Dramatic Mini fight goes to the wire as Ovenden wins title by a point at Brands Hatch
by Stephen Lickorish · AutosportLocal driver triumphs thanks to fastest lap in the finale after weekend full of twists and turns as Mini Challenge provides the pick of the BTCC support action
For a championship where 50 points are awarded for a win to be decided by just a single point, suggests it was a pretty remarkable campaign. And that is certainly one way of describing a dramatic Mini Challenge showdown at Brands Hatch last weekend where the three points awarded for fastest lap in the third contest ultimately decided the outcome in reigning champion Tom Ovenden’s favour.
It was abundantly clear the finale would be far from straightforward after qualifying. Last time out at Silverstone it was a bunch of drivers disqualified for failing to wear fireproof socks that led to a jumbled grid, on this occasion it was two red flags and a session that was curtailed when only half of the drivers had set a time that mixed up the order.
The first two races cancelled each other out in terms of title protagonists Ovenden and last year’s runner-up Max Edmundson. Pro Alloys racer Edmundson was third in the opener, while his Excelr8 rival was fifth; Ovenden then won race two with Edmundson again third - having been demoted behind Josh Porter following a pass deemed to have been off the track - to leave Ovenden with a 14-point advantage heading into the finale.
Ovenden described that victory as crucial given he would be starting the decider down in 13th on the grid, having been one of those without a qualifying time, while Edmundson was on the front row. “It felt like the world was against me,” admitted Ovenden, who was also among those sanctioned for their socks at Silverstone. “I knew this was my only shot.”
However, he still had a mountain to climb to retain his title in race three. That grew steeper when Edmundson demoted team-mate Alex Solley on the first lap. Meanwhile, Ovenden was on a charge and had already risen to seventh by the end of the opening tour. But his stablemate Nathan Edwards - the race-one victor - was not so compliant and, despite repeated gesticulations from an exasperated Ovenden, would not let him by.
At this stage it was advantage Edmundson. But then on lap six of 13, Ovenden clocked the fastest lap and those crucial three points were enough to tip the scales in his favour. Not that he knew it until arriving into parc ferme and being greeted by championship coordinator Rhea Beauchamp.
“I had no idea I had done it,” said a disbelieving Ovenden. “I kept counting the cars between Max and myself and there were too many.” As for the battle with Edwards, he added: “I thought we had an understanding but it didn’t matter in the end.”
Yet that still was not the end of the drama. Edmundson protested his rival on the grounds of Ovenden’s hand-waving breaking race with respect rules but this was chucked out and Ovenden could truly celebrate.
Edmundson, for his part, ensured the fight went to the flag by winning the finale but it ultimately was not quite enough. “I did the best I could and thought I did it,” said the devastated runner-up.
While the British Touring Car Championship did not have a true title fight this year, the Minis more than made up for it. The final scores read Ovenden 788 points, Edmundson 787 after a truly incredible campaign.
Rogers snaps away at Marshall's Cayman lead, but just misses out
Josh Rogers had spent the second half of the Porsche Sprint Challenge GB season taking bites out of the points lead of fellow Team Parker Cayman driver Joe Marshall. But, despite another hat-trick at Brands Hatch, he finished up five points adrift of his team-mate.
Marshall had jumped polesitter Rogers at the start of the opener but the Australian sim racing star was in no mood to play second fiddle. When Marshall was slightly wide at Westfield on lap three, Rogers pounced through Dingle Dell and pulled seven seconds clear by the flag. Rogers then led throughout the final two contests but Marshall’s strong start to the year was enough for him to be crowned.
The new champion admitted there was a “lot of relief” to finally seal the spoils as he endured a nervy end to the decider after receiving a track-limits warning in the closing stages. “I was like, ‘Calm down and drive properly,’” admitted Marshall. “I was driving at about 80%. I’m so happy that what I’ve been doing behind the scenes has paid off.”
For his part, Rogers added: “I came here with one goal: to score every point I could, and that’s what I did. I’m just super proud of how far I’ve come.” But, sadly for him, it was not quite enough to clinch the final championship for the outgoing Cayman machines.
No surprise as Van Langendonck secures F4 crown early
There was no unexpected twist in the British Formula 4 title battle as Dries Van Langendonck wrapped up the championship with runner-up spot in the first race.
The McLaren junior arrived in Kent with a gargantuan 72-point lead having very nearly clinched the glory last time out at Silverstone, despite a one-event ban earlier in the season. Rodin racer Van Langendonck tried to challenge Hitech’s polesitter Theo Palmer at the start of the opener but it was to no avail and he then cruised home in second.
“I’m really happy, didn’t quite have the pace but I just needed to bring the championship home,” said the Belgian. “It means a lot because it’s been a difficult year, it’s not been easy especially with the suspension and some low moments. But especially this second half, we’ve been really consistent and winning races and it’s just great because everyone works for it really hard.”
Van Langendonck was then 11th in the reversed-grid contest, while Virtuosi’s Joseph Smith took the spoils after polesitter Jaber Alsabah was slow away. The new champion wanted to end his season on a high in the finale but his attempt to pass Palmer at Paddock Hill Bend resulted in him skating through the gravel and falling to seventh. Instead Palmer scampered clear to win again and seal runner-up spot in the championship, albeit still 48.5 behind the dominant Van Langendonck.
Final flourish for Carrera Cup conqueror Voisin
Callum Voisin had already secured the Porsche Carrera Cup GB spoils last time out at Silverstone but there was no let up for his rivals as the GB Junior almost won both Brands Hatch races.
He came under pressure from Century Motorsport stablemate Isaac Phelps at the start of the opener with the pair running side by side along the Cooper Straight and making slight contact, yet the champion held on. The race was then neutralised with Silverstone winner Jack Sherwood stranded in the Paddock gravel, but the restart did not provide Phelps with another chance to challenge. Instead Voisin pulled clear and was even able to overcome a major lock-up in the closing laps.
Pro-Am contender Jacob Tofts led from pole on the partially reversed-grid for race two, while Voisin was on a charge. He jumped a slow-starting Phelps off the line and then put championship runner-up Will Jenkins (Team Parker) under pressure. Voisin dived down the inside of Jenkins at Surtees with four laps to go and set about catching Tofts, but the Graves Motorsport driver held on for a maiden outright triumph by 0.241 seconds as Voisin had to make do with nine wins this year.
O'Flanagan's Caterham title as Head within 0.072s of hat-trick
A strong 23-car grid, guest stars joining the ranks and a title still on the line were a recipe for some thrilling Caterham Seven Championship UK contests - and they duly delivered.
Third and fifth places in the first two bouts were enough for LFP Motorsport driver Taylor O’Flanagan to secure the crown and complete his full set of championships across the Caterham ladder, enabling him to sit out the finale.
Instead, just like at the category’s previous British Touring Car appearance at Donington Park in August, it was three-time champion Aaron Head who was the star. Again, just as at Donington, he qualified down the grid, but progressed from 10th to the lead just before the race was neutralised and then red-flagged with Mike Evans off at Paddock Hill Bend and the safety car failing to pick up Head.
Head was defeated on the drag race to the line in the second contest by 0.072 seconds by outgoing champion Matt Armstrong, before that pair had a great scrap with Harry Senior and Charlie Lower in the finale. Head was victorious but there was an anti-climactic conclusion amid a safety car following a heavy impact for Steve Nuttall into the barriers down Pilgrims Drop.
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