Tom Bradshaw took two very different Porsche Club Championship wins at Castle Combe's busy August Bank Holiday Monday race meeting, the first seeing only four laps of racing after a variety of incidents, the second seeing him fight back from third on the opening lap to take the win. Stuart Ings made the most of the truncated first race to take his first class win, Class Two pace-setter John McCullagh only second - but going on to win race two later in the afternoon.QualifyingParagon runners Mark Sumpter and Adrian Slater led the field out at the start of the 20-minute qualifying session, Slater heading the times with Sumpter lining up second. Class One leader Bradshaw, his Boxster 20kg heavier for this meeting, was finding his way round Combe in his first visit for two seasons, but was soon on the pace and went quickest overall. Sumpter responded and went ahead of Slater, but it was Craig Wilkins who improved the most jumping into second on the grid in his 996."I've not driven the car for a while and not been to Combe for a couple of years so I was trying to find the braking points," said Bradshaw. "It took a little while to get back up to speed but the car feels good."
John McCullagh again claimed the Class Two pole, finishing the session seventh overall, Graham Knight second in class.
"The quick corners here work for us as we can maintain our speed," said McCullagh. "As long as you can keep the car stable it is good in the very quick bits, I just have to keep my nose clean for the race and hope for a good finish, but there are 26-other cars out there."Race OneMovement on the front row when the red lights came on saw Wilkins ease two car lengths over the line, and make amends with a slow getaway to tuck into third. Bradshaw led at the end of the first lap with the fast-starting Slater in second.
Wilkins was right with Slater as the leader pushed hard to open a gap, and went past on lap three, the leaders to be greeted by the Safety Car as they got back to the start finish line, Gary Sullivan having spun his 944 S2 at the second chicane. The field spent seven laps behind the Safety Car and were released with just over five minutes of the race left to run, only for Graham Knight, chasing the pack after pitting during the Safety Car period, to go wide exiting Camp corner and go off heavily into the barriers at the start - finish line, the race being stopped due to the stranded car and the debris on the track - Knight quickly out of the car and uninjured.
"It was a shame we had so few laps, no-one likes driving round behind the Safety Car, but the important thing is that everyone was alright," said Bradshaw. "I nearly crept off the line when Craig Wilkins moved, then I was pushing hard but the car was easy to drive and I pushed to get a gap."
"I've made too many rolling starts in my career I think," said Wilkins, "that was embarrassing. I let Adrian back past at the start so I hope I didn't gain from it. I was expecting to pull away from Adrian in the next few laps, but I am not sure I would have."
"I made a good start, but we made a change to the set-up after qualifying which I don't think was in the right direction," said Slater, "I'm pleased with the pace of the car, but it was an odd race and at the restart I was trying to stay with Craig Wilkins but the red flags came out."
That gave the win to Bradshaw with Wilkins holding onto second ahead of Slater and Sumpter, Gary Marsh fifth in his Hartech 996, his best Porsche Club Championship finish. The truncated race had a bigger effect on Class Two, Stuart Ings making a good start to take the class lead, points leader McCullagh finding his chance to reel the class leader in stymied by the Safety Car and subsequent red flag.
"I got a good start," said Ings, "then had to work to keep a few cars behind me, they were holding back the other Class Two cars, but delighted with the class win."Race TwoBradshaw made a good start to race two, but Slater made a better one and was alongside the Boxster as they reached Quarry corner and despite being on the outside emerged ahead, Wilkins also going past Bradshaw on the opening lap. Bradshaw was fighting back though and was with Wilkins through Hammerdown and got inside the 996 into Camp to take second at the end of lap two.
Slater was soon under pressure and Bradshaw was past out the back of the circuit, pushing hard to open a gap on the rest of the field. Behind, Sumpter went past Wilkins for third on lap six, and closed in on Slater, these three running close in the next few laps, Sumpter with headlights on as he fought to find a way past his team-mate.
Baulked by a backmarker on lap 13, Slater was unable to hold off Sumpter as he went past, but with Bradshaw already seven seconds ahead any chase of a win was already out of Sumpter's reach. Bradshaw duly brought the Hartech Boxster home for his seventh win of the season, but behind things were closing up in the battle for second.
"It was along drag up to the first corner and Adrian Slater got past," said Bradshaw, "and I had to work hard in the first couple of laps to get my way back through. The car had the pace and I was able to open a gap, though I was the first to catch the backmarkers so lost a little ground there."
In the final laps Slater was back with Sumpter, the latter looking on the limit through the final corner on the last lap as he held onto second, Wilkins in fourth in turn having to hold off team-mate Morris right at the end.
"We were having our own race!" said Sumpter of his battle with Slater. "We've wanted to do that all year and it was great fun. Adrian had to brake because of a backmarker and I was able to sail past him, then it almost happened to me too and Adrian got back. On the last corner I felt I had to defend, but didn't quite get the turn in right and that was on the edge!"
"I got a good start and then I think Tom had to get early on the brakes and that gave me the room to take the lead at the start," said Slater. "Craig was quite quick for a while but then it was Mark behind me and I didn't defend so we could ease away from the others. I just caught the backmarker at the wrong point and Mark went past, in the last few laps we were nose to tail, it was great fun."
McCullagh claimed his eighth Class Two win, running in the top ten overall and coming home ninth at the end. Ings continued his fine run at his home circuit with second in class.
"That was better," said McCullagh. "I got a good start and was able to open a bit of space between myself and the other class runners. I was pushing hard, then started to run a bit low on fuel at the end and the car was misfiring, my fingers were crossed on the last lap!" Porsche Club Championship Round Nine: 1 Tom Bradshaw (Boxster S); 2 Craig Wilkins (996 C2) +0.909s; 3 Adrian Slater (964 C2); 4 Mark Sumpter (964 C2); 5 Gary Marsh (996 C2); 6 Mark McAleer (996 C2); 7 Peter Morris (996 C2); 8 Mike Johnson (996 C2); 9 Richard Ellis (993 C2); 10 Marcus Carniel (Boxster S). Class Winners: Bradshaw; Stuart Ings (Boxster). Fastest Lap: Bradshaw 1m 14.069s (89.91mph).Round Ten: 1 Bradshaw; 2 Sumpter +13.377s; 3 Slater; 4 Wilkins; 5 Morris; 6 Marsh; 7 Carniel; 8 Ellis; 9 John McCullagh (968 CS); 10 Andy Duncan (968 CS). Class Winners: Bradshaw; McCullagh. Fastest Lap: Tom Bradshaw 1m13.973s (90.03mph).Next Rounds: Oulton Park, Cheshire, September 7th.
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