Championship battles took further twists and turns on the support bill of the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship at Donington Park this past weekend (August 24/25) – setting up what promises to be a tantalising title showdown for a number of one-make categories.
With the business end of the 2024 campaign now very much in sight, the legendary Grand Prix layout of the Leicestershire venue was the battleground for a pulsating two days of wheel-to-wheel action, all in front of a bumper trackside crowd.
One of the undoubted leading lights under the flightpath of East Midlands airport was the Vertu MINI CHALLENGE Trophy, which staged three captivating races and served up three different race winners.
Renowned for producing close-quarter racing, the tin top series returned to action after a near three-month hiatus and wasted no time in making its mark. Rhys Hurd hit the ground running in the opening encounter as he scored a narrow victory to bolster his title aspirations.
Harry Hickton came to the fore in the weekend’s reverse grid race as he converted pole position into what was a relatively commanding lights-to-flag triumph before his Westbourne Motorsport team-mate Sam Gornall capped things off with victory in a thrilling finale.
Deagen Fairclough moved another step closer to securing an unassailable lead in the ROKiT British F4 Championship certified by FIA after powering his way to a sensational tenth win of the campaign.
Having been the benchmark driver for much of the year, the Hitch Pulse-Eight ace was wheel-perfect in the the weekend’s final race – having claimed runners-up honours in the previous three contests.
Despite his best efforts, Faircloiugh could do nothing to stop Rodin Motorsport from claiming three wins on the bounce, the first of which was scored by Alex Ninovic before James Higgins came to the fore to win back-to-back races.
Over in the Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain, Hugo Ellis moved to the top of the championship standings are clinching a crucial win – his third of the season no less – in the ultra-competitive GT series.
The Team Parker Racing driver took advantage of Will Martin’s struggles in race one to assume control at the summit of the leaderboard as he beat to Angus Whiteside and Will Burns to outright honours in a pulsating opening race.
Ellis then added a har-fought podium later in the day as he shadowed George Gamble and brand-new winner Harry Foster across the line in a thrilling second contest.
Rounding out the weekend at Donington Park were three races from the Porsche Sprint Challenge Great Britain, which saw Max Coates continue to head the standings despite not standing on the top step of the podium this time around.
Instead, that honour went the way of Joe Marshall who claimed a victory either side of Thomas Bradshaw, who also triumphed.
To view the full classification of results from all sessions at Donington Park, CLICK HERE.
The Home of British Motor Racing, Silverstone, provides the penultimate stop on the calendar for the TOCA package on September 21/22.