The beginning of September brought with it the end of the 2024 7 Racing UK Championship, and what a season finale it was. With the 420R, 420R Sportsman and 310R championships each being decided in the final race of the season, it really did go down to the wire at Oulton Park!
420R
Heading into this season finale, Anthony Barnes was leading the way in the 420R title race, however there were a few faces who could claim the accolade by the end of the day.
As race one got underway, it was a tight run towards Old Hall for the first time, with pole sitter Stewart Calder side by side with Mark Stansfield. As the pair navigated the opening lap it was Stansfield who nipped ahead, however Calder soon fought back to reclaim his advantage.
With the lead duo embroiled in battle, it wasn’t long before championship pretender Lee Wiggins was hot on their heels in third place. Wiggins was certainly a man on the move, when third place quickly became the lead of the race, ahead of Stansfield, Calder and Gary Tootell.
By the fourth lap, it was all eyes on the front, as Wiggins and Stansfield, now a two-horse race, lapped side by side, each of them keen to claim that all important victory. One lap later and it was Stansfield back in control, a position he managed to hold onto until the chequered flag came into view.
Behind, Ben Winrow became one to watch, as he raced his way up to fourth place from ninth on the grid, and in with a chance of a podium finish. As the top two broke away from the chasing pack, the battle behind them was ignited, and with the extra excitement of championship leader Barnes working his way through the pack, it was set to be an interesting second half of the race.
After a ferocious 25 minutes of racing, it was Stansfield who finally claimed that illustrious victory, after being so close all season. Wiggins held on for second place, a mere 0.099 seconds adrift whilst Barnes fought his way to third place from eighth on the grid. Pole sitter Calder claimed fourth place, ahead of Lewis Tootell and Russ Olivant. Ian Cowley secured the penultimate 420R Sportsman victory, also finishing in seventh place overall.
As race two began, all eyes were on the title contenders, to see who would be crowned 2024 champion.
After finishing 10th in race one, it was Matt Drew who lined up in pole position, courtesy of the reverse grid, with Gary Tootell alongside him. As the race got underway it was Tootell who led the way into Old Hall, as Drew slotted into second place.
With the 420R Sportsman championship title in his sights, Cowley soon elevated himself to second place, closely followed by Lewis Tootell. One lap later the battle of the Tootells resumed, as Lewis began chasing down dad Gary for honours.
Once again the man on the move, and with a title to try and secure, Barnes stormed his way through the pack in the opening laps for the final time this year, to land in third place by lap three.
Before long, Barnes navigated his way to the head of the field, with Gary Tootell second. As the lead pair pulled away from the chasing pack, third placed Lewis Tootell led a group of cars lining the track from third place to 11th, as they raced nose to tail lap after lap.
As the final 420R race of the season progressed towards the chequered flag, race leader Barnes looked on course to retain his championship title, however a five second penalty due to track limits in the closing stages saw Barnes’ title hopes slip away. Although he crossed the finish line ahead on track, the penalty dropped him to second place. In his wake, Gary Tootell ended his season on a high with a race victory, whilst Calder secured a third place finish. Olivant and Winrow finished fourth and fifth, whilst Cowley crossed the finish line with another 420R Sportsman victory, sixth place overall and a new championship title to his name.
Despite finishing in seventh place in this final race of the season, it was Wiggins who had done enough to secure himself the 2024 420R championship title.
310R/270R
With the 310R championship title also up for grabs, there was just as much excitement surrounding this as the earlier 420R races. David Yates and James Wingfield were two of this year’s title protagonists, however after qualifying it was Jamie Winrow who secured pole position.
As race one got underway, it was Winrow and 7 Racing newcomer Graham MacDonald who launched towards Old Hall first, side by side battling for the lead. Despite Winrow getting the early advantage around lap one, MacDonald took the mantel on lap two, as a ferociously entertaining battle unfolded.
Before long, Yates was fully in the mix for the lead, determined to bank as many championship points as possible. As Winrow, MacDonald and Yates toured virtually side by side, their trio soon became a quartet, as Paul Sethi joined in the fun.
As the group began to swap places lap after lap, we waited to see who would exit the final corner ahead. With the chequered flag ready to capture the winner, it was Winrow who secured victory, just 0.056 seconds ahead of MacDonald. Yates held on for third place, enhancing his title hopes rather nicely, whilst Mark Roberts and Caroline Everett finished fourth and fifth, respectively. Rob Goode rounded out the top six, with Sethi eventually finishing in seventh place, following his brief spell in the lead.
A non-finish for championship contender Wingfield meant, just like the 420R championship, the title race would go down to the final race of the season – tension was well and truly mounting!
And so, the final race of the season was upon us. As a result of the top 10 finishing positions from race one, it was a pole position start for Scott Parker, with Simon Sharrock lining up alongside him.
A fast-starting Harry Eyre immediately launched into the lead from the second on the grid, with fellow row two starter, Paul Sethi in tow. By lap two, Sethi enjoyed a repeat of his race one performance, as he took the lead.
This was somewhat short lived, however, as Yates saw an opportunity to make a mid for honours on lap four, to take his turn at leading. From here, Yates and Sethi began an almighty battle for supremacy, which included a superb manoeuvre from Sethi around the outside into Old Hall.
As Yates and Sethi continued their battle, the scrap for third place was just as fierce, as Eyre, Sharrock and Rob Goode tussled side by side for position.
After starting from the back of the grid, due to his race one non-finish, Wingfield navigated his way through the field, reaching 12th place by lap four.
As the top group began to battle closer and closer, it wasn’t long before MacDonald and Winrow joined in the fun, making it a seven-way battle for the lead. With less than 10 minutes on the clock, it was anyone’s guess as to who would actually claim the victory this time around.
With the last few laps looming, Winrow managed to weave his way to the head of the field. As he and Yates lapped the Oulton Park circuit for the final time, all eyes were on Lodge corner to see who would exit ahead. As the pair exited virtually side by side, it was a drag race to the finish line, with Winrow just 0.059 seconds ahead of Yates.
Although Yates finished second on the road, a five second penalty for track limits saw him dropped down the order, eventually classified seventh, and one place behind chief rival Wingfield. A drive from the back of the grid to sixth place was enough to crown Wingfield the 2024 310R champion.
Myrton Wood claimed two more victories in the 270R class, to cement his 2024 270R championship title. We look forward to welcoming even more drivers to our new, exciting 270R championship in 2025.
It has been another superb season of racing. We’d like to say a huge thank you to all of our drivers and teams for joining us in the paddock and providing the action on circuit. It’s been great to welcome some new faces to the 7 Racing paddock this year as well, something we hope to build on in 2025.
Although the chequered flag has fallen on the UK championship, we still have two European events to come. The first event is the fourth and final round of the 2024 Euro Cup, taking place at Circuit Ricardo Tormo, Valencia during 27th – 29th September. The final event of the year is the Caterham Festival at Estoril Circuit during 21st – 24th November. For more details about these events, please head to our website: https://seven.racing/index.php/product-category/7-racing/ Also keep an eye out for our 2025 calendar – due to be released in the coming weeks!