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.

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.

Meanwhile 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.

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.     

He 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.

By 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.

So 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.” 

As 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
 

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.

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.

First 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.

And 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.”

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.

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

Nathan 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.

Meanwhile 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.”

“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.”

Race 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

Pedro 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.

A 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.”

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.

Jack 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.

The 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.

Once 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.    

“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.

“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.

As 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.

Parsons 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.”