Our Brands Hatch GP round is always a popular event, and this year was no different. An extremely rare opportunity to race on the infamous GP circuit, and the only Caterham specific championship which gives you the chance to do so, this round is always a hit.
270R
After introducing our new 270R class at Snetterton last month, the Brands Hatch weekend saw it grow considerably, as we welcomed a whole host of new drivers to the paddock.
As Saturday morning rolled around, we headed into qualifying, ready to see who would claim the initial advantage ahead of race one. 7 Racing newcomer, Theo Theato, claimed pole position, with fellow newcomer Paul Goldstein starting from second place.
Although sharing the tarmac with the 310R grid, the 270R drivers were given a delayed start. As the field launched into action, it was Theo who maintained his advantage to lead the pack into Paddock Hill Bend, whilst Matt Larbey slotted into second place and Goldstein third.
As the opening laps developed, it was a fight for honours between Theato and Larbey. As the pack headed into Paddock second time around, Larbey saw an opportunity to close on leader Theato, as he looked to pass around the outside, however it was Theato who remained ahead.
Theato controlled the pace for a number of laps, as Larbey sat behind, waiting for an opportunity. Before long, it was a three-way battle for top spot, as Tom McEwing latched onto the back of Larbey. As the top three squabbled, the scrap behind was just as furious, as Paul Armitage, Goldstein and Giles Perry battled over fourth place.
After 14 laps of full throttle action, it was Larbey who managed to navigate his way into prime spot, as the lead group crossed the finish line. Theato held on for runner-up spot, ahead of McEwing in third place.
Armitage triumphed in the battle behind, to claim fourth place, ahead of Jon Moore and Simon White. Snetterton double winner, Myrton Wood, sadly suffered a non-finish – rather impressively his first non-finish since he began racing Caterhams a number of years ago. Despite a strong first outing with 7 Racing, Goldstein was also a non-finisher.
Onto race two, and with a reverse of the finishing order to form the grid, it was Simon White who started from pole position, with Jon Moore alongside.
Starting from the third row of the grid, race one winner Larbey had some work to do, however he was obviously up for the challenge.
It wasn’t too long before Larbey had navigated his way to the head of the field, with Theato and McEwing in tow. However, it wasn’t as straight forward for the top three this time around, as Armitage battled profusely for that final podium position.
Split into pairs, there was plenty of battles to keep an eye on in this second outing. As Larbey and Theato scrapped over the lead, McEwing and Armitage negotiated third place, and Goldstein and Perry tussled for fifth behind.
As the chequered flag came into sight, it was Larbey who doubled his success with another victory, just ahead of Theato. As third placed changed hands a number of times, all eyes were on the finish line to see who would complete the podium. After a close battle it was McEwing who claimed third, just ahead of Armitage, with Perry fifth, just ahead of Goldstein. Moore, White and Wood rounded out the 270R grid.
310R
In standard fashion, both 310R races were action packed, and as ever it was difficult to guess who would come out on top this weekend. Following qualifying, it was James Wingfield who claimed the initial advantage, starting from pole position, with Jack Sales alongside him on the grid for race one. Sales, a seasoned Caterham racer, joined the 7 Racing fraternity for the first time at Brands Hatch, after some time away from the motorsport scene.
Onto race one and it was Sales who leapt to the fore into Paddock Hill Bend, leading the way around the opening lap. As the pack headed into Druids for the first time, it was three wide for third place, as Jamie Winrow, David Yates and Caroline Everett vied for position.
As the battle for second place ignited, Sales was able to extend his advantage at the front. After making his way to second place, Winrow found himself out of the running after a side-by-side moment with Yates.
With Winrow watching from the sidelines, Sales’ lead extended further, whilst Wingfield, Yates and Everett continued to scrap over second place. After 10 minutes of racing, the chasing pack managed to catch Sales, as his lead came under threat.
Heading into Paddock, Yates saw his opportunity to dive passed and into the lead. However, the results were far from decided, as Yates, Sales and Wingfield battled ferociously, with Everett just behind waiting to pick up the pieces.
As the top four squabbled, Sales saw his chance to regain control, with a familiar manoeuvre into Paddock Hill Bend, however this was short lived as Yates was soon back ahead. A Sudden scramble of the safety car gave Yates a bit of breathing space, as his lead was protected for a few laps, however as the race restarted it was full steam ahead to the chequered flag.
As the final lap came to an end, it was Yates who held on for victory, just 0.023 seconds ahead of Wingfield, with Everett in third place. Sales crossed the finish line fourth, ahead of another strong result for Sam May, whilst Rob Goode rounded out the top six.
