MINI CHALLENGE RACE REPORTS

Title battle goes to the wire at Brands!

It'a a double win in Club Class for NICK JONES

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Sunday 7th October 2007

Race Start

Race one got off to a flyer, a good start by Coulter from the front row but Depper holds onto top spot on their opening circuit. Jason Greatrex is also on a charge and up to third past Arthur Forster. However a coming together at Druids slows many of the drivers up and as lap one is completed it’s Depper who’s still leading but not for long as Coulter sweeps through on the inside to take over at the front and begins to pull away.

Gary Meikle was an early entry into pits after being involved in the accident at Druids, Pedro del Campo was also in the wars, circulating Brands with his bonnet up while Steve Wood and Arthur Forster also found their way into the pits. Jack Stanford put his name on the retirement list.

Coulter and Depper passing the finish line In Club a super start by Nick Jones, he’s the early leader with Gary Kounnis second and Jenny Ryan third.

Race leader Coulter then posted the fastest lap of the race so far on lap three and by the time they start lap five he has a second and a half lead over Depper with Greatrex close behind in third. Then it’s Pattison, Wilson, Bristow, Mortimer, Blyth and Lines. Still in Club it’s Jones from Kounnis and Ryan who have formed their own breakaway group.

By lap nine, still no change in the order, everybody settling down after the hectic opening laps, Coulter almost two seconds to the good over Depper. Greatrex is still third but losing time to Depper with Pattison and Wilson scrapping over fourth. On lap ten it’s Wilson who grabs fourth with Bristow sixth and the title-chasing Mortimer in seventh.
Still no change in the order in Club but Nick Jones is pulling further away from Kounnis and Ryan who squabble over second. Behind her it’s Graham Parsons, Andrew Cox and Dawn Boyd.

The pack making their way down the start/finish straight.Having taken his first ever MINI Challenge win at Pembrey, Nathan Coulter was looking good to make it two victories but the action is with Greatrex who is having to defend his third place from a charging Darelle Wilson. It’s not all about those two as Pattison, Bristow, Mortimer, and Lines are all involved as well and any one of these six is in with a very good chance of a podium place.

Lap sixteen and Coulter is being caught, Depper reducing the lead to one point three seconds, the front two with a comfortable margin over Greatrex in third and by lap seventeen Depper takes another second out of Coulter; the gap is down to eight tenths of a second with less than five minutes on the clock.

In Club the top three are bunching together and there’s now nothing between Jones, Kounnis and Ryan with Graham Parsons a further three seconds back in fourth.

Lap nineteen and it’s now an advantage of just two tenths of a second for Coulter as he looks to maintain his position at the head of the field and as they complete the lap, he and Depper are right together, Coulter has the inside line through Paddock and up to Druids but instead of trying to take the long way around and grabbing the inside at Graham Hill, he thinks better of it and settles back into second.

Still nothing between the leading trio of Club cars as Jenny Ryan goes in pursuit of the overall title meanwhile her title rival Oly Mortimer is sixth overall with two laps to go.

Coulter, Depper and Greatrex enjoying the podium.Onto the last lap and Depper’s drinking in the last chance saloon as he tries to find that little bit extra that will take him past Coulter. However he can’t find it and it’s Coulter who grabs his second win of the year, crossing the line three tenths of a second ahead of Depper while Greatrex keeps Wilson in his pocket to claim third with title contender Oly Mortimer having to settle for sixth

In Club it’s Nick Jones who wins but only just with Gary Kounnis right with him as they cross the line and it’s a good haul of points for Jenny Ryan who takes third

So no titles decided and all still to play for as they begin race two, the final encounter of the 2007 season. Once again another good start by Coulter who leads this time but only just from Darelle Wilson, who is doggedly trying to pass him on the opening lap. Oly Mortimer is in determined mood and bumps into the back of a competitor as they round Graham Hill for the first time, forcing another Cooper S to take to the grass in an avoiding action. In Club class Jenny Ryan is the early leader but not for long as Nick Jones passes her on lap two.

The action is fast, furious and a little bit more and as they start lap four. It’s still Coulter who leads from Wilson, the gap between them almost half a second with Depper third, Bristow fourth and Pattison close behind in fifth. Meanwhile Mortimer is struggling to get close to sixth placed Stewart Lines.

In Club on lap six it’s still Jones who leads by half a second from Ryan who has her hands full in keeping Kounnis and Parsons at bay, the pair all over her like a rash.

The pack coming through Druids in the distance.As they begin lap nine there are still no retirements but Wilson is closing in on Coulter, the gap reducing by a tenth of a second and then he made his move, sweeping past majestically at Druids to go first and then, after avoiding a spinning Laura Waddington along the Cooper Straight, Coulter then loses second to Depper.

Another unable to hold onto their position is Jenny Ryan, Gary Kounnis going through up into second place.

As they start lap eleven it’s Wilson who leads from Depper then Coulter, Bristow, all four covered by just a couple of seconds, while Mortimer is still in seventh which may not be enough to win him the title. Jenny Ryan, his title rival, is still mixing it in a four way Club class fight on lap twelve, still no change in the order with Parsons fourth, but all four covered by a single second. At times it’s peer through the fingers stuff.

Depper, who’d posted the fastest lap so far on lap six, is starting to close in on Wilson and has him in his sights by lap fourteen yet he himself is coming under increasing pressure from Coulter. Their efforts could well be hindered as they started to mix it with the leading Club class cars. The man on the move and needing to do so is Oly Mortimer, he gets past Stewart Lines to grab sixth and is still hopeful of moving higher up the order. His quest for the Challenge title is eased slightly as Ryan drops to fourth having been overtaken by Parsons and there’s still half the race still to go.

The top three Cooper S cars are breaking away, covered by half a second with fourth placed Bristow unable to stay with them, he’s more than three seconds back and more than concerned with preserving his position from Pattison, Mortimer and Lines who are very, very close. In fact Mortimer and Lines have swapped positions a couple of times on lap eighteen

A group heading down Paddock Hill bend.In Club Kounnis is up into the lead, a seven-tenths cushion as they began lap nineteen with Parsons third and title-chasing Ryan unable to stay the pace, trailing down in fourth place and looking to find more than a second if she’s to plug the gap to the final podium position.

Steve Tyldsley became the first of the retirements and looked to have been joined by Laura Waddington, who came in to pit but after a quick check of the wheels she was back out again. Meanwhile the luckless Steve Wood made it a double DNF on the day by tumbling off at Clearways

Into Druids on lap twenty-four and Depper passes Wilson to go first but Wilson fights back and regains the lead as they go through Paddock Hill on the very next lap. Depper then immediately retakes the lead at Druids, fantastic! In Club Ryan is back on a charge and closing in on third place Parsons while Kounnis is still in charge out front.

Depper celebrating on the podium.Lap twenty-six and Jones, who has been challenging Kounnis, finally makes his way through as they round Clearways. Graham Parsons tries to go through the same gap but Kounnis manages to fend him off, with Ryan in fourth also closing in

A good lap twenty-nine for Depper, as he opens up a second and a half gap over Wilson and Coulter who were baulked by slower traffic. Ryan goes third in Club after Parsons left proceedings following a squabble with Gary Kounnis.

A quick stop for Jack Stanford but he rejoins, well down the order.

With time running out in the chase for the title, Mortimer is seventh in Cooper S and Ryan is third in Club and if it remains like that then the title will be remaining in Ireland.

As the chequered flag is waved, it’s Depper who is first; Wilson is second with Coulter third. Meanwhile Mortimer is seventh but it’s not good enough as Jones wins Club with Kounnis second and Jenny Ryan securing third, which means she finishes the season as 2007 Mini Challenge champion.

Coulter leading Martin Depper leading the way through Graham-Hill bend

Jones, Kounnis and Ryan enjoying the spoils. Pedro del Campo demonstrating

PEMBREY 22nd/23rd September 2007

NICK JONES
Two 1sts and a 2nd

There’s a new leader at the top of the MINI Challenge championship as Oly Mortimer suffered a terrible weekend points wise after gambling on a wet tyre during qualifying. The decision backfired when the expected rain didn’t fall and he was forced to compete in the first Saturday race from a lowly grid position. The Scot, who has been top of the overall standings since his debut at Snetterton at the start of the year, was three seconds off the pace and therefore began race one on row seven alongside Garry Meikle, another who opted for wets along with James Blyth who found himself a row behind.

ImageIt didn’t get much better for Mortimer in the race, run in dry conditions, as he tried to make his way through a tightly packed field, yet everyone it seemed was flying. Mortimer nudged his nose ahead of Meikle and then was only able to pass the unfortunate Jake Packun, who’d qualified fifth fastest, and Steve Wood. So it was a race to forget for Mortimer, eventually finishing eleventh but certainly not for Jason Greatrex. Hailing from Cardiff, Pembrey is pretty much Greatrex’s home circuit and after qualifying on the front row he dived ahead of pole setter Gavin Bristow. From there Greatrex was rarely troubled although Martin Depper paid close attention to him throughout the race but just couldn’t get close enough to mount a serious attack.  
 
