Teesside Autodrome
The Pace Ward MLR Sprint Series headed north for its fourth round at Teesside Autodrome near Middlesborough, where changeable weather conditions were a constant factor during the day - although that didn’t stop first-time sprint competitor Mike Laws from well and truly upsetting the order in a borrowed Evo VII. He went on to win a hotly contested Class C and, even more impressively, recorded the fastest time of the day unsurprisingly coming away with the top rookie award.
Class D’s victor was never really in doubt, with Stephen Moore stamping his authority on the category driving his slick-shod Evo VI. Class B went to Steve Peel in his Evo VI, while Class A’s fastest time was recorded by Nick Greenwood in his Evo V.
With this being the one Pace Ward MLR Sprint Series round of the season that’s scheduled to extend into the darkness hours, the practice runs began at 3pm in dry conditions - perfect for those who were still to fully get to grips with the technically demanding Teesside track. Will Griffiths made good use of the session and managed to record a 54.49 on his second run - the fastest practice time of the day - closely followed by fellow Class C runners Jordan and Laws, the latter sharing the former’s car. Stephen Moore’s Class D Evo was a touch slower on 56.89, while the quickest Class B and A runners were Steve Peel and Nick Greenwood, setting a 57.14 and 58.72 respectively.
The skies were still largely clear for the first of the competitive runs, with the shared Evo VII of Jordan and Laws setting the pace from the off. Jordan posted a 53.94 on his first timed run, before handing the car over to Laws to record a stunning 53.74, achieved on only his second competitive outing. The 54.08 set by regular category front-runner Paul Allin in his Evo V further illustrated the sheer pace of the Class C cars around the Teesside circuit.
Moore wasn’t quite able to match the Class C machinery on the day, although he did manage to set a 54.46 on his fourth attempt and in doing so ensured he was awarded the Class D trophy. He might well have gone faster still had the weather not intervened at that point in the proceedings.
Steve Peel wasted little time in making Class B his own with a best time of 54.62, while Rob Loftus and John Teasdale rounded out the top three with a 56.77 and 63.75 respectively. Class A was tighter still, and comprised a thrilling battle that ran for most of the afternoon between Nick Greenwood, Raf Katowicz and Jamie Hollett. Greenwood and Katowicz’s tussle was especially tight and the pair wound up separated by just 0.2 of a second, the former claiming class honors thanks to a 57.69 run.
The curtain was brought down shortly before 8pm when rain began to fall, forcing competitors to slow right down to a crawl. It quickly became apparent that the rain had settled in for the duration, and while several brave individuals did venture out on track to test their tyres (and indeed wet weather skills), it was clear that the event was effectively over as far as improving on times was concerned.
The next event in the Pace Ward MLR Sprint Series calendar is round 5, which takes place at Blyton Park on Saturday 15th of August.
Increasing the series’ profile this year is the addition of commentary and television coverage at every round. Broadcast on Motors TV, the programmes feature action from each of the season’s seven rounds. The 2015 Pace Ward MLR Sprint Series is sponsored by: Pace Ward performance insurance, SuperPro suspension parts, AP Tuning, Ross Sport and HKS Europe.
Round 4 Class Winners Class Class sponsor Driver Car Time A SuperPro Nick Greenwood Evo V 57.69 B AP Tuning Steve Peel Evo VI 54.62 C Ross Sport Mike Laws Evo VII 53.74 D HKS Europe Stephen Moore Evo VI 54.46
Notes for editors
Classes The Pace Ward MLR Sprint Series features four classes: Pace Ward MLR Sprint Series: •Class A: Road - sponsored by SuperPro•Class B: Fast Road - sponsored by AP Tuning•Class C: Super-Road/Track Day - sponsored by Ross Sport•Class D: Unlimited - sponsored by HKS Europe
All cars must be road legal.
