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Thacker and Ainscough take Caterham 7 honours at Oulton Park

Motorsport Vision Racing ran Saturday’s four-wheel race meeting at Oulton Park in Cheshire.

A packed schedule including the Toyo Tires 7 Race Series for Caterhams, the Sports 2000 Championship, a combined race for the Nippon Challenge, Tricolore Trophy & Multimarques Series incorporating Renault Clios, Honda Civics, plus an MSVR All-Comers Race dominated by Radical Sportscars.

Early morning rain dispersed leaving a dry track for racing, the threatened thunder storms never materialising.

The Toyo Tires 7 Championship gets under way at Oulton Park (www.mphotographic.co.uk)

A huge grid of 38 cars contested the first of two 30-minute races for the Toyo Tires 7 Race Series for Caterham 7 R300 and 1600 cars.

Paul Thacker (R300) took Pole Position but was out-dragged into the first corner, Old Hall, by Richard Ainscough (R300), Clive Richards (R300) slotting into third.

Thacker took the lead at the start of lap two and the top three traded places for the entire encounter, Thacker finally taking the win by just a tenth of a second from Ainscough. The 1600 class was won by Oscar Lawry by a comfortable margin.

Clive Richards (R300) was on pole for race two with Steve Day (R300) alongside.

Richards led into the first corner followed by Day and Chris Lay (R300) in third.

Ainscough took third by the end of lap one and second a lap later. Paul Thacker moved into third and set off to catch the two leaders.

With Ainscough and Richards continually swapping first place Thacker slowly closed and passed Richards to take second.

The top three then spread out, Ainscough taking the win from Thacker.

Richards’ car let him down on the final lap giving Steve Day third. After a terrific race long scrap Lucy Redding took the 1600 honours.

The Subaru Impreza of Lee Gillard took two wins at Oulton (www.mphotographic.co.uk)

Elsewhere, Lee Gillard (Subaru Impreza) took two comfortable wins in the Nippon Challenge/Tricolore Trophy/Multimarques races, from the Honda Civic of Rich Hockley.

A bumper entry was led home by Tom Stoten (Gunn TS110) as he took two wins from Michael Gibbins in the Sports 2000 races, the first by just four-tenths of a second.

Finally, it was the Radical SR3 of Brian Murphy who took two Race wins in the MSVR All-Comers Race, from the Radical PR6 of Bill Henderson.

The Vintage Sports-Car Club are next to visit the Cheshire parkland venue on the June 10 with Ferraris, Morgans and pre-war sports cars in action on the day.

A bumper grid of Sports 2000’s sets off at Oulton Park, in Cheshire (www.mphotographic.co.uk)

 

Mike Petch: Mike Petch works as photographer for Stockport County Football Club and has also branched in to various sports including British Touring Cars and the British Superbike Championship. Regularly reporting on BSB rider Christian Iddon and the Speedworks Motorsport BTCC team, Mike can be found in the thick of the action the length and breadth of the UK, with overseas events seeing him as far afield as Europe and Dubai.
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