Round 2 was another sell out meeting with plenty of hopefuls ready to race for glory…. And chocolate. We had the usual ugly mugs in Mini-E but the Clubman-E class had a few extra title favourites. The new track layout was a little more technical with a few scary chicanes.
Qualifying
Mini-E qualifying was dominated by Dave Sedgewick. David Underwood and James Herring were looking fast but couldn’t get onto the same lap as him on any of the rounds. It was generally close down the whole grid with everyone desperate to get a clean run to qualify in the 6 car A final.
In the Clubman-E it was much closer. While series leader Ryan Keeton tried to find grip with the handicap tyres, Rich Herring set a great opening TQ time. He held TQ until the final round of qualifying when Keeton had better luck with the higher grip levels. It was still close though, Chris Sale was just 2 seconds behind him in third with herring less than a second behind him. It was going to be a very close final.
Finals
In the Mini-E B final there was a crazy start where the first 4 cars did jump starts. After the stop-go's were completed Archie Underwood lead the way while Lewis Barker fought with George Royston for second. After some extremely close racing between the pair, Barker pushed away from Royston to chase for the lead. He got the gap down to 2 seconds but the 5 minutes ran out leaving Archie to take the win with Barker and Royston following.
The Mini-E A final was another action packed final. While pole sitter Sedgewick got away cleanly, Herring and Underwood had disastrous starts behind pushing them down the grid. Tom Berry and Luke Wainwright battled for second position while Sedgwick escaped into the distance. Berry made a few mistakes allowing Wainwright and Underwood through, however a failure with Underwoods transponder meant he was out of the points. It was then Wainwrights turn to make a mistake and allow Berry back into second. In the last minute of the race the pair exchanged places about 4 times before a big mistake for Berry in the chicane cost him the runners up spot. Sedgewick took the win with Wainwright second and Berry completing the podium.
In the Clubman-E C final there was a great battle between the two rookies of Rian Luke and Harlen Hatter. The lead changed throughout the whole five minute race and it was only in the dying few laps where Hatter managed to get a gap and take victory. Brian Jones followed the pair home in third. The B final wasn't as close, pole sitter Dave Jones had a bad start but then rocketed back through the field and into the lead. Behind him Chris Sock's had a solid run in second but couldn't match Jone's pace. Calvin Hadley was following him in third but had a big scare on the last few laps when a disagreement with the track marker destroyed his back wheel. Lucky for him he had a few laps in hand to forth, so he just managed to keep his place from Matt Page.
The Clubman-E A final was the closest final of the night. Everyone had a great start but Keeton was struggling in the early laps to heat up his handicap tyres. Chris Sale tried to make a move but it failed costing them both time. Herring moved into the lead and was looking strong until he got tied up with a back maker. It was the Wheelers turn to lead the race with Keeton chasing in second. By the mid point of the race the top three tightened up at the front forcing the sandwich Keeton to make a move on Wheeler. The pair connected sending Wheeler barrel-rolling down the straight. Herring would once again lead but this time never looking back to take his first victory. Keeton and Wheeler had a great battle for second, Wheeler just made a vital error in the last few laps allowing Keeton to take the runners up spot.
The Championship
It's still early days for the championships but things are looking exciting with a lot of title hopefuls. The pace in the Mini-E class is very close so Sedgewick's 4 point lead might not be as strong as it seems. The rest of the A finalist will be feeling like they have a shot of the title. In the Clubman-E the handicap tyre seemed to have the right impact on Keeton's early pace. At round three both him and Herring will be running the handicaps. It's going to be interesting to see who can manage the tyres the best.
