Caterham Victories for Harrington and de Zille
Butler at Snetterton
17 July 2006
A brace of superbly exciting Autosport Caterham Superlight Challenge
races brought the Snetterton circuit alive this weekend (15/16 July),
with youngster Guy Harrington claiming his maiden championship win in
race one and Ben de Zille Butler staging a dramatic back-to-front victory
in race two.
Saturday's barnstorming third round of the championship provided
a fascinating battle between youth and experience, with 19-year-old
championship newcomers Harrington and Charles Bateman taking on their
40-something rivals Graham Fennymore and Simon Crompton at the front
of the field.
Fennymore might have been forgiven for thinking he had the race in the
bag after early pacesetter de Zille Butler dropped out with clutch problems,
but Graham's 2.3-second lead over Harrington dwindled to nothing
as the youngster banged in fastest lap after fastest lap. By mid-distance
Harrington was right on Fennymore's tail and the scene was set
for a dramatic fight all the way to the flag.
Lap after lap they traded top spot, with Derbyshire driver Harrington
placing himself perfectly for a last-lap run on his rival. "Neither
of us wanted to lead going into that final lap," said Guy, "because
we knew that the second-placed man would have the advantage in the final
corners." Harrington timed his lunge to perfection and led the
championship leader and double Donington victor over the line by a three-tenth
margin. "It was too close to call - could have gone either
way," he added.
"I'm quite content with second," said Bicester-based
Fennymore, "and happy to have made it safely to the end without
risking my car."
Behind the lead battle there was an equally furious race-long dice for
third between Tunbridge Wells-based Crompton and Bateman, with Lincolnshire
lad Charles pulling off a dramatic last-lap manoeuvre on his wily rival
to beat him to the line by 0.3s. "We were fighting all the way,"
said Bateman, "and it was a case of having to time it right."
Newmarket's Kevin Williams put his local knowledge to excellent
use on his first outing at the wheel of a new Superlight to beat James
Gardiner to fifth, with Rachel Green taking seventh, disappointed not
to have been able to capitalise on a good start because of a down-on-power
engine. Bill Addison claimed eighth to score his best result of the
season.
Ninth overall, and the leading R400 finisher for the third race in succession,
was Londoner Patrick Gormley, with another R400 man, Jack Newland, 10th
ahead of the Superlights of Daniel Mitchell and Andrew Beaumont. Mitchell
was delayed by a clash at Riches Corner with Matt Blyth while they disputed
seventh place; Blyth retired with accident damage.
Williams aside it was a bad day for the local men, with reigning champion
Will Mitcham joining fellow Bury St Edmunds resident de Zille Butler
in retirement. Will's problem - his first-ever mechanical
retirement in a Caterham - was gearbox related. Newmarket's
Tony Poole was sidelined early on from fifth spot with a holed radiator.
Andy Herring, who builds the Cosworth power units which propel the Superlight,
made his championship debut, finishing 11th in class.
The prospects for Sunday's race couldn't have been brighter,
with three local talents - de Zille Butler, Mitcham and Poole
- starting from the back of the grid after their first-race problems,
and the bumper Norfolk crowd was not to be disappointed.
For while Harrington and Fennymore resumed their battle at the front
the spectacle of the back-row starters scything through the pack kept
all enthralled. de Zille Butler was on a mission from the green light,
disposing of nine cars on the opening lap and making it up to eighth
on lap two.
On lap three he shattered the lap record established the previous day
by Fennymore and by lap four Ben was up to third and closing in on Fennymore
and Crompton, clearly in no mood to be prevented from even greater things.
It took Ben only a further four laps to make it to the front, and from
then until the 24th and final tour the three of them battled furiously
for the win. The decisive move came from de Zille Butler within sight
of the chequered flag when he sliced up the inside of Harrington into
the Russell chicane.
At the line Harrington trailed him by just five-hundredths, with Fennymore
only half a second adrift of the victor to take third. "That was
a hard fight," said Ben, "and I'm delighted to have won it.
It goes some way towards making up for the disappointment of the first
race."
Crompton was part of the fight for several laps but faded in the late
stages, collecting fourth ahead of Gardiner and the understeering car
of Bateman. Mitcham too charged from the back to take seventh, ahead
of Green, Williams - who was delayed by a second-lap spin -
and Newland, who was a clear R400 class victor after Gormley was forced
to make a pit stop. Mitchell and Beaumont completed the top 12.
A late-race collision between Blyth and Poole as they disputed seventh
saw Matt's car spin off the circuit at the Esses and Poole forced
to the pits for a safety check.
Harrington, Bateman, de Zille Butler, Crompton and others will be back
in action at the Portuguese Grand Prix circuit of Estoril next weekend
(22/23 July) in rounds five and six of the Autosport Caterham Eurocup.
*Reigning Cosworth Caterham Masters champion Jon Barnes was in action
at Snetterton also, winning both rounds of the Formula Palmer Audi championship.
See series calendars for all 2006
Caterham Championships
Related Story 06.07.2006 - Frantic
Fortnight Ahead for Caterham Racers
