<h1>SNETTERTON COOPER S REPORT</H1>

Qualifying Cooper S

Weather Sunny/Dry

With lots of testing carried out by some of the teams and drivers on the preceding Thursday and Friday, expectations were high. Stu Lane was continuing his run of bad luck with Drive shaft issues, Rob Austin had a new clutch and diff overnight and that needed some real testing. All good news for the others as both of these guys are a bit hot.  Andy Langley set the best time in his R53 on the 4th lap. Most of the best times were set on laps 4 or 5, allowing time for the tyres to heat up on a cold day. Kevin Owen was next up in his Excelr8 run R56, an immaculate car. Followed by Will Fairclough in his 2nd race weekend and Andy Montgomery in his new R56. Tim Bill showed promise, with Jono Davis having issues with overheating. Rob Austin was just pleased to have his car running again and Stu Lane was never to do a lap, so he had to do his mandatory 3 laps with the Miglias!

Qualifying Results:

P1: Andy Langley
P2: Kevin Owen
P3: Will Fairclough

Race 1
Weather Cloudy/Wet

All drivers were on wets, the circuit was still wet but the rain had stopped as cars left the assembly area. Tim Bill decided to play with the crash barrier on the first lap. Damage to the rear panel, among other things. Andy Langley pulled away from the rest of the pack and there he stayed. Kevin Owen looked like he would settle for a 2nd place until a moment on the 3rd lap, dropped 7 places!. Leaving a P2 to Jono Brown who was getting faster each lap and a P3 for Rob Austin, who had finally got his car sorted to push his way through the pack. Stu Lane was having all sorts of issues and could only bring home a P8. The best battle of the race was between Rob, Austin, Andy Montgomery Sami Bowler and Chloe Hewitt with Andy, Sami and Chloe settling for P4, P5 and P6. Will Fairclough, who had a horrible start never got a good lap in and finished P7.

Race 1 Results
P1: Andy Langley
P2: Jono Davis
P3: Rob Austin

Race 2
Weather Cloudy/Damp

A great race to watch with Jono Davis storming away from the lights. Rob Austin could not keep with him. Will Fairclough was back on form and punched his way through the field with skill. Kevin Owen had another off taking too much speed into Nelson. The rest of the field remained tightly bunched for the duration. The race came to a dramatic end when Sami Bowler hit the barrier at Riches. Smoke coming from the car Sami ran clear, yellow flags and safety car signals were turned to red with only 3 minutes of the race remaining. The results were then taken back to the last completed lap. 4 laps in total. Pity for Rob Austin, Will Fairclough, Andy Montgomery and Stu Lane as they had all just passed a Jono Davis slowing with engine troubles. Thank goodness Sami was all OK, just shaken. The car, however, needs a lot of front end work.

Race 2 Results
P1: Jono Davis
P2: Rob Austin
P3: Will Fairclough

Race 3
Weather Bright/Dry

The reverse grid was drawn as No5 so the first 5 places of Race 2 were reversed. Giving Pole position to Stu Lane, P2 to Andy Montgomery, the 2nd row had Will Fairclough next to Ron Austin. Jono Davis had clutch problems and was to start from the Pit Lane, Sami Bowler did not start, after assessing car damage she decided to return to base for repairs.

A super start by Stu, Andy, Will and Rob. Stu pulling away from the whole field. Rob slotted in behind and never showed any sign of catching him. Andy stayed on the pace with Will staying close behind. Finally on the penultimate lap Will squeezed past Andy to claim the final step of the podium. Andy Langley had a good tussle with Kevin Owen with Alan Lee and Chloe Hewitt, who visited the pits in the final 2 places. All finishers score points.

Race 3 Results
P1: Rob Austin
P2: Will Fairclough
P3: Andy Montgomery

All over too quickly with the depleted field, but it shows how competitive all the cars are, be they R53s or R56s. Rob Austin went home a happy chappy with 3 visits to the podium. Andy Montgomery was delighted to get a trophy.