MSA Championships Update 26 March 2008
MSA British Drag Racing Championship
 ROUND
1: 21-24 March 2008: Auto Trader Easter Thunderball, Santa
Pod Raceway
Against all odds, Round 1 of the MSA British Drag Racing
Championship was completed successfully. Easter's Arctic weather
threatened abandonment - snowstorms and high horsepower do
not mix - but the race was compressed into Monday after much
of Friday and all of Saturday and Sunday were lost.
Racers expecting five qualifying rounds ended up with a single
Monday shot in frigid conditions which played havoc with tune-ups
and tyre-grip. Unruly handling was the order of the day, typified
by reigning MSA champion Andy Robinson's wild rides to victory.
Indeed, Robinson's semi-final clockings (6.885sec.-228.07mph)
were remarkable achievements from such a bucking-bronco drive.
RESULTS
Eliminations:
Semi-final:
Philip Englefield 10.906sec./121.22mph bye run - Danny Cockerill
broke in qualifying
Andy Robinson 6.885 / 228.07 def. Mats Eriksson 7.056 / 183.37
Final:
Robinson 7.275 / 209.24 def. Englefield 8.225--153.53
Low Elapsed Time of the Event: 6.885sec. - Robinson
Top Speed of the Event: 228.07mph - Robinson
Championship positions
1 Andy Robinson 75
2 Philip Englefield 56
3 Mats Eriksson (S) 38
4 Danny Cockerill 37
5= Ian Bishop 10
Kevin Slyfield 10
Wayne Nicholson 10
Championship positions
1 Roy Dawson 12pts
2 Stewart Robb Junior 11
3 Stewart Robb 10
4 Nick Algar 9
SBD Motorsport MSA British Sprint Championship
Round 1 - Croft
In cold & snowy conditions the first round of the MSA
British Sprint Championship saw 2006 champion Roy Dawson on
top form. However he needed a late charge to wrest the top
spot from the Robb family. Stewart Senior took the lead only
for son Stewart Junior to slip past into what would be second.
Local 'hot-shot' Nick Algar not only took fourth but also
easily won the 1600 racing car class. Steve Miles in fifth
was the top two-litre whilst Midlander Phil Lynch was sixth
in his Ralt. Simon Bainbridge hustled the awesome Audi TTV8
to seventh and the Sports libre win. The Pillinger's were
eighth and ninth with father Dave for once beating son Scott.
Tenth spot went to Derek Hodder in the 'sports libre' Westfield.
Terry Holmes & Graham Porrett missed the run-off with
gearbox problems and the Calders (Colin & daughter Heather)
just failed to qualify when they had transmission problems.
RESULTS
1 Roy Dawson (3.5 Gould-NME GR55) 100.20
2 Stewart Robb Junior (4.0 Pilbeam-Judd MP88) 101.16
3 Stewart Robb (4.0 Pilbeam-Judd MP88) 103.32
4 Nick Algar (1.6 DJ Firehawk-Suzuki) 105.90
Kumho Tyres MSA British Rallycross Championship
ROUND 1: Lydden
Current champion Ollie O'Donovan (London) won the opening
round of the 2008 Kumho Tyres MSA British Rallycross Championship
at Lydden on Easter Monday (March 24). O'Donovan qualified
on pole for the Supercar A final which he won and then took
a clear victory in the Superfinal, but his path to victory
was not as easy or clear cut as it may seem from that.
O'Donovan claimed the overall event victory in the Superfinal
after leading from lights to flag, but B final winner Steve
Hill came home second, with Dermot Carnegie making him work
hard for the position and Lawrence Gibson looking on in fourth
place.
