Silverstone – 22/23rd April 2022 Race Report, Images and Results

Posted on: April 26th 2022 • Posted in: Race Results

Rounds 3 and 4 – Silverstone National

After a brilliant start to the season at Donington Park, which saw four races across the weekend, splitting Duratecs and Pintos, everyone was anticipating more of the same from Silverstone! There would be yet more action in the second meeting of the season with big grids turning up to do battle in their respective fields. The weather wasn’t looking too friendly to begin with, so drivers would have to overcome more than just the pace of their rivals.

Duratec Race Reports

Qualifying 1

Duratecs were first up for Qualifying, but unfortunately would be a car short – an incident between Tom Stoten and Roger Donnan on Friday would result in the latter having his weekend cut very short with a broken steering rack. Once the session was under way, it took almost all drivers a couple of laps to get up to speed, as you’d normally expect, but the whole situation would soon be made worse by drizzle at the end of Qualifying, potentially muddling up the grid slightly.

Josh Law put the number 91 machine on Pole Position ahead of Michael Gibbins, who was looking to be right in the fight after a tricky first meeting at Donington. Stoten would start on the second row alongside James Barwell, with Richard Johnson and David Houghton making up row three. Dominic Lesniewski, Grant Gibson, Tim Tudor and Josh Needham would complete the Top 10.

Race 1

As the Duratecs left the line for their first race of the weekend, Josh Law found himself immediately under attack from Michael Gibbins, who would have to concede due to a compromised line into Turn 1. Dominic Lesniewski was back to his usual form making lightning starts, stating that the lack of my commentator’s curse helped him! He took two places around the outside of Copse, while Mike Turner had also having got away well, making up a few places early on.

At the end of the first lap, after some shuffling it was Law from Gibbins, Stoten, Johnson, Lesniewski, Barwell, Tudor and Houghton. On Lap 3, there was quite a lot of movement in the field – Tim Tudor would make it past Dominic Lesniewski, with Barwell dropping multiple spots. In amongst it all, Peter Brouwer had overtaken David Houghton, who was having throttle issues over the course of the day.

Peter Williams’ race would be cut short, pitting on Lap 6. He would unfortunately remain on the sidelines for the rest of the weekend. By Lap 8, Josh Law had opened up his lead to 2.5 seconds from Michael Gibbins, who was doing his best to chase him down. Stoten and Johnson were locked in battle over the final podium spot as well – Tom driving a repaired car after his incident during Practice.

Two big retirements both came on Lap 12, with Houghton’s ongoing throttle problem eventually causing it to completely break. It was all of a sudden a double blow for MCR though, when Dominic Lesniewski’s suspension broke, forcing him to pull over and out of the race. There were some close battles going on further down the order at this point, too. Steve Ough, Mike Turner, Ash Law, Joshua Needham and David Gorst were all in a couple of seconds of one another, until David’s number 103 MCR would be added to the list of DNFs.

After not even starting the races at Donington Park though, it was great to see Mike Turner and his car back out on track, but unfortunately the latter didn’t seem to be a fan – a fuel pressure problem would cause Mike to be down on power until the end, dropping him positions.

Traffic was very much something to be careful about for Josh Law, as he navigated his way past car after car, Gibbins chasing him down the whole time. The gap would fluctuate in the latter stages, with Michael bringing it down from a peak of 6.7 seconds to just 4 seconds at the line, but Josh Law would ultimately take the win, breaking the lap record in the process! It was a dominant drive – his second win of the season, with Gibbins taking a well-deserved 2nd place.

Tom Stoten eventually cleared off from Richard Johnson to complete the podium, with Tim Tudor coming home in fifth. He was just a second clear of James Barwell – who it was good to see on track, after a big crash at Donington Park – with Grant Gibson winning Duratec B, with his 7th place overall finish. Peter Brouwer, Nick Bates (who managed to make it through a massive moment at Copse late on) and John Owen would complete the Top 10.

Race 2

Law and Gibbins would do battle once again off the line in Race 2, with the latter taking the lead in the opening couple of corners. It wasn’t long before Josh would get back in front, down the back straight, but Gibbins wouldn’t give it up easily. Everyone made it round the first lap safely, with a couple of drivers really jumping up the order – most notably David Houghton from the back of the grid, moving up six spots by the time he crossed the line again.

He and Lesniewski would have to work hard to make up the ground they lost in the first encounter, but with the field spreading out early on it was going to be tough. David said himself he was desperate to get through the field, and undid all of his hard work after spinning at Brooklands, meaning he had to get past the deja vu of and go about doing it all again.

After the field had settled slightly (as if it ever does in motorsport) the positions were as such at the end of Lap 5; Josh Law leading Gibbins and Johnson, who had managed to get past Stoten at the start, with Tudor, Barwell, Brouwer then John Owen and Grant Gibson who were having another great scrap for 2nd in the Duratec B class.

