The second race of the Ginetta GT5 Challenge Weekend saw Ollie Chadwick claim victory by the narrowest of margins after a race long battle with championship rival Ryan Hadfield. The two drivers swapped places a number of times before going side by side over the line.
With the Croft circuit still damp from the earlier rain showers, the drivers set off ahead of the 15 lap race. A safety car was quick to show itself after an off on the opening lap. Mark Davenport and Steve Perez ended their race early as the field vied for vital space around the 2.12 mile course.
As the car’s restarted, it was Chadwick who had the advantage having retaken the lead from R Hadfield on the opening lap. From there, he defended his position until his rival found a way past on lap 10.
Just behind the leading two, Jonathan Hadfield failed to maintain the pace soon dropping back and enjoying a lonely race to third. He was caught by Andrew Richardson after the Richardson Racing driver spent the first half of the event squabbling with Nick Zapolski.
The biggest battle appeared to be over sixth place. similarly to how Richardson had struggled during the opening encounter, it was now Ian Robinson who held the field behind.
After a number of laps stuck behind the Am driver, Jac Constable eventually found a way past. It didn’t last long though and was hit with a time penalty after the race. This allowed Tom Hibbert to be promoted, taking sixth at the line.
As the drivers entered their final lap, a rare Hadfield victory looked on the book up until the final corner. Hadfield was edged the outside with the pair running together across the line. Sadly for the Buxton-born driver he lost to Chadwick by 0.083 seconds.
J Hadfield completed the podium ahead of Richardson. Hibbert would eventually claim sixth, after catching Zapolski in the later stages, ahead of Matt Chapman and the struggling Robinson.
