CLUB AUTOSPORT NATIONAL REPORTS
70 AUTOSPORT.COM 1 AUGUST 2019
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A win and two second places
were taken by Maclennan
(25) in FF1600s
Neal finally took a
TCT victory
CDR team-mates, Jonathan Browne and
James Clarke, to score his third win at the
track in eight days following the Champion
of Brands race the weekend before.
After Browne claimed second at Paddock,
the quartet were covered by less than half
a second at the flag.
Martin, who spun his Van Diemen RF99
in the opener before salvaging 10th, could
only improve to sixth in race two but that
put the Team Dolan driver on the front
row for the reversed-grid finale.
He survived Clarke’s attacks after two
safety car periods to take the win, as
Maclennan – from seventh on the grid
- nosed inside Clarke for second late on.
A heavy crash in testing on Friday left
Civic Cup pacesetter Lee Deegan scouring
the locality for new front body panels
overnight. Once sourced, his team
straightened out the car and a grateful
Deegan banged in five laps quick enough
for pole position.
He stormed to his fifth win of the season
in race one, before climbing from 10th to
fourth in the reversed-grid race two. That
brought a first victory for David Buky, who
couldn’t be caught by Bruce Winfield or
Jason Ballantyne. Second in the opener,
Daniel Reason retired early in race two
with a puncture after contact.
BRANDS HATCH
BRSCC
27-28 JULY
Neil Maclennan closed the gap to National
Formula Ford points leader Ross Martin
with a win and two second places as the
championship moved into the second half
of the season at Brands Hatch.
He led the wet opener before slipping
behind Spike Kohlbecker and first-time
polesitter Rory Smith, who briefly led until
dropping two wheels off-track at Clearways
with a third of the race to go. Maclennan
repassed Kolhbecker into Paddock Hill
Bend on the penultimate lap, but the Cliff
Dempsey Racing driver was able to cut
back to the inside and seal the win.
In race two, Maclennan withstood
race-long pressure from Kohlbecker and his
Three podiums moves Maclennan into contention
The inaugural Clubsport Trophy race
produced a grandstand finish as Mazda
MX-5-mounted Paul Sheard chased down
Winfield, one of several Civic drivers
enjoying extra track time. Sheard’s car had
started from pole position with Aidan Hills
at the wheel and built a healthy margin
before losing out when he pitted under
safety car conditions a lap after many
drivers, leaving the Civics of Luke
Handley, Buky and Winfield in front,
before Winfield moved ahead.
Ruthless in traffic as he climbed from
a net seventh, Sheard got into second
and was nearly three seconds down with
three laps to go but reeled in Winfield
and forced the leader into a half spin
at Clearways on the final lap.
“I got a little bit excited going into the
last bend,” admitted Winfield, who still had
enough in hand to beat the oft-sideways
Ballantyne to second.
After a number of near misses, Henry
Neal secured a maiden success in the
Touring Car Trophy in his Honda Civic
Type R, when he recovered from his
typically slow start in race one to finish
ahead of James Turkington’s Cupra.
The tables were turned in race two as
Turkington was untroubled on his way
to a first outright win and the points lead.