A couple of laps further down the line, Nick Bates would unfortunately have his spare splitter let him down, after issues with his original one in the first race. This would cause what he called Mercedes-like porpoising, meaning he’d have to nurse the car home until the end of the race, at a slightly reduced pace. There the usual clean racing throughout the middle period of the race though, and consistent improvements on lap times – the whole field was still running approaching the halfway mark.

Unfortunately though, Andrew Butler’s MCR S2 would become the first retirement, pulling over on Lap 12 to end his weekend on the sidelines. Josh Law’s gap was now over five seconds to Michael Gibbins, who had a comfortable gap back to Johnson, however, a slight misfire would cause some concern for the 76 car during the second half.

On Lap 17, the biggest drama of the race occured as David Houghton and Ash Law came together while trying to negotiate traffic. The latter would be out of the race on the spot, with Houghton able to get back to the pits and assess the bodywork damage. He would return to the circuit, but ultimately come home last of the finishers, 4 laps down – a weekend that most would describe as character-building for David.

Up to that point, there was a great battle going on between Ash Law, Mike Turner, Steve Ough and Joshua Needham, who was making great strides of progress early on in his first Duratec season. Tim Tudor and James Barwell remained in close proximity into the latter stages as well, scrapping over 5th place. That would soon become 4th place though, as Tom Stoten would lose a bunch of time, dropping some 13 seconds after a moment in his pursuit of Richard Johnson.

At the very front, Josh Law took another very impressive win to round out a perfect weekend. Michael Gibbins did a great job as well with two second places, nursing a misfiring car home at great pace despite the issue, with Richard Johnson securing another podium. James Barwell would get past Tim Tudor on the very final lap as they both held the gap to Stoten behind.

Peter Brouwer would win in Duratec B with 7th overall, ahead of John Owen, who reported that his engine died into the final few corners, but luckily it came back to life and he didn’t lose too much ground. Colin Peach finished 9th with the fastest lap in Duratec B, while Grant Gibson completed the Top 10. Lesniewski eventually recovered to 11th but the result was described as uncomfortable after knowing what pace he has in the tank this season.

This now means that Josh Law has a handy gap at the top of the championship from Richard Johnson, with Tom Stoten, Michael Gibbins and Tim Tudor all separated by just one point for third. Peter Brouwer leads Duratec B after a successful Silverstone weekend, eleven points clear of Grant Gibson and John Owen, who are tied for 2nd place.

Historic Race Reports

Qualifying

Historic Qualifying threw up a great show, with a number of drivers improving right at the death, most notably the number 35 Shrike of Rob Hall, who squeezed on to pole position, just a tenth ahead of the always-rapid Jon Harmer. A number of drivers did half the laps of the rest, completing their quickest times at the end of their run – Harmer being one of them, as he was sharing duties with Marc Noaro, and Peter Needham too.

Eventually the Top 10 would be Hall, Harmer, Jacobsen, Nick Hyett, Ross Hyett, Beasley, Streat, Welsh, Needham and Noaro. The latter would take part in the second race of the weekend though, so Charlie Hyett’s promotion as a result, would make it all three Hyetts in the Top 10 spots on the grid, for the first race. The stage (or grid as we call it) was set though, and everyone could look forward to the weekend’s racing.

Race 1

After an exciting Qualifying session, it was time to get the third “Pinto only” race of the season underway, as part of the 2022 Apsley House Pinto Cup. The format of having four races a weekend – two for each class had been a huge success and – adding a personal note into the mix – it would be phenomenal to see it become a more permanent fixture. I think it’s safe to say that all drivers, teams, friends and family in the series would agree.

From the off, it was Harmer vs Hall for the lead, Jon being just two tenths of a second ahead after the first two laps! Jacobsen would keep third ahead of Welsh and Streat. Nick Hyett, driving the gorgeous Lola we saw Ross Hyett running in 2021 (only blue instead of green), had unfortunately dropped back a bit in the opening laps, but was still well in the fight!

A mistake would come from Rob Hall though, as he tried his hardest to take Harmer, dropping him right down the field. As he crossed the line at the end of lap 3, he was registered as 27.8 seconds down, according to TSL timing. That had promoted just about everybody up one spot, except for David Muse, who had unfortunately pulled into the pits and retired his wonderful yellow Shrike after 2 laps.

The pitlane would see another car soon after, with Clive Steeper coming in at the end of Lap 4. The Tiga would be back on track, but 4 laps down come the end of the race. John Harmer continued to lead, building up a gap of over seven seconds to Tim Jacobsen, who was impressive as ever in his Shrike, with Trevor Welsh behind. Pete Needham was scrapping over fourth place with Nick Hyett, only a couple of tenths between them at certain points.

All three Hyetts were in the Top 10 at the half-way stage, Charlie putting on a particularly impressive show in only his second ever race. He would gain another place soon as Paul Streat now took his turn to come into the pits – the Lola suffering suspension damage, he would return to the circuit, only to come back in and call time on his meeting.

