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The Autosport Caterham Superlight Challenge accelerated to a superbly thrilling climax at Brands Hatch this weekend, Superlight title winner Graham Fennymore putting in a champion’s drive in streaming wet conditions to win Friday’s penultimate round and Ben de Zille Butler claiming a dramatic final-race victory yesterday to be championship runner-up.

And in the R400 class, season-long rivals Jack Newland and Patrick Gormley took a win apiece with the championship crown decided in Gormley’s favour on the final lap of the year. Hyperion Motorsport meanwhile won the teams prize for the second successive year.

With championship victory already in his pocket, Oxfordshire-based Fennymore had no need for heroics in Friday’s penultimate round but produced them nonetheless, scything past pole-sitter Guy Harrington through Paddock on the third lap and into the lead despite atrociously wet conditions. He was never headed thereafter. “I like to do my own thing and lead from the front, especially in a wet race,” said Graham after collecting his sixth win of the season.

Harrington set fastest lap in his pursuit of Fennymore but had no answer to an attack from de Zille Butler at Paddock Hill Bend on lap 18, Ben sweeping past Guy to take up the cudgels and to close to within a third of a second of Fennymore by the end.

An uncharacteristic mistake from Harrington at Paddock Hill Bend two laps later dropped him to fourth behind Charles Bateman, but Guy fought back seven laps from the end to deprive his old school friend of the final place on the podium.

Bateman finished four seconds behind Harrington for fourth, ahead of Rachel Green

,(pictured with Newland) who stole fifth from Will Mitcham right on the line after pursuing him for the entire race. James Gardiner collected seventh in front of the R400s of Newland and Gormley, who battled all the way, as they have all year. Jack was a tenth ahead of his title rival at the line.

Championship newcomer Michael Moyers was a creditable 10th on his debut with Hyperion Motorsport, just ahead of his team-mates Andrew Beaumont and Bill Addison. Stuart Smith was 13th and the third-placed R400 driver, ahead of Patrick Maher, Stuart Dixon and championship returnee Doug Scott.

Friday’s results left de Zille Butler and Harrington separated by a single championship point, both men intent on ending their season as runner-up to Fennymore and knowing that a final-round victory for either driver would clinch it.

It may have been that knowledge which unsettled de Zille Butler to the point where he nearly threw away his chances. After hunting down early leader Fennymore and depriving him of top spot with a finely judged manoeuvre through Paddock and up the hill to the Druids hairpin on the third lap, Ben held on to the lead for only four laps before slithering wide at Graham Hill Bend. He kept it together and regained the circuit but by this time had slipped to fifth behind Fennymore, Harrington, Bateman and Mitcham.

With Green joining the fight before she spun exiting Clearways, it was a six-way battle for the lead for several laps. Last year’s champion Will Mitcham was on devastating form with a near-perfect set up and he held second for several laps, threatening to pass Fennymore at any moment, before gear selection problems brought about his retirement.

With Bateman fading from the chase after being overhauled by de Zille Butler, the final third of the race was a barnstorming three-way fight between leader Fennymore, Harrington and de Zille Butler, who were separated by less than a second throughout.

Ben started to make his move five laps from the end, slipping past Harrington for second through Paddock and then managing to find away past Fennymore for the lead on the penultimate lap as they exited Graham Hill Bend. Harrington tried to follow de Zille Butler through but Fennymore slammed the door shut.

And so Ben crossed the line to take a vital second UK race win of the year, and with it championship second, with Fennymore and Harrington in line astern and less than seven-tenths covering all three. “It was a difficult race and there wasn’t much grip off line, as I discovered. I made it rather hard work for myself but it’s a great end to the season,” said de Zille Butler, whose UK second complements his 2006 Eurocup championship victory.

Green battled back to fourth after her spin to finish in front of Bateman, who in turn was just ahead of the R400 title protagonists.

Newland led very nearly all the way after Gormley was swamped on the opening lap, but Pat clawed his way up through the field to latch on to Jack with 10 laps to go. Newland tried every trick in his extensive repertoire to keep Gormley at bay and managed to do so until the penultimate lap, when Gormley snuck through at Graham Hill Bend. But Newland wasn’t done yet: he tried to go around Gormley’s outside at Paddock on the final lap but lost adhesion and spun. It was Pat’s sixth class win of the season and it brought him his first Caterham racing title; Gormley’s track career started in the Academy in 2004.

Addison took eighth place in his Superlight, ahead of R400 men Smith and Maher, Scott’s Superlight and the final finisher, Dixon in his R400.

Provisional results
Round 9 Brands Hatch 20 October
32 laps / 38.37 miles
1, Graham Fennymore, Superlight, 30m 42.284s, 75.01mph
2, Ben de Zille Butler, Superlight, +0.324s
3, Guy Harrington, Superlight, +3.396s
4, Charles Bateman, Superlight, +7.394s
5, Rachel Green, Superlight, +22.284s
6, Will Mitcham, Superlight, +22.316s
R400 class winner: Jack Newland / 8th overall +52.301s
Fastest lap: Harrington 56.124s / 76.90mph (est rec)

Round 10 Brands Hatch 21 October
35 laps / 41.96 miles
1, Ben de Zille Butler, Superlight, 30m 34.159s, 82.40mph
2, Graham Fennymore, Superlight, +0.360s
3, Guy Harrington, Superlight, +0.682s
4, Rachel Green, Superlight, +17.818s
5, Charles Bateman, Superlight, +18.092s
6, Patrick Gormley, R400, +24.513s
7, Jack Newland, R400, +29.020s
Fastest lap: de Zille Butler 51.434s / 83.92mph (rec)

Graham Fennymore was today (Sun) crowned Autosport Caterham Superlight Challenge Champion for 2006, winning one of the day’s Silverstone races and finishing second in the other to clinch the title for the Hyperion Motorsport/Ambitions Racing team.

It was 41-year-old Fennymore’s second successive Caterham title – last year he won the Roadsport A crown – and adds further sheen to an illustrious racing CV which includes Formula Ford and Formula 2000 titles from the 1990s.

Graham took his fifth race win of the season today to wrap up the title battle with two rounds to spare. “It’s great to have won the championship with a meeting in hand,” he said, “and good to have finished the job with a win.” Hyperion Motorsport boss Steve Hindle praised his team leader: “Graham has driven magnificently all year and thoroughly deserves the crown. The meticulous car preparation of the Ambitions team played no small part. Everyone at Hyperion is delighted for him.”

Fennymore and his team-mate for the weekend, newly crowned Australian Formula 3 Champion Ben Clucas, were the class of the field all day, Clucas taking the honours in the treacherously slippery first race and Fennymore getting the upper hand in the dry race two.

Clucas led the opener all the way, outdragging pole-sitter Guy Harrington away from the lights to establish his command. Fennymore and Ben de Zille Butler followed him through past Harrington who, like many, had gambled on his suspension settings and found his car a real handful in the damp.

