EXPERIENCE COUNTS AS BREEZE TAKES TWO // GINETTA G50 CUP

CTD's Neil Tozer continues his review of the support races from last weekends BTCC meeting at Brands Hatch.
 
The Ginetta G50 Cup Championship kicked off in fine style, making it's debut on the Kent Circuit's Indy layout with experienced racer Carl Breeze taking two wins from the three seperate races... [read more]

The Championhip, which this year has gained a lucrative spot as a BTCC support race, kicked off in style by all accounts with some great wheel to wheel action.
 
The cars themselves certainly looked the part and along with the "throaty" sound of their 3.5 litre V6 engines, should prove a very popular addition to the race card.
 
Saturdays race one saw journeyman driver Carl Breeze get the jump on pole sitter Frank Wrathall at the start and from then on he was never headed.  Wrathall didn't just let him go however and pressured the 30 year old throughout the 16 lap encounter. The gap at the flag was just four tenths of a second with Nathan Freke following  the lead two onto the final podium spot.

Sunday morning's second race was a dramatic affair. Frank Wrathall was declared the winner after Nathan Freke was penalised for a, shall we say, forceful maneuver when passing Breeze on lap 15.
 
Poleman Breeze took charge away from the start followed by Wrathall and Freke. The lead three were as one for the first few laps untill Wrathall began to slip back from the leader, which lead to Freke being all over him.  Freke made his move into second at Druids, and at Graham Hill bend set off in pursuit of the leader.
 
Lap 15 and Freke was right on the tail of Breeze going into the paddock. He used the classic wide line, trying the 'switchback' up into Druids, but Breeze, being far too experienced to not see this coming, moved over at the bottom of the hill and contact was inevitable.  Breeze's rear corner was now folded down onto his tyre, while the move cost Freke his hood which parted company with him at Druids. Breeze continued at the front despite the the contact until Freke again dived inside at the hairpin, this time successfully, although there was still some contact which delayed Breeze allowing Wrathall through into second.

So Freke took the win but was swiftly given a two second penalty which relegated him to third behind winner Wrathall and the bruised Ginetta of Breeze.  Freke even tried to retrieve his hood on the slowing down lap only to see it fly off again after just a few yards.

Race three, which was late afternoon on Sunday, saw Breeze run 24 uninterrupted laps, a totally dominant performance that put him five seconds ahead of Freke and Wrathall, and which gives him the Championship lead. Along with the BTCC, the series heads for Hampshire in two weeks time and the 'Tyre Eating' surface of the the Airfield Circuit at Thruxton. Certainly if the weather is hot, then these 300bhp GT cars will have to take tyre wear into account as the layout of Thruxton usually means just one thing, left front tyre problems, usually resulting in blowouts.
 

Stay tuned to ColdTrackDays for continued coverage from the UK.

Photo/Editorial: Neil Tozer