Race Report for Round Twenty-Three- Sprint Race
De Zille emerges victorious in Donington deluge
The heavens opened shortly before Sunday’s sprint race, turning the track into a slippery nightmare. Dan de Zille bested the elements and interruptions to claim overall victory for FF Corse.
A sea of spray erupted from the start/finish straight as the lights went out and competitors thundered down to the first corner. Not everyone escaped unscathed as Sam Neary span, dropping him to the back of the field. As the first few drivers completed their first lap, a red flag was thrown as both the Neary Mercedes and John Seale’s Lamborghini found themselves in the gravel at McLeans.
Following a quick recovery, and a re-grid, the race resumed and both Dan de Zille and Jim Geddie made fantastic starts, jumping a cautious John Seale out of the first corner. Seale slid backwards almost into the clutches of Tom Webb, but managed to fend off the blue Lamborghini.
Having taken the restart from the pitlane, Sam Neary started to make a good recovery climbing up to ninth by the end of lap three. Grahame Tilley also started to make up ground having started in eighth, snatching fifth overall from a strong-looking Simon Orange.
With worsening rain, and trickier conditions, it came as no surprise that the race had to be neutralised a second time - both the HHC Motorsport Ginetta and TopCats Racing Marcos Mantis found themselves in the gravel at McLeans. The effects of an earlier oil deposit clearly still being felt at that portion of the track. The safety car was scrambled while marshals worked to retrieve the stricken Ginetta, and allow the Mantis to rejoin the track.
Only a few minutes remained by the time the safety car was recalled, and Dan de Zille had no trouble taking the win. De Zille crossed the line over four second clear of Jim Geddie in second, and as the only driver to set a lap time below 1:20. Completing the overall podium was John Seale in the JMH Automotive Lamborghini. Third in group GTO went the way of Grahame Tilley as Sam Neary finished the race in his pit box. Group GTC’s only other competitor Tom Webb held onto fourth overall and claims second in group.
Four of the six GTH runners finished almost nose-to-tail, with Simon Orange took the win in the #21 Team Hard Ginetta. Orange had the McLaren of Steve Ruston just three tenths behind him with third place finisher James Hilliard a little further back. Brent Millage and Chris Murphy round off the GTH running order.
Tom Barrow broke Topcats Racing’s winning streak, taking the group GTB victory. With Warren Gilbert abroad, the Marcos Mantis looked to be running well, but the incident at McLeans cost them the chance at win number three. In GTA, Geoff Steel Racing’s Richard Marsh picks up another trophy in the BMW GTR.
