FUN CUP ENDURANCE 2024 – OULTON PARK – FINALE
OLYMPIAN GRD TRIO RETAIN THE TITLE, BUT WOW WHAT A DAY!!
With a huge grid, some star names and the title still up for grabs, an action packed day was guaranteed, and we weren’t to be disappointed.
In the opening laps of the one-hour sprint race FNS Morpheus’ Harry Mailer, Red River’s Johnny Mowlem and BTCC Champion Jake Hill in a second Morpheus car made a break. Within a lap Hill was pushing for the lead, but his quest was initially thwarted when the safety car came out on lap four, to recover Adam Fawsitt’s Team Tifosi car.
Two laps later the green flag was out and Hill made his move around the outside at Cascades. Both he and Mailer then got clear, with Mowlem still in third, from Morpheus’ Chris Hart, Greenheath’s Gary Bate and Rare Vinyl’s Rob Croydon.
Only two more laps and the safety car was out again, before red flags brought a race suspension, after Ian Loggie had gone off at Druids. “It was damp, not wet and I thought the dry line was quite dry. It would have gone through easily in a GT3 car, but I skimmed the barrier and the recticel sucked me in and spun me back into the track,” he explained.
There was one green flag and a full restart, but within the pitstop window, as most crews opted to stop.
Mowlem, Vapeclub EDF’s Simon Coles and Croydon stayed out for two more laps, but once the window was closed it was Ninky Nonks Ted Bradbury, Morpheus’ Charlie Hart and UVio Hofmann’s Fabulous Randaccio in the clear, with Vapeclub EDF’s Vlad Vassiliev a solitary fourth.
Hart and Bradbury swapped and changed, but Bradbury just about had the upperhand, as Randaccio looked on in third.
The final stop was another mass affair, with the top six all stopping together, after Olympian’s Chris Dovell had gone in four laps earlier.
Bradbury and Hart were double stinting, rather than handing back to Neil Burroughs and Hill, but the intensity continued right to the chequered flag.
“Neil did the hard work at the start, then I knew I could catch up. I just looked for mistakes and could see Charlie in his mirrors a lot, so once in front I just tried to manage the gap,” said Bradbury, after taking victory by just by over five seconds in the end.
“I knew I had to get into the top 10 as soon as possible, so tried to follow UVio through,” Burroughs added.
Hart and Hill’s second place brought them the £3,000 bonus for taking a podium in their first ever Fun Cup race. “We were really good before the safety car and then lost the advantage. A fantastic race though and great fun,” said Hill.
“Ted’s car was looser at the back, but I had a great race and was pleased I took my Dad to the cleaners too,” Hart added.
UVio Hoffmans retained s solid third, “one little mistake at the chicane and I couldn’t get back with them,” admitted Randaccio.
Riley Philips took over the Olympian GRD for the final stint and managed to consolidate fourth, “it was the best I could do, as I didn’t really have the chance to chase the top three,” he explained.
The Signature RV car of John Whitehouse, Steve Ruston and Marcus Clutton saw off Vapeclub EDF’S Vassiliev as they both completed the top six, while PLR’s Neil Plimmer/Ben Pitch, Greenheath’s Bate/Paul Turner, HLR’s Harry George/Luca Hopkinson and Team Ratters Peter, David and John Ratcliff rounded off the top 10.
RACE TWO
Phil Keen led the first three laps of the three-hour race, before the safety car was in action again, with FNS Morpheus’ Chris Walton and Fuelled Up Racing’s Paul Ellis-Smith both off at Island.
Jake Hill had worked his way into second, before the caution, from Not Fast But Furious’ John Perrott, Axiametrics Jon Railton , Skull Club’s Russell Joyce and Greenheath’s Paul Turner.
With the safety car staying out, it was another mass pitstop at the first window, with the race finally going live again after nine laps under caution.
Bate had the lead for Greenheath at the green flag, but was soon overwhelmed by Hart, Olympian’s Simon Rudd, Bradbury and Farquini over the next four laps.
