Marvellous two seconds for Hunter in Clios (I drove like a nugget)

Steven Hunter (Dronfield), the JHR Developments Team Principle making a guest appearance, finished in a fantastic second place in race 1 and 3rd behind Paul Rivett in race 2 which became a second after Ben Winrow was judged to have jumped the start.

Hunter saw his front row start negated by a poor getaway as Pierce and Glew came past him while JHR’s Paul Rivett (Banstead) gained two places to 11th.

With Bell’s car stranded at the Complex the Safety Car was brought out for three laps. At the restart on lap five, Glew was forced to defend his third place from Hunter as Rivett nipped past Mike Robinson into eighth.

As the race entered its second half, Rivett began to control the race for sixth ahead of David Shepherd and Mike Robinson and Jonathan Ridley-Holloway. Contact on lap nine at Club chicane between JHR’s Richard Cannon and Pattison saw both cars damaged but able to continue.

With five laps of the extended 15-lap race remaining, Winrow began to re-establish his lead over Glew who in turn edged away from Hunter. The experienced Hunter, winner on his last racing visit to Thruxton in 2006, reversed the margin on lap 11 and was in position to challenge for second on the run to Club chicane on lap 12. Glew ran slightly wide leaving a gap for Hunter to go for and he forced his way ahead as Glew, having lost momentum, then lost places to MacDowall and Lanik.

The battling ahead allowed double former Clio Cup champion Rivett to close the gap, despite struggling with a brand new car after his Donington Park accident. Lap 13 saw Glew re-pass Lanik as Rivett more than halved what had been a 4.4s deficit. Lanik was unable to hold off the charging Rivett who completed the pass even before he got to the usual overtaking zone at Club.

Second-placed Steven Hunter said: “I absolutely loved being out racing in the Clio Cup again. I made a shocking start but after that it went really well and it wasn’t too hard to get back into the rhythm of racing. Phil made a small mistake but it was enough to get through. There was a touch but he said he ran wide and it was his mistake. The light rain at the back of the circuit was playing on my mind a bit but I just tried to concentrate on the job in hand.”

Race 2 two saw Steven let Paul Rivett through to second place which became another win.

Seats Lawson pulls out a bigger lead with a third.

Round 7 saw Adam and Daniel Welch start from the front row, and when the lights went out the pair sped into the first corner side by side, Adam edging it as they went into Goodwood for the first time. Lawson managed to make some headway too, capitalising on a Welch error to slip into second but at Club chicane at the end of lap one Welch bravely dived back in front. Lawson finished in 3rd having had a lonely race after the initial tussle but there was plenty of action behind him. The trio of Carl Breeze, Martin Byford and Andrew Herron reignited their battle from Donington, this time though it was Byford putting pressure on Breeze with Herron ready to pounce but he ended up in 6th.

Storming from the line, Welch had squeezed down the inside of Lawson, with Breeze making great progress on the outside. But as the pack bundled into the first corner, Adam was sent into the rear corner of Welch, sending him sideways across the track and forcing Breeze to take a diversion to avoid a painful impact. Adam kept his foot in though and pulled out into the lead, while Welch rejoined in 9th and Breeze dusted himself off and tagged back on in last place. Lawson meanwhile found himself down in 4th having also lost places to Herron and Byford, but with Herron distracted by the experienced Byford, Lawson kept in contact. Lawson who finished in 2nd place but it was later judged that Lawson had gained an unfair advantage, inadvertently gaining two places when he went straight on through the Club chicane avoiding what he thought was an incident between Herron and Byford. Despite a lot of tyre smoke though, Herron was simply defending hard from Byford and the two cars found themselves exiting the chicane both a position down.

Robert Lawson: “I’m not too worried about the results here. I think we still scored more points than Breeze and Byford so should have increased our lead. I’ve got no complaints with my penalty in the second race, I thought they’d come together so avoided them (Byford and Herron) and if I’d slowed to let them past I may have lost another place to Welch.”

SEAT Cupra Championship Standings (after Round 8)
1. Robert Lawson (Bardon/JHR)…139pts
2. Martin Byford (AB Glass/ Z Speed Racing)…118pts
3. Carl Breeze (Blue Chip/ Welch Motorsport)…105pts
4. Jonathan Adam (Total Control Racing)…97pts
5. Daniel Welch (Marriott/ Welch Motorsport)…81pts
6. Andrew Herron (Brian Herron Plant/JHR)…75pts