Clucas and Fennymore (pictured on the podium right with Ben De Zille Buter) duelled all the way for 30 minutes, the gap between them never more than a second, and left their rivals trailing. “It was a difficult race,” said Ben, whose triumph was a repeat of his 2005 Caterham Eurocup victories at the Nürburgring. “I think Graham’s car was probably a bit quicker than mine and he got a bit close at times.”

de Zille Butler, unhappy in the greasy but not fully wet conditions, was a distant third but nearly a full minute ahead of fourth placed Harrington, who did well to fight back to fourth after losing four places with a mid-race spin. Outgoing champion Will Mitcham was fifth ahead of Nick Payne, Charles Bateman and James Gardiner.

Ninth, and the R400 class leader from start to finish, was Pat Gormley, with Rachel Green – her Superlight another with severe handling problems – 10th and Jack Newland 11th in his R400.

The track was bone dry for race two and Fennymore took full advantage of the better conditions to put in his championship-clinching performance. He took the lead from pole man Clucas on the opening lap and never looked in serious danger of losing top spot.

Clucas slipped to fourth behind Harrington and de Zille Butler at the start and it took him six laps to fight his way back to second. Ben wasted no time in closing down Fennymore but could do nothing about stealing victory; he was 1.1s behind at the chequered flag.

Said Clucas: “I’ve enjoyed my weekend tremendously – there’s a heck of a lot more overtaking than in Formula 3!”

Fennymore was delighted with his win: “I made a good start and was able to make a bit of a break. Then, fortunately for me, I think Ben and Guy held each other up a bit for a while.”

Harrington’s hopes of keeping the title battle alive were thwarted by late-race fuel surge, but he held on to third ahead of de Zille Butler and Mitcham, Will hampered by the early loss of fourth gear.

There was a race-long battle for sixth between Green, Payne, Gardiner and Bateman. Rachel lost ground after getting caught behind a back-marker under a yellow no-passing flag, with Bateman overhauling Payne to snatch sixth in the closing laps. Gardiner claimed seventh, Payne(pictured) eighth and Green ninth.

Newland and Gormley fought hammer-and-tong for R400 class victory for 30 minutes, veteran Jack edging his rival at the line by half a second. “I had to go for the win to keep the championship fight alive… It was a great, clean race and I enjoyed every minute of it.”

Jack and Pat head for the final rounds, at Brands Hatch next month, tied on points for the championship lead.

*Next weekend at Monza, Superlight racers Harrington, de Zille Butler, Bateman and others go head to head once more in pursuit of the Autosport Caterham Eurocup championship title. de Zille Butler leads the way to Italy thanks to race victories at Donington, Estoril and Spa-Francorchamps, with Team Parker’s Ted Murray his closest points rival.

Provisional results
Round 7 Silverstone 24 September
16 laps / 35.98 miles
1, Ben Clucas, Superlight, 30m 19.781s, 71.28mph
2, Graham Fennymore, Superlight, +1.053s
3, Ben de Zille Butler, Superlight, +25.749s
4, Guy Harrington, Superlight, +1m 16.384s
5, Will Mitcham, Superlight, +1m 21.149s
6, Nick Payne, Superlight, +1m 22.043s
R400 class winner: Pat Gormley / 9th overall +1m 31.760s
Fastest lap: Fennymore 1m 51.609s / 72.54mph (est rec)

Round 8 Silverstone 24 September
20 laps / 44.98 miles
1, Graham Fennymore, Superlight, 30m 41.641s, 88.02mph
2, Ben Clucas, Superlight, +1.132s
3, Guy Harrington, Superlight, +2.377s
4, Ben de Zille Butler, Superlight, +13.523s
5, Will Mitcham, Superlight, +29.987s
6, Charles Bateman, Superlight, +42.632s
R400 class winner: Jack Newland / 10th overall +53.803s
Fastest lap: Harrington 1m 31.117s / 88.85mph (rec)

Full results http://www.msttiming.com/meeting.asp?source=bf3gt2006&event=63805

Provisional championship standings
Superlight 1 Fennymore 157 points; 2 Harrington 138; 3 de Zille Butler 126; 4 Bateman 115; 5 Rachel Green 106; 6 Mitcham 104 etc.
R400 1= Gormley & Newland 152; 3 Patrick Maher 124 etc.

Final rounds: Brands Hatch, 20/21 October.

Graham Fennymore (above left with De Zille- Butler)returned to winning ways yesterday (Sun) at Brands Hatch, claiming victory in both of the day’s Autosport Caterham Superlight Challenge events to strengthen his championship lead.

Race one brought him a crushing 8.5-second win over his rivals, but in race two Fennymore was made to work every inch of the way by a determined Ben de Zille Butler, who was just four-hundredths of a second behind at the line.

In the R400 class, Patrick Gormley and Jack Newland shared the victory spoils.

Fennymore’s third win of the year for the Ambitions/Hyperion Motorsport team was a supreme effort by the Oxfordshire man, who led away from pole position and made steady progress to build an unassailable lead while his rivals squabbled over second.

Guy Harrington, de Zille Butler and Charles Bateman were the protagonists for the runner-up spot and, while they battled – too closely, on at least one occasion – Fennymore was able to make hay. By mid distance Graham was three seconds in front and, even though he was troubled by overheating brakes in the late stages, he was able to stretch his advantage to 8.5s by the fall of the chequered flag.

Said Fennymore: “There’s not much to report really! It was all pretty straightforward; the car was great and I was delighted that the others were battling with each other rather than chasing me…”

Harrington (below)was left out on his own in second place when, on unlucky lap 13, de Zille Butler and Bateman made contact through Paddock Hill Bend. They both spun through the gravel but were able to continue, race stewards later deeming the clash ‘a racing incident’.

de Zille Butler lost the most ground, slumping to sixth, and he did well to haul his way back to fourth by the penultimate lap, right behind Bateman. Into Paddock for the final time Ben sliced past Charles to secure the final podium slot.

Nick Payne got the better of a long fight with Will Mitcham to follow Bateman home for fifth, with a grip-less Will Mitcham collecting sixth after a duel with Rachel Green, who slipped to seventh with a moment at Paddock. Andrew Beaumont placed eighth.

The R400 class battle was a cracker, with Gormley closing down early leader Newland to pass him on the seventh lap. Gormley finished nine seconds ahead of Newland, with Sarah Reader collecting class third after overcoming engine problems in qualifying.

Championship debutant Gary Halcrow, who swapped his race-winning Roadsport for a Superlight for the weekend, was 11th overall, just ahead of Reader, and Bill Addison placed 13th. Tony Poole and James Gardiner both suffered off-track moments, Gardiner forced to retire with fluid leaks after his trip through a gravel trap.

There was no chance of Fennymore being allowed to run away with things in race two, de Zille Butler giving chase from the second lap after disposing of Harrington. Ben whittled the leader’s advantage down from 1 second to two-tenths within the space of six laps and then proceeded to try everything he knew to find a way past.

It was to no avail; Fennymore had the answer to everything de Zille Butler could throw at him and, despite Graham committing a couple of forced errors on the last lap, still managed to stay a nose in front. Ben smashed his own circuit lap record on that final tour and closed to 0.037s at the line. “I put everything into that last lap,” said de Zille Butler, “but it wasn’t quite enough…”

Harrington was a lonely third and Bateman an equally solitary fourth, with Mitcham once again getting the better of Green to take fifth. Payne finished behind Rachel for seventh, ahead of Halcrow, Gardiner and Beaumont. Bill Addison was the final Superlight finisher.

