Connor Halls domination of Mini Max looked under fire as his rivals staged a fightback at the beginning of last weekends (27/28 July) sixth round of the Super One championship. By Sunday evening however, it was normal service resumed and the Strawberry star is now the 2013 champion in waiting.
Connor topped the times-sheets in the first qualifying session, but found himself down in 12th place overall when the second session proved to be quicker. Finlay Hutchison fared marginally better in 11th, whilst Darren Keane wasnt far behind, having posted the 15th-quickest time.
Once the heats had been dispensed with, Hall qualified for the first final in 10th place, with Keane 11th and Hutchison 16th. As the race had got underway, Connor wasted little time carving his way up to 2nd and looked to have accepted the position - but found himself promoted to the top of the podium when the original winner was handed a five-place penalty. The rain added plenty of extra drama and controversy, during which Darren could finish no higher than 19th with Finlay, competing in his home racedisappointed with his 23rd.
When the rain abated, the rapidly drying track created some set-up headaches for the field, but Hall suffered no worries as he led the bumping, jostling pack into the first corner. As has become a frequent sight this year, he controlled the race from the front and cruised to another lights-to-flag victory, provisionally sealing the title with a round to spare. In contrast, Hutchisons frustrating conclusion to the weekend was compounded by finishing a lap down. Keane was a spectator after parking up just five laps into the race.
Recent signing Jai Nijjar enjoyed his best qualifying performance of the season with pole position in Junior qualifying. Title protagonist Guan Yu Zhou was 3rd with Omar Ismail 26th. With the top ten separated by just a tenth of a second, the successive racing was always going to be close. Following the heats, Jai claimed 5th on the grid for the first final, whilst Guan Yu qualified in 8th spot. Omar found himself in 26th position, but clearly making the cut for automatic passage into the two finals. In the tricky, wet conditions Guan Yu finished in the same position he started, 8th, with Jai dropping to an eventual 15th. Omar was the only Strawberry driver able to make real progress and was 19th at race end.
Just as it had done for the main Mini Max final, the Summerlee Raceway tarmac had dried for the return fixture. Again, penalties were handed out for overly robust tactics, which shuffled the finishing order post-race. Zhou had become embroiled in a fierce scrap for 2nd place and did his title hopes no harm with 3rd at the chequered flag. Jai crossed the line in 4th but was found in contravention of flag signals after storming up from midfield. Omar repeated his previous top twenty finish, bringing his Tony Kart EVK across the line in 19th.
Harry Webbs latent speed was evident at Larkhall, as he landed pole position in qualifying with a time four tenths of a second faster than his nearest challenger. Fellow title challenger Charlie Eastwood ranked 5th overall, with Kyle Fowlie and Andreas Backman also going well in 7th and 10th respectively. Wins in both his heats ensured that Harry claimed P1 for the first final. Excellent results at his home race saw Kyle start directly behind his team-mate, in 3rd spot, with Charlie alongside him. Andreas strong form in the heats gave him a fifth row starting position.
Webb initially maintained his advantage from pole position but Kyle, racing on home soil, sensed he too could win. Three laps from home, Fowlie committed to his move and Webb gave him room, whilst also now having to fend off an attack for the second step on the podium. He succeeded, setting up A Strawberry 1-2. Eastwood salvaged 10th with Andreas pushed to 13th.
As had been seen in the Mini and Junior races, uncompromising driving and disobeying of the rules were met with equally forceful stewarding. Exclusions and penalties abounded, leaving Fowlie awarded 2nd place. Webb had been pushed from 5th to 16th during the race, but was fortunate to take home valuable points. Andreas and Charlie were both classified in 24th and 25th spots but in reality, were non-runners at the finish.
This ensures that the title-decider will be at the last round of the series, at Shenington next month (28/29 September).
