Round 5 of the 2010 Lotus on Track Elise Trophy held at Brands Hatch on the 16th-18th July 2010.
Introduction
Continuing a tradition of high-profile support slots, the series backed up a busy race card headed by the FIA World Touring Car Championship and Formula Two. Using the Grand Prix loop, which recently celebrated its 50th anniversary, meant a busy field would make the most of the extra space. With Marcus Jewell proving himself the man to beat this year so far, who would challenge him this weekend?
Practice
With two practice sessions on a breezy, showery but mostly sunny Friday, the drivers were able to refine their driving techniques on the challenging and rarely-used GP circuit. The first session was contested by Steve Williams and Michael Edwards as the pair traded times. Just behind them Ben Pitch, Simon Phillips and John LaMaster were thereabouts, albeit unable to break the one minute, forty-six second barrier. Jewell was nowhere to be seen, an early spin into the Paddock Hill gravel ending his session and also out early was James Knight.
When they did it all again a few hours later, it was once again Williams and Edwards who remained up front. With time to make up, both Knight and Jewell were outside the top ten during the early minutes. Knight hauled himself into contention, with Broad and Dolan now the challengers, but Jewell was languishing down in twentieth. Would he be back up to speed in qualifying?
Qualifying
The Friday sessions were rounded off with half an hour of qualifying and the gathering clouds must have left everyone grateful for the extra sessions. Jewell looked to have found his missing pace early on, leading Pitch and Phillips early on but they were a couple of seconds shy of the leading practice times so a lot more was to come.
Knight then beat his earlier practice time but still needed to find the best part of a second whilst Edwards and Williams were picking up the pace. Pitch moved the benchmark closer to the sub-105 second barrier that Williams was able to break previously and Phillips got closer still as Jewell joined the pair of them.
A chorus of klaxons signalled a busy pitlane as tyre pressures were adjusted and settings tweaked, ready for the second half of the session. A fair breeze helped move the clouds and it looked as though it would remain dry for the duration. Phillips, Jewell, Pitch, Williams, Knight and LaMaster were all within a second and they were all very much in the hunt.
Williams was first to light up the timing screens, a couple of purple sectors were a precursor to a time that beat his earlier mark by three tenths. With no-one else able to match him, he then got the first sector spot on, all he had to do now was string them together for the perfect lap. By contrast, Phillips’ personal best first sector was a couple of tenths off.
But with two late safety car periods caused by Rob Myers and Phillips, time was fast running out for the remaining challengers. Whilst many pitted, several cars continued to circulate and with barely time for a lap Pitch had a clear track and would be first to set a final time, however only Knight appeared to be getting the most from his car, albeit on first sector evidence, not enough. His second sector was off the pace, so Williams’ pole position was secure, the only driver under 1 minute 45 seconds. Phillips, Jewell, Pitch and Knight completed the top five and the only ones to lap within a second of the leader.
Savage headed LaMaster, Noble, Deacon, and Broad for the top ten, with Mazza, Dolan, a surprisingly subdued Edwards, Gordon and Bewsey next up.
Race One
As the cars lined up on the grid Phillips already had his car pointing towards the middle of the track, mindful of a likely attack from Jewell but as the lights went out it turned out that this wasn’t necessary as he made a start as good as Williams as the pair headed towards Paddock Hill side by side. Phillips slotted into second as Jewell stayed third and Pitch fourth but already holding the others back. Knight tried going wide at the first corner but Savage got a run up to Druids, which left Knight no option but to hang on round the outside. It didn’t work and he ran wide, just skipping through the gravel as Mazza took his place and set about Savage, with Dolan, Noble and the recovering Knight behind.
Next time through Savage pulled off a more successful move on Pitch into the first corner but the leading trio were pulling away all the time, as much from each other as the rest of the field. For a few laps it was stalemate, Mazza and Knight looking the only drivers able to attempt moves, which paid off for Knight on lap five as he cleared Noble. Behind them Broad and Edwards were squabbling with each other and this perhaps stymied their attempts to catch the leaders.
Pitch was really starting to struggle to defend by the halfway stage and with four cars now on his tail surely something had to give. Sure enough Mazza attempted a move on Pitch that had the unfortunate effect of him losing places to Dolan and Knight. With Pitch now getting the hurry-up, the group caught up with Savage, who had in any case only been able to gain a couple of lengths. Dolan then passed Pitch and as the latter regrouped, this gave him clear space to attach Savage.