Mechanical problems hobbled Gormley’s pace; he had led the R400 class for six laps after catching and passing Newland, but dropped to dead last and handed Jack the class victory and a slender class points lead. Reader took second among the R400s and Stuart Smith third ahead of Patrick Maher and Gormley.

Provisional results
Round 5 Brands Hatch 27 August
19 laps / 43.72 miles
1     Graham Fennymore Superlight 31m 21.809s 83.68mph
2     Guy Harrington    Superlight +8.478s
3     Ben de Zille Butler     Superlight +18.330s
4     Charles Bateman   Superlight +18.557s
5     Nick Payne Superlight +19.833s
6     Will Mitcham      Superlight +20.601s
R400 class winner: Patrick Gormley / 9th +31.217s
Fastest lap: de Zille Butler 1m 38.082s / 84.45mph (est rec)

Round 6 Brands Hatch 27 August
19 laps / 43.72 miles
1     Graham Fennymore Superlight 31m 14.450s 84.01mph
2     Ben de Zille Butler     Superlight +0.037s
3     Guy Harrington    Superlight +12.910s
4     Charles Bateman   Superlight +16.911s
5     Will Mitcham      Superlight +26.059s
6     Rachel Green      Superlight +26.075s
R400 class winner: Jack Newland / 11th +48.102s
Fastest lap: de Zille Butler 1m 37.614s / 84.86mph (rec)

Full results http://www.msttiming.com/meeting.asp?source=bf3gt2006&event=63405

Provisional championship standings
Superlight 1 Fennymore 118 points; 2 Harrington 103; 3 de Zille Butler 93; 4 Bateman 88; 5 Green 84; 6 Mitcham 74 etc.
R400 1 Newland 113; 2 Gormley 112; 3 Patrick Maher 94 etc.

IA brace of superbly exciting Autosport Caterham Superlight Challenge races brought the Snetterton circuit alive this weekend (15/16 July), with youngster Guy Harrington (above) claiming his maiden championship win in race one and Ben de Zille Butler staging a dramatic back-to-front victory in race two.

Saturday’s barnstorming third round of the championship provided a fascinating battle between youth and experience, with 19-year-old championship newcomers Harrington and Charles Bateman taking on their 40-something rivals Graham Fennymore and Simon Crompton at the front of the field.

Fennymore might have been forgiven for thinking he had the race in the bag after early pacesetter de Zille Butler dropped out with clutch problems, but Graham’s 2.3-second lead over Harrington dwindled to nothing as the youngster banged in fastest lap after fastest lap. By mid-distance Harrington was right on Fennymore’s tail and the scene was set for a dramatic fight all the way to the flag.

Lap after lap they traded top spot, with Derbyshire driver Harrington placing himself perfectly for a last-lap run on his rival. “Neither of us wanted to lead going into that final lap,” said Guy, “because we knew that the second-placed man would have the advantage in the final corners.” Harrington timed his lunge to perfection and led the championship leader and double Donington victor over the line by a three-tenth margin. “It was too close to call – could have gone either way,” he added.

“I’m quite content with second,” said Bicester-based Fennymore, “and happy to have made it safely to the end without risking my car.”

Behind the lead battle there was an equally furious race-long dice for third between Tunbridge Wells-based Crompton and Bateman, with Lincolnshire lad Charles pulling off a dramatic last-lap manoeuvre on his wily rival to beat him to the line by 0.3s. “We were fighting all the way,” said Bateman, “and it was a case of having to time it right.”

Newmarket’s Kevin Williams put his local knowledge to excellent use on his first outing at the wheel of a new Superlight to beat James Gardiner to fifth, with Rachel Green taking seventh, disappointed not to have been able to capitalise on a good start because of a down-on-power engine. Bill Addison claimed eighth to score his best result of the season.

Ninth overall, and the leading R400 finisher for the third race in succession, was Londoner Patrick Gormley, with another R400 man, Jack Newland, 10th ahead of the Superlights of Daniel Mitchell and Andrew Beaumont. Mitchell was delayed by a clash at Riches Corner with Matt Blyth while they disputed seventh place; Blyth retired with accident damage.

Williams aside it was a bad day for the local men, with reigning champion Will Mitcham joining fellow Bury St Edmunds resident de Zille Butler in retirement. Will’s problem – his first-ever mechanical retirement in a Caterham – was gearbox related. Newmarket’s Tony Poole was sidelined early on from fifth spot with a holed radiator.

Andy Herring, who builds the Cosworth power units which propel the Superlight, made his championship debut, finishing 11th in class.

The prospects for Sunday’s race couldn’t have been brighter, with three local talents – de Zille Butler, Mitcham and Poole – starting from the back of the grid after their first-race problems, and the bumper Norfolk crowd was not to be disappointed.

For while Harrington and Fennymore resumed their battle at the front the spectacle of the back-row starters scything through the pack kept all enthralled. de Zille Butler was on a mission from the green light, disposing of nine cars on the opening lap and making it up to eighth on lap two.

On lap three he shattered the lap record established the previous day by Fennymore and by lap four Ben was up to third and closing in on Fennymore and Crompton, clearly in no mood to be prevented from even greater things.

It took Ben only a further four laps to make it to the front, and from then until the 24th and final tour the three of them battled furiously for the win. The decisive move came from de Zille Butler within sight of the chequered flag when he sliced up the inside of Harrington into the Russell chicane.

At the line Harrington trailed him by just five-hundredths, with Fennymore only half a second adrift of the victor to take third. ‘That was a hard fight,’ said Ben, ‘and I’m delighted to have won it. It goes some way towards making up for the disappointment of the first race.’

Crompton was part of the fight for several laps but faded in the late stages, collecting fourth ahead of Gardiner and the understeering car of Bateman. Mitcham too charged from the back to take seventh, ahead of Green, Williams – who was delayed by a second-lap spin – and Newland, who was a clear R400 class victor after Gormley was forced to make a pit stop. Mitchell and Beaumont completed the top 12.

A late-race collision between Blyth and Poole as they disputed seventh saw Matt’s car spin off the circuit at the Esses and Poole forced to the pits for a safety check.

Harrington, Bateman, de Zille Butler, Crompton and others will be back in action at the Portuguese Grand Prix circuit of Estoril next weekend (22/23 July) in rounds five and six of the Autosport Caterham Eurocup.

* Reigning Cosworth Caterham Masters champion Jon Barnes was in action at Snetterton also, winning both rounds of the Formula Palmer Audi championship.

