Huff Wins Dramatic First SEAT Cupra Race at Oulton

13 July 2003

Robert Huff went from fourth to first in one lap to win an exciting and spectacular fifth round of the Holiday Inn SEAT Cupra Championship at Oulton Park today.
 
The Championship leader slipped from fifth to sixth at the start, but from then on the Marshalls of Cambridge Leon Cupra R driver used all his saloon car experience to win. Held under a blisteringly hot midday sun, the long straights and sharp corners ofOultonParksaw many of his rivals suffer brake fade problems – but Robert kept pumping his brakes going down the straights to make sure they were working when he needed them. The tactic paid off handsomely, as with three laps of the 11 lap race remaining, the three cars ahead of his – driven by James Pickford, Stefan Hodgetts and Gordon Shedden - all hit problems.
 
Huff said: “I raced saloons at OultonPark last year so I know what can happen to the brakes. I kept pumping the brake pedal going down the straights to make sure I had them in the corners. I was happy with my pace and running well in fourth, but I have to admit I inherited the win. I just couldn’t believe what happened ahead of me.”
 
Huff was almost accidentally taken out of the race by Shedden, whose Scottish Sun backed car suffered brake problems. Having run wide at Druids, he had to throw his car sideways at Lodge to slow it down and was lucky to avoid the crash barriers after flying through the gravel trap. During the accident he almost took Robert into the gravel with him, missing the Championship leader by an inch. “I thought I saw something red flash passed in the wing mirror,” said Huff.
 
James Pickford made an excellent start to lead the 16-car field away in his ABT Sportsline / Haribo sponsored Leon Cupra R. He led until lap nine, when a brakeless Hodgetts unintentionally nudged him into a spin at the Knickerbrook chicane. Pickford rejoined in 10th place and eventually finished eighth, while Stefan - who came toOultonParklying second in the Championship, just one point behind Huff - suffered a much worse fate. He lost the brakes on his loaded-backed car again on the next corner, slamming into the crash barrier and damaging the car so badly that he will not be able to start the next round of the series this afternoon.
 
Hodgetts said: “I had settled for second place – James was driving a great race and he deserved to win. I suddenly had no brakes coming into Knickerbrook and just couldn’t slow down enough. I hit James into a spin – he knows I’d never do that on purpose. I was pumping the brakes like mad coming into Druids but I took the corner about 80mph too fast. I almost rolled, went though the gravel trap like it wasn’t there and hit the tyre barrier at a hell of a speed. It was pretty scary.”
 
Huff saw the accident unfold ahead of him and reckons it’s the biggest shunt he’s ever seen.
 
Stephen Colbert agrees, as the Ulsterman finished second in his Auto Trader / Track Smart Leon. Having started sixth on the grid, he moved ahead of Huff in the sprint for the first corner and used the first few laps to bed his tyres in. Stephen had settled for third place, but was catching Shedden so decided to push harder in the closing laps. When Shedden ran wide and onto the grass, Colbert overtook to finish second, while Gordon struggled with no brakes to finish sixth.
 
Julian Westwood returned to a British podium for the first time since 1997, after the Orange Leon driver had put himself in the right place to benefit from all the drama at the head of the field.
 
Having started seventh, Spencer Marsh made a great start and moved up three places leaving the grid. He eventually finished fourth in his Shell-backedLeon, ahead of Emmet O’Brien’s DABL Medical Management Systems / Spin 103.8 car. 
 
Ben Winrow recorded his best result of the season when he finished seventh in hisTelemecanique-backed Leon, one place ahead of Pickford, while Paula Cook moved up two places from her grid position to finish behind James in her EFS Leon. She felt she was a lot quicker through the corners than the cars immediately ahead of her, but brake problems meant she couldn’t leave her braking late to overtake them.
 
Hamish Gordon was 10th in the Sunday Times Cupra, while Natalie Barratt overtook Karl Goshawk’s spinning Siemens Financial Services / ISG Leon at Cascades to finish 11th in her KF Concept car. Melanie Healey continues to improve, setting her best lap times of the weekend in her Spur Garage Leonto finish 13th.
 
Having held a strong second place for the first half of the race, Gavin Smith lost a lap in the pits while a turbo pipe was re-attached. He rejoined, only for it to come loose again, leaving Gavin in a frustrating 14th position at the finish.
 
Andre D’Cruze was the 15th and last finisher after the Hot Wheels driver had to come into the pits when his front splitter got wedged in a wheel arch. “Every time I tried to turn right I went straight on, which is a big problem at Oulton Park,” said Andre.
 
Round six of the Holiday Inn SEAT Cupra Championship will take place later this afternoon. The 11 lap race has been reduced to eight laps.

See series calendar for SEAT Cupra Championship 2003

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