It was a glorious sunny start to the day on Sunday, perfect for a packed crowd at Croft to enjoy the summer racing.
Round 9 saw Tim Bridgeman take double pole once again, making it 10 from 10 (might be some sort of record there?). From the start line Tony Gilham had a coming together with Derek Pierce, who was pushed into the infield. This was followed by a first corner cruncher, with motorbike superstar Aaron Slight caught up in the mix with Glynn Geddie and Oliver Jackson, and Jackson subsequently pitting with a suspected puncture.
Harvey was always close but couldn't pass Caine for third place, as Sutton remained a solid second, and it was top spot from start to finish for Bridgeman who felt little pressure out in front. The long, fast track kept the tyre smoke puffing, with lots of daredevil late breaking and locking keeping spectators guessing both who would overtake, and who would fly off into the litter. Croft was good for Pro-am 2 newcomer Brewster, who was followed by Hogarth and Bob Lyons. Robert Lawson (Pro-am 1) and George Brewster (Pro-am 2) both completed double class wins on the day.
It had been a lovely start to the day, but we all knew rain was coming, despite assurances from Paul Lawrence at Porsche GB that it would stay dry for round 10. Sure enough the downpour came, and Porsche Cup rain master of the moment Sutton took the lead after a little too much aquaplaning by pole man Bridgeman. Everyone complained about the amount of spray and lack ofvisiibility on track, resulting in a lot of exciting breath-holding moments for the crowd to enjoy, though we're not sure it was as much fun for the drivers. Tim Harvey couldn't hold on to a snatched second place and ended up finishing third.
Lawson used his local knowledge to take the Pro-am 1 victory from the early stages, while Ollie Jackson never saw pressure on his second place from a recovering Tony Gilham. Lawson (JHR) drove to another Pro-am 1 victory and took the Porsche Cup 'Driver of the Weekend' award.
Driving in the heat haze and through the great flood, once again these guys gave us a great spectacle this weekend, bringing us steaming up to the mid-season break.
Next Race: Snetterton - 2nd August 2009
1 |
Pro |
Tim Bridgeman |
Red Line Racing |
2 |
Pro |
James Sutton |
Red Line Racing |
3 |
Pro |
Michael Caine |
Motorbase Performance |
4 |
Pro |
Tim Harvey |
Red Line Racing |
5 |
Pro |
Tom Bradshaw |
Team Parker Racing |
6 |
A1 |
Robert Lawson |
JHR |
7 |
Pro |
Lewis Hopkins |
Red Line Racing |
8 |
A1 |
Oliver Jackson |
Motorbase Performance |
9 |
A1 |
Tony Gilham |
Red Line Racing |
10 |
A2 |
George Brewster |
Celtic Speed |
11 |
Pro |
Aaron Slight |
Porsche Cars GB |
12 |
A1 |
Derek Pierce |
JHR |
13 |
A2 |
Paul Hogarth |
In2Racing |
14 |
A2 |
Bob Lyons |
Celtic Speed |
15 |
A1 |
Tommy Dreelan |
Celtic Speed |
1 |
Pro |
James Sutton |
Red Line Racing |
2 |
Pro |
Michael Caine |
Motorbase Performance |
3 |
Pro |
Tim Harvey |
Red Line Racing |
4 |
A1 |
Robert Lawson |
JHR |
5 |
Pro |
Tim Bridgeman |
Red Line Racing |
6 |
A1 |
Oliver Jackson |
Motorbase Performance |
7 |
Pro |
Aaron Slight |
Porsche Cars GB |
8 |
A1 |
Tony Gilham |
Red Line Racing |
9 |
A2 |
George Brewster |
Celtic Speed |
10 |
A2 |
Paul Hogarth |
In2Racing |
11 |
Pro |
Lewis Hopkins |
Red Line Racing |
12 |
A2 |
Bob Lyons |
Celtic Speed |
13 |
A1 |
Tommy Dreelan |
Celtic Speed |