Racing Results 2012
Rounds 13 & 14 Anglesey: 29/30th September 2012
- 2 Race wins for guest driver Phil Rose
- Class wins for Gary Prebble (x2), Ilsa Cox, Derek Palmer, Nick Hayes (x2), Wayne Schofield (x2) and Chris Boon (x2)
After a trip to Pembrey last year, the Welsh round of the Arrowpak Eurosaloons moved back to Anglesey where both races would be held on the Coastal circuit. Bright dry conditions were the order for the day when qualifying began early on Saturday morning.
Qualifying:
There were a few guest entries, the now familiar Sakers of Paul Rose and Tim Wheeldon, and a Prosport LM3000 (Paul Spencer) ran in the guest class, while 4 Nissan 370z cars running on road tyres added themselves to the Class A entry.
Paul Rose (Saker) took pole from Tim Wheeldon (Saker), but the Eurosaloons interest lay on the second row of the grid. Rex Stamp (Lotus Elise) taking third place and Class A pole by just 4/100ths from Class D pole Wayne Schofield (Suzuki Cappuccino). The Class A heavyweights, Gary Prebble (Mitsubishi Evo) and Andy Robinson (Ford Falcon) make up the third row a second adrift of the row ahead, with the returning Dave Cockell (Ford Escort Cosworth) missing 6th by just 4/1000ths.
Ilsa Cox (Seat Leon) looked short of competition in Class B, the other competitor Derek Palmer (Nissan Primera) running just 4 slow laps to qualify back in 20th, just ahead of the road tyre shod Nissans while Cox was in 9th place. Nick Hayes (Seat Leon) took Class C pole and 11th place from Andy Robey (BMW M3) while David Thomas was fastest of the Clio bunch, Chris Boon (Honda Civic) the sole Class E entrant managed to split the Clios on the grid.
Race 1 (Saturday):
The front row Sakers of Rose and Wheeldon made a good start, just holding off Stamp into the first corner, with Schofield in very close attendance. Stamp got alongside Wheeldon but could not get past. Prebble passed Schofield going into Church and then shot past Stamp on the run up to Rocket. Schofield appeared to be moving backwards fast as Robinson powered by coming out of Rocket, but Schofield dipped inside on the entry to the Corkscrew just as Stamp pulled into the pitlane to have a sticky throttle checked. At the end of the first lap it was Rose, Wheeldon, Prebble, Schofield, Robinson and Cockell, Stamp's journey to pit lane saw him cross the line in 13th, but he would lose a lap before resuming the race.
Wheeldon passed Rose to take the lead on lap 2, the two Sakers running in close formation at the front, with Prebble and Schofield running equally close together a couple of seconds further back. Already they had dropped Robinson and Cockell by a further 3 seconds. Rose repassed Wheeldon for the lead on lap 4 while Spencer in the Prosport was gaining on Cockell and would move up into 6th on lap 5. Schofield got a good exit out of Rocket on lap 5 was right on Prebble's bumper going into Peel and managed to get past the orange Evo before the Corkscrew to move up into 3rd place, three seconds behind the Sakers.
On lap 7 the leaders starting lapping, the Nissan 370s being first to be caught. Wheeldon passed Rose once again, while Schofield was also closing in on Rose who lost time passing the backmarkers, catching them just going into the Corkscrew.
Cox was running in 8th and easily leading Class B but by lap 5 was 11 seconds adrift of the 7th place Cockell, her only Class B competitor Robert Gilmour (Sapphire Cosworth) had been circulating slowly at the rear of the grid before retiring on lap 7. Class C leader Nick Hayes was maintaining position behind Cox and running half a second quicker than 2nd in class Robey, while Boon had got off to a flyer and was leading all the Clios for the first 7 laps. Andy Jordan was closing on Boon, but was held up when Ian Jordan spun and hit the pit wall on lap 8 allowing David Pierce to move ahead in the Clio race, Pierce would pass Boon that lap just before the safety car was brought out so Ian Jordan's car could be safely removed.
Four full laps were run behind the safety car, the race resuming as a 2 lap sprint to the finish. Surprisingly Wheeldon peeled off into the pits as the safety car came in, with 2 laps the go the order was Rose, Schofield, Prebble, Robinson, Spencer and Cockell. Schofield was busy fighting off both understeer from letting his tyres cool to much, and Prebble who was right back on his rear, Rose taking full advantage by setting the fastest lap of the race on his way to a 2 second lead with one lap remaining. Schofield set a new Eurosaloons lap record on the final lap but could not catch Rose who went on to take the win from Schofield and Prebble. Spencer caught and passed Robinson on the final lap but Spencer was already 5 seconds adrift of third place Prebble. Stamp set a new Class A lap record, but still finished back in 15th and a lap down.