Provisional results
Round 3 Snetterton 15 July
24 laps / 46.85 miles
1, Guy Harrington, Superlight, 30m 44.721s, 91.42mph
2, Graham Fennymore, Superlight, +0.293s
3, Charles Bateman, Superlight, +18.339s
4, Simon Crompton, Superlight, +18.636s
5, Kevin Williams, Superlight, +19.076s
6, James Gardiner, Superlight, +23.235s
R400 class winner: Pat Gormley / 9th +35.807s
Fastest lap: Fennymore 1m 15.798s / 92.71mph (est rec)

Round 4 Snetterton 16 July
24 laps / 46.85 miles
1, Ben de Zille Butler, Superlight, 30m 40.693s, 91.62mph
2, Guy Harrington, Superlight, +0.056s
3, Graham Fennymore, Superlight, +0.504s
4, Simon Crompton, Superlight, +5.476s
5, James Gardiner, Superlight, +17.269s
6, Charles Bateman, Superlight, +17.272s
R400 class winner: Jack Newland / 10th +39.875s
Fastest lap: de Zille Butler 1m 15.282s / 93.34mph (rec)

Provisional championship standings
Superlight 1 Fennymore 77 points; 2 Harrington 68; 3 Crompton 61; 4 Rachel Green 57; =5 de Zille Butler & Bateman 56 etc
R400 1 Gormley 76; 2 Newland 73; 3 Stuart Dixon 66 etc

Next rounds: 26/27 August Brands Hatch

Twin wins in the driving rain this weekend (20/21 May) brought Graham Fennymore and his Ambitions Racing Team a slender early points lead in the Autosport Caterham Superlight Challenge.

Fennymore, a winner nine times from 10 starts last year on his way to the Caterham Roadsport A crown, made the most of the tricky conditions to claim what were the maiden UK championship wins for the new Cosworth-powered Caterham. Patrick Gormley, meanwhile, was the weekend’s double victor in the R400 class.

A sudden change in the weather did its best to dampen proceedings in Saturday’s opener, but the Superlights nevertheless staged a superb show in the driving rain with a four-car battle for victory for much of the race and several changes of lead.

Oxfordshire-based Fennymore was a deserving but slightly fortunate victor, race-stopping red flags bringing a premature end to proceedings after a deluge had sent him, and others, careering off the track.

Graham’s Hyperion Motorsport-prepared machine started from the pole and he made an excellent start to the race in the dry, but when the heavens opened on lap two Fennymore was powerless to prevent a determined Rachel Green

(below)and her Fauldsport Superlight from seizing the lead.

Rachel stayed in front for two laps before Fennymore managed to fight back to the top, Graham then pulling out a second’s gap as Rachel fought off the attentions of reigning champion Will Mitcham and Ben de Zille Butler.

A fascinating battle was brought to a premature close by the rain which, on the 16th lap, became a deluge. Both Green and de Zille Butler slithered off track, Rachel slipping to third and Ben to eighth, as Fennymore struggled not only to keep his lead but also simply to stay on the track. Race organisers decided that enough was enough.

“At the moment the red flags came out I was slithering through the gravel trap at Old Hall corner,” said Fennymore. “I was so glad to see them. My car was set up for the dry, and it was just about undrivable.”

Red flag regulations require the results to be wound back a lap, so Hertfordshire’s Green was classified second and Suffolk racers Mitcham and de Zille Butler third and fourth respectively. “The conditions were crazy,” said Rachel, “I just had to let Graham go and concentrate on staying on the circuit. I was absolutely delighted when they stopped the race.”

The only man not pleased was Mitcham(right):

“First Rachel went off, then Graham, and that put me in front… Then out came the red flags. It’s disappointing but that’s the way it goes.”

Londoner Mike Cantillon claimed fifth, just ahead of his Team Parker Racing team-mate Charles Bateman (Boston), who drove well from 16th on the grid after gearbox problems in qualifying. Guy Harrington was seventh despite gear selection problems, with Simon Crompton, James Gardiner, Tony Poole and Jamie Constable rounding out the top 11. Patrick Gormley was 12th overall and the leading finisher in the R400 class.

Sunday’s race was no drier but at least the competitors were this time prepared for the worst. Fennymore found his car’s handling much more to his liking and was able once more to romp into an early lead, pursued by Green.

But some pre-race modifications to Rachel’s car left her struggling to match Fennymore’s pace. In successive laps she was demoted by Crompton, de Zille Butler and Cantillon and found herself powerless to fight back.

Mitcham and Harrington soon joined the frontrunning fray to make it six-way battle for victory for several laps, until Cantillon spun at Redgate Corner and slipped back, joining Green in a battle for sixth which would endure to the flag. Crompton, Fennymore and de Zille Butler traded the lead lap after lap and, as so often is the case in Caterham racing, the dispute wasn’t settled until the final corner.

But Fennymore had an answer to everything his trio of rivals could throw at him and emerged in front to cross the line less than two-tenths ahead of de Zille Butler. “My plan was to leave things till late and then to have a go,” said Ben, “but Graham got the better of me.”

Said Fennymore: “It was a really difficult race because the conditions were changing by the lap. Ben had a good go at me on the last lap but I managed to fend him off. The new car is absolutely great, and I’m loving having so much power under my right foot.”

Tunbridge Wells-based Crompton was delighted with third, his best ever UK championship result: “I had a very bad qualifying and struggled in the first race. Everything came together for me this time though.” Harrington was similarly pleased with his fourth spot, half a second behind the winner.

Like Green, Mitcham made some set-up changes to his car which did not help him in the driving rain; he finished fifth, with Cantillon beating Green to sixth. Gardiner was eighth on home ground and Londoner Gormley an excellent ninth to once again claim the R400 class honours.

Bateman found himself languishing down in 18th on the opening lap after stalling away from the line; his fight back to 10th by flag fall was a highlight of the race.

Provisional results
Round 1 Donington Park 20 May
15 laps/29.4 miles
1, Graham Fennymore, Superlight, 23m 19.621s, 75.43mph
2, Rachel Green, Superlight, +2.241s
3, Will Mitcham, Superlight, +5.814s
4, Ben de Zille Butler, Superlight, +7.320s
5, Mike Cantillon, Superlight, +13.645s
6, Charles Bateman, Superlight, +18.083s
R400 class winner: Patrick Gormley +48.226s
Fastest lap: Green 1m 19.391s / 88.75mph (est rec)

Round 2 Donington Park 21 May
19 laps/37.2 miles
1, Graham Fennymore, Superlight, 30m 14.299s, 73.73mph
2, Ben de Zille Butler, Superlight, +0.187s
3, Simon Crompton, Superlight, +0.499s
4, Guy Harrington, Superlight, +0.603s
5, Will Mitcham, Superlight, +15.739s
6, Mike Cantillon, Superlight, +19.798s
R400 class winner: Patrick Gormley +34.596s
Fastest lap: Harrington 1m 33.078s / 75.70mph

Full results http://www.msttiming.com/meeting.asp?source=bf3gt2006&event=62005

Provisional championship standings
Superlight 1 Fennymore 40 points; 2 de Zille Butler 34; 3 Mitcham 32; 4 Green, 31 etc.
R400 1 Gormley 40; 2 Paul Jepson 35; 3 Jack Newland 33 etc.

