Texaco Havoline Ginetta Championship

Rounds 11: Thruxton

Matt Nicoll-Jones just missed out on adding a further win to his current tally after taking second following a fight from 26th on the grid.

Electronic problems for the championship leader during qualifying made for a thrilling fight through the field and into 9th at the end of the first lap! He would then join in the fight at the front for the lead a lap later, coming across the line in 4th and clocking up the fastest lap.

The first five cars fought hard, nose-to-tail as the slipstream effect played a predictably crucial part in determining the final positions.

Daniel Laddiman only picked up his GCSE results this week and had to leave the circuit after testing to enrol at college yesterday (Friday), but returned to truer form to take third.

Sitting next to pole-sitter Ben Elliott as the lights turned green, Rob Austin had to slot in behind the #27 car of Elliott only to pass Elliott into Club with Spencer McCarthy and Daniel Laddiman right up behind him.

Club chicane at the end of the long, sweeping corner of Church and Brooklands straight, proved to be the point whereby most of the action took place as drivers took advantage of the slipstream and ‘tow’ effect.

Daniel Laddiman lead momentarily on lap two, only for Rob Austin to demote him back to second, and on another attempt on lap 3, Laddiman ended up cutting the corner at Club into the lead, but allowed Austin to pass and regain the lead.

A close battle behind between Andy Smith, Richard Sykes and Mark Wania in the latter half of the top 10 ended in contact at Club, sending all three into a spin going into the corner. All three managed to rejoin, but Wania coming off the worst dropping to 22nd.

Wania went on to finish 14th and side-by-side with Speedworks’ Dave Jackson who just finished 0.085 seconds ahead of the Academy Motorsport racer.

The top five of Nicoll-Jones, Austin, Elliott, Laddiman and McCarthy pulled away from the remaining Ginetta G20’s on track. They were followed by Christian Dick and Joe Osborne and then another train of cars jostling for position involved Sykes, Andy Cakebread (driving Edd Straw’s car who was absent due to Autosport commitments), Julian Barratt, Neil Merry, Paul Moden and Gary Simms.

Spencer McCarthy threatened for the lead on lap nine - looking around the outside coming into Club - but could not make the move stick. However, a lap later, he got into second going into Church at the lead going down Brooklands straight, but out of the four cars abreast into Club, it was Rob Austin who had the better racing line with Laddiman and Nicoll-Jones now ahead of McCarthy.

Towards the end of the race, Austin and Nicoll-Jones managed to build up a gap and battle it out between them; Nicoll Jones leading on laps 12 and 13 over the line, but on the last lap, Austin gained the lead and retained it through the chicane - taking a tight line over the kerbs to take the win.

Laddiman took third from McCarthy around the oustide down Brooklands who then got delayed which allowed Elliott by for fourth.

An unfortunate Neil Merry had gearbox problems throughout, but his race ended on the penultimate lap with an upright failure, parking the car up at Allard after a “scary moment” out of Club and past the pits. Jonathan Hawkins also had to retire with gearbox problems.

Coolblue Computing racer Martin Jones’ car returned to the paddock on a truck with severe rear damage as a result of colliding with a tyre wall into Noble. Unfortunately, the severity would end his weekend’s racing.

Frank Wrathall had qualified well in 6th place, but a trip over the grass after two laps broke his clutch cable and so had to retire.