Hayes remained safely ahead of Robey to take the Class C win, Pierce had the buffer of Boon to take his first Clio victory of the season and 2nd in Class D to Schofield. David Thomas was unfortunately disqualified post race after a misunderstanding saw him overtake the safety car.
Race 2 (Sunday):
Sunday morning, overnight had been a story of high winds, overturned tents and awnings, disappeared airbeds etc. Malevolent clouds filled the sky, it was cold and windy, and surely it was a matter of time before the rain came.
Rose and Schofield on the front row with Prebble and Spencer on row two, Robinson and Cockell on row 3. Wheeldon would be starting back on row 10. Rose got away cleanly and was alreadt 3 seconds clear of second placed Prebble after just 1 lap. Robinson and Cockell got past Spencer, Robinson also powered past Schofield only to be repassed by the Suzuki. Schofield had anticipated rain and had softened the suspension settings, a last minute change back to slicks left no time to adjust the suspension, so the Suzuki fell back rapidly from Prebble as Schofield struggled to hold off Spencer. Robinson fell back, struggling for grip, and was down to 6th after 3 laps, Wheeldon storming through the pack and up into 5th from 20th at the start before dropping back into the pits on lap 9. Rose was controlling the race at the front, even light rain didn't help Prebble close the 8 second gap. In the closing stages of the race Spencer was able to claw back time from Schofield and found a way past on the final lap to take 3rd place behind Rose and Prebble.
Cox was struggling in the damp conditions but had started 17 places ahead of Class B competitor Derek Palmer (Nissan Primera). 3 laps in and the gap was 1.7 seconds, Cox in 9th place leading a bunch of 8 cars separated by 3 seconds, Palmer up to 13th. Cox fell to 12th on lap 4 as Palmer moved up to 10th and the lead for Class B. Running some 5 seconds a lap faster than Cox he would soon cement the Class B win.
Hayes was having a cracking race straight up into 7th from the start and the lead of the second pack and only losing a place as Wheeldon came charging through from the back. Hayes maintained his position until lap 8 when he was finally caught by the charging Palmer and Doug Ellwood (Marcos Mantis) who had also started from the rear of the grid. By now he was 14 seconds clear of Cox, his nearest challenger, and Chris Whitely (Seat Leon), next up in Class C.
Ian Jordan's Clio had been repaired overnight, but Pierce was taking advantage of his higher grid slot to lead the Clio battle from the Jordans and David Thomas. Five laps in, Pierce led Andy Jordan by a second, while the remaining Clios followed 8 seconds behind, themselves just a second apart. The sole Class E entrant Boon was flying, five laps in he was matching Cox's lap times and right on her rear bumper, ahead of all the Clios again.
At the front, Rose won by little over a second after a very slow (careful) final lap from Prebble. Eight seconds off the front, Spencer just passed Schofield on the final lap to get the final podium position with Wheeldon 5th, 20 seconds adrift of Schofield, and Robinson and Cockell separated by 1/3 second another 10 seconds behind.
Hayes finished the race in 10th place as Class C winner, 16 seconds clear of Class B winner Cox while Andy Jordan survived a few slips and slides in the wet to finish first Clio ahead of Pierce.
Schofield now leads Robinson at the head of the championship by 274 to 256. Nick Hayes double win and first race joker move the former champion into 3rd place on 232, but with two races to go next month at Donington Park, its a straight fight for the title between Schofield and Robinson. Cox falls to fourth suffering from the lack of numbers in Class B. Arrowpak Super Touring Cup champion for 2012. While the overall title is still up for grabs, the Class champions have all been decided, Robinson, Cox, Hayes, Schofield and Boon winning Classes A to E respectively. Cox is also Arrowpak Super Touring Cup champion for 2012 and Thomas' first race DQ means Andy Jordan is 2012 Mark Fish Motorsport Clio Cup Challenge winner. Seat clawed back 24 points on Renault, but Renault still leads the MSE_Performance.com Manufacturers Cup 848 to 738.
The series now moves on to the final round at Donington Park on 20/21 October.
With support from :
Mark Fish Motorsport, MSE-Performance.com & LMA Performance
Report by Trevor Nicosia, Car 10 (www.nyssaracing.com ) and Jonathan Fletcher
Click here to link to the full TSL Timing results pdf of the meeting