FUN CUP ENDURANCE 2025 – ROUND SEVEN – SILVERSTONE – RACE REPORT
VLAD THE VICTORIOUS!!
There was plenty of action from the word go, as four different drivers shared the lead in the opening four laps.
Initially it was Tim Wheeldon leading off pole for PLR, before UVio/Hofmann’s Farquini Deott took the outside line at Copse to lead out, with Sunoco’s Phil Keen second into Brooklands.
Keen then had the lead at Brooklands a lap later, but already up to fourth, Vapeclub EDF’s Ted Bradbury was closing in on the lead trio. Bradbury briefly led before Keen took it back into Becketts.
By the end of the fourth lap the top three had started to breakaway, with Keen and Bradbury continuing to share the lead as Farquini looked on.
Wheeldon had already lost out to Rare Vinyl TLR’s Matt Larbey, who then started a dual with Olympian GRD’s Simon Rudd for fourth, but Wheeldon headed pitwards with substantial frontal damage.
The safety car was out though with both Sherardize’s Peter Belshaw and Morpheus’s Charlie Hart parked up. “I had struggled for straightline speed, then I got tagged at Maggotts and it turned me around. There was fluid down, I spotted it and Team Disruptive spun on it, then B.E.R.T clipped me,” said Wheeldon.
“Charlie was leaking something, we both floored it and he lost power, I had nowhere to go and hit him,” Belshaw added.
It was green again for lap 11 and Bradbury successfully went straight for the lead into Copse, with Rudd ousting Farquini for third too, as it was soon a four-car break again.
As Keen and Rudd swapped and changed, Bradbury was able to extend his lead. But John Perrott began to close on Farquini for AxiaMetrics, while behind them there was a great multiple scrap building for fifth.
Perrott took fourth into Copse on lap 16, but Farquini managed to retake, before Perrott made it stick a lap later.
Demon Tweeks’ Jason Minshaw demoted Larbey, but the Rare Vinyl car was soon heading pitwards with a broken paddleshift.
Farquini started to lose touch with the lead trio, “it was OK before the safety car, then I lost touch with the top three and managed stay with AxiaMetrics for a few laps, but continued to struggle for straightline speed,” he explained.
There was still only 0.523 secs covering the top three after 30 laps, but Rudd had made it into second. Perrott had consolidated fourth over Farquini, but sixth had continued to see Minshaw, FF Corse’s Michael Broadhurst, Team Pesky’s Andrew Dyer, 2nd Choices Wil Smith and Seed Data’s Mike Devlin all in contention.
As the pitstop window arrived Demon Tweeks were first of the top six to stop with Guy Minshaw taking over from Jason. Sunoco and AxiaMetrics followed a lap later, with Anders Hildebrand and Chris Weatherill taking over, while EDF Vapeclub, Olympian GRD and UVio/Hofmann’s all left it until the last possible lap.
“I got the lead early so it went to plan, and just kept it clean and maintained it, as I could see Phil and Simon working well together,” said Bradbury. “I enjoyed starting for a change, I wanted to get to the front and the aim was to gap UVio and it worked,” Rudd replied. There was no point in racing each other at this stage,” Keen added.
“I was on the limit, really trying, the car was great so I just pushed on,” said Perrott. Debutant Broadhurst was delighted with his opening stint too, “mega racing, I had to defend in the tow but got ahead of the group a few times,” he added. Seed Data’s Devlin was also pleased with his stint, “proper racing, really good fun but I only just missed PLR’s incident,” he explained.
Three laps into the second stint Vlad Vassiliev was back in front for Vapeclub EDF and completed the first hour, 2.554 secs up on Olympian GRD’s Chris Dovell.
Anders Hildebrand was in third for Sunoco, from AxiaMatrics Weatherill, UVio/Hofmann’s Fabulous Randaccio and Seed Data’s Matt Hogg.
