2/3 April, Donington Park
DONINGTON DOUBLES FOR FORSTER AND CRAGGS
Arthur Forster (37, Newcastle) and Barney Craggs (34, Clapham) both threwdown the gauntlet to their fellow competitors in the opening rounds of the2005 John Cooper Challenge, at Donington this weekend, each winning both theSaturday and Sunday races convincingly in the first of the season's sixdouble-header race weekends. Forster has thus established an early lead inthe Challenge's Works MINI Cooper S race category and Craggs sits atop theWorks MINI Cooper table.
Forster, who was narrowly beaten to last season's championship title, showedhis determination to go one better this term by producing commanding drivesin both openers in his 210bhp Works MINI Cooper S, twice taking victory frompole position and twice recording the fastest lap.
In both Rounds 1 & 2, Forster had to fight off determined challenges fromAndy Sayle (Congleton, 46) - a racer who made big strides towards the end oflast season - who twice overhauled him from the start only for Forster tomount determined fight backs, finally catching and passing him at the Essesin action replay fashion on both Saturday and Sunday.
Forster was delighted by his double triumph:
"That was a fantastic couple of races, I really enjoyed my battles withAndy. I know this circuit like the back of my hand having done 700 lapsround here this year, and used that knowledge to my advantage. I couldn'task for a better start to the season but I won't be getting complacent, thischampionship is clearly going to be really close."
In Round 1, it was 2003 JCC Champion, Mark Speller (21, Nazeing) whofinished third behind Forster and Sayle, despite making a poor start whichsaw Oxford Associates' James Loukes (35, Didcot) pass him early on. Spellerlater reeled in the hard-charging Loukes but their duel had long sinceallowed leaders Forster and Sayle to irretrievably pull away.
Loukes made up for the disappointment in Round 2, when he again passedSpeller at the start, capitalising upon an epic battle which then ensuedbetween Speller and Freddie Nordstrom (16, Weybridge) for fourth, tocomfortably secure third place and his first podium finish.
In the Club Class Championship, Craggs, third in last year's championshipshowed he was in no mood for anything but top spot this time around,securing his maiden John Cooper Challenge victory in Round 1 and immediatelybacking it up with a similarly imperious performance in Sunday's race. Hestarted on pole in both races, having set a new Donington lap record for the133bhp Works MINI Cooper in qualifying. A jubilant Craggs could not suppresshis excitement:
'I'm absolutely over the moon! I've had poles before but never previouslybeen able to convert them. Once I'd got clear in both races, there was a lotof battling going on in my mirrors, which played into my hands and set me onmy way. It was an unfamiliar feeling racing alone for long phases, but I waspleased with my concentration. Hopefully, I can carry on in a similar vainthroughout the season.'
The other podium places in Round 1 were filled by Rob Austin (43, Romsey)and Gary Kounnis (41, Old Harlow). Kounnis was all over the back of Austin'sWorks MINI Cooper for a large portion of the race but with the prospect of afirst podium finish in his sights, played a percentage game and settled forthird. He did go one better, however, in Round 2 when he secured a battlingsecond place to complete a very satisfactory opening weekend.
Perhaps the biggest surprise of the weekend was the performance ofdreadlocked student, David Shepherd (20, Sandbach), who followed up amassively impressive sixth place in Round One, with a third in Sunday'srace, belying his novice status.
Fellow novice, Gary Viney (Brighton, 37) proved to be a similarly promisingprospect, finishing just behind Shepherd in Round One and then eighth onSunday, showing in no uncertain fashion that Shepherd will not get it allhis own way in his quest for Top Novice honours.
The weekend's MINI racing had got off to an inauspicious start when StephenCampbell (20, Catford), entering his fourth season in the Challenge, createda stir by rolling his Works MINI Cooper having barely left the grid at thestart of Round 1. Swerving to avoid a slow starting car, Campbell rode upthe back of another competitor and rolled across the grid onto the grass.
Despite being unable to re-start Saturday's race, a mammoth overnight effortensured Campbell's car was able to start on Sunday, effort proved whollyworthwhile when he piloted his gaffer-taped charge into a highly creditable6th place, having been as high as third in the race's early stages.
Rounds 3 & 4 of the 2005 John Cooper Challenge will take place over theweekend of 7/8 May at Croft.
