JOSH SELVADORAI OPENS MINI CHALLENGE WIN ACCOUNT

Josh Selvadorai became the first rookie this season to take overall honours in the Mairon Motorsport MINI CHALLENGE Trophy with victory in a dramatic second race of the weekend at Pembrey.

Selvadorai had lined up on the fifth row of the grid after the top twelve from race one was reversed, with Liona Theobald lining up on pole position for the first time in her career alongside Louis Fleet.

Fleet jumped into the lead of the race on the run down to turn one as Theobald slipped back down the order, with Harry Smith moving up into second spot and Ashley Gregory grabbing third.

Going through the Esses however, slight contact between Smith and Fleet saw the Team Avago car tipped into a spin and caused chaos behind as others went off in avoidance – with Gregory, Josh Wilby, Luca Marinoni Osborne and Richard Jepp all running off track, and Jorrel Julius and Finley Groom then clashing behind as others checked up ahead.

Julius was left stranded on the side of the circuit whilst Fleet returned slowly to the pits, with the red flag being thrown to allow Julius’ car to be recovered.

The action resumed behind the safety car with Smith leading the way from Selvadorai, and the PerformanceTek Racing man led the way through to lap three when he dipped a wheel onto the grass going from the Esses up to Brooklands, which allowed Selvadorai to nip through.

Even then, the MRM driver gave himself a huge scare when he almost lost the rear end through the final corner a lap later.

“I knew we had a chance to win as the team has given me such a good car,” he said. “Getting a win means everything for me, the team and my family for all the effort that has gone in to get me this point.

“It shows all the hard work everyone is putting in, and this is what we’re here for.”

Smith would have to settle for second place despite constant pressure from a train of cars behind, which was initially led by Henry Foote with Matt Luff and Alex Keens behind.

Keens jumped Luff shortly after the restart but then had his team-mate fixed firmly on his rear, all whilst the points leader was trying to find a way ahead of Foote into third.

Things would ultimately come to a head on lap eight when Keens tried to make a move on Foote going into Brooklands and got backed up just as Luff tried to pass his team-mate, resulting in the two Graves Motorsports car making contact.

That damaged the exhaust on Keens’ car as he started to lose pace, although Luff managed to continue despite his car taking heavy front end damage.

As Smith took second spot, Luff attacked Foote on the final lap to grab third and a second podium of the weekend, leaving the Race Car Consultants man to end up in fourth from Marinoni Osborne and Jepp – both of whom had recovered from their moment on lap one of the original start.

Leo Richardson and Chris Doble followed behind, with the ailing Keens having to settle for ninth and Wilby recovering from the back through to tenth.