Double wins for Michelin Clio Cup Race Series points leader Luke Herbert (Chichester) and Road Series counterpart Luke Pinder (Shipley) at Oulton Park Island Circuit, Saturday, 15th August, resulted in boosted championship leads for the duo with just two races to go in the 2015 season.
Herbert largely dominated the penultimate event of the campaign in the Race Series after locking out pole position for rounds 10 and 11 and then converting both into clear-cut victories, opening up a net 25 point advantage at the top of the standings for Westbourne Motorsport.
Road Series competitor Pinder, driving for Jade Developments, has an even more substantial 45 point lead in his title battle on net scores – each driver having to deduct their lowest finish of the year from final totals – and he also posted a new lap record for the category.
Privateer driver Paul Streather (Hinckley), who bounced back impressively from an excursion in morning practice to post a brace of second place finishes in the Race Series, also delivered lap record pace – setting a new benchmark of 1m35.874 seconds (83.58mph) in the opening encounter.
Herbert moves one step closer to coveted Race Series title Securing pole position for round 10 by just 0.1 seconds from team-mate Sam Randon (Ashbourne), Herbert got away from the line cleanly to lead into Old Hall and he was able to build an advantage of 1.7 seconds by the midway point.
During the latter stages, though, the undertray of the Westbourne driver’s Clio came loose which compromised his pace and, coupled with Streather’s searing lap record pace which enabled him to get ahead of Randon on lap nine, the gap reduced to just 0.6 seconds at the flag on lap 12.
Randon delivered a stout rear-guard action to hold onto third, and with it a very welcome return to the podium after a torrid weekend at Brands Hatch last time out, to keep the impressive Andy Jordan (Bridgnorth) at bay – the Finesse driver having carved his way through from 10th on the grid following a heavy excursion early in qualifying.
Brett Lidsey (Gravesend) was just 0.1 seconds behind Jordan at the finish, the 20Ten Racing driver finishing well clear of Intercity Racing entrant Matt Allison (Norwich) who climbed from ninth to sixth after a tough qualifying. Paint Perfect Motorsport’s Anton Spires (Milton Keynes) was seventh on his Race Series debut with Adam Hatfield (Cranworth) eighth and the Sport Class winner.
Tom Barley (Crayford) produced a fantastic start to climb into fifth, from eighth on the grid, but the 20Ten driver’s involvement in the race came to an end on lap three when a back and forth battle with Westbourne’s James Dorlin (Barnsley) resulted in contact and retirement for both.
Herbert, using his new tyres for round 11, made the most of the extra grip and performance in the second encounter and after seeing off Lidsey he then motored into the distance to build a lead of around 3.5 seconds before backing off on the final tour, claiming a dominant victory and the bonus points for fastest lap.
Streather moved up from fourth into third at the beginning and then took second from Lidsey on the third tour at Old Hall. He wasn’t able to bridge the gap, though, but second place means he remains firmly in contention for the title during next month’s Silverstone finale.
The fight for third place was a true highlight with Lidsey, Jordan, Randon, Spires and Dorlin all holding the position at points during the frenetic encounter. Lidsey’s hopes evaporated after a spin on lap six, while under pressure from Jordan, but the Finesse driver hit his own troubles on lap eight when his driveshaft failed.
Dorlin, battling back from a sluggish start, worked his way into fourth and then grabbed third from Spires on the final lap. Allison was just 0.2 seconds further back in fifth with Randon – who was third until the penultimate lap when compromised by traffic – elbowed back to sixth. Hatfield, winning the Sport Class again, took seventh just 0.4 seconds behind Randon at the chequered flag.
Luke Herbert – Race Series:“We saved our new tyre for the second race, Paul [Streather] started to close the gap a little bit but my car was getting quicker and quicker with every lap. Two poles, two wins, one fastest lap – almost 100 percent for the weekend which is great, and a 25 point lead on drops. It’s a great position to be in going into the last two races.”
Paul Streather – Race Series:“With the car having been in the wall this morning, to be even back out on track after that and get a decent qualifying position was incredible. To come away from the races with two seconds is brilliant really, ideally I’d have loved to be in front of Luke but we have had a few problems with the car cutting out. If we can get that sorted, we’ll have to see what we can do at Silverstone.”
