MJ TEC AND MORPHEUS SHARE THE SPOILS
It was another 20 plus grid for the visit to Croft, with an hour sprint race opening the days racing.
Both Team 3 and Axiametrics headed for the pitlane on the out lap, but as the lights went out it was Neil Burroughs that led the charge to Clervaux for Morpheus, from UVio/Hofmann’s Fabulous Randaccio and GCI’s Ian Wood.
Randaccio then snatched the lead into Tower on the second lap and led a partial break with Burroughs and Wood, while Seed Data’s Matt Hogg led the pursuers, from Olympian’s Simon Rudd and Skull Club’s Jac Constable.
Just after Rudd had taken fourth from Hogg, the safety car was called out with Constable off at Clervaux. “I had a mega start and was making progress, when someone tagged me, “said Constable.
It was only a one lap interlude, but from the green flag Rudd, began to challenge Wood for third, as the top four broke away again.
Randaccio had started to build a lead as second place became a three-car fight. But by lap nine it was any one from six for second place, as they re-caught the leader too.
Burroughs retook the lead a lap later, as Randaccio, Rudd, MJ Tec’s Scott Jeffs, Wood, Red River’s Johnny Mowlem and EDF’s Vlad Vassiliev all followed line astern.
The safety car was out again for one lap with Chris Weatherill’s Axiametrics car in the gravel, but the first pitstop window was approaching and it was soon all change again.
Burroughs and Jeffs were first to pit, handing to Ted Bradbury and Will Abraham, with Rudd and Randaccio stopping five laps later, after Olympian had nosed ahead following some side-by-side challenges.
Bradbury was the new leader, from Abraham who had ousted UVio/Hofmann’s Farquini into Tower on lap 21. Both GCI’s Craig Butterworth and Greenheath’s Gary Bate demoted Olympian’s Chris Dovell from fourth a lap later, with Dovell first to make a second stop, handing to Riley Phillips.
“I had a great battle with Ted, but the tow was so strong it was impossible to defend,” said Abraham.
Bradbury was first of the lead group to pit, but stayed in the car for the final stint, while Farquini and Butterworth were both late stoppers. 
In the final five lap sprint to the flag, Jeffs was comfortably in control, securing a second successive win for MJ Tec by over four seconds. “We just picked cars off in the first stint, but had to make sure that last stop was a good one,” Jeffs added.
“I couldn’t get through the backmarkers and could see Scott getting away,” said Bradbury.
Randaccio brought UVio/Hofmann’s home in a solid third, “a nice clean race, but I lost my early lead to the safety car,” he said. “I had a brilliant stint, inspired,” co-driver Farquini reckoned.
Phillips pushed hard in his stint, but had to settle for fourth for Olympian, as Paul Turner and Butterworth completed the top six for Greenheath and GCI respectively. “We lost the tow before the first stop and struggled to get back,” said Butterworth. “Happy with the top five and avoided the attrition,” Turner added.
Mowlem was seventh, while Vassiliev just held off PLR’s Neil Plimmer for eighth, after a couple of late exchanges. GMR/ECO’s Gracie Mitchell/Rob Croydon rounded off the top 10, with 13 cars still on the lead lap at the flag.
RACE 2
Ian Wood made the most of his front row start to lead into Clervaux at the start of the three-hour race, but was soon under pressure from EDF’s Simon Coles, with Skull Club’s Russell Joyce and Axiametrics’ Weatherill following.
Coles hit the front on the second lap, with PLR’s Ben Pitch, taking Joyce for fourth a lap later, as the lead quartet started to go clear. Pitch took Weatherill but they stayed nose to tail, as Burroughs began to bridge the gap for Morpheus.
But MJ Tec’s Abraham then caught Burroughs, as their duel was being shadowed by Farquini for UVio/Hofmann’s. The lead duo were able to build a slight lead, until Abraham managed to emerge from the scrap for third, having taken Pitch into Clervaux on lap 11, with Burroughs following a lap later.
30 minutes in and Coles still had the lead by 0.872 secs over Abraham, after he took Wood into the Complex a couple of laps earlier. But Farquini was first into the pits from fourth place, promoting Pitch, with Burroughs following a lap later.