Bristow was unable to quite match the pace of the front two, as he showed a return to form of the type he displayed recently at Thruxton and Donington Park, but he enjoyed a fairly comfortable race, keeping everyone else behind him.  
 
ImageClub class driver Jenny Ryan closed the gap in the overall MINI Challenge standings finishing second behind Nick Jones, the pair squabbling for top spot throughout yet it was Jones who held out to make it a double win for Cardiff in the race. Nothing seemed to go right for Gary Kounnis, who was hoping to bounce back having conceded second place to Ryan in the championship following Croft, but fifth was the best he could muster behind Graham Parsons and third placed finisher Keith Issatt.   
 
Come Sunday, come the rain, but Jason Greatrex carried on in race two where he left off the day before, storming ahead of Gavin Bristow on the opening lap of the race. Problems for Nathan Coulter though as he struggled to get off the line while Stewart Lines found himself on the grass out of turn one. Oly Mortimer meanwhile was working his way through the order.
 
A much better race for Kounnis in Club as he led for the opening few laps but yet again Jenny Ryan was right with him, not letting him go while Nick Jones was close behind in third with Graham Parsons and Simon Fish following, as they completed lap four. At the front Greatrex still led but Bristow, having dropped to third by the end of lap two, was back up to second after posting the quickest lap of the race so far, with Martin Depper third and the front two quickly pulled away, leaving a lonely Depper behind. Darelle Wilson found himself in a great fourth place and behind him it was Beever, Lines, Pattison, Tyldsley, Mortimer was up to ninth with Coulter tenth. Meanwhile Jake Packun had a moment and dropped to the back of the Cooper S train.  
 
ImageThe top five Club cars began to squeeze together while Wilson’s fourth place was coming under increasing pressure from Andy Beever. By lap six there was a change in the order as Nathan Coulter passed Oly Mortimer and as the lap counter hit seven it wasn’t just the leading Club cars who’d formed a bunch of five as the fastest Cooper S cars made their own quartet.

So Greatrex leading the Cooper S cars and Kounnis keeping Ryan at bay in club but no joy for John Bates as he retired and Stewart Lines reacquainted himself with the grass again as he began lap eight and shortly afterwards found himself in the pits alongside Jake Packun with five minutes racing still left on the clock.  
 
Five became four in Club as Fish struggled to stay the pace with Ryan still second but just as importantly Oly Mortimer was still struggling to force his way up the order and was eighth with time running out. Ryan certainly wasn’t content with staying second in Club and was trying everything to go past Kounnis while Jones took Parsons as they exited Hatchets to go third. The Welsh youngster then went into search of Ryan who was putting her second place at risk as she tried to pass Kounnis and he got his wish as he pulled off a great move out of Brooklands, finding the space to get past Ryan and then set about trying to take Kounnis, both men side by side as they tussled for top spot, Jones taking to the grass and Ryan closing back in as she looked to regain second and even possibly grab first.
 
No change between Greatrex and Bristow out front while Beever started to get close to third-placed Depper yet, with time running out, it appeared to be too little too late.  
 
So onto the last lap and Kounnis finally appeared to have shaken off Jones while Ryan also seemed to have settled for third and that’s how they crossed the line while Greatrex took the chequered flag in his Cooper S for his second successive win of the weekend.
 
ImageHaving finished second to Greatrex in race two, Gavin Bristow was hopeful of going one better in the third encounter yet his hopes were dashed as he went off at turn one, where conditions were tricky to say the least after oil had been dropped there during one of the sports car races. Club class driver Gary Kounnis was also a spinner and found himself facing in the wrong direction and going nowhere, which brought about the introduction of the safety car. As the field lined up behind it, it was Nathan Coulter who found himself leading following a storming start. Jake Packun was second put he pulled into the pits with a problem and subsequently retired.  
 
The race distance had already been shortened prior to the race and the use of the safety car reduced race-speed track time even further and by the time it pulled in there were only nine minutes on the clock. Coulter led then with Beever second followed by Greatrex, Stanford, Lines, Tyldsley, and Mortimer seventh, again playing catch up. Jenny Ryan had the best of starts in Club with Jones second, Issatt third and Fish fourth.
 
With a clear track in front of them Coulter and Beever pulled away yet Greatrex and Stanford were enjoying a great tussle as they squabbled over third.
 
Lap seven and Jones once again found a way past Ryan to take over in Club and Mortimer found his way up to sixth but with time running out. Man of the race though was undoubtedly Nathan Coulter, posting the fastest lap of the race so far on lap eight.  
 
Ryan then retook the lead in Club but was continually hounded by both Jones and Issatt as the trio pulled away from the rest of the Club class cars.
 
ImageThe flying Coulter was leaving Beever behind who appeared to be getting sucked back to Greatrex and Stanford and while all eyes were on that thrilling duel as in the blink of an eye Jones found his was past Ryan yet again. Coulter was certainly on fire as he continually posted fastest laps but he wasn’t the only one, as Ryan, Jones and Issatt played tit-for-tat.  
 
Meanwhile Andy Beever had indeed been caught by Greatrex and Stanford plus Stewart Lines who’d come to see what all the fuss was about with the trio of Mortimer, Depper and Tyldsley all arguing over sixth.  
 
Onto the last lap and Coulter with an unassailable lead, a big performance from the youngster who has threatened so much in the past but this time was delivering and it was no surprise as he took the chequered flag for his first ever MINI Challenge win. Greatrex took second to cap an almost perfect weekend while Stewart Lines joined them on the podium after passing Stanford on the final circuit. In Club Issatt closed in once more but he couldn’t bridge the gap as Jones won again with Ryan grabbing more big points in second.  
 
A best position of sixth was the best Oly Mortimer could muster in his Cooper S. Jenny Ryan is now leading the way after guiding her Club class MINI to two seconds and a third as she looks to keep the MINI Challenge title on the Western side of the Irish Sea following Gareth Nixon’s triumph last year.

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MINI Challenge at Croft
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25th & 26th August 2007

Jenny Ryan's Car

Scotsman Oly Mortimer returned to winning ways at Croft taking the spoils in the second Mini Challenge race of the day in the sixth meeting of this year’s Great & British Dunlop Motorsport Festival. Having won the opening seven races of the season the championship leader had gone five races without a win but worked his way back onto the top step of the podium again with an almost faultless performance. Yet he wasn’t the biggest points scorer on the day, that accolade going to Ireland’s Jenny Ryan who won both races in the Club class category of the series. The result means she’s now Mortimer’s closest rival in the overall Mini Challenge standings with just two meetings, at Pembrey and Brands Hatch respectively, remaining.

Image It may have been Mortimer who had the biggest grin at the end of the day but it was Martin Depper who was smiling in race one. He blitzed the opposition as the field roared into Clervaux for the first time, edging ahead of Mortimer on the opening lap closely followed by Jason Greatrex, Andy Beever and Jake Packun, in fact the racing was that close, it took less than four seconds for the top ten drivers to cross the finish line. Packun’s podium hopes quickly evaporated though after he lost out and dropped down to ninth on lap two. Nathan Coulter slotted into the fifth place vacated by Packun. Club meanwhile was in the control of Ryan but only just though; four tenths of a second her advantage ahead of Nick Jones with Graham Parsons and Keith Issatt close behind in third and fourth respectively.

At the front it was a case of wherever you go, I will follow for Depper and Mortimer as they edged away slightly from what was becoming a fascinating tussle for third involving Greatrex, Beever and Coulter. Jack Stanford held sixth ahead of Stewart Lines and Garry Meikle but the trio just couldn’t quite keep in contact with the leading cars who were now covered by three and a half seconds as they put lap three to bed.

Martin Depper finishing Depper led the field and quite appropriately put down the fastest lap of the race so far but Mortimer was still with him, not letting go, and easing away slightly from Greatrex, so much so that as they began lap six he had a second and a half gap over the man in the number seventy-seven Mini.

Jenny Ryan continued to lap consistently quickly and she was enjoying a two second lead over Nick Jones, who still couldn’t shake off the attentions of Graham Parsons, Keith Issatt playing the waiting game in fourth.

As the race wore on it seemed only a mistake would allow anyone to make a passing manoeuvre and amazingly the Cooper S race order remained the same from the end of lap six all the way to the chequered flag. The battles involving Depper and Mortimer for first and Greatrex, Beever and Coulter for third raged on and despite some great attacking moves none paid off.  

It wasn’t quite the case though in Club with the order changing on lap nine with Nick Jones dropping out of second place and Graham Parsons dropping out of the race completely. Both had been contesting second but following their demise the honour went to Keith Issatt with Gary Kounnis gleefully taking third and a good haul of points.

