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 MINI CHALLENGE, OULTON PARK, MAY 14TH
It was honours even between reigning Champion Lee Allen and 2009 Champion Luke Caudle in mixed weather conditions at Oulton Park.
Caudle was on pole for race one with Arthur Forster alongside and Chris Knox sharing the second row with Lee Allen.
After the lights went out it was three abreast into Old Hall on the first lap and something had to give. Both Forster and Knox spun and Caudle was left clear, from Allen, Chris Smith and Stewart Lines. Chris Knox had another rocket start “I got away well and think I might have led on the outside. I thought I was tapped, but don’t really know what happened, but then touched Finlay Crocker on the run down the hill”. “I was on the racing line, went into the corner, drifted, the tail went light and that was it. I don’t think I was hit, one of those three abreast moments” added Forster. With both Caudle and Allen soon quickly consolidating their places, Smith was aided by Lines coming under pressure from Silverstone double winner Jason Richardson. Martin Depper was fairly lonely in sixth, while in seventh Chris Panayiotou eased past the recovering Knox, after the Scot ran wide. 
Smith had a few touches with the grass as Lines and Richardson began to work together to pressurise the third place man, while Depper began to close on them all after four laps.
Having held station for a few laps it was suddenly a four car train for second, with Allen’s safe second almost eroded in one lap. “I was very happy then it went flat. I had no middle range performance, but before then I couldn’t catch Luke,” he explained.
Both Smith and Lines made it by the ailing Allen on lap eight, before Smith consolidated his hold on second. “I had been happy with my start, brilliant in fact, I had performance right through and didn’t switch anything off this time,” said Smith.
Lines held onto third and Richardson took fourth exiting Old Hall for the penultimate time, but had Depper inches from his tailgate at the flag. “I couldn’t catch the others and got pushed onto the grass when the others got Lee,” Richardson explained.
“Back where I belong, great start and nothing like Silverstone. At the start one minute Arthur was there and then he wasn’t” said confident race winner Caudle.
Allen eventually finished a disappointing sixth, with Panayiotou, Andrew Bailey, Knox and Lee Sullivan completing the top 10.
In the Club Class Ant Whorton-Eales made it three out of three, but he and Dean Raymond look set for a season joined together. “I got him with a brave move at Knickerbrook and then gave it back by going wide at Lodge on the same lap” said second placed Dean Raymond. Sarah Parsons secured third after Ben Gridley retired. Debutant Gary Wardle had the legs of Bob Hosier to take the S class spoils.
RACE TWO
 After mechanical woes had robbed him of second place in the first race, Allen lined up on pole with the reverse grid for race two in a determined mood. With a damp to wet track and threatening skies tyre choice was varied as the cars left the pit lane for two green flag laps. Forster, O’Conner and Sullivan all pitted for wets on the first green flag lap to start from the pit lane, but with the cars formed for a rolling start on the second green flag lap those on the left hand side of the rolling grid could not make the pit lane. With the rain pouring down a number of drivers were caught out, notably Caudle. “It was my decision to go out on slicks and then have to come in, I really messed it up,” he said.
Allen made a great getaway at the start to head Depper, Richardson and Smith. It was close and Richardson successfully ousted Depper into Knickerbrook on the second before chasing Allen and leaving daylight to the third places scrap.
Smith was into third, but had Panayiotou, Depper and Lines in formation behind, while Knox and Sam Osborne fought over seventh.
The lead quartet started to spread out, but as they rain poured down survival was the main concern. “I only had used wet tyres which were fine until the heavy rain came and you really needed new ones in those conditions,” said Richardson. His struggle for grip allowed Allen to extend his lead, before Smith pounced for second at Druids. “I just ran out of road and Chris got me,” Richardson added.
Lines also took advantage of the conditions too to snatch third with a lap to go, “at least I stayed on,” he said after collecting his second podium finish of the day. Richardson finally settled for fifth after Panayiotou took him on the last lap, “I enjoyed it, great fun, but not the standing water and no visibility,” said Panayiotou. A notable drive and gamble by Chris Knox who stayed on slicks until lap four in torrential rain when he was forced to pit for wets.
But it was Allen’s race and victory by over two seconds. “I had wets old on too, but better ones than Jason’s. It was dry on some parts early on and then standing water. So I was the explorer and see how fast we could go or not. Jason did hit me up the rear at Druids once but no harm done” he said.
Forster completed the top six from his pit lane start, after demoting Osborne on the last lap, while Crocker, Depper and Craig Freeman rounded off the top ten.
In the classes it was more of the same from Whorton-Eales and Raymond. “It was great when we went through Island side by side,” said Raymond. But it was Whorton-Eales who held the advantage until lap six, when he flew off backwards at Old Hall. “We had contact but not on that occasion,” said the reigning Saxmax Champion. Novice Patrick Mortimer took a well deserved second. Hosier was unopposed in the S Class.
Published by Peter Scherer for Mini Challenge, May 16th, 2011
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