Brad Bailey made it two wins from three in the opening round of the Protyre Motorsport Ginetta GT5 Challenge at Oulton Park with victory in the final race of the day.
The race one winner made a fantastic jump when the lights went out to leap into turn one ahead of pole man Luke Davenport, the latter also losing out to David Pittard later around the opening tour.
Bailey’s lead was brief however, as a feisty Pittard attacked the former Ginetta Junior race winner and swiftly took the race lead with a bold move at Cascades.
The race then began a four-car thriller as the lead quartet of Pittard, Bailey, Davenport and Oliver Basey-Fisher lapped just over a second apart for lap after lap, Bailey trying to return the favour up front.
Pittard had to use all of his defensive skills to keep the orange G40 of Bailey behind him, Davenport joining in and almost making it three-abreast heading down the main straight on one occasion.
Pittard defended hard again into Old Hall, but at the same corner with a few laps remaining Bailey made a very late lunge under braking, edging Pittard wide onto the grass and into the clutches of the duo behind, Basey-Fisher dropping Davenport down to fourth as the trio were locked together.
It was an aggressive move, but one that saw Bailey edge out a gap up front as he went on to take his second win of the day to take the early championship lead from the day’s racing at Oulton Park, while there was further late drama when Pittard threw away second with a spin at the last corner defending second place.
The runner-up spot therefore was inherited by an equally impressive performer, Basey-Fisher, while Reflex Racing’s Davenport joined the top two on the podium ahead of an unlucky Pittard.
A distant fifth went to Clive Richards ahead of Will Burns and Stewart Linn, Thiago Calvet finishing eighth ahead of Jason Kenny, the Olympic star beating Callum Pointon in their battle for ninth.
The G20 class went the way of Stuart Pearson once again ahead of Brian Murphy, while Jonny Greenwood almost celebrated third place too early after a superb dice with Mark De Spong, the pair cruising to the flag with Greenwood taking the final class podium spot.
