7 Racing Spa
Following our first UK round of the season, we made the trip to Belgium for our first European excursion of the season. Complete with a number of 420R and 310R Caterhams, our drivers enjoyed three days on track at Spa Francorchamps, basking in the heritage and excitement the circuit offers.
420R
As the field lined up for race one, it was Jamie Winrow who started from pole position, with Diogo Costa alongside him on the front row. As the field thundered towards La Source for the first time, it was Costa who led the way, as Winrow and Lee Wiggins rounded turn one side by side.
As the opening lap unfolded it was all change amongst the top four, as Winrow reclaimed the advantage, followed by Wiggins, JJ Magalhaes and Costa.
Determined as ever, Wiggins was soon in the lead, as he, Winrow and Magalhaes edged away slightly from the chasing pack. As Winrow slotted back in front, a virtual safety car period was enforced to rescue two cars from the first corner. At the restart, Winrow held onto the lead, ahead of Magaelhaes and Wiggins.
As Wiggins and Winrow traded places at the head of the field, Mark Farmer latched onto the lead battle, slotting into fourth place.
With the top six now in a race of their own, the lead continued to change hands corner after corner, lap after lap. As the last lap began, the top six separated into two groups of three, as all eyes focused on the front three to see who would be crowned victorious.
Despite leading the way, and looking set for victory, Winrow was able to defend from Wiggins in the last few corners. As the chequered flag fell, it was Wiggins who crossed the line, millimetres ahead of Winrow, with Magalhaes in third place. JJ Magalhaes Jr just missed out on a podium finish in fourth place, narrowly ahead of Mark Farmer and Wes Payne.
With the top 10 finishing positions from race one reversed for race two, it was Tom Quarandon who started on pole position, with Tom Greensall alongside.
With Costa lining up at the back of the grid as a result of his race one DNF, all eyes were on him to see what he could do this time around.
As Greensall led the way, ahead of Quarandon, attentions turned to Wiggins and Winrow, to see if they could work their way through the pack. As the top four navigated the Kemmel Straight side by side, it was Duarte Lisboa who came out ahead to lead the way, before being replaced by Andre Matos.
With the first lap completed it was Magalhaes who led the way, as the rest of the pack quickly closed in on him. Before long, it was a family battle, with Magalhaes Jr outshining Magalhaes Senior to steal the lead.
By lap two, Wiggins and Winrow had made their way to third and fourth places, before launching a challenge for the lead of the race.
Before long it was Winrow who led the way, as he and Magalhaes took it in turns to lead the way for the much of the race. As the field chased their way around the closing laps, Wiggins had managed to sneak ahead, as the top five battled into the final few corners. With the top three side by side into the final corner, it was Winrow who crossed the line ahead, however after running wide across the final chicane Winrow was demoted to second, crowning Wiggins the double victor, with Magalhaes third. After a superb drive through the field from the very back, Costa finished in an impressive fourth place.
310R
In the opening 310R race, David Baldwin looked to have the advantage, as he led most of the way. However, with Paul Goldstein and Harry Eyre hot on his heels for the duration it was certainly an exciting battle to watch.
As each driver enjoyed a stint in the lead, it was anyone’s guess who would take the win, as they trio continued to swap places each lap.
As they navigated the final lap, Goldstein had made his way to the head of the pack, and just held on for victory, a mere 0.053 seconds ahead of Baldwin, the pair virtually side by side across the finish line. Eyre narrowly missed out, however finished just behind in third place, with John Styring fourth.
At the start of race two Goldstein, Baldwin and Eyre immediately continued their race one tussle, with Goldstein taking the lead on lap one, ahead of Baldwin and Eyre.
After swapping positions and battling nose to tail for the duration, Eyre led the way onto the final lap. As the trio crossed the finish line, it was Eyre who claimed victory this time around, ahead of Baldwin and Goldstein.
We now turn our attention back to the UK championship, with the infamous Brands Hatch GP taking place in just a few weeks’ time. There is still time to join us on the grid, if you would like to join the 270R, 310R or 420R grid, please head to our website to secure your spot: https://seven.racing/index.php/product/brands-hatch-gp-uk-championship-race-entry/