Taylor's Foundry Motor Sport scored a double-top at Snetterton last weekend
with team drivers celebrating victories in the opening rounds of both the
Autosport Caterham Superlight Challenge and the Autosport Caterham Roadsport
Challenge.
John Gladman - a winner nine times in 2000 in Roadsports - claimed his maiden
Superlight victory after a furious battle with Philip Gladman and Stephen
Worley, while Martin Gregory broke his Roadsport duck in claiming a narrow win
over Guy Spurr and another Taylor's runner, Keith Robinson. The only Taylor's
driver not celebrating at Snetterton was team chief Gerry Taylor, who was
sidelined from the Superlight race.
It was an all-Gladman front row of the grid for the Superlight Challenge
event, with Hyperion Motorsport new boy Philip pipping namesake John to the pole
by three-tenths of a second; Hyperion's Stephen Worley was third quickest from
Taylor and Chris Cooper's Team Parker car.
John Gladman and Taylor made the initial running, with Worley, Cooper and
Philip Gladman in close attendance. Taylor looked the dominant force until the
10th of the 25 laps, when he started to slip away with a misfire; eight laps
later he was forced into the pits and retirement.
That left the Gladmans and Worley to dispute the lead all the way to the
chequered flag, and it wasn't until three laps from home that the matter was
settled - a hairy moment for Worley at Russell Bend delayed not only him but
Philip Gladman also, and gave John Gladman the break he needed to edge his Taran-backed
car away from his pursuers.
Four seconds clear at the flag, John was delighted with his win: "That
was a fantastic race," he said. "The power and grip from the
Superlight is awesome. I enjoyed every minute."
Philip Gladman was equally delighted with second place on his maiden
Superlight outing - a performance which earned him the Minister Driver of the
Day award, while Worley's third place in the Framestore car earned him another
podium placing. Cooper fought off several attackers to claim fourth in the UK
Petroleum car, with Rob Garofall fifth ahead of Andrew Delahunty.
The Roadsport Challenge race was a real barnstormer, with six drivers vying
for the lead throughout and less than a second covering the top three at the
flag. Frazer Gibney put in a superb debut performance in qualifying to take the
pole ahead of another Roadsport new boy, Jamie Derbyshire in the Spirit-backed
Caterham. Robinson and Gregory made it an all-Taran/Taylor's second row.
A fluffed start from Gibney saw him relegated to fourth on the opening lap
behind Robinson, Gregory and Derbyshire, with Luc Paillard, Spurr and Jason
Sutherland right behind. Gibney more than made up for his tardy getaway within a
couple of laps, however, and was soon on new leader Gregory's tail as Robinson
slipped back to fifth.
The duel continued unabated all the way to the chequered flag. Sutherland,
Spurr, Robinson, Gibney and Derbyshire took turns in attempting to snatch the
lead away from Gregory, each of them succeeding on occasion.
But in the end Gregory was not to be denied his first Caterham win, managing
to put enough space between himself and his squabbling pursuers to snatch
victory by just seven-tenths. Spurr was perfectly placed on the penultimate lap
to slice through into second, with Robinson taking third ahead of Sutherland,
Derbyshire and Gibney. Newcomer Jon Hughes was seventh and JM Littman a
career-best eighth.
Sutherland's storming driver brought him the Minister Driver of the Day
award.
The Superlight and Roadsport Challenge races were far from the only Caterham
action of the day at Snetterton. The inaugural Caterham Super Graduates race was
won by Roger Wilkin after a furious race-long battle with Nelson Rowe and Steve
Ruston, while victory in the opening round of the First National Caterham
Graduates Champion was secured by former Formula Vauxhall racer Jamie Ellwood,
ahead of Paul Manyweathers and 2000 Academy front-runner Nick Parsons.
Autosport Caterham Superlight Challenge provisional placings after Round 1 1
John Gladman (Benfleet), 20 points; 2 Philip Gladman (London), 18; 3 Stephen
Worley (Holmbury St Mary), 17; 4 Chris Cooper (Kings Langley), 16; 5 Rob
Garofall (Leighton Buzzard), 15; 6 Andrew Delahunty (Orston), 14, etc.
Autosport Caterham Roadsport Challenge provisional placings after Round 1 1
Martin Gregory (London), 20; 2 Guy Spurr (White Roding), 18; 3 Keith Robinson (Camberley),
17; 4 Jason Sutherland (Caterham), 16; 5 Jamie Derbyshire (Church Brampton), 15;
6 Frazer Gibney (London), 14, etc.
Full coverage including dozens of photos at www.caterhamracing.com
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