Charlie Besley was having a strong showing again in his Tiga – right in the thick of it with the Hyetts around him, while Rob Hall was making his way back through the field, getting past Charlie Hyett, Mike Fry, Simon Aldworth, Chris Snowdon, Richard Cooke, Andreas Floth and Nick Bailey. One of the real stars of the show though, under the radar, was Peter Needham – he had started 9th on the grid, and gradually made up places lap after lap, eventually finding himself 3rd behind Jacobsen.

Jon Harmer remained pretty unchallenged at the front though, leading all 20 laps and crossing the line with a 13-second advantage – a fantastic victory. Peter Needham had put increasing pressure on Tim Jacobsen throughout the latter stages and took his chance to strike (not Shrike) on the final lap, securing a great 2nd place finish! Jacobsen was of course third, ahead of Trevor Welsh and Nick Hyett, who scored a Top 5! Completing the Top 10 were Besley, Ross Hyett, Rob Hall, Charlie Hyett and Mike Fry.

A couple of drivers would be hoping for a much better second race, after finding it tough to make up any ground through the field.

Race 2

Marc Noaro would start from pole, with Needham alongside. Tim Jacobsen and Trevor Welsh made up a very menacing red second row – the Shrike and Lola had both proven to be great off the line in previous rounds. Chris Snowdon would surely be hoping for more from Silverstone, starting from 12th spot. Unfortunately, Paul Streat, David Muse and Paul Tickner wouldn’t take to the grid.

Welsh got the start he wanted and completed a great opening lap, leading Hall across the line by less than a tenth of a second, the first time of asking. Noaro had a first lap nightmare, dropping right down to the back of the pack, with it all to do. Marc had shown great pace before, and the car was a proven race winner, so the fight back was on!

Rob Hall would get the lead back on Lap 2 and start to drive away from Welsh, who once again found himself locked in battle with Tim Jacobsen. Needham was fourth, just ahead of Nick and Ross Hyett, waiting to pick up any spoils from the battles ahead. The slipstream was proving very important as you’d expect in Pintos – the field being held together in groups, early on.

As a number of drivers jostled for positions in eventual duos and trios, we were nearing the halfway stage. This was where the race lost two cars – the number 79 of Andreas Floth and the 57 of Simon Aldworth. Both would eventually retire and be classified as completing 9 laps.

Peter Needham started another rise through the order, much like he had done in the first race, getting ahead of Trevor Welsh on Lap 8, before setting his sights on Tim Jacobsen. By Lap 10, he’d got the job done, but the group was nearly ten seconds behind Rob Hall, who had very impressively disappeared over the horizon!

Rob was the only car consistently in the one-minute one-second lap times at this point, everybody at least a second a lap slower. The return of the Shrikes and their drivers to the championship had been a very welcome addition, showing phenomenal pace and a great competitive edge. They also added that extra element into a series like this, where more manufacturers on a grid just built on the already-huge number of variables a race weekend brings.

On Lap 14, Tim Jacobsen would have an issue and drop down to 7th place, just between Charlie Besley and Chris Snowdon. He would be kept in good company until the very end of the race. Nick Hyett, Trevor Welsh and Ross Hyett would also stay in close proximity to one another for the final podium spot, but just not close enough to initiate a battle, as such, into the final stages.

The aforementioned Jacobsen would then have a thrilling scrap with Snowdon and Besley, the three of them crossing the line in all manner of orders from Laps 15 to 19, but at the very top of proceedings, it was Rob Hall taking the honours – a dominant drive had been a great return to Sports 2000 for Rob and an exciting kick-start to his 2022 campaign. Peter Needham would round out a great weekend with another 2nd place, ahead of Nick Hyett, Trevor Welsh and Ross Hyett. Charlie Besley, Tim Jacobsen, Chris Snowdon, Charlie Hyett and Marc Noaro would complete the Top 10.

Tim Jacobsen leads the Historic Championship overall from Paul Streat and Trevor Welsh – the latter two being tied on 34 points! David Muse leads the Historic B Championship with Trevor Welsh’s wonderful red Lola at the top of the table in Historic C.

It’s a shame that there won’t be any further “split grid” races this season, because I think the first two meetings in 2022 have proven to everyone – whether in the paddock or spectating trackside – that the formula still works fantastically. On a positive note owing to the success of this initiative the club are looking at having four split grid races next year (thanks to the generous suport of Apsley House Capital). I personally have found it a joy watching the Pintos, as everybody well knows, but it’s safe to say that the drivers and teams running the cars have thoroughly enjoyed it too.

The Sports 2000 Championships move on to Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit next, where we will get back to the 2021 format of running Duratecs and Pintos together in the same races. It’s bound to really throw the cat amongst the pigeons, and show us who has really been missing the challenge of traffic, and who could do without. Either way, we hope to see you there!

Mant thanks to Chaz Draycott for these reports.