15/09/2015
Race 7 & 8 Donington 12th & 13th September
Just returned from the final outing of the championship, can't believe it's gone so quickly π₯
A very good weekend all in all, with a season high qualifying of 4th but then ended up in the gravel on the outside of McLean's on the last lap of race 1 whilst trying to pass Paul Oliphant, Phil MCGarty, and defend from a flying Richard Smith. That left me starting from 16th in race 2, but a great opening lap and some argy bargy by others found me finishing in a season best 6th place. A great way to round out the championship. Can't wait for the Birkett relay now in October. Photos and further updates to follow !
Official Ginetta Race report
Ginetta Racing Drivers Club :
Richard Evans brought an end to Adrian Campbell-Smithβs dominance of the Ginetta Racing Drivers Club after he took two wins from two in the season finale at Donington Park.
Starting from pole position, Campbell-Smith enjoyed an early lead whilst Richard Elliker powered from sixth on the grid into second position, demoting Evans to a brief third. A couple of corners later the pair had swapped again, but this time Evans shook his rival and latched onto the bumper of the race leader.
An equally exciting battle began to emerge between series newcomer Andrew Long and regulars Mike Jarvis and Peter Digby, with the trio running nose to tail in their road legal racing cars. Despite being on his GRDC debut, Long wasnβt shy when it came to getting stuck in, and passed Digby to take fifth on lap five.
With Jarvis handed a five second penalty for flouting track limits, he dropped behind Long on the timing screens, promoting the latter to fourth at the flag. Behind, Paul Oliphant and Phil McGarty enjoyed a fabulous race over seventh, with Richard Smith following closely.
Although outside of the top 10, it was equally exciting racing between Stefan Nadarajan, Colin Plumb and Steve Hughes as the trio made the most of their penultimate race.
The second race saw Evans enjoy an almost untroubled lights-to-flag victory. Speeding off the line, he had just under four seconds over the rest of the field as the cars completed their first lap. Digby meanwhile, was tapped into a spin at the first corner and was left to play catch up throughout the finale.
Elliker moved into second with Jarvis, McGarty and Smith in his wake. The th*****me then provided much of the finaleβs excitement as they traded places throughout their eight lap dash to the flag. Jarvis eventually took the second position, with Elliker being shuffled down to third and Evans right behind.
Having struggled throughout the race, Campbell-Smith dropped down the order over the opening laps, whilst his race came to an unfortunate early end after he made contact with McGarty on the penultimate lap.
The two Pauls β Oliphant and Garstang β had a spectacular race for fifth, crossing the line just one second apart, whilst Stefan Nadarajan, Colin Plumb and Roy Perkins each had a drag race to the flag over eighth place.
With the season over, the Ginetta Racing Drivers Club can still enjoy their road legal racers on the UK roads, whilst a handful of drivers are already planning their next outing at the Birkett Relay later this year.
