Grantham-based Richardson Racing moved a step closer to securing the Michelin Ginetta GT Supercup teams title after a strong weekend at Rockingham.
Andrew Richardson continued his resurgent form with his fifth podium of the season and fourth in the last seven races, while a thirteenth G50 win of the year edged Mark Davies nearer to the class title.
Richardson, one of the in-form men in the G55 class, went in the meeting eager to challenge for a first win of the campaign and showed his potential by qualifying third.
After being shuffled down to fourth, Richardson fought his way back to finish into the podium places in third in the opening encounter, but the move he made to gain the place was deemed unfair after the race, with a time penalty dropping him to seventh.
In a wet second race, Richardson moved up to fifth on the opening lap, before swiftly moving into the top three after a short safety car period. Moving up to second on lap thirteen, Richardson closed on the leader by half a second a lap, but ran out of time and was forced to settle for second.
“It was a bit of a testing weekend as we missed out on some dry running on Friday with a gear problem but we did well to qualify in third and then I got a great start in race one to move into second,” he said. “After the Safety Car I worked the tyres too hard when they were cold and I got out of shape at Gracelands which meant that Ingram and Hill were able to get through but I managed to battle back past Jake to finish on the podium.
“Although officials demoted me to seventh on the results, I know I claimed a podium on track and knew I could come through the field in race two – even when the rain started. Visibility was horrendous but I worked my way up into the top three and then chased down Carl for second. I think Tom had seen me coming and tried to break away, but I was lapping quicker than him towards the end and could have caught him if it wasn’t for the fact that the race ran to a time limit, which worked against us.
“Although I could have won the race if I started from third, it was good to come through from seventh to second in those conditions and our best lap was also three-tenths of a second quicker than anyone else which showed our speed. I’ve strengthened my fourth in the championship and now hope to challenge for victory at Silverstone.”
In the G50 class, Huddersfield racer Davies was eager to bounce back from a heavy accident in the final race of the weekend at Knockhill last month, which had left his car in need of extensive repairs in time for Rockingham.
Clinching yet another class pole in qualifying, Davies went on to secure the class win in the opening encounter, though did had to fight back through the field after losing place on the opening lap, eventually finishing an incredible fourth overall after Andrew’s penalty.
Davies Struggled With Visibility In The Rain – Photo Credit: Jakob Ebrey Photography
His hopes of taking another win in race two were hampered when his windscreen steamed up in the wet conditions, Davies having to drive a conservative race to fourth in class. With a healthy lead in the class, Davies can secure the G50 title next time out at Silverstone, while Richardson Racing can also lift the team’s title in the penultimate meeting of the year.
“The first race went really well and it was great to take another win,” the Fastsigns Huddersfield owner said. “I think I’d have been able to do the double in race two if the windscreen hadn’t steamed up, but when that happened I decided just to bring the car home. It’s still good points for the championship and means I’m in a good position ahead of Silverstone.
“Rockingham is a circuit I really like and the car performed well all weekend. The team did a great job to repair it in time for Rockingham and we’ve taken another step towards the title.”
