TOVEY & BULL WIN AGAIN
Kris Tovey and Andy Bull both managed to repeat their Cadwell Park success, as they shared the victory spoils again at Croft.
Bull led from pole position in race one, as they headed into Clervaux, closely followed by Seb Jones-White and Tovey.
There was soon a gap to fourth, as Nicholas Home and Nick Crispin shared a couple of exchanges into Tower and again at the Hairpin.
“We had a bit of contact when he got me back, but then I managed to get away from him,” Crispin explained.
By the end of the second lap there was a clear break for the top six, but Jones-White began to slow exiting Hawthorns. “The car was so hot, it was great, then it just wouldn’t rev in fourth gear,” he said.
So Tovey was now chasing Bull for the lead, from the duelling Home and Crispin, while Ian Gibbon came into the top six when Luca Proietti had problems too and became the first retirement.
The lead quartet then briefly paired off, but into Tower for the fifth time it was side by side for the lead between Bull and Tovey.
Bull just held on through the Jim Clark Esses, but with Crispin taking Home again at Sunny, all four were back together again into the Complex.
Home began to lose touch but was still a solid fourth, well clear of Gibbon and Giles Owen, while behind them Ethan Sparrow was keeping Matthew Arrowsmith-Brown at bay, as Martin Riman and Simon Turner duelled for the final place in the top 10.
Into Tower for the final time Tovey was on the attack again, but Crispin was close too in a three-way train through Barcroft.
“We had a bit of a coming together at Sunny when Kris and Nick went by. I had led from the start, but Nick had rejoined third again so I let him pass,” said Bull.
“I finally got him at Sunny, but what a great race. I had the pace on Bully to close in, but it was so hard to get by,” Tovey admitted, after taking the flag 3.665 secs clear of his rivals.
The second place duel went to the final corner, “I stayed on the track mostly, but bumped drafted us both past Bully, but then we had a bit of contact, and he just beat me in the final charge to the flag,” said third placed Crispin.
Home retained a fairly solitary fourth, from Gibbon and Owen, with Sparrow next up, despite having Turner close on the final laps, as he pipped Arrowsmith-Brown for eighth.
“My first race at Croft since 1998 and I forgot it was a standing start, as I only do the 24hr race now. I started in second gear too, which didn’t help,” said Gibbon.
Despite starting at the back, Riman made good early progress and was into the top after three laps. “That was great until a bit of a misfire came back,” he explained.
Despite his problems Jones-White was still 11th, from Laurence Broadhurst, Shirley Hennessy and Howard Wright, while Colin Etchells, Chris Hall and Karl Holt completed the finishers, after both Julie Walford and Nigel Hollis had mechanical woes.
RACE 2
It was a flying start for Sandro Proietti in race two, starting from pole, he had a couple of lengths gap by the exit of Clervaux, as Bull, Tom Perry and Crispin disputed second.
But Proietti’s glory was soon over as he crawled out of the chicane. “It was an electrical fault, as soon as I went into fourth gear it cut out. So I had to switch off and on again and just manage it,” he explained.
Bull was now in front, from Perry, Crispin, Chris Yates, George Broadhurst and Robert Dawson in the Jones-White car.
The lead trio were clear after two laps though, but it was any one from three for fourth, with Yates under pressure from Broadhurst and Gibbon.
But with debutant Dawson off at Hawthorn’s, out came the safety for a couple of laps.
It was green from lap five and once again Bull, Perry and Crispin were soon in the clear, but Yates was under more pressure, after Alex Cockhill in the Tovey car had ousted Broadhurst and was fighting for fourth, in what had become a five-car train. “I was aware I was the cork in the bottle when I looked behind,” Yates admitted.
So once again it came down to the last lap, with Perry and Crispin’s attack taking them ahead of Bull through the Jim Clark Esses. “I was just in the wrong place and settling for third, but thought something might happen,” said Bull.
Perry led into the Complex but it was so close and Crispin made his move. “I thought Tom had seen me, as I got a good exit from Sunny and was alongside,” said Crispin. But there was contact and both were delayed, allowing Bull to nip by and claim his second win of the season.
“I wasn’t expecting that just there, no animosity though, I led from the Esses and thought he might try at the Hairpin,” Perry replied, as he finally came in third, behind Bull and Crispin.
Yates defence was finally breached on the last lap too, as Cockhill and Gibbon both got by, but he was still sixth, after just keeping Broadhurst at bay.
Glen Oswin was eighth and Riman managed to oust Steve Walford on the last lap as they rounded off the top 10.
Despite his ongoing problem, Proietti still made it to the flag 11th, taking Andi Donaldson, Ethan Sparrow and Owen on the last lap. There was slight contact between Donaldson and Sparrow at the chicane, “I was in front and didn’t see him,” said Donaldson. “I just thought I would have a go,” Sparrow replied.
Turner, Jenny Hall, Martin Sunderland, Etchells and Hollis completed the finishers.
For the next round of the Championship it’s a rare trip to Lydden in Kent on June 23rd the final sprint race before the annual 24hr race.