Regional News

Competition Car Insurance Radical UK Cup: Thruxton, 28/29 August 2010

30th August 2010

Terrence Woodward and Ross Kaiser returned to their winning ways at Thruxton, taking their 360 Racing SR8 to a dominant double victory.

Kaiser started from pole and rapidly built up a substantial lead over the opening laps. Shaun Balfe’s SR8 slotted into second and was able to break too when Manhal Allos took his SR8 over the chicane and dropped from third to sixth, as Alex Kapadia’s SR3, Derek Johnston’s SR8, and Rob Wheldon’s SR3 all went by. “I just got lucky at the start when the others got sideways and I drove passed them, “said Kapadia.

Stuart Moseley ousted Wheldon and Allos on the second lap, and started to close in on Johnston’s fourth place. which triggered a response from Johnston and took him closer to Kapadia again.

There was little between Moseley and Wheldon still as the race wore on, but after Wheldon had gone back in front, they both battled their way past Johnston. Back in seventh Allos had been running solo, while in eighth Ross Allen’s SR3 had Chris Hillaby closing him down.

10 laps in and Kaiser’s lead had grown to over 15 secs, but two laps later it was even bigger when Balfe made an unscheduled stop. “I saw my rear bodywork fly up as I went through Church, so headed straight for the pits,” he explained.

Kapadia was into second, from Wheldon, Moseley, Allos and Johnston, with Balfe rejoining in ninth, behind Allen and Ian Flux, as Hillaby slipped down the order too.

It was a 39 second advantage and still growing as Kaiser started to prepare himself to the hand over to Woodward. As the pitstop activity intensified, Kapadia handed Pete Osborne the lead, which immediately put him under pressure. He held on for three laps before David Thorburn took charge, aided when Osborne became all crossed up in his approach to the chicane, which almost allowed Mark Smithson through too.

On lap 24 both Woodward and Allen managed to get the better of Osborne at the Complex and within two laps Woodward was back in front at Allard, with Thorburn powerless to defend. Thorburn was still third, with Osborne fourth but Smithson lost ground after a spin.

Allos had started to string together some consistency and although Woodward was long gone, he took fourth from Osborne on lap 27. After chasing down Thorburn two laps later, he continued to close on Allen, until they arrived nose to tail into the chicane on the last lap.

Woodward/Kaiser were home and dry with a win by nearly 11 seconds. “I had a pretty good start and got away as planned. I did flat spot a tyre after a lock up, but Terrence did the same later. But we had trouble at the stop again when Terrence stalled after we tried to warn him about the clutch,” Kaiser explained. “I couldn’t hear what they were saying, then stalled and had to be push started again,” Woodward added.

Allos clinched second from SR3 class winner Allen as they exited the chicane for the final time, “I made the job a lot harder for myself after that first lap mistake and I had lost out to the SR3s,”said Allos.

“I had a good first half I thought but then lost out to the top three in my class and was sort of nowhere. But chased on in the second stint and got the win,” Allen replied. Thorburn/Wheldon just held off Kapadia/Osborne for second in class and fourth overall. “We need first really, but I enjoyed it though, Ross had managed to get me at the Complex when I was forced to lift a little,” said Thorburn.

“I tried to hard holding David back and got sideways a bit too much,” said Osborne. He was still fifth ahead of Johnston, “we just can’t find the right set up since having this new car,” said the outgoing champion.

Moseley/Smithson were seventh, “I lost places in my stint being held up behind some SR8s,” said Moseley. “Rear end grip was a bit of a problem. I spun at the Complex and lost contention,” added Smithson.

Balfe/Bromiley were left to settle for eighth, “I hadn’t had much time here and it didn’t make for a good race, so lots of homework before the second race,” said Bromiley. The SR3s of Luigi Gatti/Sami Suominen and Phil/James Abbott completed the top ten.

