Drama at Snetterton for Caterham Challengers

17 July 2005

Newlywed Will Mitcham enjoyed the perfect end to his honeymoon today (Sun) at Snetterton - victory in one of the Powertrain Caterham Challenge races, third place in the other, and an increased championship lead.

The Bury St Edmunds-based racer claimed his home-circuit win in a thrilling 15-minute Sprint race, guiding his Caterham R400 to the chequered flag half a second ahead of Rachel Green, with whom he had disputed the lead for most of the race. In the 30-minute Feature race it was the turn of 23-year-old Matt Blyth to score a popular maiden victory.

In the Roadsport class, Graham Fennymore's seven-race winning streak was brought to an end by another driver local to Snetterton, Norwich-based Malcolm Barnett. Fennymore nonetheless retains the Roadsport championship lead.

Reigning Roadsport A Champion James Bromley enjoyed a dream return to Caterham racing when, in his first competitive outing at the wheel of an R400, he snatched pole position from Mitcham in the closing moments of qualifying. Kingston-based James's chemistry.co.uk-backed machine pipped the championship leader to top spot by just 0.024s. Only a fraction more than a second covered the top 14 runners in what was one of the closest-ever R400 qualifying sessions ever seen.

Alas for Bromley, his maiden Powertrain Caterham Challenge outing was set to turn from dream to nightmare, even though he led away from the pole in his Ultimate Motorsport-prepared car. Mitcham outpaced James on the opening lap to take an early lead, and that was as close as Bromley was to come to the front.

Mitcham's Taylor's Foundry Motorsport machine led until the third tour, when Rachel Green (Sawbridgeworth) slipstreamed ahead of him up the Revett Straight in her Fauldsport/Gama Aviation car to assume control and in so doing become the first woman to lead an R400 race.

Rachel and Will swapped the lead on almost every lap, jockeying to get into the ideal position for the final-lap dash for the chequered flag. Alas they never saw it fall - as the leaders crossed the line to complete their ninth lap, Bromley ran wide on to grass, lost control and swerved broadside across the start/finish straight and into the pit wall. He clipped Luc Paillard's car as he went, and inevitably the crash led to the race being halted.

Bromley suffered a heavy impact, but aside from a bruised foot was uninjured. "It's a testament to the strength of the Caterham that I was not badly hurt," said James. "It stood up to the crash remarkably well." Explaining the incident, he added: "Rachel appeared to lift off in front of me and I took to the grass to avoid hitting her. From then on I was a passenger." Bromley had set the fastest lap of the race in his pursuit of the leaders.

Green said of the incident: "I was dicing for the lead and I missed a gear; no way did I lift off. I was gutted after all that hard work to have made a mistake and that Will was getting away."

As is custom, the race results were declared from the drivers' standings at the end of the lap prior to the incident, thus handing Angel Air-backed Mitcham his third win of the season. "Drama is always top of the bill in Caterham racing," said Will, "and on this occasion it played into my hands. I was in the right place at the right time."

Green was second, less than half a second behind, and earned the Minister Driver of the Race award for her efforts. Hyperion Motorsport man Paillard (Sevenoaks) was third - some recompense for the damage his car suffered in Bromley's accident.

Mancunian Ted Murray popped in front of Altrincham-based David Dyson in timely fashion on what was to prove the final lap, depriving him of fourth. Wokingham's Blyth was right in Dyson's wheeltracks to take sixth, his best finish of the year, with Bury St Edmunds driver Ben Dezille Butler a subdued seventh, his car lacking straight-line pace.

Bicester's Jack Newland, who had qualified fourth fastest, had to play catch-up all race after an opening-lap off-track excursion and finished eighth ahead of Paul Allen (Disley) and championship returnee JM Littman (Waltham Cross). Londoner Nick Payne, another driver who went off in the early stages, took 11th ahead of Soh Fukushima (London) and Nathan Bell (Chippenham).

In the Roadsport A class, Oxfordshire-based Fennymore managed to maintain his unbroken winning streak, but only by the narrowest of margins. Tony Hawkins (Reigate) managed to outpace Fennymore for the class lead on the opening lap, but even though Graham managed to regain top spot on the second lap he couldn't shake Hawkins.

"I had to make use of all the notes in my little book to try to keep him behind me," said Fennymore, who racked up Roadsport win number seven. He was less than two-tenths ahead of Minister Award-winner Hawkins at the finish.

Borehamwood-based Riki Nash's Roadsport was the third one home, ahead of Barnett - who was blighted by a poor start slot after losing pace in qualifying. The finishing order was completed by Dave O'Carroll (Romford), James Gardiner (Derby), Douglas Clark (Melbourne), Cumbria's Stuart Smith, Wokingham's Andy Blyth and F1 journalist Peter Windsor.
If the Sprint race was packed with excitement and drama then the double-length Feature race provided at least twice as much thrills, with no fewer than four different race leaders.

Green made the race her own in the opening laps, overhauling fast-starting pole man Mitcham on the opening lap and pulling out a one-second lead by the third tour. But Mitcham was not about to let Rachel run away with things and set about reeling her back in, towing along Blyth - who had made rapid progress through to third from sixth on the grid - in his wake. Matt demoted Will from second spot on the ninth lap and, within a lap, had stolen the lead from Green.

It all went wrong for Rachel the next time around, as she tried to recapture the lead through Riches: "Matt and I both went into the corner absolutely committed to our lines and I could see that if I carried on then we were going to collide, so I backed off sharply and spun." Fortunately Green managed to avoid contact with any pursuers and regained the circuit unscathed, albeit 10th…

Blyth held on in front for six laps until the relentless pressure being applied by Fukushima - putting in an exceptional drive his Ultimate Motorsport R400, having started 12th - paid off for the Japanese banker and he popped in front for a couple of laps.

Then Fukushima's team-mate Newland got in on the act, passing Blyth to lead the runners on to the final lap. But Jack's victory hopes were dashed when Blyth repassed into Riches; Newland then succumbed to an off at the Esses when Payne overshot the corner and avoiding action had to be taken.

Blyth sped on to what was not only his first victory but also his first time in the top five of an R400 race, his MB Motorsport/Tricool car crossing the line 0.3s ahead of Fukushima. "I needed that win," said Matt. "I was beginning to think it would never come." Blyth was also the Minister Award recipient.

Mitcham, his progress hampered by overheating problems in the latter laps, was delighted to take third, ahead of Payne, a recovered Newland, Green, Murray and Bell. With Paillard and Dyson both succumbing to mechanical problems, the R400 finishers were rounded out by Littman, Dezille Butler and Allen.

Fennymore's perfect Roadsport class victory record was well and truly blotted when he suffered a coming together with Nash's car into Russell on the opening lap. "Blotted it may have been, but it wasn't my fault," said Graham, who spun back to fifth in the incident and who was forced to put in the hardest drive of his season to get back on terms with the class leaders, Gardiner and Barnett.

But get back on terms with them he did, regaining top spot on the 11th lap. Then cruelly, four laps from the flag, Fennymore's gearbox gave up the ghost and Barnett swept past and on to victory and the Minister Award. "It's not how I would have liked to have beaten Graham," said Malcolm, "but a win's a win!" Gardiner claimed second and O'Carroll third, with Smith, Windsor, Clark, Andy Blyth and Hawkins completing the finishers.

See series calendars for all 2005 Caterham Championships

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