Ant Whorton-Eales strengthened his championship standing by taking a second place in the Courier Connections Renault UK Clio Cup, while rain master David Pittard drove impeccably in changeable conditions to salvage an unlikely fourth place from the first of three Michelin Ginetta GT4 Supercup races at Scotland’s Knockhill circuit on Saturday (23 August).
Alex Morgan – a double winner at Brands Hatch’s season-opener – happily set the pace in Friday’s UK Clio Cup free practice sessions, but Lichfield’s Whorton-Eales led the SV Racing with KX charge in a part-wet/part-dry qualifying session on Saturday morning (23 August).
Ever-changing track conditions made tyre selection a complete lottery and the going treacherous for the 16-car field and Morgan was one to go all agricultural with a grassy moment between Duffus Dip and McIntyre.
Returning to the pits to have earth prized from his front wheel-arches, Morgan went on to qualify sixth ahead of championship leader and teammate Josh Cook – unhappy with his pace all weekend – and SVR newcomer, local hero Jamie Clarke, in 12th.
Conditions remained slippery and damp at the back end of the circuit and only the brave would rise to the top.
In the end, it was Whorton-Eales and Ash Hand who went for broke, qualifying second and third respectively behind Team Pyro rival Mike Bushell for the first UK Clio Cup race of the weekend on Saturday afternoon.
Rain threatened as the field plunged down Duffus Dip for the first time, where Whorton-Eales, flanked by Hand, was deposed by a fast-starting Jordan Stilp.
A ragged moment for Paul Rivett put Morgan in touch with teammate Hand in fifth place, as an unsuccessful challenge for the lead by Stilp opened the door to an opportunistic Whorton-Eales.
A brief Safety Car intervention bunched up the pack and Whorton-Eales was well-placed to challenge Bushell for victory as racing resumed.
However, there was no way through for the KX Akademy driver who maintained second position to the flag, with Hand surviving a lurid bout of understeer at Scotsman to take fourth, ahead of Morgan in fifth.
Following a dominant performance last time out at Snetterton, Cook was out of position in eighth, burdened by having to fight a race-long rear-guard action against Lee Pattison, while SVR newcomer Clarke drove to a creditable 13th.
Whorton-Eales said: “I was really happy to be starting from the front row here at Knockhill because I’m usually quick off the line, but I lit-up the tyres on this occasion and lost track position to (Jordan) Stilp. However, I was able to capitalise on a failed overtake by Stilp on (Mike) Bushell to re-take second and got my head down, gradually reeling in the leader, but I didn’t quite have the pace. It was initially quite frenetic and settled down a lot more than I thought it would here at Knockhill. Overall, I’m really happy with this second place and Josh (Cook) down in eighth has really spiced things up. I’m in a strong fourth position in the standings and I hope to keep chipping away and try to be somewhere near the lead for Brands Hatch’s season finale. I really need this 2014 win, though!”
GT4 Supercup title contender Pittard thoroughly enjoyed his first experience of Knockhill and his enthusiasm was telling in Friday practice, as the Letchworth Garden City racer took his KX-liveried G55 to the third and fourth fastest times on used tyres.
The signs were also good for Edinburgh’s Rory Bryant, as his pace was impressive from his very first turn of the wheel on Friday, particularly considering that he ran exclusively on heavily worn Michelin rubber and had debilitating brake balance issues to contend with.
A remarkably competitive qualifying session ended with Pittard sixth with a slight +0.106s deficit to eventual pole-sitter Carl Breeze, and Bryant only six tenths off in ninth position, despite struggling with a niggling electrical problem on the downshift.
Support from SVR and Pittard has benefited Bryant greatly on his GT4 Supercup debut but, sadly, the Scot was unable to put this into effect, the unfortunate victim of a chaotic first corner scuffle in which contact with Luke Davenport left him beached in the gravel.
Pittard, meanwhile, hustled Jamie Orton in the fight for fifth for the most part but could find no way through, when a large shunt for Tom Oliphant as heavy rain saturated Knockhill caused a Safety Car intervention with ten minutes remaining.
A restart looked unlikely, but it was deemed safe to go racing with just enough time for one final flying lap and, on slick tyres, Pittard showed true class and natural skill on a slippery track surface to snatch fourth position at the expense of Orton and Andrew Watson.
At the end of a heavily truncated race, Pittard said: “The start was pretty even so I thought I’d hold position, and I hustled Jamie (Orton) for the rest of the lap when the Safety Car was deployed, unfortunately for Rory (Bryant). I really applied the pressure at the restart and he made a couple of mistakes, but I couldn’t capitalise, then there were quite a few moments when the rain began falling and conditions became dangerous.
“The second Safety Car, which followed a big incident for Tom (Oliphant), was all about keeping my tyres up to temperature and I was quite pleased when we were given one last flying lap, because I knew I could make something of the mixed conditions. On the final lap, I got the cutback on Jamie (Orton) at McIntyre and then got on the inside of Andrew (Watson) at Clark to finish fourth. I would have been disappointed with sixth, but to make two places in one lap and take fourth is exactly what I wanted and the same again tomorrow would be perfect.”
The final two Michelin Ginetta GT4 Supercup races are scheduled to begin at 9.00 and 15.00, with the final Courier Connections Renault UK Clio Cup race at 12.30. All will be broadcast live and in high defintion on ITV4 and ITV4HD.
For more information on SV Racing, please visit the www.svracing.co.uk website, ‘like’ the team’s Facebook page or follow @SV_Racing on Twitter and Instagram.