RESULT

1 Ross Kaiser/Terrence Woodward (SR8) 32 laps in 40m31.350s (111.62mph); 2 Manhal Aloes (SR8) +10.980s; 3 Ross Allen (SR3); 4 +0.023s; 4 Rob Wheldon/David Thorburn (SR3); 5  Alex Kapadia/Pete Osborne (SR3); 6 Derek Johnston (SR8); 7 Stuart Moseley/Mark Smithson (SR3); 8 Shaun Balfe/Roger Bromiley (SR8); 9 Luigi Gatti/Sami Suominen (SR3); 10 Phil Abbott/James Abbott (SR3). Masters: 1 Kaiser/Woodward; 2 Allos; 3 Johnston; 4 Balfe/Bromiley; 5 John Lord/Laurence Wilkins; no other starters. Supersports: 1 Allen; 2 Wheldon/Thorburn; 3 Kapadia/Osborne; 4 Moseley/Smithson; 5 Gatti/Suominen; 6 Abbott/Abbott; 7 Andrew Ferguson/Jeremy Ferguson (SR3); 8 Richard Carver (SR3); 9  Ian Flux/Craig Currie; 10 Chris Hillaby/Clive Biley. Fastest lap: Kaiser 1m09.432s (122.15mph).

RACE TWO

If the first race had been dominant for Kaiser and Woodward, it would be hard describe the second. Apart from the lap they pitted, they led every one of the 33.

Initially it was Woodward, from Allos, Johnston and Bromiley, with Allen heading the SR3s in fifth. Smithson. Phil Abbott, Osborne, Thorburn and Currie sorted themselves into the early top ten, before Suominen carved his way through to eighth by lap three, with Currie following him through.

Smithson had really put the pressure on Allen for a while, but experience told and Allen held onto fifth. Johnston had been caught and passed by Bromiley when he headed for the pits on lap eight for more adjustments.

Allen, Smithson, Suominen, Abbott and Currie all moved up and ran in fairly close formation for a while. But Woodward had done exactly as planned and built a substantial lead for Kaiser to defend. “It was a good start, I got away and just continued to open the gap,” said Woodward.

It was plain sailing through the second half with Kaiser making a second win of the weekend for the 360 duo, this time by a massive 40.923secs. Allos completed the best weekend of his career with a comfortable second, “the car was good and I really loved this circuit. I wish I was braver sometimes though,” he said.

Allen retained third and took another class win, with Bromiley/Balfe securing fourth from Smithson/Moseley from lap 24. “It was good but not enough to keep in touch for the title,” said Balfe. “Shaun did a great job and the car was fine,” Bromiley added.  “I knew Rob was catching, but I knew where he was and it was safe. Ross was too far ahead to do anything about him though,” Moseley concluded.

Thorburn/Wheldon therefore completed the top six, with Flux/Currie seventh, after Flux had shadowed his pupil James Abbott for a few laps. “Following James was a pleasure, he was so accurate,” said Flux.

Osborne followed the Abbotts home in ninth, I floored it at the Complex and spun when I couldn’t a gear, it was a hard race though,” he said, after going solo while Kapadia attended a wedding.

The Ferguson brothers completed the top ten after Suominen/Gatti received two stop-go penalties. “As I came out of the pits the first time, I floored it but right in front of the man with the speed gun and had to come in again,” Gatti explained.

RESULT

1 Woodward/Kaiser 33 laps in 41m01.269s (113.71mph); 2 Allos +40.923s; 3 Allen; 4 Bromiley/Balfe; 5 Smithson/Moseley; 6 Thorburn/Wheldon; 7 Currie/Flux; 8 Abbott/Abbott; 9 Osborne; 10 Ferguson/Ferguson. Masters: 1 Woodward/Kaiser; 2 Allos; 3 Bromiley/Balfe; 4 Johnston; 5 Lord/Wilkins; no other starters. Supersports: 1 Allen; 2  Smithson/Moseley; 3 Thorburn/Wheldon; 4 Currie/Flux; 5 Abbott/Abbott; 6 Osborne; 7 Ferguson/Ferguson; 8 Suominen/Gatti.  Fastest lap: Kaiser 41m09.931s (121.28mph).

Published by Peter Scherer for Radical Sportscars, 30 August 2010