SV Racing (SVR) took more silverware away from Hampshire’s speedy Thruxton circuit as Josh Cook achieved two Courier Connections Renault UK Clio Cup podiums and David Pittard completed a sensational weekend with a second place in Round 9 of the Michelin Ginetta GT Supercup on Sunday (4 May).
The starting order for Rounds 5 and 6 of the UK Clio Cup was determined by the drivers’ best and second-best times respectively from Saturday’s 30-minute qualifying session, which was mired by a great deal of uncertainty surrounding track limits.
Many had their best times disallowed and the confusion ultimately forced SVR’s four drivers – Alex Morgan, Josh Cook, Ant Whorton-Eales and Ash Hand – to take an overly tentative approach that impacted their pace.
However, after questioning the race stewards’ decisions, some track limits penalties were rescinded and times reinstated.
Hand remained the best of the SVR contingent in sixth place but Cook and Morgan were promoted to seventh and eighth on the Round 5 grid respectively, with Whorton-Eales tenth.
Sensational starts for both Cook and Whorton-Eales saw them surge up the order to fourth and fifth places and begin pressurising third-placed Lee Pattison at the completion of lap one.
Hand quickly disposed of Paul Rivett with a robust move around the outside of Campbell. The Nuneaton driver made a similar pass on Whorton-Eales, leaving him vulnerable to Rivett who got a run at the back of the circuit to go side-by-side with the Lichfield racer through the dauntingly quick Church corner and on the rise up Woodham Hill.
Almost inevitably, contact ensued as they converged on the Chicane. Whorton-Eales was tipped sideways and into SVR teammate Morgan, who was spat out of the pack and into the Armco.
A short Safety Car intervention followed and the restart provided some fireworks as Hand, in a carbon copy of his earlier overtakes, passed James Colburn around the outside of Campbell for fourth place, in turn opening the door to Whorton-Eales and Rivett.
Cook also took the opportunity to snatch second from Pattison, who came under immense pressure from Hand in the remaining laps.
“Thruxton isn’t the easiest place to overtake, as you get past and they’re able to use the slipstream to get back on terms, but I got a good start and I went out there to do a bit of damage limitation,” said Cook. “When I got up to third I knew I could keep going, so I went after Lee (Pattison) and then tried to catch Mike (Bushell), but decided to settle for second place, thinking about the long game. This is great for my championship, but I don’t want to have beaten people because they had a DNF. I look forward to battling it out with Alex (Morgan) on track at Oulton Park.”
There was a reshuffle in the starting order for Round 6, Hand and Cook sharing row three of the grid, Whorton-Eales lining-up in eighth and Morgan tenth.
From fifth on the grid, Hand hoped for a to open his podium finishes account and was on course to do so until he slid out of third position while brawling with Pattison and Rivett in the latter stages of the 12-lap contest.
Cook initially led SVR’s attack but was unable to halt Hand’s progress. A feisty battle between the KX teammates resulted in a loss of momentum for Cook who was demoted to sixth place, but eventually finished third at the expense of Hand, Pattison and Bushell, the latter penalised for gaining an unfair advantage at the Chicane.
Morgan, meanwhile, ran a relatively lonely race and took the flag in fifth but ahead of Whorton-Eales, who nursed his damaged car home to ninth after challenging for the podium in Round 5 and concluded Round 6 in seventh.
Having enjoyed the taste of victory so much, David Pittard understandably wanted more of the same in Sunday’s final Michelin Ginetta GT4 Supercup encounter to round off a “perfect weekend”.
The top-four finishers from Round 8 on Saturday (3 May) were reversed, therefore Pittard started from the second row of the grid, having dominated the previous two races.
Another lightning start saw Pittard depose Tom Oliphant for the final podium spot on the charge through Allard and Pittard was soon drawing in on Carl Breeze for second place.
Pittard lined himself up for a pass on the United Autosports driver on the fourth visit to the Chicane and continued to drive a canny race, taking the outside line into the final corner and trying to sell Breeze the dummy into the Campbell, Cobb, Segrave complex of corners.
Andrew Watson stamped his authority out front and had an unbridgeable gap of over 11s by the time Pittard defeated Breeze with a ballsy move at Church – the fastest corner in the UK – on lap 14.
“The team gave me a fantastic car for this race so I was confident I could fight for another strong finish to complete an amazing weekend,” said Pittard. “The team told me to preserve my tyres but I was fully focused on passing cars. I had to bide my time in what was a very different race to yesterday, as track conditions and the car’s balance had changed. I was quick in places and had to pick my moments, so I showed my nose a few times at the Chicane and the complex, but Carl (Breeze) made a mistake and I punished him for it by keeping my foot planted through Church. I think I deserve a pat on the back for that one!”
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