3 - 5th September

With a paddock consisting of a Who’s Who of motorsport and a race card headlined by the Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft, the Elise Trophy thrilled a huge crowd with the most spectacular racing action of the day.  Steve Williams, who has enjoyed a great record at Brands Hatch recently, faced stiff competition from serial winners Mark Speller and Marcus Jewell but in the end Simon Phillips trumped them all with two appearances on the podium including a win in the second race.

Williams kept his record going in the first time out, pulling away from a busy pack whilst Jewell and Phillips hauled themselves into contention and Speller’s race ended with alternator issues.  Williams was caught by two-thirds distance but the experienced racer played the traffic well to remain in front of the 31 car field.

In a breathless second part, Williams and Speller exited the race together at Paddock Hill after a wild performance from the latter, perhaps trying too hard to make up for his earlier retirement.  Poleman Craig Denman stayed in control whilst Phillips and David Alexander disputed second.  Phillips prevailed and a spin from the leader put him in charge as Alexander slipped back into Tom Chatterway and the chasing pack’s clutches.  As Phillips started his final lap, a spin from Adam Bewsey whilst under attack from Jewell launched John LaMaster into a spectacular series of rolls, from which he thankfully walked away.  The inevitable red flag did nothing to remove the sheen from Phillips’ win, nor did it spoil a thrilling race.