RICHARDSON RACING CLOSE ON TITLE

Grantham-based Richardson Racing has moved a step closer to securing the teams title in the Michelin Ginetta GT Supercup after another strong weekend at Rockingham.Andrew Richardson maintained the impressive form he has displayed through the second half of the season to take to the G55 class podium in both races at the Northamptonshire venue while Mark Davies clinched his 13th win of the year in the G50 class.Having emerged as one of the in-form men in the premier class, Andrew went into the weekend eager to challenge for his first win of the campaign and put himself in a strong position when he qualified third on the grid for race one.A strong start saw him jump up to second place off the line and Andrew then set about trying to chase down leader Carl Breeze; reeling in the multiple race winner before the Safety Car was deployed following an off for points leader Tom Sharp.On the restart, Andrew was pushed back to fourth spot but set about reclaiming a place on the podium, which he did with a move on Jake Hill at Yentwood two laps from home.While that gave him an impressive third place on the road, the stewards decided afterwards that Andrew had gained an unfair advantage while making the move and handed him a time penalty that dropped him down to seventh on the official results.Heavy rain arrived just before the start of race two, leading to challenging conditions on track. A solid start saw Andrew move up to fifth on lap one and he then battled past Colin White into fourth before the Safety Car was deployed after Marcus Hoggarth went off at Tarzan. When the race resumed, Andrew made light work of passing Hill for third and he then chased down Carl Breeze before taking second on the 13th lap. With the Safety Car period leading to the race being run to a time limit, Andrew did his best to catch up to leader Tom Ingram but simply ran out of time to make his move for top spot despite lapping half a second quicker than his rival in the closing stages.Andrews second place finish means he has increased his advantage over White in the race for fourth in the standings, while only one driver has now scored more points than the 21-year-old during the second half of the year.It was a bit of a testing weekend as we missed out on some dry running on Friday with a gear problem but we did well to qualify in third and then I got a great start in race one to move into second, he said. After the Safety Car I worked the tyres too hard when they were cold and I got out of shape at Gracelands which meant that Ingram and Hill were able to get through but I managed to battle back past Jake to finish on the podium.Although officials demoted me to seventh on the results, I know I claimed a podium on track and knew I could come through the field in race twoeven when the rain started. Visibility was horrendous but I worked my way up into the top three and then chased down Carl for second. I think Tom had seen me coming and tried to break away, but I was lapping quicker than him towards the end and could have caught him if it wasnt for the fact that the race ran to a time limit, which worked against us.Although I could have won the race if I started from third, it was good to come through from seventh to second in those conditions and our best lap was also three-tenths of a second quicker than anyone else which showed our speed. Ive strengthened my fourth in the championship and now hope to challenge for victory at Silverstone.In the G50 class, Huddersfield racer Mark was eager to bounce back from a heavy accident in the final race of the weekend at Knockhill last month, which had left his car in need of extensive repairs in time for the eighth meeting of the year.Hard work from the Richardson Racing team and fresh backing from Cardowan Creameries of Glasgow saw him on the grid for the Rockingham weekend and he clinched class pole in eleventh overall.Although he lost places on the opening lap, Mark was soon storming back through the field as he firstly reclaimed the G50 class lead and then set about making up places in the overall order. Pulling away from the chasing pack, Mark crossed the line for his 13th G50 victory in fifth overall, which then became fourth after Andrews penalty.Unfortunately for Mark, his hopes of repeating the feat in the wet second race were hampered by the fact that his windscreen steamed up, making visibility even worse in the wet conditions. Electing to focus on the championship points, Mark crossed the line fourth in class to maintain his advantage at the head of the standings anddespite his visibility problemsalso posted the fastest lap in class.The first race went really well and it was great to take another win, the Fastsigns Huddersfield owner said. I think Id have been able to do the double in race two if the windscreen hadnt steamed up, but when that happened I decided just to bring the car home. Its still good points for the championship and means Im in a good position ahead of Silverstone.Rockingham is a circuit I really like and the car performed well all weekend. The team did a great job to repair it in time for Rockingham and weve taken another step towards the title.Mark can now secure the G50 class title at Silverstone next time out, while Richardson Racing can also lift the teams title in the penultimate meeting of the year.Further information on sponsorship opportunities with the Richardson Racing team are available by e-mailing info@richardsonracing.co.ukTordoff ran ahead of Plant, in eighth and ninth respectively, early in the race, but then went on a charge. He pulled off a great double move halfway through the race, passing Ahmad Al Harthy into the Tarzan hairpin and then launching himself inside Jonas Gelzinis at the following Brook chicane. Sutton was his next target, and Tordoff passed him into Brook.He then set off after Meadows, slashing into the gap at a second per lap, setting fastest lap and just running out of time to catch the championship leader at the flag.Plant too made strong progress. He passed Gelzinis at the fast Gracelands left-hander, then took Al Harthy into the Deene hairpin. Mirroring Tordoffs attack on Meadows ahead, he scythed into the gap to Sutton ahead, but like his team-mate he ran out of time to make a challenge and took sixth at the flag to repeat his first-race result.Tordoff has now slipped just behind double Rockingham winner Ben Barker to third in the championship table, but everything is still to play for in the final two rounds, at Silverstone and Brands Hatch.Team principal Stuart Parker said: We kind of shot ourselves in the foot by testing on the Tuesday. We set our cars up for the very green track conditions we had on Tuesday, but the track had really started to rubber up by the time qualifying came and this was a particularly tight session. Andy did a fantastic job in qualifying, and a cracking job in the first race.We were then very happy when it rained for race two. There was an extra two-hour test organised on the Friday evening. It was raining and we knew it would potentially be wet on race day, so we were the only team to do it. But the race didnt go to plan, and Dan and Andy had a coming-together that eliminated two of our potential race winners.We knew from Friday that Dan and Andy were particularly strong in the wet, so that was really gutting for us. As it was, Sam couldnt see where he was going early on because he was further back in the pack, but once he got going he was the fastest man on the circuit. He took loads of time out of Meadows, and Richard was very strong as well, and it shows why we were so confident in the wet.Its everything to play for in the championship. The Silverstone National Circuit is a very short and quick track, so that will create close racing and one tenth of a second can make a massive difference. We just need to do our homework in preparation for it.PIERCE CLAIMS A WIN IN PRO-AM1

Rockingham provided a fantastic performance from JD Pierce with Team Parker racer Derek Pierce, who took an excellent victory in the first race in the pro-am1 class.From third on the grid, the Scot made his customary sensational start to take the lead. He then soaked up the pressure, first from Victor Jimenez and thenafter the Spaniard had collided with Ahmad Al Harthyfrom Oly Mortimer.It was more valuable points for Pierce, who is embroiled in a battle for second in the pro-am1 championship with Mortimer and Jimenez.Unfortunately, there would be no further points in race two. Pierce was an innocent victim of the first-lap collision ahead. As he ran out of room into the Deene hairpin, he hit Al Harthy and was forced to retire to the pits with a damaged radiator.It leaves him third in the points, behind Mortimer and just ahead of Jimenez, going into the penultimate round at Silverstone.Team principal Stuart Parker said: Derek did an absolutely fantastic job in the first racethanks to his brilliant start he was able to get to the front of pro-am1 and control it in the face of very tough opposition. The second race was one of those thingshe was just a victim of something he had no control over.As part of the ultra-popular British Touring Car Championship package, the Porsche Carrera Cup GB enjoyed live coverage from the second race at Rockingham on ITV4 and ITV4 HD, and was streamed live at itv.com/touringcars. The next round is at the British Grand Prix venue of Silverstone on October 6/7.