Rackstraw pips Martin by two points in thrilling Brands Hatch Carrera Cup finale

It was a case of another year, another agonising near miss for Will Martin in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB despite a dramatic final weekend at Brands Hatch during which “all the teams were playing games” to seal the glory.

Martin and points leader Andrew Rackstraw went wheel-to-wheel at Silverstone last time out, with Rackstraw winning that battle, and there was more frantic racing in Kent.

Martin’s Eden Motorsport machine made a good start in the opener and he went three abreast with front-row qualifiers George Gamble and Sid Smith into Graham Hill Bend on the first lap. But that unsuccessful bid cost him at Hawthorn as Rackstraw squeezed his Century Porsche ahead, only for Martin to retaliate immediately at Westfield amid a fantastic scrap.

Up front, Team Parker racer Smith had usurped reigning champion Gamble on the first lap and pulled clear as Gamble attempted to back Martin into Rackstraw and the pack behind. Twice Martin made contact with Gamble’s Century Porsche but could not find a way by and instead adopted delaying tactics of his own as he also sought to force Rackstraw into the following cars.

But, with another Century team-mate, Angus Whiteside, as Rackstraw’s rear gunner, the ploy failed and Martin had to settle for third. “It was nuts at the start and it got quite tight but I came out on top,” said Martin, who narrowed the gap to his rival to seven points.

Martin was again in determined form in race two, diving ahead of Rackstraw into Druids on the first tour. But he was again thwarted in his attempts to make further progress, Pro-Am contender Max Coates (Graves Motorsport) scoring his second outright win. Martin therefore resorted to more delaying tactics and they did work this time with Gamble and Smith getting ahead of Rackstraw at Surtees.

But the South African kept calm and, with Gamble later picking up a track-limits penalty, was able to seal the title by two points. “I don’t even know what to say – it’s a roller coaster of emotions,” smiled Rackstraw. “I knew they were going to throw everything at it and they drove an exceptional race and tried everything in the rulebook. But one of my real strengths was keeping my head and staying cool. It hasn’t sunk in – this was a dream.”

While Rackstraw was jubilant, Martin was still proud of another strong campaign, admitting: “I don’t think I could’ve done any more.” But in the end it was not quite enough and Martin had to settle for second again after another memorable Carrera Cup showdown.

Bradshaw’s terrible start threatens to bite in Cayman finale

You know it was an interesting title showdown when the champion admitted they “drove like a bit of a prat” in the decider. But, despite Tom Bradshaw confessing he “made a complete hash of the start”, he did just enough to still clinch the Porsche Sprint Challenge GB spoils.

It seems a long time ago that Bradshaw enjoyed a 30-point lead and was cruising towards the crown at Silverstone. But a tough weekend in Northamptonshire threatened to derail his bid.

And his chances were further dented at Brands Hatch by Team Parker racer Joe Marshall being in sublime form. He grabbed a double pole and was largely untroubled to win all three races to do everything he could to snatch the glory away from Bradshaw.

The Toro Verde driver scored podiums in the first two bouts to carry a near-insurmountable 10-point margin into the finale. But then came his startline shocker. First, he jumped the start but had lined up so far outside of his grid box that he was able to stop his Cayman again before the lights went out and not gain an advantage, thus avoiding any sanction. In fact, he was firmly on the backfoot heading into Paddock Hill Bend and was under attack from Oliver Cottam.

There was contact that dumped Bradshaw down to fifth, but he feared the damage could prove terminal. “I thought the tracking was out and the championship was done,” he said. “The safety car came out and I got a feel for it. It felt like two hours not 20 minutes after that.”

Bradshaw did battle ahead of another title contender Jacob Tofts on the last lap to ensure he eventually prevailed by four points and could banish memories of his embarrassing first tour.

Tandy stars on Mini return while Ovenden takes the title

Ovenden scooped the biggest trophy while Tandy bagged two wins on a successful cameo

Photo by: JEP

Nick Tandy made a triumphant return to his Mini roots at Brands Hatch last weekend, winning twice on a Mini Challenge cameo, while Tom Ovenden wrapped up the title with a race to spare.

Sportscar star Tandy began his career in Ministox before competing with the Mini 7 Racing Club, but had never driven a modern JCW Mini before Friday practice. He had been called up to replace NAPA Racing’s Jamie Osborne, the former points leader still on the sidelines on medical grounds.

Tandy finished second to Excelr8’s Nathan Edwards in the opener but then battled into the lead to win the other two bouts. “Everyone expects you to come here and be competitive,” said the 2015 Le Mans victor. “But there’s more pressure here than when I drive my GTP Hypercar because that’s my comfort zone and my normal. Every session I had, I learned more. Winning is always fun!”

Ovenden, meanwhile, grabbed third in the first contest before sealing the deal in race two, which had to be restarted after a frightening Westfield roll for Harry Hickton. Ovenden lost places off the line on both occasions and settled for an ultra-cautious ninth to secure the crown. “I never thought when I joined Minis in 2021 I’d win the Cooper championship let alone the JCW title,” smiled Excelr8’s latest champion.

No trouble for McLaughlin as he seals F4 spoils

It was smooth sailing for McLaughlin as he wrapped up the title with two races to spare

Photo by: JEP

Of all the points leaders heading to Brands Hatch, British Formula 4 pacesetter Fionn McLaughlin seemingly had the most straightforward job to seal the spoils. And there were no late twists for the Irishman as he wrapped up the title with two races to spare.

But the Hitech driver only had half a point in hand at the end of race one and it had looked like he would have to wait until Sunday to be sure of the title with closest rival Jimmy Piszcyk leading and setting the fastest lap.

However, first McLaughlin and then Piszcyk’s Rodin team-mate Adam Al Azhari went quicker, and Red Bull Junior McLaughlin could celebrate. Piszcyk also bagged an untroubled victory in the finale as he finished the year on six wins, one more than McLaughlin.

In between times, Tommy Harfield continued his strong finish to the season to bag a comfortable third win in as many weekends for Chris Dittmann Racing. McLaughlin was on a charge in the early stages of the reversed-grid race and survived a lurid moment after a tap from team-mate Thomas Bearman, but then got stuck in fourth place. However, he was later promoted to another podium when Chase Fernandez’s Xcel entry was disqualified from third on eligibility grounds.

Piszcyk ended the year with two F4 wins that helped Rodin snare the teams’ title

Photo by: JEP

We want to hear from you!

– The Autosport.com Team