Olympian GRD jump UVio Hofmann’s in the last stop as they extend their lead at the top!

IT’S OLYMPIAN-GRD AGAIN!!

With just one point splitting defending Champions Olympian-GRD and MJ Tec at the top of the table as we started the second half of the season at Snetterton, points were critical.

Will Abraham was starting for MJ Tec in 11^th place, while Simon Rudd took the first stint for Olympian, starting at the back of the 22 car grid.

Simon Coles snatched the initial lead for Vapeclub EDF and began to stretch his advantage over the first three laps, with Fabulous Randaccio in third for UVio/Hofmann’s, after demoting Morpheus Racing’s Neil Burroughs.

But Burroughs, Summers’ Kristian Rose, PLR’s Ben Pitch and JPR Supercharged’s John Perrott were line astern through Oggies, as Randaccio made a successful challenge for the lead into Brundle.

After a couple more laps Coles started to rechallenge, while behind them Abraham had worked his way through to a clear third, by the end of lap six, while Pitch chased Rose for fourth.

As Coles briefly nosed back ahead on the outside of Riches, Abraham was able to join them as they went into the Agostini Hairpin for the eighth time, but the drama’s had started too as Mike Devlin w s forced to retire the Seed Data car. “I came in for a puncture and we found the headgasket had gone too,” he explained.

Abraham had managed to split the Randaccio and Coles dual, but was soon in trouble himself, shortly after leading out of  Riches on lap nine.“I had contact with UVio and it took the tyre valve out, so I had to pit,” he said.

Coles was back into second, but had a moment at Hamilton and lost the tow to the lead. “The start had panned out as I had hoped. I had a couple of goes at Fab and we had contact at Riches too,” he said.

The battle for third was far from sorted though, as battles raged on, with Pitch hitting the front of the group, from Rose, Perrott and Axiametrics’ Jon Railton, while Rudd was closing too for Olympian.

Rudd took Railton through Hamilton and Perrott successfully challenged Rose around the outside at Riches, but Rudd’s charge was gaining even more momentum and by lap 11 he was fourth.

Rose had slipped down the order and after Rudd had got by, he was left in a great duel with Wave 9’s Jason Minshaw, with numerous exchanges following.

Perrott’s run took a blow when he was forced to pit to serve a track limits penalty, but while Randaccio continued to build his lead, Rudd had taken Pitch for third on lap 14 and within three laps got Coles into Wilson for second place too.

The top three all made their first stop together, but Chris Dovell was first to rejoin for Olympian, from UVio’s Farquini, Vapeclub EDF’s Vlad Vassiliev and PLR’s Neil Plimmer.

“I didn’t think I got through the pack quick enough, but it was a very busy first few laps,” said Rudd.

“I started making too many mistakes and was finding it a lot harder than usual. I didn’t expect Simon to come back at me like that either, but the car is fine,” said Randaccio.

“I had been a bit optimistic at the start, got up the inside at Riches and had to back out so they all went by,” Pitch admitted.

After one hour Farquini had a 6.958 secs lead over Dovell, who had Vassiliev in his wheeltracks. Plimmer was in a solitary fourth and Marcus Clutton had brought Signature RV up to fifth, from Greenheath’s Paul Turner.

Chris Weatherill was in for Axiametrics and Mark Burton for Wave 9, while in ninth MJ Tec were playing catch up with Scott Jeffs at the wheel, while rounding off the top 10 was Ted Bradbury for Morpheus.

Clutton continued to make progress and when UVio made their second stop, he led for four laps before handing to John Whitehouse. “Our car was feeling fairly good, Fab had managed to adjust the aero for me too,” said Farquini.

Dovell had also kept Olympian in contention, for Phillips to  take over and on completing the second hour Randaccio had a 9.286 secs lead for UVIo over Phillips, with Vapeclub still well up with Coles in third, followed by PLR’s Pitch, MJ Tec’s Abraham and Wave 9’s Minshaw, with Red River, Signature RV, Greenheath and Morpheus rounding off the top 10.

“The car was good so we made progress, a bit of a brake issue but nothing serious,” said Clutton. “I prefer starting then I am not under pressure,” Dovell admitted. “Our car is brilliant, I couldn’t remember the last time we had a car to be right at the front,” said PLR’s Plimmer.

It was race over for Axiametrics though, “I pitted Ok to hand to Greg, but it wouldn’t restart and he didn’t get out at all,” said Weatherill.

While UVio continued to set the pace, PLR and Vapeclub EDF duelled for second, which brought Olympian ever closer.

Stop number four came just over three laps into the third hour, with all but PLR from the top five coming in together, but the top had begun to settle.

So three hours done and there were seven cars on the lead lap, with UVio 19 secs up on Olympian, before another 20 secs gap to Vapeclub, who finally managed to break clear of PLR., after they had a slight touch earlier.

Abraham had been concerned about a misfire on the MJ tec car, but they had still fought back to fifth, when Jeffs suddenly pitted to change the coil pack, but managed to rejoin without losing a place,

Wave 9 became the next casualties when they lost a belt off the waterpump, leaving Mark Burton to retire to the pitlane in a cloud of steam.

MJ Tec were the first of the frontrunners to make their last stop, with PLR and Olympian following on consecutive laps. The battle was on at the front and Phillips managed to take the lead from Farquini as he rejoined, building a decisive 10.751 secs lead over the final 10 laps. “I was a bit concerned towards the end though with fuel, so I backed off, then drafted Ted Bradbury to try for fastest lap and he ran out of fuel,” said Phillips.

Only four more cars went full distance, with UVio/Hofmann’s a solid second. Hopes of a first podium for Vapeclub EDF were dashed though, just before their final stop, when Vassiliev had contact during lappery and took tyre valve out.

So PLR’s Plimmer and Pitch completed the podium, with Coles managing to retain fourth., as MJ Tec expired. “It just cut out on me, I managed to restart and it stopped again,” said Jeffs.

With Bradbury’s demise for Morpheus, Bate and Turner’s Greenheath car was fifth, from the Ruston/Whitehouse/Clutton Signature RV car.

Red River’s Gareth Williams/Bonamy Grimes/Johnny Mowlem were seventh, followed by GCI’s Craig Butterworth/Ian Wood, after they had early problems after contact with Greenheath.

Team Ratters and newbies Nick Highton with Lewis and Barry Thompson rounded off the top 10 for Team FFS.

https://www.tsl-timing.com/file/?f=BRSCC/2024/242931fun.pdf

Published by Peter Scherer for Fun Cup Endurance, July 22nd 2024