As usual in any Fun Cup race, there was no shortage of action from the moment the lights went out.
Tom Pattle led the field through on the opening lap for Wave 9, but couldn’t hold off Morpheus’ Neil Burroughs and GMR/Eco’s John Perrott, as all three started to try an early break.
Once EDF Vapeclub’s Simon Coles had ousted Red River’s Gareth Williams from fourth, he began to close the gap to the lead trio, with UVio/Hofmann’s Fabulous Randaccio following.
Coles and Perrott started to attack for the lead and by lap six it was a seven- car train for the lead, before Randaccio and Coles jumped Burroughs on consecutive laps.
Randaccio’s lead had started to grow, but Coles was doing his best to hang on, while David Ratcliff brought Ratters up to third at McLeans, from Burroughs, Perrott and Axiametric’s Jonathan Railton.
But in his dual at the tail of the field, Garry Summers’ attempt to retake Hi-Peak’s Guido Basile, saw him backwards into the gravel at the chicane and with the safety car out, Randaccio’s 2.356 secs lead over new second man Ratcliff was wiped out.
After two laps it was green again, with Randaccio, Ratcliff, Burroughs and Coles making an immediate break, as Railton and Perrott led the chasing pack.
The lead duo made another break, as Burroughs lost ground, with both Coles and Railton demoting him on consecutive laps, until the safety car appeared again after just four laps, with Pattle missing from ninth place.
Two laps and action resumed, with Randaccio and Ratcliff sprinting clear again, from Coles, while Railton came back under renewed threat from Burroughs.
The top five had started to close again and Ratcliff briefly had the lead on lap 24, before Randaccio snatched it back into the chicane. But barely had the order settled again and the safety re-appeared, with Stephen Walton the casualty in the second Morpheus car.
“I led for three corners before the safety car and when I made the stop, I saw it late and nearly missed my pit,” said Ratcliff.
The caution coincided with the first pitstop window, which prompted a convoy of virtually the whole field heading for the pitlane.
Ted Bradbury now led for Morpheus, from AxiaMetrics’ Chris Weatherill, GMR/Eco debutant Nick Ellis, EDF Vapeclub’s Vlad Vassiliev, Olympian GRD’s Simon Rudd and UVio/Hofmann’s Farquini Deott, as the safety car stayed out for another four laps.
As the top three got away cleanly from the restart, Vassiliev was jumped by both Rudd and Farquini, with Rudd soon closing in on the lead trio.
Rudd’s charge took him into third exiting McLeans on lap 34, but his push prompted Weatherill to challenge Bradbury’s lead too, and two laps later it was three for the lead into McLeans,
Exiting the chicane however, fifth placed Farquini suddenly slowed, allowing Greenheath’s Paul Turner, Vassiliev and Skull Club’s Jac Constable to go by. “I think we lost a damper as the car seemed to be leaning to one side,” Farquini explained.
Bradbury and Rudd shared a couple of exchanges for the lead just before the first hour was completed, while Ellis had got the better of Weatherill for third, followed by Constable, Turner, the recovering Farquini, Vassiliev, GCI’s Craig Butterworth and FNS Morpheus’ Harry Mailer.
“We were really struggling for power, it was OK in the tow but on our own it was hard,” said Bradbury. “We tried not to be too aggressive, work together and we started to pull away for a while,” said Rudd.
It became a terrific scrap for the lead as Rudd managed to hit the front, but still had Bradbury, Ellis and Weatherill in contention, until Axiametrics luck ran out again.
“We were doing so well and then a shaft broke, I really don’t believe it, happening again,” said Weatherill.
The lead duo escaped again when the safety car appeared, after a big midfield reshuffle, with cars off as fluid was down and once again coincided with the second pitstop window.
“There was a slight drop in power and then a hose went, so I pitted,” said Constable. “I think I was first on scene, defending hard, I locked up and folded the splitter under the car on the kerb,” Mailer added.
It was green again at the start of lap 53, with Ben Pitch making a quick break for PLR, from Bonamy Grimes for Red River, Burroughs for Morpheus, Riley Phillips for Olympian GRD and Gracie Mitchell for MMR/Eco.
But Grimes then slowed exiting the chicane and fell down the order before pitting, as Pitch and Burroughs swapped and changed again for the lead, with Coles solo in third, from Phillips, Greenheath’s Gary Bate and GCI’s Ian Wood.
“I got a puncture and damaged a rear wheel, so had to come in, “ said Grimes.
The lead pair continued to exchange places right up to the completion of the second hour, occasionally split by EDF Vapeclub and Olympian GRD.
But Coles reached the benchmark with a 0.307 secs lead over Burroughs, with Pitch in third for PLR, before Olympian – GRD, who had stopped early, while Seed Data’s Matt Hogg was up to fifth, from Greenheath’s Bate.
There were plenty more dramas to come, with Phillips off in the gravel in the gravel at Redgate on his 90th lap, having built a 27 second lead. “It was a brake issue again as it was in qualifying. The rear locked up at the chicane, but I thought I had cleared it. Then there was nothing as we came to Redgate and I just tried to slow it down,” he explained.
So the safety car was out again, but the dark clouds were gathering overhead’ Going green from lap 95, with EDF Vapeclub in front with Vassiliev, from PLR’s Neil Plimmer, Morpheus’ Burroughs on a double stint, Greenheath’s Bate, Signature RV’s Steve Ruston and GCI’s Butterworth.
The next pitstop window followed within a few laps, which proved to be the last as the rain, thunder lightening etc got heavier and heavier, forcing the initial suspension to become the end of the race.
So Morpheus took the win with Bradbury and Burroughs, by just over 14 seconds from Coles/Vassiliev for EDF/Vapeclub, with PLR’s Plimmer/Pitch completing the overall podium and taking maximum points in the Masters Class.
“It wasn’t easy, we seemed to lose power when it was hot and then when it cooled down we were OK., but I wasn’t so good in the rain as that little fella,” Burroughs admitted.
Coles had actually stopped on circuit after the suspension, when rain had got into the cars electrics. Clutton had hoped to get out for the last stint in the Signature RV car, but John Whitehouse finally came home in fifth, having slipped behind Aussie visitors Brandon Madden/Scott Andriske on the last racing lap.
“That was the hardest stint for me, and I wasn’t even in the car,” said Vassliev.
Team Ratters held on for a top six finish, with GCI, Greenheath, Seed Data and Racelogic completing the top 10. “We were lucky to make the finish as a rear wheel bearing had gone and we had rear wheel steering,” added Greenheath’s Turner.
So it’s now look forward to the end of October, the Oulton Park final double-header with all to play for.
Published by Peter Scherer for Fun Cup Endurance, September 23rd 2024