Rudd began to push for the lead, which allowed Bradbury to close, while behind them Farquini, Bate and Axiametrics Chris Weatherill ran in formation for fourth.
It was just as close for seventh, where PLR’s Pitch led a five-car train from Hopkinson, Ratcliff, Croydon and Vassiliev.
Bradbury had managed to split the lead pair as the first hour was completed and shared numerous exchanges again, with Rudd just hanging back in third.
Just before they headed pitwards again, Bradbury challenged Hart’s lead into Lodge, “I had pad knock off, but overall the car is great,” he said after almost going straight on.
Turner was in front as they started the stint, but was caught by Randaccio and Hill, with the UVio driver ahead into Knickerbrook, Hill followed a lap later and as half distance was reached, Randaccio led Hill as they ran nose to tail, with Turner third, from Burroughs, Dovell and George.
There was still nothing in it at the front at the third stop and with Burroughs bringing Ninky Nonk into third , all three stopped together again.
But UVio managed to pull a sizeable gap as Farquini rejoined, while Hart was a solitary second, from Bate, Rudd, Bradbury and Plimmer.
Gradually Olympian were getting closer and closer to securing a second consecutive title and into the final hour they were third, behind UVio Hofmanns and Morpheus, but 16 cars were still in the lead lap.
Randaccio made his final stop from the lead after 70 laps, with Farquini rejoining 3.968 secs clear of Olympian’s Phillips with just 14 minutes on the clock. Hart and Bradbury double stinted again, but both had to serve track limit penalties.
Plimmer was in fourth but had Clutton closing, while Hopkinson and Bradbury disputed sixth.
Phillips was consistently eating into Farquini’s lead and with Hart a solo third, fourth became a four-car battle, with Bradbury taking charge.
Into Old Hall for the 77th time Phillips nosed ahead on the outside line, but had to back out on the exit, having previously tried at Lodge.
They were close again at Shell and onto the final lap, when Phillips was just ahead down the Avenue, before they clashed at Cascades. “At Lodge I left him room, he braked late and I eased up as we went wide. Then he led down the Avenue and aimed it at the apex, but I had nowhere to go. They deserved it though, they have had an awesome season,” said Farquini, after his race ended in the Cascades gravel.
Phillips was able to rejoin and make it home with over 12 seconds still in hand over Hart. “I didn’t go off at Lodge but lost the apex and was right on the edge. I then caught up again, knew we had the pace but I needed him to make a mistake and then he ran wide at Old Hall. I got alongside on the outside to Cascades, thought I was clear and we chose the same piece of track and both spun,” Phillips replied.
Hart and Hill moved up to take second again, “what a race, absolutely mega racing with Ted,” said Hart. Bradbury eventually came in third, “I loved the chase back through the pack,” Bradbury admitted.
Hopkinson and George finished strongly too taking fourth on their first Fun Cup day. “The car was great all day, but so different to what we are used to,” said British GT4 racer Hopkinson.
Signature RV and PLR completed the top six and were second and third behind Olympian in the Masters too, just 0.204 secs apart. In seventh were Mowlem and Gareth Williams for Red River, while Greenheath, Morpheus’ Chris Hart/Steve Walton and Vapeclub EDF rounded off the top 10, all on the lead lap.
So 2024 has come to and end and we now look forward to 2025 with Olympian GRD’s Dovell, Phillips and Rudd going for the hattrick. Jake Hill and Charlie Hart finally won some of the prize fund on offer for first time Fun Cuppers too.
“The prize has been available for eight years, £10,000 for first, £3,000 for second and £1,000 for third. It’s a boost for the 
Championship that someone has won it, as it shows it can be done. I am relieved it’s been won, and that it went in a good race, but I was bit worried when they were leading,” said Fun Cup supremo Paul Rose.
https://www.tsl-timing.com/file/?f=BRSCC/2024/244331fun.pdf
Published by Peter Scherer for Fun Cup Endurance, October 28th 2024