Up front Williams had now pulled three seconds clear of Phillips, who was another five ahead of Jewell, himself over four seconds to the good. But this was all lost when the Safety Car neutralised the action, following an off by Simon Jones. When it returned to the pits, we had enough time for a couple of laps. Edwards set to work on Noble, no doubt grateful for the opportunity. Knight then grabbed a place from Pitch and Mazza followed him. Pitch also lost a place to Noble and could only back up his pursuers on the final lap.
However Williams was able to hold off Phillips for the win, from Jewell, Savage, then Knight, who took Dolan on the final tour, followed by Mazza in seventh. They held a small gap to Noble, Pitch and Broad after an intense end to an absorbing race.
Race summary – 38 starters, 30 finishers.
| Overall | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Steve Williams | 2. Simon Phillips | 3. Marcus Jewell | 4. Ken Savage | 5. James Knight | 6. Andy Dolan |
Race Two
A scorching afternoon persuaded much of the World Touring Car crowd to stick around for the second race, which rounded off the weekend’s action. Broad would start from pole position with Deacon alongside, with Noble and LaMaster holding back Savage and Knight on row three for the start. Just behind them Pitch, Jewell, Phillips and Williams also promised to provide much of the focus in the opening laps.
Deacon made the best getaway as Williams found himself crowded out and left well down the order. Meanwhile Noble was trying to find a way past Broad whilst Mazza, Knight and Jewell planned their strategies. Eventually Broad fell back to fifth and race leader Deacon was now fending off Noble, Mazza and Jewell as Knight retired to the pitlane.
A moment at Westfield for Jewell struck off another contender and this gave us a leading trio as Mazza went for second place and it looked as if we might see his debut victory at the circuit where he had served notice of intent just a few months ago. Behind them, Broad led a train of cars containing LaMaster, Dolan, Savage, Williams and Edwards. Williams quickly hauled himself to the head of this pack and with his pace, it looked likely that he would join the leaders very soon. Broad was still able to hold back LaMaster, Dolan, Edwards and Savage, whilst behind them Gordon, Pitch and Phillips were also having their own private battle.
Next Deacon lost the lead to Mazza, with Noble also passing for second but only as long as it took him to spin out of contention at Paddock Hill. Then Deacon ceded another place to Williams and with 8 minutes remaining, it looked as if time was running out for Mazza. The leaders were well out front but Deacon was succumbing to the chasing pack, still led by Broad but with Edwards and Dolan now ahead of LaMaster.
The two leading yellow cars were almost a blur as Williams used all his experience to wrest the lead and within a couple of laps he had done it and quickly gave himself breathing space. The focus was now on Deacon holding back Broad, Edwards and Dolan. Edwards tried round the outside of Broad at Paddock but this simply lost his place in the queue and he was lucky to remain in the race as he skated across the edge of the gravel trap. LaMaster had retired and the quartet had dropped Savage, whilst behind him were Pitch and Phillips, perhaps resigned to enjoying their own private battle as, further back, were Andrew Kell and Nigel Ayres.
With the final lap about to be started the red flag suddenly appeared, after Rob Austin found himself stranded at Surtees. Williams was justifiably celebrating his second win as the cars lined up on the start line and with Mazza just three-quarters of a second behind, the pair finished over four seconds clear of early leader Deacon. Broad kept his place safe from Edwards, who had repassed Dolan, whilst Savage, Pitch, Phillips and Gordon completed the top ten.
Race summary – 36 starters, 26 finishers.
| Overall | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Steve Williams | 2. Luigi Mazza | 3. Simon Deacon | 4. Gary Broad | 5. Michael Edwards | 6. Andy Dolan |
Conclusion
After a busy Friday, the drivers did well to temper their enthusiasm between the races and we were rewarded with great entertainment. With Williams pretty much invincible at the front, at the other end of the field motoring journalist and Elise driver Ed Foster enjoyed his weekend at the wheel of the guest car, scoring two finishes, whilst improving his lap times during the sessions. The Motor Sport magazine columnist said “It’s amazing when you come to a one-make championship because everyone’s been doing it for three to four years, so the gap between first and last is hardly anything at all. There are obviously some real specialists out there and I struggled to get going with the car and when I finally did it was a bit late! It was really good fun and the atmosphere’s really good, everyone’s very friendly – I think that’s because I’m no threat to them!”
There didn’t appear to be much animosity towards Williams during the podium celebrations and he’ll hope to carry his form to the next Lotus Cup Europe round at the very same circuit in a fortnight. Meanwhile the Elise Trophy makes a return visit to Cadwell Park in late August.
Kevin Ritson Press Officer LoTRDC LtdRace Results in full
Download the official results & times