The familiar reversal of the top 10 from race one meant Tim Steel started race two from pole position, with Andy Whitton alongside him on the front row. As the field rounded Paddock Hill Bend for the first lap, it was Whitton who shot into the lead.
A good start from Michael O’Reilly and Rob Goode from the second row of the grid saw the pair challenge for top spot early on, as May also added himself into the mix of the front pack.
As the opening lap unfolded, it was Whitton who led Steel, however it wasn’t too long before Steel launched passed and into the lead of the race once more. After a slight lock-up heading into Druids on lap one, Yates soon found himself muscled out, before dropping down to 13th place, giving himself some work to do this time around.
The race was far from settled in the first few laps, as O’Reilly soon found himself leading the way, as pole sitter Steel held on for second place, ahead of Whitton in third. A few corners later and Everett had navigated her way into third place, as O’Reilly, Steel and Everett stormed into Paddock Hill Bend three wide, before exiting with Everett ahead.
As the race progressed, so did the action. A stellar recovery drive from Yates saw him snatch the lead with just five minutes left on the clock, however this was somewhat short lived, as Sales and Wingfield were waiting in the wings to dislodge Yates from his perch.
As the chequered flag came into view, Wingfield led the way to the line, however it was Sales who stole the victory across the finish line, by just 0.021 seconds. Inches behind, Yates and May also stormed towards the flag battling over third place, with Yates clinching the position by just 0.2 seconds, and May narrowly missing out on a podium finish.
420R
After ending round one at Snetterton with victory, Phil Jenkins continued his success at Brands Hatch with pole position ahead of race one. Anthony Barnes lined up alongside him, with fellow round one winner, Lee Wiggins, just behind in third place.
As race one got underway, it was Jenkins who led the way, as the top three positions stayed as they were from the grid. Behind, a good start for Rob Watts saw him immediately challenge for fourth place, from the third row of the grid.
Following an opening lap incident for Tom Quarendon, the race was red flagged before the end of lap one, as the grid prepared for a restart. Once ready, the original grid reformed, as the race got underway once again.
It was another good start for Jenkins, who led the way once again, however it was a great start for Mark Stansfield behind, who launched himself up to second place as the field rounded Druids.
As the pack battled behind, Jenkins was able to build a slight advantage during the opening lap, whilst Stansfield defended the likes of Wiggins behind.
After 16 laps, Jenkins enjoyed a trouble-free victory, taking the win by over 10 seconds, something unheard of in Caterham racing. Behind, and after swapping positions lap after lap, it was Wiggins who propelled himself into second place in time for the chequered flag, ahead of Barnes, Stansfield, Watts, and Gary Tootell. Ian Cowley continued his dominance in the 420R Sportsman Championship with a third victory of the year, ahead of Jason Cheetham and Peter Rimer.
The reverse grid ahead of race two saw Stuart Calder claim pole position, with Cheetham alongside for a front row start. As the final race of the day got underway, it was Calder who led the way, whilst Cheetham held onto his second place start.
As the pack headed onto the GP circuit, Cheetham saw his opportunity to sneak ahead, whilst Watts landed in third place and set about challenging Calder for second place. Positions continued to swap for some time, as the trio traded places lap after lap.
After stealing the lead, Watts managed to build a slight gap to second place, as he started chasing victory. However, his mirrors soon became filled with the distractive green of Lee Wiggins’ 420R. As the pair began a new lap side by side, Wiggins gained enough momentum to sneak ahead into Paddock Hill Bend, whilst Watts slotted into second place.
Behind, all eyes were soon on Jenkins, who had finally made his way up to fourth place from 10th. As those ahead of him battled, Jenkins was able to gradually catch the lead group. With the top trio in his sights, Jenkins soon picked them off one by one, challenging for victory with six minutes to go.
With the top six cars nose to tail, it was anyone’s guess who would actually claim victory, and with just three minutes to go the action was hotter than ever. With the chequered flag in sight, it was Jenkins who soared to another victory, just 0.040 seconds ahead of Wiggins, with Stansfield third. Watts finished fourth, millimetres adrift of the final podium spot, whilst Barnes and Calder completed the top six.
Peter Rimer steered his way to his first 420R Sportsman win of the season, with Cowley second this time around, and Marco Aghem third.
As ever, the 7 Racing drivers performed brilliantly, with some fantastic on track action. It was great to welcome so many new faces to the paddock at Brands Hatch, faces we hope to see again throughout the season and beyond. Next we head to Donington Park for our first double header of the season, and with three races for each class, it’s set to be another superb weekend. It’s also the third round of the 2024 Euro Cup.
For more details about joining us at Donington Park, or other rounds, head to our website: https://seven.racing