More Wins and Podiums at Donington
Twin Triumph for Lightning Lawson and first podium for Herron.The charge of rookie SEAT racer Robert Lawson (Bardon/JHR) shows no signs of relenting as two convincing race wins at Donington proved. Having qualified in pole position for both rounds he made sure he capitalised, crossing the line in each case with seconds to spare between him and his nearest competitor. From a maximum of 44 points over the weekend, Lawson took 41 including the extra point for the fastest lap in Round 5 that also smashed the existing SEAT Cupra Championship lap record. That now makes four wins from six, with one 2nd place and one 4th to give him a commanding lead in the Championship. Breeze is proving to be one of the quickest drivers off the line this year and it proved the case again in Round 5 as he looked to turn his front row start into a race lead, heading side by side with Lawson into the first turn. But Lawson was wise to it and kept pushing to head into Craner curves still in possession of 1st place, Breeze keeping 2nd and Andrew Herron (Brian Herron Plant/JHR) in 3rd.N>Lawson meanwhile continued untested at the front going on to secure the win. Herron however found Byford closing in on him and with one lap to go was the subject of a fine overtaking manoeuvre through Redgate, Byford going wide then cutting sharply on the inside and carrying the momentum through to 3rd place. Lawson had once again pulled well ahead of the rest and was crossing the line in convincing style for his second win of the day, while the drama unfurled behind him. Breeze had been pushing for a way past Herron in 2nd place for much of the race and with the last corner to go he made his move. But confusion reigned as Breeze went across the grass and Herron dropped his concentration to let the predatory Byford blitz past the battling pair in the dying seconds. Moments later Byford crossed the line in 2nd place, while Breeze could do nothing about Herron taking his first podium of the season with a 3rd. The mix of fortunes at Donington was large, but there’s no doubting the talent that courses throughout the field and with the popular Thruxton circuit next on the calendar it’s gearing up to be a riveting Championship. Lawson is the man to beat now, but with other drivers knowing they can really perform at the fast flowing Hampshire circuit should everything be in place to allow them, it may be a very different story in Rounds 7 and 8. Andrew Herron: “We came to this weekend after testing well at Thruxton, but had a problem during qualifying. If it wasn’t for that we should have had pole. During the races I had a bit of a problem with my tyres too but getting on the podium is great. When I was in the Clios I got one podium finish and it kickstarted from there.” Robert Lawson: “The most important thing for me here was to get the wins. The team’s done a great job and to do this here with so many supporters from Bardon Aggregates here to watch was great. I couldn’t be happier. There’s no secret, I’m just doing the best I can and hopefully I’m still improving as this is still only my third season racing. There’s any one from about five drivers who can still challenge for the title and their all great drivers having won championships before, so it’s not going to be easy.” ROUND 5 RESULTS Not a good weekend in the Clios.Ben Winrow (Earls Barton) extended his championship lead with victory in round five of the 2008 ELF Renault Clio Cup at Donington Park on Saturday, 3rd May. A slight mistake heading into McLeans gave Winrow enough room to re-pass for the lead, before JHR Developments’ Paul Rivett (Banstead) nipped by Pierce at Goddards chicane to end the lap in second. The leaders were immediately picked up by the Safety Car, deployed after an incident that saw JHR’s Richard Cannon (Chesterfield) and Lanik make contact, with Shepherd unfortunate to spin off while taking avoiding action. Cannon hit the concrete trackside barrier, making his participation in round six highly doubtful. When racing resumed on lap six, Mardi Gras Motorsport’s Gavin Pyper (Fleckney) immediately put pressure on fourth-placed Gaffney, allowing the top three of Winrow, Rivett and Pierce to break away. As Winrow edged away, the chasing pack began looking to pass with Pierce attacking Rivett before coming under pressure himself from Gaffney. On lap eight, Rivett out-braked himself into Goddards’ chicane suffering from a ‘spongy’ brake pedal. He rejoined the circuit still in fifth place but contact with Pyper saw Rivett drop to 10th and Pyper forced to pull off the circuit in retirement. Lap 13 saw Rivett’s race end in damaging fashion when, on the run out of Coppice, Law made contact with the rear of his car spearing Rivett across the track and into the safety barrier. The incident saw Rivett’s car damaged beyond repair for the rest of the weekend, while Law was excluded from the classification by the Clerk of the Course. Mark Hazell finished 17th. That evening saw JHR working hard on Richard Cannon's car and they suceeded in getting it out for round 6. Paul Rivett's was too badly damaged and as the championship rules do not allow for replacement cars or reshells he was left to sit out. An incident at Old Hairpin saw Mark Hazell retire from the race. Richard Cannon finished 16th. 2008 ELF Renault Clio Cup provisional drivers’ standings – round 6 1 Ben Winrow GBR Team Pyro 190 pts |
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