23rd August 2010

Every Silver lining has a cloud for Wrathall

Silverstone, the home of British motor racing, hosted rounds 18 and 19 of the Ginetta G50 Championship. The 1.639 mile 'National' circuit was in for some real action as the G50 Cup battle heated up. Joining Frank and Adam this weekend, in the guest car, was Aero Tech Laboratories' Giles Dawson who has previously competed in the Ginetta G20 series. Only two races were scheduled for Silverstone this weekend.

Qualifying (Saturday)
The 20 minute morning session was held in dry conditions initially, but with spots of rain falling towards the end of the period. Frank qualified 3rd in the Dynojet car, Adam 8th and Giles 17th on the grid for his initial venture in the Ginetta G50 Dynojet car, after an absence of racing for some 8 months.

RACE 1 (Saturday)
The absence of pole setter, Chris Dittman, due to a last minute mechanical failure, effectively elevated Carl Breeze to pole ahead of Frank. The scramble into Copse at the start of the race left Frank in third on the road, but he soon regained the place. He was hampered by a broken door catch, which ultimately led to the door opening and closing during the 22 lap race, depending on the direction of the corner. Undeterred he set about chasing down Carl. Frank produced a fantastically determined and ultimately rewarding drive. On lap 9 he produced the fastest lap of the race, and made his move on Carl at Beckett's, staying ahead to bring the Dynoet car home in top spot, and an extra Championship point for the fastest lap.

Adam's race was hampered by a poor start and he dropped down the order to ninth. He endured pressure from Colin White and Freddie Hetherington. As the race progressed he managed to chase down Tom Sharp and pulled away to finish seventh.

Giles made a good clean start in the guest car. He moved up the order and brought the guest car safely home in 14th place.

RACE RESULT:
1st Frank Wrathall 22.29.591
2nd Carl Breeze +1.655
3rd Benji Hetherington +2.668
7th Adam Morgan +19.505

RACE 2 (Sunday)
The second race of the weekend provided another twist in the season long battle between the title hopefuls.

Grid positions were taken from race one results, with no reverse gird being applied. Frank got a good start to take the lead on the road, as the following pack jostled for positions. By lap two Carl Breeze was on Frank's tail and made a move into Brookland's, but contact between the pair, damaged the Dynojet car, and Frank was unable to continue. Carl dropped down the order but was able to continue the race.

Adam had a cracking start and was upto fifth going into Beckett's, as the race progressed, Nigel Moore got the better of Adam. The safety car was deployed on lap six, due to the removal of the Dynojet Car from the gravel run-off area. On the re-start Adam capitalised by taking fifth from Dan Denis. Nigel Moore retired on lap 10, leaving Adam to finish fourth very close behind Tom Sharp.

Giles made a good start, and had an incident free race, but towards the later stages was pressured by Ben Jackson, as the two fought hard for the upper hand. Giles crossed the finishing line in a very creditable 12th spot.

RACE RESULT:
1st Benji Hetherington 27.04.870
2nd Phil Broad +1.895
3rd Tom Sharp +8.349
4th Adam Morgan +8.695

Frank: "The first race was fantastic. As soon as I rounded the first corner my door came open, so I had a lot to deal with! Once I got the door situation out of my mind, my car felt great. I easily caught and passed the race leader and pulled away for a comfortable win. The set up of the car was perfect from start to finish, which is down to my great team. The second race was a disaster, I came together with Breeze battling for the lead, when we went for the same bit of tarmac. As soon as we touched, my rear right upright snapped and it was race over. We have been able to show our true pace this weekend though, which will carry over to Knockhill in two weeks time."

Adam: "I'm over the moon with another podium and more championship points. I made a small mistake at the Esses, and was put under pressure from the challenging Mark Davies, but still managed to bring the car home in 3rd."

Giles: "I've had an awesome weekend. The car was as good on the last lap as the first lap in both races. The team worked very hard to get the clutch changed in between qualifying and race one. I'd like to thank the Dynojet team for giving me a very warm welcome and a great car to race. I haven't raced for quite sometime, and to get these results is a testament to a well set up car, from a very professional team."

2010 Michelin Ginetta G50 Cup Championship Positions (after Rd 19):

Next race: Knockhill 4th/5th September