Zamparelli takes the Double at Cadwell

“I like the circuit a lot,” said Ginetta Junior start Dino Zamparelli after qualifying at Cadwell Park. “It’s my favourite circuit,” he added after a fine double victory at the Ginetta 50th anniversary celebration meeting.

Zamparelli’s dominance had given him pole after the mornings qualifying, closely followed by Thomas Carnaby. But only 0.9secs covered the next five with Alice Powell heading Josh Hill, George Richardson, Fergus Walkinshaw and Jake Farndon.

Red flags prompted a restart in the first race, after Dominic Pettitt had tagged Alex Austin on the pit straight and sent him spinning into the wall. Carnaby had started to take charge from Hill and Zamparelli, but he was going to have to do it all over again. The restart had given Carnaby pole, but like Zamparelli in the first start, he was unable to get away cleanly.

It was Hill that led the initial charge, but his luck ran out briefly at Park. “I had to back off when George went on my inside, he got the lead and the others got a run on me,” Hill explained.

It was Carnaby’s turn to lead on the next lap, “I took two cars around the outside at Park and came out with the lead,” he explained. Once Zamparelli had taken Hill through Coppice, he joined a three car break. Richardson succumbed at Coppice too, and as he attempted to stick with the lead duo he went off at Park. “I suppose I couldn’t hack it today,” he admitted.

Although Carnaby stayed close, once Zamparelli had the lead from Park on the penultimate lap, he never looked like coming back. Following Richardson’s demise, Farndon then spun at the Gooseneck, handing a first podium finish to Hill. Cassey Watson just held off Powell for fourth and Walkinshaw completed the top six.

It was all too easy for Zamparelli in the second race, “I was bored,” he admitted after starting from pole again.

Once he had outpaced Carnaby he was on his own for the entire race. The gap for the lead pair had opened initially, when Richardson and Powell both went off at the Mountain. Richardson managed to continue and eventually finished 12th, but Powell had to retire to the pits with a loose wheel.

Walkinshaw had briefly held second on the opening lap, but was soon the target for Farndon and Hill. Farndon grabbed third through Coppice on the sixth lap and Hill almost followed at Charlies before Walkinshaw slammed the door on him. “It was a bit scary going through there,” admitted Farndon. But determination got its reward for Hill too with three laps to go, “I just kept pushing an eventually got him on the entrance to Park,” he said.

The top three were all fairly spread, with Zamparelli making it three out of four wins this season. “I knew I couldn’t catch him and I was safe in second, so I backed off and preserved the car,” said Carnaby. Walkinshaw finally settled in fifth, well clear of Daniel Lloyd.