Leading Total Quartz Ginetta GT5 Challenge team Total Control Racing lost the chance to end the championship season in winning ways at Donington Park on Sunday, 30th September, when category front-runner Mike Robinson was knocked out of the final round by series champion Sean Huyton.Robinson had started the weekend perfectly with a dominant double pole position in qualifying but neither of the races had happy endings for the Effingham driverhe finished fifth in the first outing, following a spin while leading, and was then hit while in second place during race two.Three encounters were actually scheduled for this weekends event at Donington Park Grand Prix Circuit but the final round was cancelled due to timetable congestion, triggered by lengthy barrier repairs which were required after an accident in the earlier FIA GT1 World Championship race.
In round 19 on Saturday, 29th September, Robinson held the lead from pole and built an advantage of a second within a couple of laps but on the fourth tour a spin at the exit of the chicane, while pushing hard to pull clear of the pursuing three-car train, resulted in the TCR man dropping to 12th.
Bitterly disappointed, and frustrated in equal measure, Robinson set about regaining as much lost ground as possible and did mount an impressive recovery to climb back into fifth place by the finish, setting the fastest lap of 1m46.224 seconds (84.29mph) along the way to confirm his terrific pace.At the beginning of Sundays race, he again held the lead from pole and after a brief Safety Car period the action resumed on lap four. Robinson made a good re-start but at Melbourne Hairpin, Huyton went for a late lunge up the inside although ran wide on the exit so no damage was done.Now running in first place ahead of Ryan Ratcliffe, Robinson pressed on but at Goddards on lap five, where yellow flags were being waved due to a car off the circuit from the previous lap, Ratcliffe shot past for the leada move he was later penalised for with disqualification.With Robinson second, the TCR squad still had its sights set on a possible win but under braking for the hairpin on the sixth tour Huyton attempted a similar dive to the one tried two laps earlier...and the result was contact with Robinson, leading to retirement for the luckless Surrey racer.Weve had 11 pole positions this year but only won four races and that tells the story, the speed has been there but the luck hasntas has been proved this weekend with what happened to Mike, said TCR team principal Lee Brookes.The first race was Mikes own fault but the second race had him being overtaken under yellow flags and then he was hit by Sean [Huyton]. We wouldnt have expected that, he had a silly lunge twice and the second time it took Mike out at the hairpin. Its sad for the season to end that way but we were the quickest out there this weekend so we take satisfaction from that.Delargy earns best result of season on only second weekend with TCRGraham Johnson and Neil Delargy each enjoyed an eighth place finish apiece over the weekend, although the former didnt take part in the second encounter for personal reasons after having been called away from the track.In Saturdays race, Johnson held onto his sixth place grid slot and defended well from the advancing Rick Parfitt Jnr but on lap three he was shuffled back to eighth place. Picking up a position following Robinsons spin from the lead, Johnson held seventh until Robinson made his way by on lap six and remained eighth to the finish.
Delargy, starting 16th on the grid, dropped to 18th on lap one as the action got heavily bunched up but thereafter he made excellent progress to climb into the top 12 after one of his very best drives of the season.Even better followed in Sundays encounter where tremendous performance enabled Delargy to battle his way into a top 10 finish, which then became eighth post-race following the disqualification of Ratcliffe and also Huytonthe latter for the contact with Robinson.Eighth is Neils best result, hes got a good finish which is great for him but the big thing is hes knocking seconds off his lap times every weekend, said Brookes, Thats excellent for us but the best thing is the fact hes happy to drive and hes enjoying his racing since he joined us.
Mike will be favourite for the title next season, we should have won the championship this year but it is motor racing and you need luck as well as the performance. Its been a good year all in all, weve gained two other drivers in Graham [Johnson] and Neil [Delargy] and it looks like all three of them will be back with us next year which is fantasticplus we still have a fourth seat available for 2013.With the Total Quartz Ginetta GT5 Challenge season now concluded, TCRs focus shifts to the penultimate rounds of both the AirAsia Renault UK Clio Cup and Michelin Ginetta GT Supercup which will take place next weekend, 6th/7th October, at Silverstone National Circuit in Northamptonshire.
