Although you would expect a pro driver to jump in the guest car and be competitive - Rob Huff was mega in the Ginetta G50 at Thruxton - he showed further class by sharing his data with other drivers in the series so they could see why he was so bloody good - excellent performance!
PR below:
Rob Huff delivered two more memorable race performances during the second and third rounds of the 2010 Michelin Ginetta G50 Cup at Thruxton in Hampshire, Sunday, 4th April, to make it three wins from three starts.
Invited to line-up alongside the category regulars for the season-opening event this weekend, the World Touring Car Championship competitor adapted to the Ginetta G50 ‘guest car’ seamlessly and backed up his superb round one victory from Saturday with two stunning wins today.
Leading from lights to flag in round two, the Newmarket-based racer had to work harder in the third encounter after having to start from sixth place due to the new-for-2010 reverse grid format for race number three each weekend.
Even so, Huff stormed through the pack and by lap five he was in a position to challenge impressive young star Matt Bell for the lead. Tight to the tail of Bell’s United Autosports car, Huff went around the outside through the unbelievably fast Church Corner to take the place – an awesome move.
Reflecting on his weekend in Ginetta G50, triple race winner Huff said: “This is the first time I’ve ever won three races in a weekend so I’m absolutely delighted. It’s been a fantastic weekend for me and I’ve really enjoyed driving the G50, it’s a great car. The balance is really good and there’s a lot of feeling in the car for the driver, it’s an ideal championship for young drivers coming through.
“Everyone at Dynojet has made me feel very welcome, it’s a great team and I’m very pleased to have been invited down to Thruxton this weekend to race the Ginetta – a big thank you goes out to everyone involved, it’s been a lot of fun.”
Bell finished the third round in an excellent second place, having started from pole, almost five seconds shy of Huff in the end. He was, though, 6.5 seconds to the good over Chris Dittman in third and Bell also took the points for the win with guest car drivers ineligible to score.
Total Control Racing’s Carl Breeze did very well to hold on to fourth place from dramatically improving team-mate Joachim Ritter, the former struggling with a dislodged bonnet which blocked his vision at certain points.
For Ritter, his impressive drive to fifth place from seventh on the grid was undoubtedly the highlight of his G50 Cup career to date. During Saturday’s rain-affected first round of the season, the Swiss-based racer had problems with broken windscreen wipers which seriously hampered his progress but today’s performances proved precisely what he’s capable of.
Stephen Tyldsley raced strongly to a top six result behind Ritter and just ahead of Dynojet’s Frank Wrathall who was forced to mount a stirring recovery drive after spinning out of fifth place on the first lap at the complex. Scything his way through the order, Wrathall finished round three just six seconds shy of the podium – a superb effort.
The result also enabled Wrathall to take a handy six point lead in the title race ahead of Dittmann, Breeze, Bell, Ritter and Benji Hetherington.
The earlier second round was a lights-to-flag win for Huff but Wrathall kept him honest throughout and ended the encounter just 0.826 seconds behind his team-mate. Breeze took his first podium of the season in third place just ahead of Dittmann, Hetherington and Bell in sixth position.
Ritter got the better of Julien Draper for seventh with Tyldsley ninth and Chairman’s Cup runner Colin White an impressive 10th in his CWS-entered machine. Tom Sharp, who looked on course for a top six placing, had an unfortunate spin on the final lap and recovered in last position.
Special mention must also go to Adam Morgan and Dan Denis. Morgan crashed heavily in qualifying and was forced to miss Saturday’s race due to the severity of damage to his car but he fought back brilliantly to take 12th and 10th place finishes today. Denis, meanwhile, crashed out of round two on lap five and suffered a broken collarbone and lower back injuries which ruled him out of race three.
Rounds four, five and six of the 2010 Michelin Ginetta G50 Cup will take place at Rockingham in Northamptonshire three weeks from now over the weekend 24th/25th April.
Provisional 2010 Michelin Ginetta G50 Cup Championship Positions (after Rd3):1st Frank Wrathall, 92pts; 2nd Chris Dittmann, 86pts; 3rd Carl Breeze, 79pts; 4th Matt Bell, 74pts; 5th Joachim Ritter, 50pts; 6th Benji Hetherington, 49pts
