Arthur Forster and Gary Robertshaw took the spoils back to the north east after round three of the John Cooper Challenge at Donington Park on Saturday (15 May). In a dramatic and action-packed race, Forster took the MINI S Class while Robertshaw won the Club Class after a tremendously competitive race.
Forster made his intentions clear by taking pole position by just over a second. "It was a brilliant session," he reported. "I just found some track space and did three really good laps," he added. Mark Speller was second fastest from Nick Smith.
In the Club Class, only seven-tenths of a second covered the top 10 cars! Robertshaw headed the class from Graham Parsons and Mark Drury. "I love this circuit, its fabulous," said Robertshaw ahead of his first race at Donington in over 10 years.
The 29-car field made a glorious sight as the red lights went out and the pack charged into Redgate. However, chaos reigned on the run towards the Craner Curves when Tony Skelton's S was tipped into a spin and then came back across the track into the lower half of the Club pack. In an instant, five cars were eliminated and the race was halted while marshals attended the incident. Skelton, Rob Austin, Rachel Owen, Nigel Armitage and Peter Brown were all out on the spot and Armitage was taken to hospital with a suspected fractured sternum.
After a delay, the pack re-formed for a shortened race and though Speller grabbed the lead on the opening lap, Forster soon charged ahead at McLeans. Speller tried to go with him, but was hindered by the loss of ABS and could not quite match the leader's pace. While Forster and Speller pulled clear, a mighty battle raged for third as Martin Wallbank fought to hold off Smith, Andy Sayle and Rob Holgate.
Forster, winner at Donington in 2003, reeled off the remaining laps for a stylish victory. "I just drove the wheels off the car! It's an absolutely awesome car to drive," he added. Speller, meanwhile, was frustrated not to be able to take the fight to Forster. "I kept him behind for a couple of laps, but he drove well," acknowledged Speller.
The battle for third in the S Class was a mighty contest, but Wallbank held his rivals at bay. "I was trying to get away from them; it was a good race," he said after being chased to the flag by Smith, Sayle and Holgate.
The contest at the head of the Club Class was another highlight of the race as Robertshaw battled hard to fend off Drury, Gary Kounnis and Barney Craggs. Despite constant pressure, Robertshaw held his lead as Craggs tigered through to third behind Drury.
"I looked in my mirrors and saw a bank of Minis, so I stopped looking," said an elated Robertshaw. "I'm absolutely over the moon that we've got this result!" Drury was equally thrilled to be on the podium. "I thoroughly enjoyed that, but it was a very busy race." Adding to Mark's celebration was the fact that this was the first race attended by his three-month old son! Craggs was also delighted to be on the podium. "What a race," he said after a stirring drive from eighth on the Club Class grid. "It was so close out there."
It had been a hugely competitive start to the racing programme in the John Cooper Challenge. The action now heads to Castle Combe for a double-header round on Monday, 31 May.