Oli Mortimer racing Cooper S driver James Blyth had his work cut out in race two, having to start from the back of the grid but quickly went about making his way through the Club class traffic helped no doubt by the rolling start. No joy for Jake Packun, pulling into pit lane with a technical problem, as they were about to get underway. It took him until lap two to get it rectified but by then he was a lap down on everyone else and the race had had two leaders, Nathan Coulter taking the initiative on lap one but he was quickly passed for top spot by the flying Oly Mortimer. Once he’d taken Coulter, Mortimer then started to open up a gap, one that measured six tenths of a second at the start of lap three while Nick Jones was on a charge in club opening up a stunning one point six second advantage over Graham Parsons as they carried on their squabble from race one. Meanwhile race one winner was unable to force herself into the front, Jenny Ryan patiently holding third place ahead of Michelle Nixon and Stephen Mitchell, who was showing maturity beyond his young years.

By now James Blyth had left, retiring having completed just two laps and Dawn Boyd of Club class soon joined him.

Fastest laps on lap three in both classes, Mortimer posting 1:37.287 with Parsons notching 1:45.235 in club.

Still Mortimer led, a one point three second lead on lap four that stretched out by another half a second on lap six. Coulter still had control of second place, as he had done since losing out to Mortimer on lap two while third-placed Depper still dreamt of a possible double victory. In fact as Mortimer pulled away it became a three-way tussle for second with fourth-placed Jack Stanford very much involved, a second and a half covering all three as they began lap seven.

Oli Mortimer on podium No change in the top three in either class as they began lap seven but a change in the fastest lap time, Mortimer still the quickest Cooper S around Croft, this time shading just over a tenth of his previous best time.

It had been a disappointing race for Arthur Forster, the former champion struggling around in a lowly position and by the end of lap seven enough was enough and he pulled out.

Still the Club class battle raged on, Jones with a gap of seven tenths of a second over Ryan with Parsons still the filling in their Mini sandwich in second place yet it all changed on lap ten, Ryan passing both Parsons and Jones who in fact slipped from first to third in the space of a lap.

More retirements at this point, first Lee Pattison and then Josh Waddington who pitted a lap later.

Jenny Ryan’s lead in club was half a second as she displayed another cool, calculated drive but while she was squeezing out a gap, Mortimer appeared to be getting caught by Coulter as they made their way through the slower traffic and just eight tenths of a second separated them as they began lap thirteen. Any hope Coulter had of reeling in the Scotsman were soon dashed  as Mortimer worked his way through the back markers and stretched his lead back out to almost a second. Again, like race one, there wasn’t much change in the order, despite the relentless pace and as the flag dropped it was Mortimer who was back to winning ways while Coulter took a deserved and long overdue podium place, finishing second ahead of Depper.

Jenny Ryan with winners reef No such joy for Nick Jones though who had led Club by more than a second early on but the youngster couldn’t maintain his momentum and he gradually dropped back to fifth   l in club class having been passed by Stephen Mitchell on lap fourteen and then Keith Issatt on lap sixteen. No stopping a delighted Jenny Ryan from taking the flag and the double; another podium for Graham Parsons on second place while Stephen Mitchell helped himself to his first ever Mini Challenge podium position in third.

 

 














 

MINI Challenge at Donnington
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4th & 5th August 2007

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A double celebration for Chorley’s Gavin Bristow as he took the honours in both MINI Challenge races at Donington Park, proving his winning performance at Thruxton a fortnight earlier was certainly no fluke. However two podium places for Scotland’s Oly Mortimer means he still leads the series. In the Club class category of the championship, Gary Kounnis of Essex won race one while Ireland’s Jenny Ryan won race two.

The opening race of the day got underway in glorious sunshine, the track’s temperature beginning to warm up and those who were dotted around the circuit were treated to a real treat of close, tight racing, very early in the day.

ImageAs they screamed up to Redgate for the first time it was a drag race of Santa Pod proportions between the front row pairing of Oly Mortimer and Gavin Bristow, who just managed to get his nose in front as they rounded the right hand bend toward Craner Curves, the pair also appearing to come into contact. Two drivers who did meet up in unfavourable circumstances at Redgate were Shaun King and Jack Stanford, who peppered their cars with gravel, King appearing to get a nudge from behind which forced him to lose control while Stanford, in taking avoiding action, also went off. Earlier Andy Beever had an embarrassing moment when he spun while putting heat in his tyres during the warm-up lap.  

There was also the usual tight squabble over top honours in Club class and it was none other than Gary Kounnis who got ahead of Graham Parsons on the opening lap while his close rival Jenny Ryan had to settle for fourth behind Keith Issatt. At the head of the field Bristow led in his Cooper S, still being dogged by Mortimer while Lee Pattison slotted into third ahead of Andy Beever.

ImageThe battle between Bristow and Mortimer was relentless appearing as if it was almost a game of cat and mouse. Bristow had a lead of seven tenths by the end of lap two; Mortimer would take two tenths out of it by the end of lap three. By lap five the difference between the pair was down to three tenths then a lap later back out to six tenths. Lap seven and it was just two tenths of a second. Yet it wasn’t just the Cooper S battle to satisfy the racing appetite, in Club the difference between leader Kounnis and second-placed Parsons was around two tenths as they began lap four. 

But they weren’t the only stories around Donington Park; a charging Jake Packun was up to third on lap two having passed Pattison and Beever while Greatrex was on the move and as he started lap three was up to fifth.

Arthur Forster, who’d been out of luck at Thruxton, was again on the side of misfortune, this time going off at McLeans on lap five. While the former champion was leaving the action was really hotting up, a superb battle for fourth place had developed, around a second covering the cars of Pattison, Beever, Garry Meikle and Greatrex. Club meanwhile was still being led by Kounnis in what was a ménage a trois between himself, Issatt, who’d gone second on lap five, and Parsons, a second and a half between them as they began lap seven, Ryan still fourth but just off the pace of the leading trio.

By now third-placed Jake Packun was unable to interrupt the front two and by lap eight trailed by three seconds while Bristow just edged a few more tenths his way as they began the penultimate lap. This was to prove a crucial circuit of the Donington Park track for as Bristow and Mortimer approached Redgate they were greeted by a wall of slower Club class cars and it was the Oxford Associates Race team driver who seemed to make them work to his advantage, gaining possibly half a second on Mortimer who was unable to pick as good a path through the traffic. It also gave Packun an impetus as he took half a second out of the championship leader but with time running out it was to take an effort, or mistake by Mortimer, of mammoth proportions from Packun if he was to change the order, which he was unable to do.

ImageMeanwhile Gary Kounnis looked to have the Club win in his grasp, one and a half seconds to the good over Parsons, who incidentally had passed Issatt on lap nine to regain second spot. Yet Parsons wasn’t done, a great surge from him saw the gap reduced by more than a second as they began the final lap but it was too little too late as Kounnis hung on to take the full compliment of points. The same could also be said in Cooper S, as Mortimer was unable too reel in Bristow who made it win number two for the season.

A mention too for Steve Tyldsley who was fifteenth on the opening lap but picked his way through the pack to finish eighth, passing some quality opposition in the process.

 “Oly was all over me for the whole race,” said a delighted Bristow.” The gap between us was changing only when we each made mistakes especially through the traffic. I was pushing hard in places, maybe a bit too hard and the same could be said of Oly but I still managed to keep him in my mirrors. I could see the back markers dropping towards us and I thought ‘oh no one little slip and Oly’s going to have me here’ but I managed to pull some good moves and kept mistakes to a minimum, Oly couldn’t work it as well as he’d liked and I took the win. It was a fantastic race, it was awesome. “      

ImageRace two and Mortimer, in pole position, and determined to get back to winning ways, leading as they turned into Redgate followed by Shaun King and Jack Stanford, second and third respectively and both managing to make it around this time. Yet that wasn’t the end of that story. Anyway Bristow, who’d begun the race from row two was close behind as too was Jake Packun while Kounnis again was the best to get away in Club but this time he had Jenny Ryan right with him followed closely by Parsons and Issatt.

A good start by Jason Greatrex, fourth on the opening two laps, the second of which saw him credited with the fastest lap of the race so far yet it was Bristow who again was making the biggest impact on this race, passing Stanford at Craner Curves on lap one and then Packun on lap two to go second and breathing hard down the neck of Mortimer. Whereas in earlier races this season Mortimer had gotten to the front and pulled away this time Bristow was not letting go and stayed right on the bumper of his Scottish rival. Yet what looked as if it would be another epic encounter was momentarily put on hold when first of all King and Stanford came together as they exited Goddards at the end of lap three which saw King permanently leave the racetrack and moments later saw the introduction of the safety car following a huge smash involving Peter Budd and Lee Pattison.  By this point a huge battle had developed in club with a second and a half covering the top six drivers led by Kounnis and followed by Ryan, Issatt, Nick Jones, Michelle Nixon and Graham Parsons in that order while Jake Packun had just posted the fastest lap of the race

Fortunately Peter and Lee were okay but unfortunately this accident had eaten up a lot of time in the race and when the safety car pulled in there was only enough minutes left on the clock to complete four laps in a dash-for-the-cash.

ImageBy now Bristow led with Mortimer second and Greatrex third and on lap thirteen those three along with Packun and Stanford began to break away from the rest of the field. A change of leader in Club too with Ryan slipping past Kounnis at Goddards.

