Racing Results 2010
Rounds 1 & 2 Silverstone: 10th/11th April 2010
- Tony Soper starts season with two race wins
- Class wins for Kevin Wendt, Peter Challis, Paul Horton, James May, Gary Whitehead (x2) and Brett Walter (x2)
- Tony Soper and Brett Walter are early championship leaders
Round one of the 2010 BRSCC Euro Saloon and Sports Car Championship took place on what was the warmest weekend of 2009 to date
Photos courtesy of James Roberts
Qualifying:
The first race of a new season always brings teething troubles to the fore, but 28 cars (and 4 Fiats) made for a good entry. Peter Challis’ Nissan Primera managed only the out lap before pulling in with a misfire, Keith Butcher’s similar car qualified 3rd overall before breaking and being unable to take further part in the weekend. Brian Cox (Mitsubishi Evo) and Laurie Grant (BMW M3) also broke their cars in qualifying.
From a more successful standpoint, Tony Soper had upgraded the suspension on the Harrier over the winter break and set the pole position time, just shading the Class B Seat Cupra of Simon Blanckley. Andy Robinson’s fearsome 7 litre Ford Falcon would line up 3rd on the grid with Butcher’s demise. Top Class C qualifying was 2009 class championship Nick Hayes (Seat Leon) but James May and Paul Horton in similar cars were right on the pace. Mark Cripps got the better of the BMW M3s running in Class D but Gary Whitehead notably only managed 3 laps and would surely be stronger in the races. 2009 Eurosaloons champion Brett Walter carried on where he left off last year by taking the Class E pole from Tim Clarke (Renault Clio).
Race 1 (Saturday):
Tony Soper had problems last year in warming the Harrier’s tyres, and nothing has changed as he slipped back to 4th place on the 1st lap, almost three seconds behind Blanckley who led from Robinson and Doug Ellwood (Marcos Mantis). Mark Chilton’s Porsche 993 was 5th with Ilsa Cox (Seat Cupra) 6th. Rex Stamp (Lotus Exige) moved up to 6th on lap 2, while Soper got past Ellwood on lap 3 to take 3rd place.
Blanckley started lapping the backmarkers on lap 4, he and Robinson were pulling a sizable gap from 3rd placed Soper. Richard Hawken had also made good progress through the pack, 14th at end of lap 1, 10th on lap 5 and closing on Ellwood. By lap 11 they were almost side by side, but a coming together at Luffield on lap 12 saw Ellwood spin out and lose time which would allow Cox to pass him before the end of the race.
Lap 10, Robinson’s Falcon was beginning to suffer tyre issues and Soper was closing in fast, passing Robinson for 2nd place, but still 6 seconds behind Blanckley. Chilton and Stamp were running 4 and 5th but each 3 seconds behind the car in front. Soper was now closing on the leader, Blanckley as they battled through the traffic. By lap 13 the gap was down to 3 seconds, just 1.5 on lap 14 and the gap would move up and down through the last laps of the race. The drama came on the final lap, Blanckley was 1.5 seconds ahead when he suddenly slowed and pulled off to the side of the track with a shredded tyre, leaving Soper to take the win. Stamp had slowly moved up and finished 2nd, 5 seconds adrift of Soper, with Class B Kevin Wendt (BMW M3) finishing 3rd and taking the Class B win. Peter Challis has started from the back of the grid and flew through the pack gaining 13 places on the first lap alone on his way to 5th overall behind Robinson’s Falcon.
Gary Whitehead’s M3 was running much better than in qualifying and took a convincing Class D win and 11th overall, while Paul Horton got the better of the Seat Leons in Class C. Brett Walter won Class E by 6 seconds from Tim Clarke’s older model Clio, while Simon Jackson’s return in “Pongo”, the Vauxhall Nova while his MG ZR was not ready, was battling with one of the Fiats all race long in a close run battle. But Jackson could not match the pace of Yaser Almaghrbi’s Daihatsu Charade which took 3rd in Class E.
Race 2 (Sunday):
A cooler day on Sunday, but still bright and dry, the track seemed to have less grip. Almost predictably, Soper lost the advantage of pole and ended lap 1 in 3rd behind Stamp and Robinson, with Wendt, Challis and Hawken right behind him. Already the front six had broken clear. Nick Hayes provided excitement on the first trip into Luffield with a wild spin which would drop him back to 20th, the first of 3 spins he would have a Luffield during the race. Robinson powered past Stamp on lap 2 and looked like he was driving off into the distance, pulling away by 4.5 seconds in just 2 laps. Wendt passed Stamp for 2nd on lap 4, Challis moved past Stamp a lap later but Robinson looked in control out front, now 5.5 seconds clear with race one winner Soper having now dropped back to 5th.
Soper started to move on lap 7 as he took 4th place from Stamp but was 9 seconds behind leader Robinson, and 5 adrift of Wendt and Challis battling for second. Challis’ Primera touring car was fast on the bends but the more powerful cars would pull away once the track straightened, making for an entertaining contest for the spectators.
Robinson was starting to slow with tyre issues from lap 12, on lap 14 a massive slide at Luffield allowed Challis (who got by Wendt 3 laps earlier) and Soper to move into the lead positions with Wendt following suit later the same lap. Robinson was battling with lack of grip and would lose one more place (to Stamp) on the final lap before finishing 5th. Challis was looking secure at the front, but with the Harrier’s tyres thoroughly warmed up, Soper was right on Challis tale, passing Challis out of Brooklands on lap 17. Soper pulled away from Challis by 2 seconds a lap once in clean air to win for the second time this weekend by 4 seconds from Class B winner Challis. Wendt took his second podium of the weekend while Blanckley echoed Challis’ drive on Saturday by moving through the pack from last place on the grid to finish 6th.
Gary Whitehead took another Class D win but only managed 10th overall after a long and close battle with Class B Ilsa Cox. James May reversed the Saturday result taking the narrowest of Class C wins from Paul Horton, but with Nick Hayes spinning at Luffield, Mike Gregory was able to take third in Class C in the Ford Escort he had loaned to Olly Allen last season.
Brett Walter showed he is good value to be the first Eurosaloons champion to retain his title starting his season with another Class E win and maximum points haul. Almaghrbi took second in Class E while Christopher Mason took 3rd in only his second race in his Peugeot.
Walter and Soper start the season with a maximum 44 points and lead the championship while James May (42) and Peter Challis (40) both got off to good starts.
Read article on the Silverstone race from Motorsport News.
With support from :
Mark Fish Motorsport, MSE-Performance.com & LMA Performance
Report by Trevor Nicosia, Car 10 ( www.nyssaracing.com )
Click here to link to the full TSL Timing results pdf of the meeting