Backers for Caterham Motorsport’s UK and European race series include Autosport, Bilstein, Brian James Trailers, Caged, Cheesman Products, Comma, Cosworth, Cooper-Avon Tyres, Demon Tweeks, evo, HSBC Insurance Brokers, Mitchell Cotts, Motorsport News and Stack.
Next rounds: Snetterton, 15/16 July.

pic: Chris Schotanus - Imagevaults

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E mail the editorthegrid@yahoo.co.uk for details *Autosport Caterham Superlight Challenge* Backers for Caterham Motorsport’s UK and European race series include Autosport, Bilstein, Brian James Trailers, Caged, Cheesman Products, Comma, Cosworth, Cooper-Avon Tyres, Demon Tweeks, evo, HSBC Insurance Brokers, Mitchell Cotts, Motorsport News and Stack. FENNYMORE & DE ZILLE BUTLER ON TOP AT BRANDS The Autosport Caterham Superlight Challenge accelerated to a superbly thrilling climax at Brands Hatch this weekend, Superlight title winner Graham Fennymore putting in a champion’s drive in streaming wet conditions to win Friday’s penultimate round and Ben de Zille Butler claiming a dramatic final-race victory yesterday to be championship runner-up. And in the R400 class, season-long rivals Jack Newland and Patrick Gormley took a win apiece with the championship crown decided in Gormley’s favour on the final lap of the year. Hyperion Motorsport meanwhile won the teams prize for the second successive year. With championship victory already in his pocket, Oxfordshire-based Fennymore had no need for heroics in Friday’s penultimate round but produced them nonetheless, scything past pole-sitter Guy Harrington through Paddock on the third lap and into the lead despite atrociously wet conditions. He was never headed thereafter. “I like to do my own thing and lead from the front, especially in a wet race,” said Graham after collecting his sixth win of the season. Harrington set fastest lap in his pursuit of Fennymore but had no answer to an attack from de Zille Butler at Paddock Hill Bend on lap 18, Ben sweeping past Guy to take up the cudgels and to close to within a third of a second of Fennymore by the end. An uncharacteristic mistake from Harrington at Paddock Hill Bend two laps later dropped him to fourth behind Charles Bateman, but Guy fought back seven laps from the end to deprive his old school friend of the final place on the podium. Bateman finished four seconds behind Harrington for fourth, ahead of Rachel Green,(pictured with Newland) who stole fifth from Will Mitcham right on the line after pursuing him for the entire race. James Gardiner collected seventh in front of the R400s of Newland and Gormley, who battled all the way, as they have all year. Jack was a tenth ahead of his title rival at the line. Championship newcomer Michael Moyers was a creditable 10th on his debut with Hyperion Motorsport, just ahead of his team-mates Andrew Beaumont and Bill Addison. Stuart Smith was 13th and the third-placed R400 driver, ahead of Patrick Maher, Stuart Dixon and championship returnee Doug Scott. Friday’s results left de Zille Butler and Harrington separated by a single championship point, both men intent on ending their season as runner-up to Fennymore and knowing that a final-round victory for either driver would clinch it. It may have been that knowledge which unsettled de Zille Butler to the point where he nearly threw away his chances. After hunting down early leader Fennymore and depriving him of top spot with a finely judged manoeuvre through Paddock and up the hill to the Druids hairpin on the third lap, Ben held on to the lead for only four laps before slithering wide at Graham Hill Bend. He kept it together and regained the circuit but by this time had slipped to fifth behind Fennymore, Harrington, Bateman and Mitcham. With Green joining the fight before she spun exiting Clearways, it was a six-way battle for the lead for several laps. Last year’s champion Will Mitcham was on devastating form with a near-perfect set up and he held second for several laps, threatening to pass Fennymore at any moment, before gear selection problems brought about his retirement. With Bateman fading from the chase after being overhauled by de Zille Butler, the final third of the race was a barnstorming three-way fight between leader Fennymore, Harrington and de Zille Butler, who were separated by less than a second throughout. Ben started to make his move five laps from the end, slipping past Harrington for second through Paddock and then managing to find away past Fennymore for the lead on the penultimate lap as they exited Graham Hill Bend. Harrington tried to follow de Zille Butler through but Fennymore slammed the door shut. And so Ben crossed the line to take a vital second UK race win of the year, and with it championship second, with Fennymore and Harrington in line astern and less than seven-tenths covering all three. “It was a difficult race and there wasn’t much grip off line, as I discovered. I made it rather hard work for myself but it’s a great end to the season,” said de Zille Butler, whose UK second complements his 2006 Eurocup championship victory. Green battled back to fourth after her spin to finish in front of Bateman, who in turn was just ahead of the R400 title protagonists. Newland led very nearly all the way after Gormley was swamped on the opening lap, but Pat clawed his way up through the field to latch on to Jack with 10 laps to go. Newland tried every trick in his extensive repertoire to keep Gormley at bay and managed to do so until the penultimate lap, when Gormley snuck through at Graham Hill Bend. But Newland wasn’t done yet: he tried to go around Gormley’s outside at Paddock on the final lap but lost adhesion and spun. It was Pat’s sixth class win of the season and it brought him his first Caterham racing title; Gormley’s track career started in the Academy in 2004. Addison took eighth place in his Superlight, ahead of R400 men Smith and Maher, Scott’s Superlight and the final finisher, Dixon in his R400. Provisional results Round 9 Brands Hatch 20 October 32 laps / 38.37 miles 1, Graham Fennymore, Superlight, 30m 42.284s, 75.01mph 2, Ben de Zille Butler, Superlight, +0.324s 3, Guy Harrington, Superlight, +3.396s 4, Charles Bateman, Superlight, +7.394s 5, Rachel Green, Superlight, +22.284s 6, Will Mitcham, Superlight, +22.316s R400 class winner: Jack Newland / 8th overall +52.301s Fastest lap: Harrington 56.124s / 76.90mph (est rec) Round 10 Brands Hatch 21 October 35 laps / 41.96 miles 1, Ben de Zille Butler, Superlight, 30m 34.159s, 82.40mph 2, Graham Fennymore, Superlight, +0.360s 3, Guy Harrington, Superlight, +0.682s 4, Rachel Green, Superlight, +17.818s 5, Charles Bateman, Superlight, +18.092s 6, Patrick Gormley, R400, +24.513s 7, Jack Newland, R400, +29.020s Fastest lap: de Zille Butler 51.434s / 83.92mph (rec) FENNYMORE TAKES SUPERLIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP VICTORY Graham Fennymore was today (Sun) crowned Autosport Caterham Superlight Challenge Champion for 2006, winning one of the day’s Silverstone races and finishing second in the other to clinch the title for the Hyperion Motorsport/Ambitions Racing team. It was 41-year-old Fennymore’s second successive Caterham title – last year he won the Roadsport A crown – and adds further sheen to an illustrious racing CV which includes Formula Ford and Formula 2000 titles from the 1990s. Graham took his fifth race win of the season today to wrap up the title battle with two rounds to spare. “It’s great to have won the championship with a meeting in hand,” he said, “and good to have finished the job with a win.” Hyperion Motorsport boss Steve Hindle praised his team leader: “Graham has driven magnificently all year and