With everyone anxious to get going after the long delay concentration levels had to be at maximum but maybe it was a case of just trying a bit too hard for Mortimer who locked up as they went into Goddards just ahead of the penultimate lap. The Scotsman lost a place to Packun in the process, which also allowed Bristow to put some daylight, around two seconds worth, between himself and his challengers.

As they began the last lap it looked like Bristow’s race and would prove to be so but a fantastic struggle for second place ensued, all four contenders giving it everything, Greatrex passing Mortimer, Mortimer fighting back and reclaiming third, Packun holding both at bay to grab his first podium position of the season and Stanford, who recorded what was the fastest lap of the race, looking for a gap that could come his way. Yet by the chequered flag it was indeed Packun who took second to Bristow with Mortimer gathering valuable championship points in third. Club saw another win for Jenny Ryan but only just from her great rival this year, Gary Kounnis.

Image“Once the pace car went back in I managed to control things at the front, “ said Gavin Bristow. “I was able to put some quick laps together and I could see them behind me. At the start everyone seemed to go for the inside line at Redgate but I hung it wide and found the line to go through. I really didn’t expect to win two races this weekend but things are really coming together for me and hopefully it will continue.”

“It’s been a great day,” beamed Jake Packun. “I got an excellent start around the outside just tucked in behind Gavin Bristow. That was great and then when the pace car came out I just kept a close eye on everyone behind me and then when the time came I put my foot down and managed to get past Oly Mortimer. Next thing I knew the chequered flag came out and that was that. “

“I’ll take this result,” said Oly Mortimer. “I’ve done all the hard work by winning at the start of the year. Now all I need to do is look after the car, keep getting podiums from now to the end and the championship should be ours. I’m not too fussed at the moment about winning races; my aim is firmly fixed on the title. People don’t remember you if you win races but not the title. It’s the champion everyone remembers. Today is pleasing and well done to both Gavin and Jake.” 

“There were some parts where I felt quicker than Gary,” said Jenny Ryan. “I managed to pass him as we turned in just before the straight and from there I thought it would be my win from then on.”

MINI Challenge at Thruxton
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SUNDAY 22nd JULY 2007
MINI Challenge: July Thruxton 07. Race Starts
 

Oly Mortimer’s dominance of the Cooper S contested Mini Challenge championship was finally broken when Gavin Bristow, of Chorley, won the first race of the day, his first ever victory, bringing a halt to the Scotsman’s run of seven consecutive wins. Mortimer then struggled in race two which went the way of Morecambe’s Carl Bradley yet the Scot still leads the championship, with the next meeting at Donington Park just a fortnight away. In the Club class category, Alex MacDowell of Tarraby, drove to victory in both races, the teenager enjoying a stunning début appearance in the series. 

Thruxton Race. Red MiniFor those who thought it didn’t get much better than the two races at the previous round at Spa Francorchamps then they were made to think again at the conclusion of the opening race at Thruxton.

It was James Blyth who led into the first turn at Allards of what was to be a thoroughly entertaining opening lap, with Arthur Forster, in his first Mini Challenge race of the year, tucked in closely behind. Jake Packun then found himself on the grass at the Complex as the field sorted themselves out but as they came out of the chicane for the first time it was Forster who led with Blyth now second and Gavin Bristow in third. However he didn’t stay third for long, the Oxford Associates Race team driver putting together a stunning second lap to lead ahead of Lee Pattison in second with Blyth third and Forster dropping to fourth. Just behind him in fifth was Peter Budd, who was keeping the attentions of sixth-placed Jason Greatrex at bay. 

The Jenny Ryan – Gary Kounnis battles which have been a feature of every Club class meeting this year wasn’t to be in this race with the Essex man at the back of the field on the opening lap and picking a way through the pack. Instead it was left to Graham Parsons to provide the challenge as he led Ryan around Thruxton with young Alex MacDowell in third.

Thruxton race. Alex MacDowell behind. Not for long.On lap three Carl Bradley was the quickest car on the track, ninth at the end of lap one, he was seventh on lap two and up to fifth by lap three, posting the fastest lap of the race so far. By now Bristow was in charge, having taken the lead on lap two, Forster dropping back to fourth with Pattison still second and Blyth now third.

The third lap also saw what would be the quickest circuit by a Club car, that honour going to Alex MacDowell, who’d gotten by Ryan and was now hard on the case of Parsons, so much so that he took the class lead on lap four and from there never looked back. 

By lap four and with the heat continuing to build in the tyres, race leader Bristow was next to record the fastest lap as he started to pull away at the front while the tussle for second reigned on. That changed on lap six though when a spin by Pattison at the Complex saw him lose a few places, rejoining in sixth. That meant the four cars behind him shuffled up a place with just under six seconds covering the first half dozen Cooper S cars. Meanwhile Bristow was again having to drive like a demon to keep on to his lead, just two-tenths the advantage over Bradley who looked very menacing in second. Having lost his place to Bradley, Jason Greatrex was doing all he could to hang on to third but it wasn’t enough as with two laps to go Blyth reclaimed the place. Pattison also posted what would be THE fastest lap of the race as he flew along having moved into fifth at the expense of former champ Arthur Forster.

Mini Challenge. Car fightMeanwhile Club was still being led by MacDowell but Ryan had moved into second ahead of Parsons on lap six yet it was all change again as he moved back into the runner-up spot on lap eight

With so much going on it was difficult to know where to look with battles raging all around the ultra-rapid Thruxton circuit, and again, like at Spa, the slip-streaming playing a big part in the entertainment

As they began the final lap it was still Bristow who led, and quite comfortably, pulling out around a second a lap on the final circuits, with Bradley second but only just as he fought tooth and nail with Blyth and Greatrex closely followed by Pattison and Forster, all five drivers still in with a shout of second place. As for Oly Mortimer he just couldn’t get close enough to penetrate his way into the top six as he held seventh, which he’d done for the second part of the race.

MINI Challenge: July Thruxton 07. Race 1 S Class Winners on the podium And there was no let-up in the drama as they made their way around for the final time, and it wasn’t a good lap for Bradley, losing second to Greatrex and then being pipped by Blyth for third. No concerns for Bristow though who took the flag while MacDowell celebrated his first Mini Challenge race at Thruxton by coming out on top in the Club class with Parsons second and Ryan third. Meanwhile Kounnis fought his way through the pack to eventually take sixth.

“That was a great race, it was a real fight,” said Bristow. “I managed to get into the lead then all I could see were these cars bearing down on me. Everything went well though and I’m delighted to have won, not just for me but everyone involved in the team as well.”

If Bristow had dominated race one then Bradley, who’d fought superbly through the field on that occasion only to be thwarted at the last from taking a podium position, was to have his way in this one. A great getaway from the start line saw him lead into turn one, with Forster right on his rear closely followed by Peter Budd and Martin Depper. A coming together between Club class competitors Michelle Nixon and Andrew Langdell at the Complex meant the man from Birmingham would retire from the race soon after. In Club Kounnis knew a good result was imperative following his disappointment in race one and he meant business, taking the lead on lap one and hanging onto it for the first four circuits.     

MINI Challenge: July Thruxton 07. Race 1 S Class Winner: Alex MacDowellHe wasn’t the only one, Bradley and his Cooper S dominating at the front and by lap four opening up a one point two second gap. Not a good start for Forster though, fifth on lap one he soon slipped back to seventh. Second was now the possession of Bristow, looking for a double win, having earlier taken his first ever Mini Challenge triumph, and keeping the charging Budd and Depper at arms length. The proverbial hot knife through butter was James Blyth, sixth on lap one; he went fifth on lap two and then posted what would be the fastest lap of the race on lap four.  A new leader in Club on lap four, race one winner Alex MacDowell squeezing past Kounnis with Jenny Ryan close by in third. 

Steve Tyldsley and his Cooper S had problems and he came into the pits on lap six and was there for a few minutes before rejoining the fray. Meanwhile the battle for first raged on, less than four seconds covering the top five, Bradley still leading the way from Bristow, Budd, Depper and Blyth. Championship leader Oly Mortimer was sixth ahead of Forster and Greatrex who couldn’t repeat his pace of race one.

MINI Challenge: July Thruxton 07. Carl Bradley's carBy lap eight Bradley found that little extra something and opened up a one point one second lead while MacDowell still led Club, Kounnis was still second, Ryan still third and Keith Issatt in fourth.

Lap nine and to cap what had been a disappointing weekend for Mortimer, the Scot found himself in the pits but not for long as he got back on track yet losing a heap of places, and valuable championship points, in the process. Depper then passed Budd to go third while MacDowell found a gap over Kounnis, two point two seconds to be exact by the end of lap ten.

While MacDowell was doing the business in Club, Bradley was writing a similar story in Cooper S, almost two seconds by lap twelve and gaining half a second over the next few laps. Following close behind but not quite managing to match the pace was Bristow but he too was starting to pull away, opening up a three second gap, from what was now a tremendous fight for third with Budd, Depper and Blyth all involved.

Lap sixteen and this is where the climax to this race began. The rumble strips at Thruxton are tough and notorious for punctures if hit at speed as both Gavin Bristow and James Blyth were to find out. Jake Packun had already left proceedings after retiring at the chicane and it looked as if Bristow and Blyth were to join him as they both deflated tyres but full marks to their pit crews who got them changed and back out very quickly but sadly for them their hopes of honours faded as quickly as the pressure from their tyres.

