CPC Legends driver Paul Musselle farms great results at Croft and lifts Driver of the Day award!
Paul Musselle powered his number 14 CPC backed Legend to some impressive results over the weekend at the exciting Croft circuit. In only his first full season of racing, Musselle has consistently performed in the top half of the often 28 car fields. Paul set off with great gusto in qualifying at the North East venue by posting the 3rd quickest time of the session, setting up a positive air in the CPC Mickel Motorsport camp for the six race weekend.
In race one on Saturday, having drawn a starting position on the inside of the 6th row in the grid draw Musselle made an solid start and over the 6 laps worked his way through to ultimately finish in an excellent 8th place after a thrilling battle with Nick Brace.
Race two saw Paul start from the 8th slot on the grid and a cracking start saw the Hertfordshire based pilot in an excellent 5th spot and running on pace with the likes of former National and World Legends Champions Peter Morton and John Mickel. One small error at the Complex on the penultimate lap saw Paul drop to 7th, a place that was secured at the chequered flag.
For the 8 lap final, the no.14 Legend was slotted in 12th on the grid. With team mate Jess Gwynne unable to get away when the lights went out Paul jinked to one side to avoid contact with the 39 car but slotted back in as the cars crossed the startline. A fiercely fought race with places being swapped throughout the pack, eventually saw Musselle cross the line in a fine 8th place to round out a trio of top 10 places. Even a subsequently penalty for an out of position start could not dampen as the time penalty imposed placed Paul 10th on the result sheet.
For his best results of the season and fine individual performances throughout the day Paul was awarded the CPC Legends Driver of the Day award and commented “I’m thrilled to receive the Driver of the Day award, we’ve been progressing in terms of results throughout the season so to receive this accolade is great for me and the team, who put in so much effort each weekend for me.”
Sunday dawned brighter but still overcast at the Croft venue and another 3 races beckoned.For race one of Sunday Paul had drawn the inside of row 4, starting alongside team mate John Mickel. The usual 5-wide first corner antics of Legends ensued but thankfully we all made it through, with Paul emerging in 8th place, a position he was to hold to the chequered flag.
Race two proved to be frustrating for the number 14 Legend. Paul dropped to 15th place on the opening lap with the car not handling at all and made worse with the race distance being increased from 6, to 8, laps. The problem was later proven to be a tyre issue but during the race Musselle battled on attempting to drive around the setback and was rewarded with an 11th spot as the chequered flag dropped.
The final for Sunday was also increased by two laps to deliver a thrilling 10 lap spectacular for the fans and CPC guests. Starting in 8th Musselle made a cracking start to be 5th exiting the first corner. Over the next two laps first Nick Brace and then John Mickel found a way past the hard charging CPC man, followed by Multiple Champion Peter Morton two laps later. A spin by erstwhile Championship Leader Stephen Treherne promoted Musselle – who had enjoyed a monumental wheel to wheel battle with Matthew Pape – to 7th at the finish.
The results from the Croft weekend see Paul move up to an excellent 11th in the Championship Standings and lying 2nd of all the new drivers for the 2010 season.
The final two rounds of the CPC Legends Championship take place on the Brands Hatch Indy Circuit on the 30th and 31st October.With grateful thanks to CPC, Travelworld RV, Keston, MTS, RS Capp, Pulse8 Media, Sunoco Race Fuels, Advanced Wear and Safety Race Suits, PVL, S&N Tyres, George White Superbikes and the unflappable team at Mickel Motorsport.
