Tom Sharp Led From Lights To Flag For Yet Another Supercup Victory - Photo Credit: Chris Gurton Photography
Tom Sharp continued his sensational start to the 2012 Michelin Ginetta GT Supercup with victory in Round Four at Donington Park, making it four wins in a row for him.
Twelve months ago, Sharp took three wins at the East Midlands track as he started the season with six in a row and the IDL UK driver took another step towards repeating the feat with a superb win in overcast conditions.
Sharp started on pole position and a great getaway saw the VCARS.co.uk-backed driver lead into Redgate for the first time, while a slow getaway for fellow front row starter Tom Ingram saw him fall to third behind Carl Breeze.
Ingram instantly looked to re-gain the spot, pressuring Breeze hard consistently over the next few laps, but the Tollbar Racing with WIRED driver was able to hold him off well. Their battling allowed Sharp to break clear at the front, whilst it also allowed Andrew Richardson to catch onto their tail, making it a three way fight for second.
In a relatively un-dramatic race from then, Sharp cruised home to win by three seconds, with Breeze able to just edge clear of Ingram to secure second and his first podium of the season. Ingram held third, while an off for Richardson saw him retire, with Josh Wakefield moving up to fourth ahead of Hunter Abbott and Colin White.
Jamie Orton emerged from a race-long battle with Fergus Walkinshaw to take seventh, while the last of the G55 runners was Marcus Hoggarth in thirteenth overall, a disappointing end to a promising race, in which the JHR Developments was challenging for a top six finish.
In the G50 class, Louise Richardson started the race from pole, but a slow start meant that Max Coates and Meridian Motorsport's Rob Gaffney headed into Redgate for the first time challenging for the lead. The duo ran side by side out of the corner and down the Craner Curves, but Coates squeezed ahead at the Old Hairpin in what turned out to be a decisive move.
The Redbrick Racing driver led the remainder of the race to take his second class win of the season, while behind, a fantastic battle between Gaffney and Mark Davies for second eventually went the way of Davies, a strong end to what was a tough race for his Richardson Racing team, with team-mate Louise joining brother Andrew on the retirement list after a fuel pump problem. Reece Somerfield finished fourth in class, with James Owen fifth.