This shuffled Budd up into second ahead of Depper but ten seconds behind race leader Bradley.  Next to go was Lee Pattison who retired with just two laps to go. Alex MacDowell still led Club but Kounnis was closing back in and still keeping him in his sights.

MINI Challenge: July Thruxton 07. Carl Bradley's carSo into the final lap, Bradley seemingly in control and Peter Budd with around a second lead over third placed Depper yet Budd’s hopes of a podium faded as he too suffered a puncture, limping around on the final circuit to eventually finish tenth, This meant Forster now found himself in third behind Depper, and the pair held onto those positions as they crossed the line with Bradley taking his first Mini Challenge win of 2007 but yet it turned out to be somewhat fortuitous as he discovered his front-left was deflating as they entered parc ferme post race.

“Looking at my tyre it would seem the chequered flag came at the right moment,” said Bradley. “That’s definitely from hitting the kerb hard on the second to last lap and I thought ‘why am I driving like this, I need to settle down and get to the finish’. It was a long race especially being at the front and you’re just counting down the laps and they seem to go on forever. When I hit sixteen minutes I felt as if I’d been out here all day and then you’ve got it all to do again. Thirty minutes in the car is long. I came here this weekend to prove a point that Coastal Racing have got what it takes to win. All my guys in the team are novices, they’re very good but we’ve shown how good a car this is. Oly had won everything before but we’ve shown we can do it as well, I’m really happy.” 

MINI Challenge: July Thruxton 07. Race 2 S Class Winners on the podiumAs for Alex MacDowell he celebrated a superb weekend by taking the flag in Club, a double win on his début with Kounnis second and Issatt third.

“It was tough toward the end, I was glad to see the flag, “ admitted MacDowell. “With the Cooper S cars coming through and letting them by it’s tough to fight your own battle. This let the second placed man close in but you’ve got to keep a cool head. I’ll give the champagne to the team, I’m not old enough to drink!”

Yet the drama didn’t end there. During the post-race inspection both Carl Bradley and Arthur Forster’s cars were found to be underweight and it was determined they’d had an unfair advantage over the rest of the field, so both men were excluded from the final result. This meant the win then went to Martin Depper, with Jason Greatrex promoted to second place and Shaun King up to third
 

Spa-Francorchamps: Race 2 Print E-mail
SUNDAY 17th JUNE 2007

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The thrills certainly spilled over into race two, the drama beginning on the warming up lap with Stewart Lines, so valiant in grabbing third place in race one, unfortunate on this occasion, pulling in at Eau Rouge before he’d turned a wheel in anger.

When the lights went out it was Blyth who led into turn one, a promise he’d made at the end of race one, while Jack Stanford passed Oly Mortimer into La Source to hold second. Yet Stanford was unable to hold the position, both Mortimer and Jason Greatrex going past, to relegate him to fourth by the end of lap one.

In Club Laura Waddington went out at La Source with brake failure while Nick Jones reminded everyone of the potential he showed at Snetterton by leading at the start of lap two with Keith Issatt a very close second followed immediately by Jenny Ryan, Gary Kounnis, Michelle Nixon and Graham Parsons.   

James Blyth and Oly Mortimer then displayed two very different ways of taking La Source; Blyth very fast in and ultimately going wide while Mortimer would keep it tight and close to the bend before getting the power on at the exit. Yet Blyth still led; three tenths of a second went up too half a second on lap three but back down to two tenths on lap four showing how close he and Mortimer were battling it out. Behind them Martin Depper was on a charge; fifth on lap one it took him just two laps to work his way through to third while Lee Pattison, Jason Greatrex and Alex Fergusson, who was on the podium at Spa in 2006, scrapped for third less than a second between them.

Changes in Club too with Kounnis up to second from fourth at the expense of Nick Jones who dropped to third with Issatt now taking over at the front yet there was still very little between them, with Jenny Ryan very much involved in fourth place.

If the first half of the race had been interesting the second half was to get very interesting indeed.

ImageFirst off James Blyth opened up a lead of almost a second over Mortimer but that was gone a lap later as Mortimer crossed the line ahead of him but Blyth retaliated immediately to swoop past as they rounded the hairpin at La Source. Another lap and another race leader, Depper finding a way through with Blyth inexplicably dropping down the timing screens yet on the track seemed very much in the fight for first, behind Depper and alongside Mortimer and Pattison who’d make his way to the front pack. Alex Fergusson’s challenge came to nothing when he dropped out then high drama a lap later when Depper’s engine appeared to blow and he too was forced to call it a day. This lap also saw a warning flag for Blyth. So as they began lap nine it was Lee Pattison who now led, with Mortimer second, Blyth definitely in third, Greatrex fourth with Andy Beever in fifth and Allen Jackson holding sixth.

As they began the final lap Pattison had relinquished his lead to who else but the so far unbeaten Mortimer and boy, it was still mightily close between the pair of them, just nine hundredths of a second the difference, both men driving the wheels off as they rounded Spa for the last time. As they headed into the chicane before the chequered flag it was Mortimer who had the inside line and therefore just enough to cross the line less than a second ahead of Pattison. Blyth was a few seconds further back in third while there was a big gap back to Beever who took a superb fourth place ahead of Greatrex. 

Then the wait, to see who would be triumphant in Club. It had still been Issatt v. Kounnis: the Rematch, as they tussled over top spot, just as they had done in race one. They weren’t alone though with Jones, Ryan and Parsons still on their case and very much involved yet the front two appeared to have the edge and as they completed each lap there were just tenths of a second between them.

At the end of each lap it would be Issatt who led, just as it had been in race one but would Kounnis pounce on the final circuit as he’d done in race one? No was the answer because he appeared to make his move as they began the penultimate lap, a gap of four tenths to defend over the final few kilometres and defend it he did and a little bit more, as he opened up a one and a half second lead over Issatt as they began the final lap.

ImageAnd what a final lap it was for the Club class cars with five cars all in with a shout for top spot and still heavily contested as they went into the new chicane at the former Bus Stop for the last time. As they emerged from the final turn two cars appeared to be neck and neck with each other but on either side of the track and as the flag was waved Nick Jones name flashed up on the timing screen as the winner with Gary Kounnis second and Keith Issatt third a shade ahead of Jenny Ryan and Graham Parsons. Yet as they made their way to the podium the confusion began with Kounnis insisting he’d won while Jones was casting doubt over the result by claiming he may not have won, as he’d cut the final chicane. The celebrations still went ahead but the result is still in doubt as this report went to press with a confirmed outcome a probable few weeks away. 

No doubting the overall winner though.

“That’s my toughest win so far,” said Oly Mortimer. “At one point I was fourth. The car came on really quickly then went off right away. I thought these guys are going to be on me right away. It’s also no benefit trying to block them when they’ve more speed than you down the straight so I’d let a couple of them past and they’d trip each other up and maybe I’d retake the places. That didn’t happen so I thought I’d stay behind them and take it nice and smooth. I let the car cool down a bit then I started to go for it. Just as that happened it looked like Depper’s engine blew up. Then I had Lee on my tail, it was really close between him and me. Then coming into the Bus Stop on the last lap even though I wasn’t aware it was the last lap, there were a lot of club class cars in front. I glanced in my mirror and saw Lee catching me and I thought ‘ah no’ then noticed my braking point and locked up and went straight on.  I came back across and was alongside Lee. There was about half a car length between us as we crossed the line. That’s one of the closest races I’ve ever had and definitely one of the most enjoyable of my career so far.”

MINI Challenge at Spa-Francorchamps Print E-mail
SUNDAY 17th JUNE 2007

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For almost every MINI Challenge competitor, the awesome Spa-Francorchamps circuit certainly delivered in terms of expectation and in terms of racing, all those who were there were treated to a spectacle of top class action.

The adrenaline charged fury that was race one got underway with Oly Mortimer grabbing the lead at La Source, the first turn on the track, ahead of pole position man James Blyth. Also through came Jack Stanford, a blinding start from row two, to move into second at Eau Rouge as the field sorted themselves out, Jason Greatrex fourth just behind Blyth in third with Stewart Lines fifth, Alex Fergusson sixth and Andy Beever seventh.

Martin Depper had moved past Jake Packun to lie eighth but they swapped positions before the lap was out while Graham Parsons took full advantage of his pole position in Club to lead through the first few turns. He still led as they completed lap one, with Keith Issatt having made his way up into second past Jenny Ryan who was third, one place better off than Gary Kounnis and Michelle Nixon very close in fifth place. Nick Jones had started well but he tumbled down the order on the opening circuit.

