outset. Allan set his fastest time of the day with a stunning time 56.127. 2nd place was claimed by Andrew Barbour in his EVO 5 (56.704). Andrew had a very nervous end to the session, as his clutch release bearing failed after completing only 6 laps, rendering his car immobile. In his first ever competitive event, one hit wonder Matt Lawson claimed third fastest time with a 56.810. As Matt wasn’t entered for the championship, the third podium position went to a delighted Jon Mathers in the Pro-R Impreza, who was also awarded the SIDC fastest Subaru trophy for the second event running.

RWD

Umar Masood overcame his electrical gremlins suffered during qualification, to record his first ever Time Attack victory, with a lap time of 61.151. Umar’s winning time was comfortably ahead of rival Jimmy White who suffered engine problems on his out lap, and limped around to secure valuable championship points.

Pro and Club Pro Finals

With a point to prove after failing to qualify in first place, Gavin Renshaw pushed his NR Autosport EVO hard from the outset, recoridng a blistering time of 55.188 on his 3rd lap. Gavin could not rest easily though, as Russ Paton immediately responded with a 55.570 with the promise of more to come. First place qualifier Marcus Webster took a few laps to settle into a rythym, and on his 10th lap recorded a 55.904 which was enough to secure his first podium position of the year. The fight was still very much on for first place though, as Renshaw and Paton returned on track and set a series of ever faster lap times. It was Renshaw who took the honours in the end, with a 55.024 proving just enough to pip Paton’s best of 55.161.

You can watch Gavin’s winning lap here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pnSw77WZMc

Despite continued problems with the head gasket in his BC Racing Impreza, Duncan Graham did just enough to secure the valuable championship he needed to remain top of the points standing after two rounds. Duncan was also awarded the SIDC trophy for fastest Pro Class Impreza.

Mike Mahoney was looking good for an excellent result during the early part of the final session, before he put a wheel onto the grass exiting the hairpin and heavily impacted the tyre wall bringing an early end to his hopes. Thankfully it appears the damage is merely cosmetic, and assuming that replacment body parts can be sourced in time, “Daisy” will be back on track for the next two rounds at Brands Hatch at the end of June.

In the Club Pro category, the experience and determination of Fiona Kindness around her local track proved too much for her rivals. Fiona’s best time of 56.900 was enough to earn her 4th fastest time overall, as well as her first ever Club Pro victory. Despite recording his fastest time of the the day, Warren Kelly’s time of 57.584 wasn’t enough to threaten the dominant Kindness on home turf. Both fondly remembered last year’s Club Challenger rival Scott Robson who is taking a year out of competition, by wearing t-shirts emblazened with the words “Scott Who?” on them. Fiona now leads the Club Pro title race ahead of fellow Skyline driver Walter Morris, who amazingly completed all of his 7 laps in the final session and set a competitive time of 58.662 with no power steering, as once again it failed as he was leaving the pit lane.

The full results from the Knockhill round can be found by clicking here

The Time Attack series now moves south again to Brands hatch in Kent, for the first ever double header weekend on the 25th and 26th June.

Words: John Stewart
Images: Flat Out Ph