Red River’s Bonamy Grimes, Team Pesky’s Alex Foden , 2nd Choice’s Josh Phelps and Racelogic’s Julian Thomas rounded off the early top 10.
By lap 53 Vassiliev had increased the lead to over 10 seconds, but Dovell was still holding onto second. But both Weatherill and Randaccio demoted Hildebrand a lap later, who was still comfortable in fifth, with a huge gap to Hogg and Grimes.
Dovell successfully retained second until the next pitstop window when he handed to Riley Phillips. But Weatherill and Randaccio began to swap for second, which then became the lead dual when Vassiliev pitted on lap 67.
“Good fun and a good battle with Fab. He got me and I got him,” said Weatherill.
It was another seven laps before the lead pair pitted, which handed the lead back to Vapeclub EDF’s Bradbury, from Olympian GRD’s Phillips, while Farquini rejoined third for UVio/Hofmann’s from AxiaMetrics’ Greg Evans.
After John Whitehouse’s first lap spin, Marcus Clutton had gone n second for Signature RV, pitted from fourth and rejoined fifth with Steve Ruston, followed by Axel Hildebrand for Sunoco.
Bradbury then led Phillips up to the halfway two hour mark, but over 30 seconds clear. Evans had taken Randaccio for third early into his stint and Foden had ousted Hildebrand for fifth just before the second hour mark.
Ruston was still in seventh, as Demon Tweeks’ Jack Minshaw, David Denyer and Devlin rounding off the top10, after Red River had to make an extra stop with fuel issues.
Over the next hour there was little change on the leaderboard, with no safety car interventions and little change during the pitstop windows.
So Vapeclub EDF started the final hour a clear lap ahead of Olympian GRD, who equally had a lap advantage on UVio/Hofmann’s, Team Pesky, Demon Tweeks, Seed Data and Signature RV.
Vassiliev took over from Bradbury for the final stint and despite having to pit to serve a late penalty, the duo took their maiden victory with 25.612 secs to spare over Olympian GRD.
“Nine years ago I came to Silverstone to see my friend Mike Guasch win a European Le Mans race, then I got my dream. 4 ½ years later I am on the same podium a race winner. We have been close before but I just had to minimise risk, keep pushing and it was risky finishing with me, but it worked and it’s given us a new option, but it’s all down to EDF,” said Vlad the victorious.
“We were here to beat UVio, tried a different strategy and it worked for us too,” Rudd added.
AxiaMetrics were third with Perrott, Weatherill and Evans, a lap clear of UVio/Hofmann’s.” We struggled with pace again, I could run with Axia Metrics in the corners and then they drove away,” said Randaccio. “A disappointing lack of propulsion,” Farquini added.
Signature RV finished strongly in fifth, taking third in the Masters behind Olympian GRD and AxiaMetrics and there was a well deserved sixth for Seed Data, “the car was great and this result has been coming,” said Devlin.
On their debut Team Pesky’s Dyer and Foden were seventh, “it’s been great, we’ve bought the car and after issues in testing it’s a good result and we’re ready for more,” said Foden.
2nd Choice claimed eighth, with Will Smith in his second ever race and debutant Josh Phelps. “Mega, just brilliant,” Smith enthused.
Team Disruptive’s Matthew Rao and Ryan Slaney-Smith and Red River’s Gareth Wiliams, Mowlem and Grimes rounded off the top 10. “My second ever race, so still cautious, staying out of trouble and loving it,” said Slaney-Smith.
Having been at the front early on there was no dream debut for the Sunoco trio. “The alternator belt came off and shredded and Anders did another four laps with no oil and water until the engine went,” keen explained. “No one told me to look at the display, “Anders replied. “Well at least it wasn’t me that did it,” Axel added.
It’s just three weeks until the penultimate weekend of this years Championship and it’s ALL to play for.
To find out more about the Fun Cup Endurance Championship visit www.funcup.co.uk for more information and how to get involved.
To view the championship calendar, visit https://funcup.co.uk/events/ for more information.
