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report by Corse Clienti
photography by Corse Clienti
Friday 1st October 2021 Race 1
Swift secures another win, bringing him to within 2 points of the Trofeo Pirelli championship title. The championship will be decided between Swift and Khera in the final race of the season. De Zille takes another win in the Coppa Shell class, asserting his dominance in a thrilling day of action in front of fans at Oulton Park.
Trofeo Pirelli. Qualifying conditions were mixed with the track drying from earlier rain. James Swift (Dick Lovett Swindon) took his 7th pole of the season, with an impressive time of 1:39.642.
Swift went on to dominate the race insignificantly drier conditions to those in qualifying – leading from the front throughout to take the win. Conditions changed when two cars suffered fluid leaks: Lucky Khera (Graypaul Birmingham) who lost coolant after some minor contact, and Paul Simmerson (Graypaul Birmingham) who lost oil after taking too much kerb on a corner exit. Both these fluid leaks left the track very slippery, as H. Sikkens (H.R. Owen London) found out when he spun out and damaged his car, causing him to retire from the race. Sikkens’ spin handed Paul Hogarth (Stratstone Manchester) his third podium, which was well deserved after a crash in qualifying. Hogarth had to defend from a number of other drivers, including Andie Stokoe (Dick Lovett Swindon) and Faisal al Faisal (H.R. Owen London).
In the closing phases of the race, Hogarth had so much pace that he made a move late on the brakes to try to overtake Swift, which resulted in contact, taking both drivers off the track. This contact allowed Graham de Zille (Meridien Modena) to take not just the Coppa Shell class win but also the overall victory. Following his battle with Faisal, it was Stokoe who took the final step of the podium for the second time this season.
Once again it was Swift who took the fastest lap of the race (1:41.111).
Coppa Shell. De Zille out-qualified the rest of the field with a lap time of 1:41.212. De Zille ran a strong race, taking the chequered flag after the two leaders in the Trofeo Pirelli category clashed on the last corner. Second place in the championship will be decided in the final race tomorrow, following Simmerson’s retirement.
Paul Rogers (JCT600 Brooklands) finished second today, which means he now leads Simmerson by just 1 point heading into the final race. Rogers was followed by Jonathan Satchell (H.R. Owen London) who after a crash in Qualifying was forced to start from the pit lane. It took Satchell a few laps to warm up his tyres, but once they were up to temperature there was no stopping him as he charged through the field to take his third podium of the season.
De Zille took the fastest lap of the race in the Coppa Shell class with a lap time of 1:42.127.
Saturday 2nd October 2021 Race 2
Swift wins the championship title as de Zille takes another win in the Trofeo Pirelli class, with Paul Simmerson securing second in the Coppa Shell, in a drama-filled race.
Trofeo Pirelli.Wet conditions for today’s qualifying put H. Sikkens (H.R. Owen London) on pole, with an impressive time of 1:49.605.
All the drivers opted for wet tyres for the race, with some standing water on the track and spots of rain. Sikkens lead the race from start to finish similar to his performance in the opening race of the season. James Swift (Dick Lovett Swindon) managed to hold off Lucky Khera to gain the points he needed to win the Trofeo Pirelli Championship. Khera pushed Swift all the way to the final lap but unfortunately spun in his attempt to win the Championship. Paul Hogarth (Stratstone Manchester) secured his second podium of the weekend, finishing third in the final race of the season. Sikkens also claimed the fastest lap of the race (1:50.103).
Coppa Shell. Following an intense qualifying session, Graham de Zille (Meridien Modena) clinched his 8th pole position of the season with a lap time of 1:50.663.
During the race, de Zille drove incredibly well after a tricky start, losing a few positions to drivers in the Trofeo Pirelli class. De Zille was closely followed by Paul Simmerson (Graypaul Birmingham) who finished second today and secured second place in the championship. Paul Rogers (JCT600 Brooklands) drove an error free race to finish third in the final race of the season. De Zille took the fastest lap of the race in the Coppa Shell class with a lap time of 1:51.228.
Summary
The third season of the Ferrari Challenge UK came to a close with the fifth round of the Prancing Horse national series, held this weekend at Oulton Park. It was an exciting year that saw James Swift’s (Dick Lovett Swindon) Trofeo Pirelli and Graham de Zille’s (Meridien Modena) Coppa Shell titles go to the wire, with an intense and hard-fought finale that saw Swift and de Zille win their respective categories in Race 1. In Race 2, H.Sikkens (H.R. Owen London) and de Zille took the wins in their classes.
Trofeo Pirelli. With 5 race wins out of only 8 races he competed in, Swift got the better of Lucky Khera (Graypaul Birmingham), who fought Swift for the title until the very end.
After missing the opening round at Brands Hatch, Swift has gradually improved his feeling for the 488 Challenge Evo to the point where he has been unstoppable with 5 consecutive victories that allowed him to close a 19 point deficit on reigning champion Khera and overtake him in the standings at the final round at Oulton Park. The driver from Birmingham has made the consistency of his performance his strong point, but 8 podiums including 2 wins were not enough to repel the assault of his rival Swift. Third place went to Sikkens (H.R. Owen London) who, after being crowned World Champion of the Trofeo Pirelli Am at the 2020 World Finals held in Misano, climbed onto the podium on several occasions during the season, taking victory in the opening race at Brands Hatch and the season finale at Oulton Park.
Coppa Shell. Graham de Zille dominated the category, with 8 wins, 8 pole positions and 8 fastest laps, ending the season with 165 points. The domination of the experienced driver from Lyndhurst was interrupted on only a few occasions by Paul Simmerson (Graypaul Birmingham) and Laurent de Meeus (H.R. Owen London) who each achieved one win at Snetterton and Silverstone respectively.
Team. In the special dealer ranking Graypaul Birmingham took the title by 8 lengths ahead of H. R. Owen London, with Meridien Modena finishing third at 160.
Balance sheet. In its first year of competitive use on British soil, the 488 Challenge Evo proved to be well adapted to the demanding British tracks and, above all, to be well received by the drivers who benefited from the great improvements introduced by the Evo kit and the new Pirelli tyres, developed specifically for these cars. There was no lack of spectacle on the track, thanks to duels and overtaking, made possible also thanks to the great respect between the drivers, also visible in the paddock at the end of the races.
2022. The Oulton Park circuit will host the opening round of the 2022 season, which will once again consist of 5 stages. After the debut on 6 and 7 May, the protagonists of the British series will compete on the Snetterton track, before moving on to the three most famous circuits in England: Donington Park, Brands Hatch and Silverstone, all the scene of Formula 1 world championship races.