RESULTS
Superfinal (5.5 laps)
1 Ollie O'Donovan (Peugeot 306) 4m28.334s
2 Steve Hill (Mitsubishi Lancer E9) 4m29.544s
3 Dermot Carnegie (Ford Fiesta ST) 4m30.739s
4 Lawrence Gibson (MG Metro 6R4) 4m31.572s
5 Tommy Graham (Ford Escort WRC) 4m42.748s
6 Luc Maris (Volvo 242) 4m44.740s
Championship positions
1 Ollie O'Donovan
2 Steve Hill
3 Dermot Carnegie
4 Lawrence Gibson
5 Tommy Graham
6 Luc Maris
Championship positions
1= Paddy Shovlin 15
Michael Cullen 15
3= Tom Ferrier 10
Oliver Morley 10
Paul O'Neill 10
Steve Clark 10
Hector Lester 10
Allan Simonsen 10
Avon Tyres British GT Championship
Rounds 1&2 - Oulton Park
The first race of the season was red flagged and restarted
after Hunter Abbott rolled his Ginetta G50 down the hill at
Cascades. The restarted 30-minute race resulted in one of
the closest finishes ever in British GT history with Paddy
Shovlin and Michael Cullen taking the honours. Race Two on
Easter Monday saw the first ever win for a Lamborghini as
Tom Ferrier and Oliver Morley took advantage of a mistake
by the Christians in Motorsport team when they were penalised
for missing the pitstop window while in the lead.
Next races - Rounds 3 & 4 Knockhill - 12 &
13 April 2008
RACE 1 RESULTS
1 Paddy Shovlin / Michael Cullen - Ferrari 430 - 30:31.307
- 17 laps
2 Phil Burton / Adam Wilcox - Ferrari 430 - +0.287s
3 Hector Lester / Allan Simonsen - Ferrari 430 - +0.518s
4 David Ashburn / Richard Williams - Porsche 997 - +1.318s
5 Steve Clark / Paul O'Neill - Viper Competition Coupe -
+4.043s
6 Nick Foster / Oliver Bryant - Viper Competition Coupe -
+11.003s
RACE 2 RESULTS
1 Oliver Morley / Tom Ferrier - Lamborghini Gallardo - 1:01:27.220
2 Michael Meadows / James Sutton - Ferrari 430 - +0.942s
3 Paul O'Neill / Steve Clark - Viper Competition Coupe -
+16.847s
4 Paddy Shovlin / Michael Cullen - Ferrari 430 - +17.218s
5 Allan Simonsen / Hector Lester - Ferrari 430 - +22.554s
6 James Gornall / Jon Barnes - Viper Competition Coupe -
+22.941s
British F3 International Series
Rounds 1 & 2 - Oulton Park
The first two races of the 2008 season lived up to all expectations.
Spanish Red Bull-backed driver Jaime Alguersuari took a double
pole on his Oulton Park debut, but a clash with teammate Brendon
Hartley in race one eliminated both cars. Oliver Turvey stormed
to a lights-to-flag win ahead of Max Chilton and Atte Mustonen.
Race 2 went to plan for the Spaniard who led from the lights.
A lap 12 safety car mix-up put Brendon Hartley at the head
of the race but he was docked three places by the stewards,
handing the win the Alguersuari who also broke the British
F3 lap record for the Cheshire circuit. It was a Swedish lockout
for the other podium positions as Marcus Ericsson and Sebastian
Hohenthal took second and third respectively. Andy Meyrick
did the double in the National Class.
Next Races - Rounds 3 & 4 Croft - 27 April 2008
RACE 1 RESULTS
1 Oliver TURVEY - GBR - Carlin Motorsport 30:48.289 - 18laps
2 Max CHILTON - GBR - Hitech Racing +1.978s
3 Atte MUSTONEN - FIN - Double R Racing +3.893s
4 Michael DEVANEY - IRL - Ultimate Motorsport +5.275s
5 Esteban GUERRIERI - ARG - Ultimate Motorsport +5.677s
6 Marcus ERICSSON - SWE - Fortec Motorsport +15.300s
RACE 2 RESULTS
1 Jaime ALGUERSUARI - ESP - Carlin Motorpsort - 30:10.677
- 19 laps
2 Marcus ERICSSON - SWE - Fortec Motorsport - +0.411s
3 Sebastian HOHENTHAL - SWE - Fortec Motorsport - +2.748s
4 Brendon HARTLEY - NZL - Carlin Motorsport - +2.963s
5 Walter GRUBMULLER - AUT - Hitech Racing - +3.481s
6 Esteban GUERRIERI - ARG - Ultimate Motorsport - +4.621s
Championship positions
1= Jaime Alguersuari 21
Marcus Ericsson 21
3 Oliver Turvey 20
4 Atte Mustonen 16
5= Max Chilton 15
Sebastian Hohenthal 15
|