thoroughly deserves the crown. The meticulous car preparation of the Ambitions team played no small part. Everyone at Hyperion is delighted for him.” Fennymore and his team-mate for the weekend, newly crowned Australian Formula 3 Champion Ben Clucas, were the class of the field all day, Clucas taking the honours in the treacherously slippery first race and Fennymore getting the upper hand in the dry race two. Clucas led the opener all the way, outdragging pole-sitter Guy Harrington away from the lights to establish his command. Fennymore and Ben de Zille Butler followed him through past Harrington who, like many, had gambled on his suspension settings and found his car a real handful in the damp. Clucas and Fennymore (pictured on the podium right with Ben De Zille Buter) duelled all the way for 30 minutes, the gap between them never more than a second, and left their rivals trailing. “It was a difficult race,” said Ben, whose triumph was a repeat of his 2005 Caterham Eurocup victories at the Nürburgring. “I think Graham’s car was probably a bit quicker than mine and he got a bit close at times.” de Zille Butler, unhappy in the greasy but not fully wet conditions, was a distant third but nearly a full minute ahead of fourth placed Harrington, who did well to fight back to fourth after losing four places with a mid-race spin. Outgoing champion Will Mitcham was fifth ahead of Nick Payne, Charles Bateman and James Gardiner. Ninth, and the R400 class leader from start to finish, was Pat Gormley, with Rachel Green – her Superlight another with severe handling problems – 10th and Jack Newland 11th in his R400. The track was bone dry for race two and Fennymore took full advantage of the better conditions to put in his championship-clinching performance. He took the lead from pole man Clucas on the opening lap and never looked in serious danger of losing top spot. Clucas slipped to fourth behind Harrington and de Zille Butler at the start and it took him six laps to fight his way back to second. Ben wasted no time in closing down Fennymore but could do nothing about stealing victory; he was 1.1s behind at the chequered flag. Said Clucas: “I’ve enjoyed my weekend tremendously – there’s a heck of a lot more overtaking than in Formula 3!” Fennymore was delighted with his win: “I made a good start and was able to make a bit of a break. Then, fortunately for me, I think Ben and Guy held each other up a bit for a while.” Harrington’s hopes of keeping the title battle alive were thwarted by late-race fuel surge, but he held on to third ahead of de Zille Butler and Mitcham, Will hampered by the early loss of fourth gear. There was a race-long battle for sixth between Green, Payne, Gardiner and Bateman. Rachel lost ground after getting caught behind a back-marker under a yellow no-passing flag, with Bateman overhauling Payne to snatch sixth in the closing laps. Gardiner claimed seventh, Payne(pictured) eighth and Green ninth. Newland and Gormley fought hammer-and-tong for R400 class victory for 30 minutes, veteran Jack edging his rival at the line by half a second. “I had to go for the win to keep the championship fight alive… It was a great, clean race and I enjoyed every minute of it.” Jack and Pat head for the final rounds, at Brands Hatch next month, tied on points for the championship lead. Next weekend at Monza,* Superlight racers Harrington, de Zille Butler, Bateman and others go head to head once more in pursuit of the Autosport Caterham Eurocup championship title. de Zille Butler leads the way to Italy thanks to race victories at Donington, Estoril and Spa-Francorchamps, with Team Parker’s Ted Murray his closest points rival. Provisional results Round 7 Silverstone 24 September 16 laps / 35.98 miles 1, Ben Clucas, Superlight, 30m 19.781s, 71.28mph 2, Graham Fennymore, Superlight, +1.053s 3, Ben de Zille Butler, Superlight, +25.749s 4, Guy Harrington, Superlight, +1m 16.384s 5, Will Mitcham, Superlight, +1m 21.149s 6, Nick Payne, Superlight, +1m 22.043s R400 class winner: Pat Gormley / 9th overall +1m 31.760s Fastest lap: Fennymore 1m 51.609s / 72.54mph (est rec) Round 8 Silverstone 24 September 20 laps / 44.98 miles 1, Graham Fennymore, Superlight, 30m 41.641s, 88.02mph 2, Ben Clucas, Superlight, +1.132s 3, Guy Harrington, Superlight, +2.377s 4, Ben de Zille Butler, Superlight, +13.523s 5, Will Mitcham, Superlight, +29.987s 6, Charles Bateman, Superlight, +42.632s R400 class winner: Jack Newland / 10th overall +53.803s Fastest lap: Harrington 1m 31.117s / 88.85mph (rec) Full results http://www.msttiming.com/meeting.asp?source=bf3gt2006&event=63805 Provisional championship standings Superlight 1 Fennymore 157 points; 2 Harrington 138; 3 de Zille Butler 126; 4 Bateman 115; 5 Rachel Green 106; 6 Mitcham 104 etc. R400 1= Gormley & Newland 152; 3 Patrick Maher 124 etc. Final rounds: Brands Hatch, 20/21 October. Pics : Dave Ayres FENNYMORE ON THE DOUBLE AT BRANDS HATCH Graham Fennymore (above left with De Zille- Butler)returned to winning ways yesterday (Sun) at Brands Hatch, claiming victory in both of the day’s Autosport Caterham Superlight Challenge events to strengthen his championship lead. Race one brought him a crushing 8.5-second win over his rivals, but in race two Fennymore was made to work every inch of the way by a determined Ben de Zille Butler, who was just four-hundredths of a second behind at the line. In the R400 class, Patrick Gormley and Jack Newland shared the victory spoils. Fennymore’s third win of the year for the Ambitions/Hyperion Motorsport team was a supreme effort by the Oxfordshire man, who led away from pole position and made steady progress to build an unassailable lead while his rivals squabbled over second. Guy Harrington, de Zille Butler and Charles Bateman were the protagonists for the runner-up spot and, while they battled – too closely, on at least one occasion – Fennymore was able to make hay. By mid distance Graham was three seconds in front and, even though he was troubled by overheating brakes in the late stages, he was able to stretch his advantage to 8.5s by the fall of the chequered flag. Said Fennymore: “There’s not much to report really! It was all pretty straightforward; the car was great and I was delighted that the others were battling with each other rather than chasing me…” Harrington (below)was left out on his own in second place when, on unlucky lap 13, de Zille Butler and Bateman made contact through Paddock Hill Bend. They both spun through the gravel but were able to continue, race stewards later deeming the clash ‘a racing incident’. de Zille Butler lost the most ground, slumping to sixth, and he did well to haul his way back to fourth by the penultimate lap, right behind Bateman. Into Paddock for the final time Ben sliced past Charles to secure the final podium slot. Nick Payne got the better of a long fight with Will Mitcham to follow Bateman home for fifth, with a grip-less Will Mitcham collecting sixth after a duel with Rachel Green, who slipped to seventh with a moment at Paddock. Andrew Beaumont placed eighth. The R400 class battle was a cracker, with Gormley closing down early leader Newland to pass him on the seventh lap. Gormley finished nine seconds ahead of Newland, with Sarah Reader collecting class third after overcoming engine problems in qualifying. Championship debutant Gary Halcrow, who swapped his race-winning Roadsport for a Superlight for the weekend, was 11th overall, just ahead of Reader, and Bill Addison placed 13th. Tony Poole and James Gardiner both suffered off-track moments, Gardiner forced to retire with fluid leaks after his trip through a gravel trap. There was no chance of Fennymore being allowed to run away with things