GAZ Shocks BMW Compact Cup Round 1
The first round of the 2015 Gaz Shocks BMW Compact Cup was at Donington Park. The championship has got even stronger this year, with around 50 drivers registered and a few more (myself included!) expected later in the season.
Like last year the level of competition is extremely high, with champions from many categories of racing present on the grid. Car improvements for 2015 include new rear springs developed specifically for the series by Eibach and racing tyres now provided by Nankang. RAW Motorsport allowed me access into its garage for race day, so I was able to see the action up close with its cars.
The feeling of anticipation was palpable as all competitors were keen to shake off the winter blues and get out on track. Qualifying was first thing in the morning and with torrential rain the challenge was not only to get the quickest time, but also to keep the car on circuit. It was 2008 British GT champion James Gornall who showed his racing pedigree to claim pole position by just 0.1 seconds from Steve Roberts, who was actually driving a borrowed car due to issues with his own. Paul Hinson, Owen Hunter, Mike Tovey and Ian Jones completed the top six and were all within one second of the pole-sitter’s time. Other drivers who would surely be challenging for victory included 2014 race winners David Drinkwater and Alex Dew, seventh and tenth fastest.
For RAW Motorsport it was a successful session with Roberts, Tovey and Jones all based in its garage. Neil Hobden and Stu Wright were 31st and 33rd respectively, a good effort considering their relative lack of experience. Mark Skeats only managed three laps in qualifying due to issues so had to settle for 39th and Jim Barrett claimed 42nd in his first ever qualifying session.
With so many cars entered, the grid was split into three groups – A, B and C – so there would be three races with each group racing against each other. The groups were split such that first, fourth, seventh, tenth and so on from qualifying were in group A, second, fifth and eighth etc in group B and finally third, sixth and ninth etc in group C…
Photos by James Foard
Race 1
1 Steve Roberts
2 Mike Tovey
3 Josh Harvey
Fastest Lap: Josh Harvey (1:42.56)
The first encounter was between groups B and C and the rain was still pouring down. Steve Roberts lined up on pole alongside Paul Hinson, with an all RAW Motorsport row two of Tovey and Jones, followed by Josh Harvey and Michael Gray on row three.
Brilliant starts from the RAW Motorsport duo of Tovey and Jones saw them in second and third behind Roberts by the first corner. The top three remained static for the first three laps, by which time Harvey had moved up to fourth, followed by Hinson and Gray in fifth and sixth.
At this point Harvey was the fastest man on track and so set about challenging Jones for the last spot on the podium. On lap four he made his move around the outside of Redgate and going down the Craner Curves, slight contact was made which sent both cars sideways through the spray. Fantastic car control was showed by both drivers as they fought to keep the cars on track through one of the most daunting corners in British motorsport, with Harvey somehow managing to make it through to third position relegating Jones to fourth.
On the following lap Jones was to drop further to seventh after slight contact which damaged the front of his RAW Motorsport racer. This left Hinson in fourth, but on lap seven he was overtaken by Gray, Richard Miles and the recovering Jones so dropped to seventh. Roberts and Tovey took the chequered flag as they had been throughout the race, nose to tail. Both were delighted with the result and it was great for RAW Motorsport. Harvey took the final spot on the podium, followed by Gray, Miles and the top six was completed by Ian Jones. Having dropped down late on in the race, Paul Hinson crossed the line in seventh just ahead of Paul Rhodes. James Nutbrown and Jonathan Davis completed the top tenth.
Another drive worthy of particular note was Dan Kirby who came from the back of the grid to finish 14th. The other RAW Motorsport drivers all put in good performances with Mark Skeats climbing to 20th, Jim Barrett in 26th and Stu Wright crossed the line in a dead heat with James Winstanley for 24th.
Photos by James Foard
Race 2
1 Owen Hunter
2 David Drinkwater
3 Alex Dew
Fastest Lap: James Gornall (1:32.40)
This race started with the rain having stopped so the track was damp but drying and involved groups C and A. Therefore Paul Hinson was on pole, followed by James Gornall. Row two was Ian Jones and Owen Hunter, while row three featured Michael Gray and David Drinkwater. Richard Miles and Alex Dew completed row four.
Hinson made a good start and led away, however behind them it was all action: Gornall made a slow start and had to defend into the first corner while Miles made a lightning start and moved around the outside of Redgate to level with Gornall down the Craner Curves with Jones very close behind. As these three headed down into the still-wet Old Hairpin, there was the slightest contact between them and with the wet kerbs it was enough to send Gornall spinning for several 360-degree rotations. Miles slid out over the wet grass demoting him way down the order and Jones was delayed. This all allowed Drinkwater to come through into second place.
Later in the lap Hunter dived inside Jones at Coppice for third, but this pushed them both wide and allowed Gray up the inside. Three-wide on the exit of Coppice, Gray touched Jones, who in turn clipped the back of Hunter. Somehow all cars remained pointing in the right direction but all three were slowed which allowed Mark Morton into third. Disaster then struck for RAW’s Ian Jones as contact with Hunter and the damage from race one caused his bonnet to fly open at high speed, putting him out of the race.
After a few laps Drinkwater caught and passed early race leader Hinson, but both were being caught by Hunter and Alex Dew, all of whom had re-passed Morton. A tight battle ensued with places traded lap by lap, corner by corner, however come the chequered flag it was Hunter who took his first ever Compact Cup win, followed by Drinkwater and Dew within one second to complete the podium. Hinson was fourth, Simon Roche came through the field to take a relatively lonely fifth, with Gray sixth and Kevin Denwood seventh. Gornall recovered after his first lap spin to take eighth and with it, fastest lap. Jon Watt and Morton completed the top ten. RAW Motorsport drivers Mark Skeats and Stu Wright made more progress into 16th and 18th respectively.
Photos by James Foard
Race 3
1 Steve Roberts
2 James Gornall
3 Owen Hunter
Fastest Lap: Jonathan Davis (1:26.72)
The track was now dry and this race featured groups A and B. Therefore the grid saw James Gornall on pole position, with Steve Roberts starting second, Owen Hunter third, Mike Tovey fourth, David Drinkwater fifth and Josh Harvey in sixth.
Owing to the much better track conditions, the race three start was less eventful than race two. The first three rows got even starts and all headed to the first corner still in grid order. The main mover on the first lap was Drinkwater who managed to get alongside and past Tovey down the Craner Curves, then past Hunter on the run into McLeans to claim third.
These positions remained static until the penultimate lap, when Hunter pulled off an exceptional manoeuvre down the Craner Curves to re-take third. At the same corner further back in the field RAW Motorsport driver Neil Hobden had a scary moment as having gone three cars wide down the Craner Curves, he lost control and spun across the track. Thankfully great reactions meant no contact was made, although lots of places were lost.
At the front, Roberts took the flag ahead of Gornall, with Hunter a little bit further back claiming third ahead of Drinkwater, Tovey and Harvey. Alex Dew took seventh ahead of Jonathan Davis in eighth, who also claimed fastest lap. Simon Roche and Declan McDonnell rounded out the top ten.