James Dorlin – Race Series:“After the first race, crashing out on the second lap, I was determined to make a better go of race two which we managed to do – it’s a great result. After the start I really didn’t think the podium was on as I messed it up a bit, but I fought through and we’ve come away with a good finish.”
Sam Randon – Race Series:“I can’t say how good it feels to be back on the podium, it wasn’t easy and the car did go off a bit during the latter stages. I didn’t compensate for it, though, so made a few mistakes. It’s good to be back where we should be after how bad a weekend Brands was – I’m really happy with the podium.”
Pinder on course for Road Series crown after eighth win of season Mirroring, to a large extent, Herbert’s race performances in the headline category, Road Series points leader Luke Pinder enjoyed a superb weekend with his double win and has put plenty of clear air between himself and his chief championship challengers.
Getting ahead of pole position qualifier, and team-mate, Jake Honour (Devizes) at the start of round 11, Pinder was never under any undue threat although 20Ten’s Tyler Lidsey (Dartford) did try to go with the leader over the first couple of laps.
Instead coming under mounting pressure from a determined Honour, Lidsey made no mistakes with an assured performance to see off his more experienced rival and bag second position, his sixth podium of the year. Pinder’s fastest lap of 1m45.995 seconds (75.60mph) is a new lap record for the Road Series cars around Oulton’s Island Circuit configuration.
In round 10, Pinder again beat Honour off the line but the race was much harder work as his power steering failed at the end of the opening lap. Driving impressively to keep Honour at arm’s length, Pinder claimed the win by 1.2 seconds but Honour took the bonus points for fastest lap. Lidsey finished in third position.
Sarah Franklin (Kettering) ended the weekend with fourth place in round 11, the result delivering some cheer for the Westbourne lady racer after the disappointment of enforced retirement from race one when her car lost power.
Paint Perfect’s John Creasey (Lincoln) and CGHimports.com racer Nic Harrison (Burton-on-Trent) also encountered their own difficulties, gearbox issues for Creasey leading to fourth and fifth in round 10 and 11 while locking brakes for Harrison meant a best of fifth in race one.
Luke Pinder – Road Series:“The wins were certainly needed, we’ve had a few ups and downs recently so it’s great to get back where we should be. It was really close with Jake [Honour] in race one, just after the first lap though I lost the power steering on the car which made things very interesting – I wasn’t sure I was going to finish. It’s much easier [to win] with power steering, I can say that much!”
Tyler Lidsey – Road Series:“At the start of race two I was more focused on [Luke] Pinder, then Jake [Honour] started to close in. One minute I saw him in my mirrors, the next thing we were side-by-side into the chicane and then the Race Series cars came through and I was able to keep second. I have to keep reminding myself it’s my first season, we’re finishing races and getting on alright with it so I’m really happy.”
Jake Honour – Road Series:“I’m really pleased with second [in race one] and the fastest lap, I was really gaining a lot on Luke [Pinder] in a few places but found out afterwards he had lost his power steering so that accounts for some of it. We were still quick, though, and it was a really good clean race.”
Next stop for the Michelin Clio Cup Race Series and Road Series will be the season finale five weeks from now, on 19th/20th September, at Silverstone International Circuit in Northamptonshire.
Along with headline sponsors Michelin and Protyre, the Clio Cup Series is additionally supported by Ferodo, Safety Devices and ALS Performance.
Provisional 2015 Michelin Clio Cup Race Series Driver Standings (after Rd11 minus drop scores): 1st Luke Herbert, 287pts; 2nd Paul Streather, 262pts; 3rd Brett Lidsey, 212pts; 4th Sam Randon, 202pts; 5th Andy Jordan, 200pts; 6th Adam Hatfield, 158pts
Provisional 2015 Michelin Clio Cup Road Series Driver Standings (after Rd11 minus drop scores): 1st Luke Pinder, 295pts; 2nd Tyler Lidsey, 250pts; 3rd Nic Harrison, 245pts; 4th Jake Honour, 241pts; 5th Sarah Franklin, 196pts; 6th John Creasey, 177pts