ImageAt the front Oly Mortimer had been threatening to pull away as he’d done in the previous five meetings this season but he out braked himself going into the new chicane. That meant his rivals had caught up with him as they began lap two. Up Eau Rouge for the second time and Blyth had worked his way alongside Mortimer and as they went along the straight, Mortimer locked up and forced the pair of them across the grass. This allowed Stanford to come through and take the lead with Jason Greatrex slipping up into third. By now the top five cars had broken away from the main group, where there was a terrific scrap for sixth place involving Jake Packun and Martin Depper. A new leader in club too as Parsons dropped back to third with Issatt taking over at the front but only just from Kounnis with Ryan now fourth and Nixon still fifth.

By lap three Kounnis found a way past Issatt to go P1 while Mortimer made full use of slipstreaming at Spa to take over at the front of the race. If Mortimer had been good at Snetterton and Oulton then he was great here. Having only had five practice laps, at a circuit which he’d never been to before, he defied all the odds by opening up a lead just shy of two seconds by the end of lap four, Stanford the trailing driver. Third placed Greatrex was four seconds to the good over Blyth in fourth, who in turn was just four tenths of a second quicker than Stewart Lines over the line as they completed lap four.

A big moment on lap five for James Blyth at turn twelve, the youngster locking up and cutting across the grass. It looked as if he might collect Stanford but thankfully that didn’t happen and somehow Stewart Lines managed to stop in time to avoid hitting Blyth as he went back onto the track. Mortimer appeared oblivious too what was going on behind him as he posted the fastest lap of the race so far and upped his lead to three point three seconds over Greatrex who’d taken over second place following the melee. It was just about his though as he crossed the line two tenths of a second ahead of Stanford while just half a second separated Blyth, in fourth, from Martin Depper, who was now fifth, having started on row five.

Even though Mortimer had the fastest lap of the race it was a shade off the times set in 2006, the new look chicane, which has replaced the famous ‘bus stop’, slowing the drivers down.

ImageKounnis and Issatt continued to swap places in Club, with the latter just having the advantage, only three tenths of a second though, as they began lap six.

Despite his near miss, Blyth was back on the pace again, as he took over second place, just edging out Stanford. In fact there were five cars scrapping it out for the runner-up spot. Mortimer had extended his lead to six seconds but as they completed lap seven, Blyth was just eight tenths ahead of Stanford, who in turn was half a second ahead of fourth-placed Greatrex, while he was barely a tenth of a second quicker than Lines with sixth-placed Depper a further eight tenths down on him. In Club Issatt had managed to find half a second over Kounnis

By now Blyth was the quickest car on the circuit, Mortimer’s times a shade slower than he’d posted in the first half of the race, indeed the second-placed man took a second out of him on lap seven. By lap eight he’d taken another half a second out of the championship and race leader and was now six seconds ahead of Greatrex, who led the battle for third. But what a battle it was, half a second between Greatrex and Lines, then another half second back to Stanford in fifth but if lap eight belonged to anybody then it was sixth-placed Martin Depper, who, at 2 mins 56.85 secs, had posted the best time so far.

That went on lap nine though when Blyth, who was chasing Mortimer hard, went three tenths of a second quicker than Depper. By now he’d reduced the gap at the front to three seconds as they began the penultimate lap. Meanwhile Depper had found a way past Stanford to go fifth, opening up a one point three second gain over his young rival.

Issatt still led Club but only just as he and Kounnis went side by side all over the Spa circuit, Ryan still back in third but not quite close enough to make an impression on the front two.

The final lap was arguably the best of the race. As they began the last circuit, Blyth had taken another second out of Mortimer and trailed by less than two seconds while Depper was up into fourth, past Greatrex, who, on the previous lap, had given up third place to Lines. Any hopes he may have had of grabbing third were dashed though, Lines hanging on for the final podium position while Mortimer was grateful to come across slower traffic, as he came off best, crossing the line first, taking back three tenths of a second from Blyth, who had been slowed.

Meanwhile Kounnis, who’d trailed Issatt at the end of each of the last few laps, managed to find his way past, to take the honours in Club. 

A thrilling end to a thrilling race.

Image“Even though I qualified second I managed to get into the lead by the first corner,” remarked Oly Mortimer, “which is what I planned to do. I’d hoped to open up a lead but I out braked myself into the new bus stop. I locked up and went straight on so all that hard work was for nothing as everyone caught up with me. Then on the next lap at Eau Rouge on the main straight I braked really late while alongside James Blyth. I locked up and it forced us both onto the grass and as we went back onto the track I touched him although it wasn’t deliberate and as a result Jack Stanford went past. I then managed to pick them off on the main straight, it’s so good here for slipstreaming. So I built up a lead but I think I bent something because it seemed like the tracking was off and I could see James was catching me. A few more laps and he would have had me but I managed to hold on. For race two I think we’ll be taking four or five kilos off the weight, put on some fresh Dunlops and get the tracking realigned!”

“I couldn’t see the lights at the start so I had to wait for Oly to go before putting my foot down,” said James Blyth, “so I wasn’t leading into turn one, Jack Stanford also got me up Eau Rouge as well. At turn twelve I locked up on the brakes, went across the grass, I thought I was going to t-bone Stanford, fortunately I missed him. I then found myself in the middle of the track and I thought ‘I’m going to get smashed into in a big way here’ but thankfully Stewart Lines stopped and avoiding hitting me so I was able to get going again. From there it was a case of trying to hunt down Oly. I was getting close but in the end I ran out of laps. I’m looking forward to race two as it’s a rolling start, I’m used to them from karting and I won’t get caught out this time.”

“That was an amazing race,” said Stewart Lines. “At one point I dropped down to sixth! I must have passed the same people three or four times, it was that tight for about twenty-five minutes. Then we came across the Club cars and it was hit or miss whether we would get through but for me it was a good clean race. I think everybody enjoyed it. The battle went right to the end. James Blyth had a massive moment and he came back on the track in front of me. I nearly hit him but I had to stop dead on the track. That let him go again because if I hadn’t that would have been the end of both our races. Spa is a great experience. Every time I go out there I learn something new.”

Image“That was a real battle between Keith Issatt and myself,” said Gary Kounnis. “There was no advantage in being in front because no sooner did you take the lead but you’d be slipstreamed and drop back to second. There was one part of the circuit where I thought I could get him but as soon as I backed off to get the run Keith would come flying by, as he had it perfected and I couldn’t do anything about it, so that went out of the window! Quite a few times I braked late and missed my apex but sometimes you have to do that on a circuit like this yet I still feel I defended fairly. My race was nearly over when there was a massive coming together. I got clumped yet somehow I was still pointing in the right direction so I was able to carry on. Great to win at Spa!”

MINI Challenge does Oulton Park
Print E-mail
SUNDAY 28th MAY 2007

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Scotland’s Oly Mortimer and Ireland’s Jenny Ryan were the headline makers in the MINI Challenge as the Great & British Dunlop Motorsport Festival made its inaugural appearance at Oulton Park.

Cooper S driver Mortimer won both races at the Cheshire circuit to make it five wins out of five for the season while Ryan became the first woman to stand on top of a MINI Challenge podium after taking the Club class spoils in the first race of the day. She followed that performance by driving to second place in the second race of the day, which was won by Gary Kounnis from Essex.

ImageCooper S driver Jack Stanford had to start at the back of the grid which meant one less rival for championship leader Oly Mortimer to worry about as race one got underway, indeed it was Mortimer who led going into turn one with four drivers all tussling for second place. Not the best of starts for James Blyth, another of the series talented youngsters, he and Gavin Bristow came into contact on the exit from Old Hall, sending both of them onto the grass while Club class driver Andrew Langdell spun at Cascades but also continued.

In the scrap for second Mortimer’s team-mate Garry Meikle was showing Stewart Lines the way around OultonPark and Jason Greatrex then moved past Lines to end the first lap in third place. In Club it was Gary Kounnis who led but only just from Jenny Ryan and Michelle Nixon with Snetterton winner Nick Jones fourth and Nik Rochez a few lengths further back in fifth.

It all went horribly wrong for Nixon and Jones though as they fought over third place with the pair tumbling down the order on lap two but thankfully still on track. No such luck though for Keith Issatt who had retired at Avenue

Out in front Mortimer had built a lead of more than three and a half seconds over the squabble for second place with Meikle, Greatrex and Lines within a whisker of each other as they began their fourth lap. It was even closer in club, just two tenths of a second the difference between Kounnis and the chasing Ryan with Rochez someway back in third ahead of Dawn Boyd and John Bates. Snetterton Club class winner Graham Parsons knew this wasn’t going to be his race, he was a long way back, his cause not helped after leaving the track at Hill Top early on. Michelle Nixon was another, third early on

ImageNathan Coulter had been a contender, fifth on the opening lap, a position he held until lap four when both Lee Pattison and Peter Budd went by to shuffle him back to seventh

Lap five and a new leader in Club as the persistent Jenny Ryan overtook Gary Kounnis as they rounded Old Hall corner, the pair out on their own, a good distance ahead of the following bunch

Overall Mortimer still continued to extend his advantage out front with Meikle just ahead of a terrific five-way battle for third place, led by Greatrex and contested also by Lines, Budd, Pattison and Coulter, just half a second covering all five as they began the last lap. A huge gap between the front two in Club back to third, all Rochez could hope for was that both Ryan and Kounnis would force each other off track but that wasn’t to be. Despite his best efforts Kounnis tried to find a way through but Ryan wasn’t letting up in her quest for gold and she eventually crossed the line to become the first woman to win a MINI Challenge race, less than twelve months after becoming the first to step on a podium.

