Oli Mortimer moved to the top of the overall Championship standings at Donington Park, after two wins and a second place. Lee Allen was also celebrating his first win since 1998 in his comeback year. Although James Blyth still heads the Club Class title chase, he couldn’t get near Luke Caudle’s pace on this occasion.

Only 0.186secs separated the top three after qualifying on a drying track, Mortimer claiming pole from Martin Depper and Arthur Forster. Caudle took class pole by 0.603secs from Blyth, with Nick Booth only fractionally behind in third.

It was sunny and dry as the 19 car field lined up for the first race of the weekend. There was little between the top three as they arrived at Redgate on the opening lap, but Mortimer had the edge over Depper and Forster. Steve Liquorish slotted into fourth and Allen grabbed fifth when Phil House ran wide exiting Goddards.

As the lead trio continued to open the gap, Depper darted past Forster into Melbourne Hairpin while behind them Allen made a similar move to take Liquorish on the exit. Mortimer began to up his pace, while Allen found himself at the head of a four car train for fourth. Shaun King dived inside Liquorish at Goddards for fifth and the set about challenging Allen.

Depper had responded to Mortimer’s break and was close enough to take a cursory look at the lead into Goddards on lap six. But a lap later he was back behind Forster and losing ground. “The brakes faded at Redgate and then there was nothing at the Old Hairpin,” he explained,

Forster maintained the pressure over the remaining laps, but Mortimer looked comfortable on his way to win number one of the weekend. “I gave Oli a few friendly taps to let him know I was there. It was comfortable but not easy,” said Forster. “I knew there would be brake problems so I was easy on them, my car was spot on all the way through,” added Mortimer.

Depper’s early advantage was enough to retain a safe third, while King had a couple of exchanges with Allen, before retaining fourth from Melbourne on lap eight. Allen then came under attack from Liquorish and Carl Bennett, with House waiting in the wings. All four were still close to King, but Liquorish grabbed fifth at Melbourne before Bennett followed into Goddards. Allen managed to reclaim sixth, with House pipping Bennett for seventh on the last lap. “I was comfortably fourth for a while, but there was so much side by side and a lottery with the backmarkers,” said Allen. “No straightline pace again after a mega start, so we are changing the supercharger for the second race,” House added.

Jason Richardson, Laurence Sait and Roger Grimshaw completed the S class runners, while in Club Blyth made the best of the start to head Caudle for a lap, before the gap was decisive in Caudle’s favour. “I got ahead into the Esses and had a couple of good laps then got away,” said Caudle. Both Blyth and Nigel Johnson had solitary races into second and third, but after being left at the start Kevin O’Connor reeled in Joey Powis and had fourth from lap six. “I just had nothing there to fight back with,” explained Blyth. Powis retained fifth after a late challenge from debutant Craig Freeman, while Roger Bates came in seventh from Booth, who pitted after an out lap puncture.

Race 2

Mortimer was straight back to the fore at the start of the second race, leading from pole into Redgate, despite Forster’s best efforts. Allen had also started well and was into third at McLeans at Depper’s expense. But the reigning champion was quick to retaliate and was all over Allen for the next few laps, while Forster pushed even harder to keep Mortimer under pressure. The rest were virtually line astern with King, heading House, Bennett, Liquorish, Richardson and Grimshaw.

Depper almost squeezed through on lap three at McLeans on Allen’s inside, but at the front it was side by side into Goddards, with Forster almost pushing Mortimer past the pits.  Into Goddards for the eighth time Depper finally managed slide through on Allen’s inside for fourth, while behind them King had House and Bennett piling on the pressure. As they went into Goddards on lap eight they touched as they both tried to make identical moves on King and all three held station.

Forster’s pressure finally paid off with a lap to go, but there was to be no victory for the North East playboy, “I got the lead into Redgate and then lost about half of my brakes and then they went completely at the Esses. If they hadn’t I would have won,” he said. But Mortimer led again out of Goddards to clinch his second win, “I was braking earlier than Arthur but then he just went straight on. He gave me a few taps again, but I expect that from Arthur of course,” he said.

King made it past Allen with a lap to go and caught the ailing Depper. Into Goddards he had third, but was wide on the exit and Depper sneaked back through to reclaim his place. “I got a puncture after a touch with Lee, it just held on,” said Depper. Allen retained fifth and House retook Bennett for sixth on the last lap, after exchanging a lap earlier. “I went wide at Coppice,” Bennett admitted. Liquorish and Richardson retained racelong eighth and ninth and Sait headed Grimshaw for tenth from lap eight.

Powis got the early break in the Club Class, after there was chaos at the start. Team mates Blyth and Johnson made contact and both spun. “I think Nigel got squeezed and the next thing we were spinning,” said Blyth. Caudle got Powis into Goddards on lap three and pulled out a comfortable lead within a couple of laps.

Powis held a solid second and Booth came through to take O’Connor for third on lap four, with Johnson claiming fourth from Bates on the same lap. Freeman failed to make the start after starter motor problems.

Race 3

With the front of the grid reversed, there was always the possibilities of surprises in the final race of the weekend. House led from pole, but had Allen challenged hard over the opening lap. King was third but had Depper, Forster and Liquorish in his wheeltracks. Forster ousted Depper from fourth into Goddards and picked off King a lap later, but Allen had got the lead on the run into Melbourne Hairpin and was in no mood to surrender it. Depper and Mortimer were next in line to harass King, and over the next couple of laps House kept the pressure on Allen, likewise King with Forster.

There became an equal spread between the top six and fortunately the safety car wasn’t required wasn’t required when Sait shot into the Redgate gravel.  Gradually Forster shook off King and having started to drop Depper, Mortimer took fourth at Goddards when King ran wide.

Forster’s charge gave him second at Goddards on lap seven, but Allen was still looking confident at the front. As Depper continued to slip back Mortimer closed in on House. But Depper surged back into contention and reclaimed fourth into Melbourne a couple of laps later, to make it a four car fight for second, with Forster losing out to House again into Goddards.

But the finish couldn’t have been more dramatic, Allen won by over six seconds, “I thought I had a chance of beating Phil, but needed to pick my moment, I was worried about the others though. But they fought against themselves and let me consolidate my lead,” he said. House headed up the hill from Melbourne with second place, but exiting Goddards his engine blew. Mortimer gave him tap as he snatched second, which gave House enough momentum to retain third from Forster and King. “I just looked in the mirror and saw Oli, that push got me over the line. I had the power in this race, until the engine blew,” said House. “We tried some new things with the car and they didn’t work. I knew it was going to be hard, but it worked out really well,” added Mortimer.

Forster was a little disappointed to be down in fourth. “I thought once I got past Phil and onto Lee’s tail it was going to be easy. But I lost second when the ABS tripped, I locked up and flat spotted a tyre,” he explained.  But Depper suffered worse, when he trundled home ninth, behind Liquorish, Bennett and Richardson. “I made contact with one of the Club cars at the Old Hairpin and punctured again,” he explained. Grimshaw completed the S Class finishers and the top ten.

Caudle secured his Club Class hattrick with a lights to flag victory. Blyth led the chase, aided when O’Connor ran wide at Goddards on the second lap and gave Powis the chance to pounce. The Scholarship winner was into second by lap three, but took a while to shake off Blyth. They briefly swapped again on lap eight, before Powis claimed it from McLeans a lap later.

Booth was a clear fourth, with Johnson recovering from a first lap spin at the Esses to take O’Connor with a lap to go. But O’Connor made it home sixth despite a front puncture. Freeman and Bates completed the finishers.

Peter Scherer