Donington

MINI Challenge visits Donnington

MINI CHALLENGE, DONINGTON PARK, AUGUST 13/14TH

Two wins out of three at Donington Park were enough to give Luke Caudle the lead in the championship, but once again his first hattrick of victories continues to elude him.
Chris Knox lined up on pole for Saturdays race and headed the charge into Redgate on the opening lap, from Caudle, Sam Osborne, Stewart Lines and Jason Richardson.

Knox and Caudle had managed to make a break before the end of the first lap, as everyone else seemed to want third place. C Chris Knox hris Smith spun at Goddards on the opening and never got back into contention, while George Allen rejoined after a quick pit stop.
Caudle had the lead on the second lap, leaving Knox to fend off Osborne for second. “I got a better run out of the Old Hairpin and led through Schwantz Curve,” said Caudle. “The car was fine at the start, handling good, Luke got a run on me” Knox added.
As the lead grew Knox had a brief respite as both Lines and Lee Allen pounced on Osborne and ran nose to tail for a few laps. Behind them Richardson and Chris Oakham were nose to tail and shared a couple of exchanges.
Lines piled the pressure on Allen and was able to escape from the reigning champion, who was left to fend off Osborne. Third soon became second when with a clear track, Lines reeled in Knox, clinching second place into Goddards on lap five.
Knox held on to Lines for a while and Allen was able to consolidate fourth, when Osborne came under attack from Richardson.
Ant Whoreton-Eales Caudle finally took the victory spoils by 6.2secs over Lines, with Knox just holding off Allen for third. “We have got the car right now and it’s totally different. I could feel the exit speed difference on the straights,” said Lines. “My car was a lot better than in qualifying, we are suffering, but going in the right direction.” Allen added.
Osborne and Richardson had a number of exchanges before fifth went in the teenagers favour. “I got Sam on the brakes into the corners but he just drove past me on the straights, great battle” said Richardson. Oakhan was a solitary seventh and the top ten was completed by Andrew Bailey, Finlay Crocker and Lee Sullivan.
Ant Whorton-Eales was never seriously challenged again in the Club Class, but Dean Raymond had to fight off some aggressive attacks from Keith Issatt before securing second. “It was pretty much as easy as it looked,” said Ant. “Yes it was a bit rough. But I didn’t hit anybody,” Raymond reckoned.
Issatt then duelled with Sarah Parsons until his car surrendered, promoting Justina Williams to fourth in class in her debut at Donington.

RACE TWO

It was a straight duel between Knox and Caudle at the start of race two, with Knox edging ahead onto the Craner Curves. Racing!

As in the first race the battle for third allowed the lead duo to make an early break. Lines was third initially, but lost out to Allen and Richardson on lap two, but managed to retake the latter at Redgate.
Oakham had been hanging onto sixth placed Osborne at the start, but a trip through the Coppice gravel dropped him back behind Bailey and Crocker. “I just kept my foot in, but went off again at the Old Hairpin later when I had to lift because I couldn’t see Andrew in the dust,” he said.
While the lead pair continued open and close the gap, the battles behind intensified, with Allen back under pressure from Lines and Osborne once again battling with Richardson.
Allen had just defended an attack into Goddards on lap six, when Lines suddenly slowed having been airborne through the chicane and pulled off. “The engine went into back up mode, ” he explained.
With Osborne having shaken off Richardson, he had his sights set on Allen, they ran inches apart at times but remained unchanged.
Knox was easing his way to the flag but when the end came it was totally bizarre. “I came out of Goddards to start the last lap and George Allen was slowing for the pits. I was about to go b Luke Caudle

y and saw he yellow flags, braked hard and though just my luck right under the nose of race control,” he explained. “I didn’t see the flags and went past Chris, then realised there must have been so gave him the place back,” added Caudle.
Into Coppice for the last time it was nose tail again, but Knox ran wide and left the door open for Caudle to clinch his second win of the weekend. “I had been bored until the end, a good race, but I lost fifth gear,” Caudle concluded.
Allen just held onto third from Osborne, “he maybe got alongside, but that one was down to experience too,” said Allen. Richardson relinquished fifth and a front row race three start when he pitted, “it was OK then I seemed to loose a little straight line speed again,” he said.
Bailey and Oakham settled in fifth and sixth, with Sullivan, Smith, David Ogden and Craig Freeman rounding off the top ten.
Whorton-Eales continued his winning ways in the Club Class, with Raymond still heading the chase until the final laps, when Sarah Parsons and Patrick Mortimer got by. “There was no pressure after the first corner, that was critical and then just got a rhythm and kept going, said Ant. “I got hit at McLeans and Coppice, the exhaust came adrift in the first one and then I went over the gravel at Goddards to avoid an accident. I was wringing its neck but now need some special polish for the dents,” said Raymond.
Issatt had been in the mix again too until his car died with a couple of laps to go. And Parsons was excluded for driving standards after the race.

RACE THREE

With customary reversing of the top six, team mates Oakham and Bailey found themselves on the front row of the grid for the final race of the weekend. Donnington

Oakham held his pole sitting advantage onto the Craner Curves, but the fighting behind soon brought out the safety car. “I got hit up the back by Lee and spun off,” said Oakham. “Chris braked on the Craners and it caught me out. I hit him and was on the grass, but my steering must have been damaged in the impact and as soon as I was on tarmac it grabbed and turned right, hitting Finlay and the wall,” explained Allen.
Bailey was left with the lead but Osborne just nipped ahead into Goddards as the safety car left the pitlane.
From the green flag Knox was straight into second at Redgate, before ousting Osborne onto the Craner Curves. Caudle joined in too as the top four paired off, but Osborne was determined to stay with Knox and was keen to take his first win on his home circuit.
It was side by side into Goddards on lap nine and Osborne briefly nosed back ahead, before charging across the gravel trap as Knox retook. “It was an interesting move I thought, almost got him but clipped the kerb and it put me through the gravel,” Osborne explained.
After losing out at the green flag Smith gradually worked his way back up the order to fifth by lap nine, but still had Sullivan and Lines following closely.
Podium

Osborne tried every move he could think of to unseat Knox, but on this occasion at least he will have to wait for his maiden victory, as Knox took the flag 0.339secs ahead. “I worked hard and hung on for dear life to keep Sam at bay,” said Knox. An impressive Osborne took the fastest lap.
Bailey had managed to fend off Caudle until the last lap, when the reigning JCW class Champion nipped by on the inside of Redgate. “A great weekend for me, I used my noddle at the start then just waited to watch Andrew’s lines, he showed me the smallest gap at Redgate and I took it, we did touch but nothing malicious. He drove a great race” said Caudle.
Smith was fairly happy with fifth place, “encouraging but still losing out on the straights,” he said. Sullivan and Lines shared some late exchanges but it the former MG Champion that finally secured sixth. Kevin O’Connor was eighth and Ogden and Bob Hosier completed the top ten, after Richardson pitted with a broken throttle pedal.
A missed gear exiting Goddards on lap eight cost Raymond dearly, as it handed Whorton-Eales his third Club Class win of the day. “One mistake and that was it,” he rued. Parsons was a clear third, after Mortimer took a trip through the Coppice gravel on lap 10.

Published by Peter Scherer for Mini Challenge, August 16th, 2011

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