in race two, de Zille Butler giving chase from the second lap after disposing of Harrington. Ben whittled the leader’s advantage down from 1 second to two-tenths within the space of six laps and then proceeded to try everything he knew to find a way past. It was to no avail; Fennymore had the answer to everything de Zille Butler could throw at him and, despite Graham committing a couple of forced errors on the last lap, still managed to stay a nose in front. Ben smashed his own circuit lap record on that final tour and closed to 0.037s at the line. “I put everything into that last lap,” said de Zille Butler, “but it wasn’t quite enough…” Harrington was a lonely third and Bateman an equally solitary fourth, with Mitcham once again getting the better of Green to take fifth. Payne finished behind Rachel for seventh, ahead of Halcrow, Gardiner and Beaumont. Bill Addison was the final Superlight finisher. Mechanical problems hobbled Gormley’s pace; he had led the R400 class for six laps after catching and passing Newland, but dropped to dead last and handed Jack the class victory and a slender class points lead. Reader took second among the R400s and Stuart Smith third ahead of Patrick Maher and Gormley. Provisional results Round 5 Brands Hatch 27 August 19 laps / 43.72 miles 1 Graham Fennymore Superlight 31m 21.809s 83.68mph 2 Guy Harrington Superlight +8.478s 3 Ben de Zille Butler Superlight +18.330s 4 Charles Bateman Superlight +18.557s 5 Nick Payne Superlight +19.833s 6 Will Mitcham Superlight +20.601s R400 class winner: Patrick Gormley / 9th +31.217s Fastest lap: de Zille Butler 1m 38.082s / 84.45mph (est rec) Round 6 Brands Hatch 27 August 19 laps / 43.72 miles 1 Graham Fennymore Superlight 31m 14.450s 84.01mph 2 Ben de Zille Butler Superlight +0.037s 3 Guy Harrington Superlight +12.910s 4 Charles Bateman Superlight +16.911s 5 Will Mitcham Superlight +26.059s 6 Rachel Green Superlight +26.075s R400 class winner: Jack Newland / 11th +48.102s Fastest lap: de Zille Butler 1m 37.614s / 84.86mph (rec) Full results http://www.msttiming.com/meeting.asp?source=bf3gt2006&event=63405 Provisional championship standings Superlight 1 Fennymore 118 points; 2 Harrington 103; 3 de Zille Butler 93; 4 Bateman 88; 5 Green 84; 6 Mitcham 74 etc. R400 1 Newland 113; 2 Gormley 112; 3 Patrick Maher 94 etc. VICTORIES FOR HARRINGTON & DE ZILLE BUTLER AT SNETTERTON IA brace of superbly exciting Autosport Caterham Superlight Challenge races brought the Snetterton circuit alive this weekend (15/16 July), with youngster Guy Harrington (above) claiming his maiden championship win in race one and Ben de Zille Butler staging a dramatic back-to-front victory in race two. Saturday’s barnstorming third round of the championship provided a fascinating battle between youth and experience, with 19-year-old championship newcomers Harrington and Charles Bateman taking on their 40-something rivals Graham Fennymore and Simon Crompton at the front of the field. Fennymore might have been forgiven for thinking he had the race in the bag after early pacesetter de Zille Butler dropped out with clutch problems, but Graham’s 2.3-second lead over Harrington dwindled to nothing as the youngster banged in fastest lap after fastest lap. By mid-distance Harrington was right on Fennymore’s tail and the scene was set for a dramatic fight all the way to the flag. Lap after lap they traded top spot, with Derbyshire driver Harrington placing himself perfectly for a last-lap run on his rival. “Neither of us wanted to lead going into that final lap,” said Guy, “because we knew that the second-placed man would have the advantage in the final corners.” Harrington timed his lunge to perfection and led the championship leader and double Donington victor over the line by a three-tenth margin. “It was too close to call – could have gone either way,” he added. “I’m quite content with second,” said Bicester-based Fennymore, “and happy to have made it safely to the end without risking my car.” Behind the lead battle there was an equally furious race-long dice for third between Tunbridge Wells-based Crompton and Bateman, with Lincolnshire lad Charles pulling off a dramatic last-lap manoeuvre on his wily rival to beat him to the line by 0.3s. “We were fighting all the way,” said Bateman, “and it was a case of having to time it right.” Newmarket’s Kevin Williams put his local knowledge to excellent use on his first outing at the wheel of a new Superlight to beat James Gardiner to fifth, with Rachel Green taking seventh, disappointed not to have been able to capitalise on a good start because of a down-on-power engine. Bill Addison claimed eighth to score his best result of the season. Ninth overall, and the leading R400 finisher for the third race in succession, was Londoner Patrick Gormley, with another R400 man, Jack Newland, 10th ahead of the Superlights of Daniel Mitchell and Andrew Beaumont. Mitchell was delayed by a clash at Riches Corner with Matt Blyth while they disputed seventh place; Blyth retired with accident damage. Williams aside it was a bad day for the local men, with reigning champion Will Mitcham joining fellow Bury St Edmunds resident de Zille Butler in retirement. Will’s problem – his first-ever mechanical retirement in a Caterham – was gearbox related. Newmarket’s Tony Poole was sidelined early on from fifth spot with a holed radiator. Andy Herring, who builds the Cosworth power units which propel the Superlight, made his championship debut, finishing 11th in class. The prospects for Sunday’s race couldn’t have been brighter, with three local talents – de Zille Butler, Mitcham and Poole – starting from the back of the grid after their first-race problems, and the bumper Norfolk crowd was not to be disappointed. For while Harrington and Fennymore resumed their battle at the front the spectacle of the back-row starters scything through the pack kept all enthralled. de Zille Butler was on a mission from the green light, disposing of nine cars on the opening lap and making it up to eighth on lap two. On lap three he shattered the lap record established the previous day by Fennymore and by lap four Ben was up to third and closing in on Fennymore and Crompton, clearly in no mood to be prevented from even greater things. It took Ben only a further four laps to make it to the front, and from then until the 24th and final tour the three of them battled furiously for the win. The decisive move came from de Zille Butler within sight of the chequered flag when he sliced up the inside of Harrington into the Russell chicane. At the line Harrington trailed him by just five-hundredths, with Fennymore only half a second adrift of the victor to take third. ‘That was a hard fight,’ said Ben, ‘and I’m delighted to have won it. It goes some way towards making up for the disappointment of the first race.’ Crompton was part of the fight for several laps but faded in the late stages, collecting fourth ahead of Gardiner and the understeering car of Bateman. Mitcham too charged from the back to take seventh, ahead of Green, Williams – who was delayed by a second-lap spin – and Newland, who was a clear R400 class victor after Gormley was forced to make a pit stop. Mitchell and Beaumont completed the top 12. A late-race collision between Blyth and Poole as they disputed seventh saw Matt’s car spin off the circuit at the Esses and Poole forced to the pits for a safety check. Harrington, Bateman, de Zille Butler, Crompton and others will be back in action at the Portuguese Grand Prix circuit of Estoril next weekend (22/23 July) in rounds five and six of the Autosport Caterham Eurocup. * Reigning Cosworth Caterham Masters champion Jon Barnes was in action at Snetterton also, winning both rounds of the Formula Palmer Audi championship. Provisional results Round 3 Snetterton 15 July 24 laps / 46.85 miles 1, Guy Harrington, Superlight, 30m 44.721s, 91.42mph 2, Graham Fennymore, Superlight, +0.293s 3, Charles Bateman, Superlight, +18.339s 4, Simon Crompton, Superlight, +18.636s 5, Kevin Williams, Superlight, +19.076s 6, James Gardiner, Superlight, +23.235s R400 class winner: Pat Gormley / 9th +35.807s Fastest lap: Fennymore 1m 15.798s / 92.71mph (est rec) Round 4 Snetterton 16 July 24 laps / 46.85 miles 1, Ben de Zille Butler, Superlight, 30m 40.693s, 91.62mph 2, Guy Harrington, Superlight, +0.056s 3, Graham Fennymore, Superlight, +0.504s 4, Simon Crompton, Superlight, +5.476s 5, James Gardiner, Superlight, +17.269s 6, Charles Bateman, Superlight, +17.272s R400 class winner: Jack Newland / 10th +39.875s Fastest lap: de Zille Butler 1m 15.282s / 93.34mph (rec) Provisional championship standings Superlight 1 Fennymore 77 points; 2 Harrington 68; 3 Crompton 61; 4 Rachel Green 57; =5 de Zille Butler & Bateman 56 etc R400 1 Gormley 76; 2 Newland 73; 3 Stuart Dixon 66 etc Next rounds: 26/27 August Brands Hatch FENNYMORE ON THE DOUBLE AT DONINGTON Twin wins in the driving rain this weekend (20/21 May) brought Graham Fennymore and his Ambitions Racing Team a slender early points lead in the Autosport Caterham Superlight Challenge. Fennymore, a winner nine times from 10 starts last year on his way to the Caterham Roadsport A crown, made the most of the tricky conditions to claim what were the maiden UK championship wins for the new Cosworth-powered Caterham. Patrick Gormley, meanwhile, was the weekend’s double victor in the R400 class. A sudden change in the weather did its best to dampen proceedings in Saturday’s opener, but the Superlights nevertheless staged a superb show in the driving rain with a four-car battle for victory for much of the race and several changes of lead. Oxfordshire-based Fennymore was a deserving but slightly fortunate victor, race-stopping red flags bringing a premature end to proceedings after a deluge had sent him, and others, careering off the track. Graham’s Hyperion Motorsport-prepared machine started from the pole and he made an excellent start to the race in the dry, but when the heavens opened on lap two Fennymore was powerless to prevent a determined Rachel Green (below)and her Fauldsport Superlight from seizing the lead. Rachel stayed in front for two laps before Fennymore managed to fight back to the top, Graham then pulling out a second’s gap as Rachel fought off the attentions of reigning champion Will Mitcham and Ben de Zille Butler. A fascinating battle was brought to a premature close by the rain which, on the 16th lap, became a deluge. Both Green and de Zille Butler slithered off track, Rachel slipping to third and Ben to eighth, as Fennymore struggled not only to keep his lead but also simply to stay on the track. Race organisers decided that enough was enough. “At the moment the red flags came out I was slithering through the gravel trap at Old Hall corner,” said Fennymore. “I was so glad to see them. My car was set up for the dry, and it was just about undrivable.” Red flag regulations require the results to be wound back a lap, so Hertfordshire’s Green was classified second and Suffolk racers Mitcham and de Zille Butler third and fourth respectively. “The conditions were crazy,” said Rachel, “I just had to let Graham go and concentrate on staying on the circuit. I was absolutely delighted when they stopped the race.” The only man not pleased was Mitcham(right): “First Rachel went off, then Graham, and that put me in front… Then out came the red flags. It’s disappointing but that’s the way it goes.” Londoner Mike Cantillon claimed fifth, just ahead of his Team Parker Racing team-mate Charles Bateman (Boston), who drove well from 16th on the grid after gearbox problems in qualifying. Guy Harrington was seventh despite gear selection problems, with Simon Crompton, James Gardiner, Tony Poole and Jamie Constable rounding out the top 11. Patrick Gormley was 12th overall and the leading finisher in the R400 class. Sunday’s race was no drier but at least the competitors were this time prepared for the worst. Fennymore found his car’s handling much more to his liking and was able once more to romp into an early lead, pursued by Green. But some pre-race modifications to Rachel’s car left her struggling to match Fennymore’s pace. In successive laps she was demoted by Crompton, de Zille Butler and Cantillon and found herself powerless to fight back. Mitcham and Harrington soon joined the frontrunning fray to make it six-way battle for victory for several laps, until Cantillon spun at Redgate Corner and slipped back, joining Green in a battle for sixth which would endure to the flag. Crompton, Fennymore and de Zille Butler traded the lead lap after lap and, as so often is the case in Caterham racing, the dispute wasn’t settled until the final corner. But Fennymore had an answer to everything his trio of rivals could throw at him and emerged in front to cross the line less than two-tenths ahead of de Zille Butler. “My plan was to leave things till late and then to have a go,” said Ben, “but Graham got the better of me.” Said Fennymore: “It was a really difficult race because the conditions were changing by the lap. Ben had a good go at me on the last lap but I managed to fend him off. The new car is absolutely great, and I’m loving having so much power under my right foot.” Tunbridge Wells-based Crompton was delighted with third, his best ever UK championship result: “I had a very bad qualifying and struggled in the first race. Everything came together for me this time though.” Harrington was similarly pleased with his fourth spot, half a second behind the winner. Like Green, Mitcham made some set-up changes to his car which did not help him in the driving rain; he finished fifth, with Cantillon beating Green to sixth. Gardiner was eighth on home ground and Londoner Gormley an excellent ninth to once again claim the R400 class honours. Bateman found himself languishing down in 18th on the opening lap after stalling away from the line; his fight back to 10th by flag fall was a highlight of the race. Provisional results Round 1 Donington Park 20 May 15 laps/29.4 miles 1, Graham Fennymore, Superlight, 23m 19.621s, 75.43mph 2, Rachel Green, Superlight, +2.241s 3, Will Mitcham, Superlight, +5.814s 4, Ben de Zille Butler, Superlight, +7.320s 5, Mike Cantillon, Superlight, +13.645s 6, Charles Bateman, Superlight, +18.083s R400 class winner: Patrick Gormley +48.226s Fastest lap: Green 1m 19.391s / 88.75mph (est rec) Round 2 Donington Park 21 May 19 laps/37.2 miles 1, Graham Fennymore, Superlight, 30m 14.299s, 73.73mph 2, Ben de Zille Butler, Superlight, +0.187s 3, Simon Crompton, Superlight, +0.499s 4, Guy Harrington, Superlight, +0.603s 5, Will Mitcham, Superlight, +15.739s 6, Mike Cantillon, Superlight, +19.798s R400 class winner: Patrick Gormley +34.596s Fastest lap: Harrington 1m 33.078s / 75.70mph Full results http://www.msttiming.com/meeting.asp?source=bf3gt2006&event=62005 Provisional championship standings Superlight 1 Fennymore 40 points; 2 de Zille Butler 34; 3 Mitcham 32; 4 Green, 31 etc. R400 1 Gormley 40; 2 Paul Jepson 35; 3 Jack Newland 33 etc. Backers for Caterham Motorsport’s UK and European race series include Autosport, Bilstein, Brian James Trailers, Caged, Cheesman Products, Comma, Cosworth, Cooper-Avon Tyres, Demon Tweeks, evo, HSBC Insurance Brokers, Mitchell Cotts, Motorsport News and Stack. Next rounds: Snetterton, 15/16 July. pic: Chris Schotanus - Imagevaults
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