Being a one day meeting at Oulton Park, it was just one sprint race followed by the Enduro for the Radical Challenge.
RAW Motorsports debutant Dougie Bolger had managed to take pole for the opening race by 3/1000ths from Breakell Racing’s Noah Degnbol.
From the lights out it was Degnbol in control, with RAW’s James Lay into second. “Sixth to second in two corners, but I still couldn’t get close enough to get past Noah,” said Lay.
Bolger settled into a fairly solitary third, with RAW’s Ben Stone and John Macleod holding off Mectech’s Anthony Ayres in the early top six.
Stone retained a solid fourth throughout, “the car was great and it was the best I could have done against that top three,” he said.
Macleod had started particularly well and was challenging for an early podium place until he was pushed wide at OId Hall. “After that I was just sat behind Ben, as it’s so hard to pass here,” he replied.
Ayres had been closing on Macleod until he hit trouble in the closing laps. “There was nowhere to try and overtake and then my paddleshift broke and I was stuck in sixth gear with two laps left,” he explained after dropping to ninth.
RAW’s Elliott Goodman moved up to complete the top six, from Chris Preen and Mark Williams, while DW Racing’s Peter Tyler completed the top 10.
Degnbol was on pole for race two and made the most of his position to lead the field down the Avenue on the opening lap.
Ayres was initially second, from Bolger, Lay, Macleod, Stone and Goodman, until a touch with the grass on lap three. “I just caught the grass but the radiator filled up and I had to back off as it was overheating,” he said after dropping to fifth.
Bolger had also ousted Lay as they moved up to second and third and Goodman had taken Stone for sixth on lap two.
“I got held up a bit when Ayres went wide and Dougie then got me along Lakeside,” said Lay, who managed to reclaim his lost place three laps later.
Safety car interventions and the pit stop window coinciding once more, with most drivers heading pitwards on the same lap.
Bolger had stayed out, but the safety car was soon in action again. Degnbol had pitted from a comfortable lead, but on his out lap he attempted to lap Jacek Zielonka around the outside at Druids and crashed heavily.
With four laps behind the safety car Bolger was able to make his stop under caution and still rejoin with his lead intact.
RAW’s Chris Preen had also stayed out and pitted from second, which left Ayres as the new second man, from Macleod, Goodman, Tyler and Preen.
But there had been dramas in the pitlane after Macleod and 360’s James Sweetnam collided, as the RAW driver went to rejoin. Sweetnam had been eighth, but with damaged suspension he went no further.
Bolger held onto his comfortable lead however to take a maiden Radical Challenge victory, with Ayres a comfortable second. “The safety car had saved us, so I had to get tactical. I got back into second after the stops but couldn’t catch Dougie,” Ayres explained.
Macleod had been third, holding off Goodman, was given a late drive through penalty for unsafe release. “I couldn’t shake-off Elliott as my car was damaged and I pitted to take the flag in the pitlane, but that didn’t count and I wasn’t classified,” he explained.
As Macleod headed pitwards Goodman moved up to take third. “It helped as most of the cars in front at the stops had success penalties and it was nice when we had the safety car too, it gave us a breather as it was so hot,” Goodman added.
Tyler therefore moved up to fourth on the last lap and was almost caught by Lay at the flag. “I just missed the pitlane incident and spent the rest of the race chasing Elliott,” he said.
Lay had made it into fifth after taking Preen on the last lap, he had also got past Stone two laps earlier. Preen rounded off the top six, from Stone, with Williams in eighth, as the SR1 Class leaders completed the top 10.
SR1 CUP - DE LEON TAKES ANOTHER STEP TOWARDS SR1 TITLE
Tom Wood managed to turn his pole position into a lights to flag win in race one.
“Everything went to plan, we had good pace and to win is always encouraging for the students,” said the Derby University driver after taking the flag over eight seconds clear.
Daryl De Leon had his hands full keeping Track Focused’s Frazer McFadden at bay for second. “Tom was just faster than me and when my rear anti rollbar snapped there was no way I would catch him,” said the Valour Racing driver.
McFadden retained a solid third , with DW’s Ben Caisley fourth. “I could see the others sliding about so I decided to conserve my tyres and just be consistent,” said Caisley.
George Knutton was a racelong fifth for Track Focused, with Scorpio’s Brian Caudwell completing the top six, after ousting James Ockenden’s works car mid-race.
Debutant Paul Denning, returnee David “Sven” Thompson and James Hadley rounded off the top 10.
There was a terrific battle from the start of race two. Initially it was McFadden leading Wood and De Leon, but Wood was soon heading pitwards to retire.
Through Old Hall a front damper broke, I had tried to keep going but nearly had a big off, so had to pit,” Wood explained.
De Leon was left chasing McFadden for the next eight laps. “I got alongside at Druids and decided to back out, then kept showing the nose. I went for it at Lodge but went in too deep, but the next lap I tried and got him,” De Leon explained.
McFadden had to settle for second, with Caisley third. “I watched a good race, tried to get involved the stayed at a safe distance,” said Caisley
Ockenden was a solitary fourth, with Hadley, Denning and Darren Knutton the rest of the finishers, after Caudwell and Thompson retired.
Some of the SR1’s also came out in the Enduro, with Caisley taking the class win from team mate Thompson, who had ELMS racer Ben Hanley sharing.
The final rounds of both Championships takes place at Donington Park on September 17th/18th.
Published by Peter Scherer for Radical Sportscars, August 16th