ImageMeanwhile with the battle for a Cooper S podium intensifying, the odds were it could end in tears and that was the case when Meikle and Lines came together at Island on the last lap, both lost places, Lines coming off worst, and that meant Peter Budd crossed the line for third ahead of Lee Pattison. No such concerns for the top two, Jason Greatrex taking two seconds out of race leader Oly Mortimer on the last lap but the Scottish whiz kid still had more than three seconds in hand as he crossed the line to take the chequered flag. 

“I had a good start,” declared Oly Mortimer. “I gave it a hundred per cent on cold tyres and managed to get some good corners together on the opening lap. The Dunlops got to grips with the circuit real quick and I had a good lead by the hairpin. I managed to continue to pull away and then I came across the Coopers but thankfully that was as the race was drawing to a close so there were no real dramas although I had to pick my way through chunks of debris left behind by other drivers.”

“I had a bit of a moment in the first corner,” said Jason Greatrex. “I had another problem, I don’t know who was second to start with but as I went to pass him, he hit the brakes a bit too early into a corner in the back part of the circuit. Once I was past him I managed to open up a bit of a gap. I could see them battling away behind me so I was quite comfortable towards the end.”

Image“I got a good start but it all went wrong at Cascades,” said Peter Budd. “I went wide and four or five cars went past, I then had to get back in a rhythm but as the race went on it all came together and I managed to work my way into third. It’s disappointing because I thought I could have hung on to Oly but it wasn’t to be. It was a great dice for third though, it took some time, as you can’t afford any contact, thankfully it was all clean, which was great. The car was set-up perfectly and I wouldn’t be surprised if I didn’t get the fastest lap in that race.”

“It was a great race I really enjoyed it,” beamed Jenny Ryan. “I took Gary nice and cleanly into the first corner Gary really attacked on the last two laps but thankfully I had it covered. With about a quarter of the race still to go I knew it was going to be mine if I could keep it all together and maintain my pace.”

“I was fighting hard with Jenny; I tried everything to get rid of her,” said Gary Kounnis. “There were some parts where I was quicker and there were parts where she was. The Cooper S cars came through as usual which made it a bit of a mix up and I lost a bit of momentum. Jenny nabbed her chance, she saw where the gap was and took it. It was a clean move at turn one, Old Hall corner.”

ImageRace control were unhappy with the rolling start formation for race two, which meant the Safety car led the pack around for another lap of Oulton Park but once he had the signal to leave the track it was another blood and thunder affair for the MINI Challenge drivers everyone generally maintaining their grid positions as they completed the first lap, Nathan Coulter being the exception, having rolled his way back down to thirteenth despite qualifying on row four. Mortimer again led overall while in Club Graham Parsons was in charge, a much better start from him this time, and he was being closely pursued by the buoyant Jenny Ryan with Gary Kounnis, Keith Issatt and Michelle Nixon all looking for a piece of the action.

Oly Mortimer was proving uncatchable, a one point two second lead at the end of the opening lap which grew to almost two seconds by the end of lap three. His team-mate Garry Meikle was holding station in second, another two seconds ahead of the quest for third, Peter Budd leading that battle which also included Jake Packun and Stewart Lines.

Lap four was not a good lap for Meikle though; he lost half a second to Mortimer and was slowly being caught by Budd who was dragging everyone else along with him while just eight tenths of a second covered the top three in Club where there was still no change in position. Meanwhile fourth placed Jake Packun posted the fastest lap of the race so far

ImagePedro del Campo lost three places in the space of two laps being passed by Lee Pattison and Jack Stanford, both men having started the race at the back of the field and the recovering Nathan Coulter who’d had that first lap incident.  

Graham Parsons still led Club but Gary Kounnis took Jenny Ryan’s second place when he passed her at the Hairpin on lap six while further back Michelle Nixon surrendered fourth place after a tussle with Keith Issatt on lap seven.

Mortimer’s lead over Meikle was still hovering around the two and a half second margin, both men staying within each others sight but Stewart Lines misfortune of race one continued here in race two when he gave up three places on lap eight, dropping down from fourth to seventh. Jenny Ryan’s hopes of staying with Gary Kounnis in Club also looked slim as she tried to reduce an almost four second deficit. Even more drama was to follow when Club class leader Graham Parsons retired on lap eleven. With Kounnis leading Club by four seconds and Mortimer enjoying a similar position overall, all eyes were now on the fight for second as Garry Meikle and Peter Budd duelled, less than half a second between them and James Blyth close behind in fourth looking to pick up the pieces should the two men in front of him overdo it. Meanwhile Jack Stanford’s hopes of picking up valuable points came to an end on lap fourteen when he was forced to call it a day.

ImageA comfortable race though for Oly Mortimer who indeed made it five wins out five and a double celebration for the team was complete when Garry Meikle crossed the line to make it a one-two for the team. Peter Budd had caught Meikle in the closing stages but had to settle for third just ahead of James Blyth. A comprehensive victory for Gary Kounnis in Club with Jenny Ryan losing around a second a lap but still taking second, some distance ahead of Keith Issatt

“A hard race as it’s quite long.,” said a delighted Oly Mortimer. “I managed to catch the Cooper cars up quite quickly and managed to smoothly get past them on the straights, which was a help and the car ran so well throughout. I managed to post some consistent laps and the tyres performed superbly. At the start of the race I really went for it a hundred per cent then I dropped off a little as the track got really greasy around the half way point so I did some steady laps before going straight back on it again. Then, before I knew it the chequered flag was out. I could see some of the other guys catching Gary my team-mate and I hoped he could take second so we could have a one-two for the team as they’ve worked so hard this weekend. Anyway he did so I’m delighted. I’m really looking forward to Spa, I’ve never been there so the next few weeks I’m on the racing simulator to pick up as much information I can before I get there.”

“It was very close between us, we were maintaining station and then I managed to get past Jenny,” said Kounnis. “I don’t know what happened to her car whether she lost power or missed a gear going up hill after the hairpin. Then a few laps later I could see Graham was going a little bit slow out of the corners. Eventually he waved me through I don’t know what his problem was but it’s my first win of the season and I’m so happy. The team have got the car going fantastically. I don’t know what happened to Jenny because once I got through I managed to keep a few seconds between us. Anyway it’s Spa next and I have the lap record there so I’ll be hoping to have a great weekend in Belgium.”

“Unfortunately Gary Kounnis hit me in the rear as we went into the hairpin,” said Jenny Ryan, “and I actually thought we’d blown the engine because there was a very loud noise but it turned out to be a back panel connecting with the tyre. I managed to get going again but I had to hold off in terms of my pace.”

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MINI Challenge at Snetterton Print E-mail
SUNDAY 29th APRIL 2007
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As the temperatures soared the MINIs roared at sunny Snetterton in Norfolk with Scotland’s Oli Mortimer clinching an amazing treble victory in the opening meeting of the 2007 MINI Challenge.

The youngster from Edinburgh dominated all three races in his Cooper S even though he’d never competed in the series before and had never been to the Snetterton circuit let alone race on it

His amazing treble triumph began on Saturday, in glorious conditions, where he stormed into the lead at turn one at Riches and from that moment on there was no catching him.

ImageJack Stanford certainly had a go though and he stormed into second behind Mortimer with series newcomers Shaun King and Lee Pattison shuffling themselves into third and fourth respectively by the end of lap one.

It wasn’t just the front of the pack where the action was intense, the clamour for top spot in club saw Gary Kounnis in the Nixon Motorsport car grab the lead ahead of Nick Jones with Jenny Ryan in a strong third and looking to add to her collection of trophies from last season.  

It was obvious Mortimer was the fastest man out there and his lap times confirmed that. By the end of lap two he was a second ahead and through the early stages he was posting half a second quicker times than anyone else. Stanford tried his best and on lap four took two tenths out of the Scottish youngster who responded by grabbing three tenths on the following lap! Shaun King’s early challenge faltered away as he struggled to stay with the front-runners and by lap five he’d dropped from third to sixth. As he went backwards Lee Pattison went forwards, powering past Stanford on lap six to go second and also putting in the fastest lap of the race at 1 minute 21.924 seconds. His momentum was also carrying him closer toward Mortimer and by lap eight the lead was reduced to just 1.3 seconds but with the fifteen-minute race time almost up the question was, could he catch and pass the front man.

ImageThe answer proved to be no. Mortimer, who was clearly aware of the threat coming up behind him, grabbed back another second on lap nine but Pattison then took half a second out of his lead on the penultimate circuit. As they dashed toward the line Pattison couldn’t get close enough allowing Mortimer to take the chequered flag.

It wasn’t just the front two who were dicing it out, Stanford and Gary Meikle were having there own private battle in the dispute for the third and final podium position, one it seemed was going to Stanford until Meikle passed him on the final lap, only to loose the place again at the Russel chicane just four tenths separating them over the line. However, the manoeuvre by Standford was judged unfair and Meikle was awarded third place.   

