David Chapman on the run up Druids Hill. All images courtesy of Jon Elsey
Spring Sunshine at Brands Hatch!
After the wide open spaces of the Silverstone International circuit, the much closer confines of the Brands Hatch Circuit in Kent were the venue for rounds 3 &4 of the BRSCC MX5 SuperCup, a one day meeting organised by MG Car Club on the short Indy circuit ensured an action packed day for the SuperCup Drivers.
Freezing conditions overnight gave way to blue skies and bright sunshine which would remain throughout the day. The resulting cool ambient temperature and warmer track surface giving the drivers a real headache when setting their tyre pressure for each session. A new sight in the paddock was the Blendini Motorsport truck as Tom Roche kicked off his full SuperCup campaign in his bright orange mk3.
Qualifying
Prior to qualifying all SuperCup cars had their ECUs checked by the scrutineers to ensure compliance with championship regulations, then at 9.50am 21 drivers took to the circuit to decide the grid order for race one. The short Indy circuit ensured that lap times remained tight as drivers tried to find space to get in a quick lap. David Chapman picked up where he left off in testing setting the pace with a 55.6 to take pole and late in the session Tom Roche jumped up the time sheet to go second. Abbie Eaton took 3rd ahead of championship leader Mike Comber on row two and Paul Sheard in his first championship outing in 5th position. With the top 10 covered by less than 1 second the quality of the field was clear to see and set the scene for some superb racing throughout the day.
Race 1
A long wait in the collecting area preceded race one thanks to oil clean up from an expired MG in the Race before. The drivers upon lining up on the start line were met with the whole even numbered side of the grid coated in cement dust all the way into paddock, rendering the racing line out of action.
Off the line Roche got the jump on pole sitter Chapman but slithered wide at Graham Hill bend allowing Chapman to take the lead and put his foot down, pulling a gap from the field and maintaining it to the flag. The race behind was not so straightforward as Eaton soon moved to second position before being caught by Comber and Sheard, this was the main battle with Liam Murphy also joining in as Roche began to struggle with tyres. On lap 10 Comber made the decisive move for second place and began to gap the chasing pack. A few laps from home Sheard moved into third pipping Eaton and Murphy over the line by less than a second. Further back in the pack the racing was frantic with drivers trading places lap after lap throughout the field. The sight (and sound!) of 21 beautifully presented MX5 mk3s, nose to tail in the Brands Hatch sunshine certainly impressed the spectators. As drivers pushed and tyres began to lose their edge there were thrills and spills down the field and Clint Bardwell was unfortunate to find himself facing the wrong way on the exit of clearways, a sign of the overall frantic pace was the fastest lap of the race going to Matt Davies down in 7th position!
Race 2
With the drivers starting in their finishing order from race one, track conditions were again perfect for race two. A dramatic start saw pole sitter Chapman and 5th place Roche bog down badly on the sloping start line, the drivers behind doing a great job to avoid them. Into the first turn Comber lead the way followed closely by Sheard and then Eaton with the rest of the pack nose to tail behind. While Comber edged away at the front, Chapman and Roche worked hard to recover their positions. By lap 12 Chapman had moved to second and set off in chase of Comber, meanwhile Roche got stuck into the battle for 4th with Eaton, Murphy and Davies. The racing remained close but fair as drivers swapped places lap after lap. Chapman closed down Comber for the lead setting fastest lap en-route and the two spent the final 3 laps nose to tail, Comber showing his class and holding off the hard charging Chapman by just 0.3 of a second to take the win. A relatively quiet race two for Paul Sheard gave him his second podium of the weekend in 3rd. Fourth place was Liam Murphy, getting the better of Roche, Eaton and Davies in only his second SuperCup meeting, certainly one to watch for podiums as the season progresses.
Chapman and Comber squabble over the lead of race 2
Rob Way impressed again with his race pace taking the award for most positions gained while novice George Line was right up there on the pace and Jim Hart (also a novice racer) kept Jeremy Crook and drivers’ representative Ray Worley on their toes throughout the weekend.
A special mention must go to the new track limits rules which seemed to work well and in spite of which a new MX5 MK3 lap record was set by David Chapman with a 55.6 second lap on his recovery drive in race two. During the weekend only one track limits penalty was handed out which is a real testament to the skill of the SuperCup drivers… especially considering how close the racing was.
After 4 Rounds of the Championship, Comber remains at the head of the standings, both he and David Chapman emerging as title contenders for 2014. The racing throughout the field at Brands was superb, further demonstrating why the SuperCup continues to grow in popularity with more new drivers expected to join us at the next round on the 14/15th of June. The championship moves to the even tighter and less forgiving Cadwell Park. The racing should be spectacular. See you there!
Full results available from TSL: http://www.tsl-timing.com/mgcc/2014/141853xsc.pdf