Coles managed to retain his lead until lap 20 when Abraham got by into Clervaux, but they both pitted four laps later, along with Pitch and Farquini, just before the safety car was called out, with oil down after the Red River car expired.
“I was determined to enjoy that, just watching the gap, getting on with it and having Fun,” said Coles.
It was six laps before the green flag was waved, which took us to the completion of the first hour. Vassiliev led for EDF, from MJ Tec’s Jeffs, Morpheus’ Bradbury, GCI’s Butterworth, PLR’s Plimmer and UVio/Hofmann’s Randaccio.
Both Jeffs and Bradbury jumped Vassiliev into Tower at the restart and sprinted clear, with only seven laps before the next stop was due. “Most of my stint was behind the safety car, but I anticipated them coming for me,” Vlad admitted.
It was so close at the front side-by-side into Sunny for the 33rd time, but Bradbury just nosed ahead, while Randaccio took Plimmer for fourth into Tower, at the head of a seven-car train.
Rudd was fourth at Tower for Olympian, just before the stops, but the top 10 all headed for the pits together.
Abraham came out with the lead, from Dovell, Wood and Farquini, while up to fifth were signature RV with Marcus Clutton at the wheel.
While MJ Tec’s lead continued to grow, Clutton soon reeled in Wood and Farquini, taking them on consecutive laps, before closing on Dovell.
On lap 44 Clutton was second, but Abrahan’s lead was over 18 seconds, which he had closed to just over 12 by the end of his stint.
As the final hour began MJ Tec were still out in front, 11 seconds up on UVio/Hofmann’s, from GCI and Olympian, while it was close for fifth between Morpheus and PLR.
Jeffs made his penultimate stop nearly 22 seconds clear of Uvio/Hofmann’s, but they pitted together along with Olympian from third, but Morpheus were flying, with Bradbury back in, and soon hunting down the top three when they rejoined.
Stop go track limit penalties were coming into play too and cost Olympian dearly in they chase for second. They had got through two laps earlier, but the stop handed it back to Farquini, who 13 seconds off Abraham’s lead, but being caught a second a lap by Bradbury, swapping a couple of laps later.
On lap 91 MJ Tec made their final stop and a lap later it was Morpheus and UVio/Hofmann’s heading for the pitlane. Jeffs rejoined with his lead intact and a 3.5 seconds cushion over Bradbury, while in third Randaccio had Olympian’s Phillips chasing him for the final podium place.
There was 14 minutes left on the clock for MJ Tec to make it three in a row, but Bradbury was flying and chipping away steadily at the lead.
With a lap to go Bradbury made his move, he had tried at Tower and the Hairpin a lap earlier, but Jeffs held him off, but into the Hairpin again he went down the inside, locked up but still emerged a nose clear.
Jeffs was set for an identical move a on the final tour, but thought better of it. “Ted had put a good move on me, so I couldn’t turn in. I could have done the same, but decided not to risk it as it could have lost me second to,” Jeffs explained.
“I had sized it up earlier and looked where he was a bit later braking and turning in and just add to take my chance,” Bradbury replied. “Awesome, Ted had such great racecraft,” co-driver Burroughs added.
There was a change for third too on the final lap. “The car wasn’t great, then it just came alive as the fuel load lightened, it was like a rocket ship. I managed to get third from Fab at Clervaux on the last lap, but he defended hard,” Phillips. 
“I didn’t expect that from Riley, I thought he was nice until he nerfed me into the gravel,” Randaccio replied. “We seem to have gone off the boil a bit,” expressed co-driver Farquini.
Third placed Olympian had also topped the Masters Class, but UVio/Hofmann’s were still fourth overall, from GCI and PLR, with Plimmer and Pitch Masters runners up too.
Greenheath were seventh on the road, but had a track limit penalty added, which dropped them to ninth, behind Signature RV and Axiamatrics, while EDF Vapeclub completed the top 10.
https://www.tsl-timing.com/file/?f=BRSCC/2024/241831fun.pdf
Next stop is the double header at Anglesey on June 14th/15th.
Published by Peter Scherer for Fun Cupp Endurance, May 6th 2024
©2024 Fun Cup Endurance Championship