In Club Gary Kounnis’s lead was short-lived, Nick Jones taking over at the front on lap three and as the two fought it out, they swept Jenny Ryan and Graham Parson along with them. In fact it was these four who contested this category throughout with all four sticking together around Snetterton with the contest for fifth place, involving Michelle Nixon and Nik Rochez, dropping further back with each lap.

As they entered the final lap just three seconds covered Jones, Kounnis and Ryan with Parsons, in fourth, only a second and a half off the lead. As they diced it looked to be anyone’s race but eventually it was Nick Jones who was to take the flag with Gary Kounnis second and Jenny Ryan third.

Sunday was more of the brilliant sunshine, which blessed Snetterton the previous day. The main overnight drama had been in the Forster Motorsport camp who worked through the night to fit a new engine to Peter Budd’s car after his original had expired on lap five of Saturday’s race. The team did a sterling effort to get him on the grid for the first race of the day, another fifteen minute affair, and anyone who may have doubted Oli Mortimer’s performance the day before was made to eat their words as he again raced into the lead by turn one followed by a rapidly advancing Jack Stanford from row three along with Gary Meikle who slotted into third. Shaun King found himself in fourth with Lee Pattison fifth.

ImageOnce more Mortimer had the edge on the rest of the field and pulled away gradually, his cause helped by the tremendous scrap for second place going on behind him. Stanford had surrendered his second position to Meikle by the end of lap two and it was going to get worse for the man many fancied for the title as he spun off at the end of the Revett Straight going into the Esses on lap three. He rejoined but had dropped down through the field in the process.

Lee Pattison had put together a charge and he took over third, passing King in the process, while Nathan Coulter put together some good laps to move into fourth with James Blyth sixth behind King, Gavin Bristow seventh and Allen Jackson eighth.

Mortimer meanwhile was dictating things out front, a two second lead by the end of lap five as he and second-placed Meikle pulled away from the rest of the field.

As they began the last lap Mortimer had extended the gap to three seconds with Meikle a comfortable second and Pattison a safe third. However there was a superb tussle for fourth place, less than a second separated five cars, at times it looked as if it could get out of hand especially when Bristow and Jackson collided at Riches on the final lap. Yet they all kept their cool especially Blyth and Coulter who continually swapped places throughout the final few laps, Coulter eventually getting the best of his rival with King squeezing through on Bristow and Jackson to grab sixth.    

Image“That was similar to the first race yesterday,” declared race-winner Oly Mortimer. “I got a good start again and once more opened up a big enough gap so I didn’t have to defend going into corners. I just took it easy on the car, nice and smooth and the Dunlops were great so it was comfortable to the end. It was no surprise to see Gary (Meikle) behind me so quickly because I know from having raced against him in Scotland that he’s really good at his starts. So I was sort of expecting to get a challenge from him into the first corner but it was good he was mixed up in that battle for second place because it meant I could get away.”

“The main thing has been to go one better,” said Gary Meikle, “and that’s what I’ve done so hopefully next time, well, you never know! I’d like to thank everybody from Tynecastle garage, David Kerr, Malcolm Murray, plus my Dad and all my sponsors. I got a good start but Jack Stanford got a better one than me and he pulled in, in front of me by the first corner. But that was crucial in me getting on the podium, getting such a good start as that.”

“This has been really good,” beamed Lee Pattison. “It makes a change from karting. This is my first season, I’m doing a full campaign, and I’ve got some more sponsorship deals in the middle of this coming week and looking forward to more of this. It’s great. MINI Challenge is a very professional championship, it’s right up there with the best, and so I’m very pleased to be doing it.”

The battle for honours was even more hotly contested in Club. Nick Jones led from flag to flag but unlike Mortimer in the Cooper S, the Cardiff driver had a battle royale with Graham Parsons throughout, the pair circulating Snetterton as if they were stuck together. Another good showing from Gary Kounnis and Jenny Ryan who stuck with them making it a repeat of the same four-way dice of the day before, just tenths of a second separating each driver.

Eventually it took some stout defending from Jones to see off a number of attacks from Parsons and he held his line superbly to take the flag for the second successive occasion this weekend.

Image“Another win, which is great but that was quite difficult,” admitted Jones. “I had Graham (Parsons) up my backside all the way around so I had to drive defensive and I couldn’t get away from him. At one point he managed to grab the lead out of Riches but I managed to get a bit of a drift on him and dived up the inside of him going into the Esses. It was a good race and I’m hoping for more of the same.”

“I got up with the front and tried to stay with Nick and there were areas where it was very, very close,” said Parsons, “but I’ll give it to him because he held the line and he held his nerve, which was excellent driving from him.”

It was of deja vu in the thirty minute long race three, with Mortimer proving he’s just as good from rolling starts as he is off a static grid. They were five abreast into turn one at Riches but it was Mortimer who had the edge over Meikle with Pattison and King close behind as well as a much better start from Jake Packun and he found himself in fifth place ahead of Nathan Coulter and Jack Stanford respectively at the end of lap one. Out in front less than a second covered the top three as Meikle and Pattison were determined not to let Mortimer break away this time.

An early casualty was Stewart Lines who left the race on lap two and Martin Depper who, by last season’s standards, had had a weekend to forget soon followed him.

The battle for the top three places raged on relentlessly, the trio still maintaining their positions and by lap five they’d opened up a six second gap over the following car in fourth place. Even that position was being hotly contested with seven cars involved with a three second margin from fourth back to tenth, with Packun leading the group as they began lap seven, a group involving Nathan Coulter, Peter Budd, James Blyth, Shaun King, Jack Stanford, and Gavin Bristow.

Behind Mortimer on lap six Pattison made a move, which stuck, and he pushed past Meikle for second. From there Meikle lost more time and places, losing third to Blyth on the following lap and by lap eight it was confirmed he had a problem when he retired in the pits.   

What followed was something akin to a race of attrition for the Cooper S cars with Jason Greatrex, who’d made some stunning moves through the Club pack, having started all of  the races from the back of the grid, soon retiring along with Peter Budd, Gavin Bristow and Alex Fergusson.

With Meikle gone, Mortimer had only Pattison to worry about and by the halfway point he’d opened up a four second lead over him and was on course for another victory.

Indeed Pattison was dropping back and behind him the quest for third place raged on with Blyth and Coulter providing some fantastic action. No stopping Mortimer though, his advantage up to four seconds by lap sixteen.

ImageAs the race drew to a close a combination of easing off and slicing through slower traffic saw Mortimer lose a little time but he was firmly in control as he made his way toward the chequered flag and what was ultimately his third consecutive win. Pattison was a comfortable second but the duel between Blyth and Coulter intensified, just a hundredth of a second separated them as they began the penultimate lap but it was to be Blyth who got the better of his rival eventually crossing the line a second and a half ahead of Coulter to take third 

“I’m delighted with the way things have gone,” said Oly Mortimer. “To come here and do this is fantastic. I can’t wait to get back home to Scotland to celebrate.”

“There’s a lot of marks on my car, what’s all that about?” laughed Lee Pattison. “I think that could be because I was a bit close to Jack Stanford at the beginning, a bit of argy-bargy but you’ve got to expect that especially with a rolling start, a bit like karting in fact. I enjoyed that one!”

“It was a right old battle with Nathan,” exclaimed James Blyth, “a bit of nip and tuck but I managed to get the better of him under the bridge and then I managed to get the third spot. We’ve been here three days and had three races and it’s been quite tiring but that’s motor racing for you and you’ve got to do it if you want to get on the podium.”

A similar tale of domination in Club class but whereas Nick Jones had taken the spoils in the first two races, he wasn’t to get what he wanted this time around. It was Graham Parsons turn this time and it was he who led the pack on the opening lap with Jones second and Gary Kounnis third. Once more Jenny Ryan was on the pace with Andrew Cox also getting a good start along with Andrew Langdell and John Bates.

ImageParsons was on a charge and by the end of lap five he had a three second lead over Kounnis and Ryan, who’d both passed Jones, pushing him down to fourth.

With a third of the race completed Parsons continued to break away and was four seconds ahead of Jones who reclaimed second place on lap nine.

By lap fifteen Ryan had gone back to third having passed Kounnis but they swapped places yet again by lap seventeen and at this stage of the race Parsons had a full eight seconds between himself and Jones, positions they held all the way to the chequered flag, having completed twenty-two laps

“If you can get a clean start and get out in front then that is the difference,” revealed Graham Parsons. “In the first two races I was held up on the first lap at the Esses by Cooper S cars, which cost me a huge amount of time, and I had to chase down the pack. That’s the difference. When you get out in front you can get away.”

“The car wasn’t doing what I wanted from it,” admitted Nick Jones, “and so I got tangled up with the other two. I had to take it quite cautiously because I didn’t want to ruin the car.”

“That was a good race, nice and clean and that’s what I’m here for,” beamed Gary Kounnis. “There was no contact, sometimes I was third then fourth and that to me is what racing is all about. Bumper to bumper racing and that’s what I call racing.”