Former singer Shane Lynch made a winning start in his first ever Dunlop Sport MAXX Cup races, twice coming top in his class behind the wheel of his SEAT Leon FR. Since giving up pop stardom, the Irishman has turned his hand to motor racing and his latest success came at the famous Donington Park motor racing circuit, as part of the Great & British Dunlop Motorsport Festival. Other class winners included Martin Wallbank of Horley in his Vauxhall Astra VXR and Glastonbury’s Paul Lund, who drove an Alfa Romeo 147.
There was also double celebration for Chorley’s Gavin Bristow as he took the honours in the Mini Challenge, guiding his Cooper S to victory in both races however two podium places for Scotland’s Oly Mortimer means he still leads the series. In the Club class category of the championship, Gary Kounnis of Essex won race one while Ireland’s Jenny Ryan won race two.
It was action all the way in the Dunlop Radical Biduro championship, Toby Newton of Grendon Underwood winning the first race of the day but he couldn’t repeat the feat in race two, Barnsley’s John Hewitt taking the chequered flag this time in one of the most thrilling races of the campaign. In the Le Mans-style Dunlop Radical Enduro championship, Derek Johnston partnered Stuart Moseley to victory in race one and they repeated the feat in race two, just nine tenths of a second ahead of series leaders Richard Ince and Austin Kinsella at the end of forty-five minutes of adrenaline fuelled racing. Both crews were in Radical SR8 sports cars while the top SR3 drivers were James Harrison of Chepstow in race one and Phil Bailey and Bradley Ellis in race two.
The youngsters also put on a show, Dominic Pettit of Cambridge winning the first PlayStation Ginetta GT Junior Championship race of the day with race two going to Oundle’s James Jefferson, his first ever win for fourteen to sixteen year old racing drivers.
Other winners on the day included Andrew Deviny in the Dunlop Mini Se7en championship, Durham’s Peter Daglish who won both BARC Westfield Sportscar championship races and Endaf Owens from Carmarthen in the only Dunlop Mini Miglia championship race of the day.
Highlights of the weekend’s racing will be broadcast on Sky Sports and Motors TV
