Round 11 & 12 - Donington Park

GRINDROD WINS DONINGTON PARK CHALLENGE CUP

Nic Grindrod grabbed the first piece of silverwear of the season yesterday by winning the Donington Park Challenge Cup.

The Selly Oak driver was the highest points scorer from the three visits the Pickup Truck Racing Championship has made to the circuit on three consecutive meetings, although it was Steve Dance who was the weekend’s highest points scorer after securing a win and a second place.

Nic Grindrod achieved the most points from Saturday teatime’s qualifying session having picked up 38 out of a possible 40 points, despite once again carrying the maximum 70kg ballast.

Three drivers were forced to start from the rear of the grid, just ahead of new driver Glenn Burtenshaw, for breaking seals. Michael Smith, also carrying 70kg success weight, had been forced to change his engine after qualifying while Simon Carr had to break his differential seal. Also breaking a diff seal was Paul Tompkins while the #12 team had a busy Saturday evening as they also had to change the gearbox.

It was an early start on Sunday morning but this did little to deter the drivers from putting on an amazing battle. Unlike the previous two meetings to the Midlands circuit this season, this FIA International meeting supporting the European Superstars meant that the Grand Prix section of the track was also included which threw up the additional challenges of the Melbourne Loop and Goddards.

Lee Rogers Donington Park bad luck continued as his half shaft broke, which meant he came in to retire at the end of the green flag lap while out on track Phil White shot to the front at Redgate corner. Carl Boardley also made an early challenge from third place to target second placed Nic Grindrod as the battles began from the off.

Grindrod was into the lead at Foggy Esses but White was not giving easily and reclaimed his place, but before the start of lap two the #22 driver was back out front once again and began to pull away.

On lap two Damien Carr had a grass tracking moment at The Old Hairpin but was able to keep his momentum to get back on track while his elder brother, Simon, had got the better of the 60kg ballasted Steve Dance at the Melbourne Loop.

A lap later David O’Regan was forced to retire with a fuel issue as the competition began to hot up once again at the front with Carl Boardley closing in on White before taking second place going into lap seven.

On lap eight Dance saw recompense for Simon Carr having passed him earlier to retake second place, but by now Grindrod was 4.6 seconds ahead so obtaining the lead with two laps to go was a hard ask. Carl Boardley had also lost out in this battle, forcing the Ipswich driver from second back to fourth.

With the gap remaining extremely close between Dance and Carr in the #15 truck, the pair actually became faster to draw in Grindrod and as he went over the chequered flag, victorious for the fifth time this season, the gap was down to 2.3 seconds. Dance and Carr finished in the same placings to take second and third respectively.

Following a six hour wait, the Pickup drivers were raring to go for the final round of the Donington Park Challenge Cup. Pole man Paul Tompkins tore into the lead from the start, while the Carr brothers began to dice for third place.

Going into lap two race one’s runner-up, Steve Dance, was looking to pass Tompkins and did so at Redgate. Just a lap later, four-time National Hot Rod World Champion, Carl Boardley, had got the better of Phil White at Goddards shortly before the #63 driver suffered his second engine failure of the weekend.

Simon Carr had disappeared down the field at this point, but one man on the charge having not had the greatest of starts was Nic Grindrod. As leader Steve Dance began to pull a gap between himself and second-placed Tompkins, Boardley moved past Damien Carr and up to third before he made his move on the #12 driver to take second at Redgate on lap six.

Grindrod was also passing Trucks and had got up to third place, just ahead of Simon Carr who’d found a new lease of life. And with the #22 Truck now about to join the party the final three laps were not ones to be watched by the faint hearted.

Boardley had caught leader Dance, who was making light work of his 70kg success ballast, and began to challenge for the top spot. On the penultimate lap former double champion Nic Grindrod had caught the front two with his Duratec engine suiting the fast, tight hairpin of the Melbourne Loop and the three spent the majority of the final lap dicing three wide around the Donington Park Grand Prix circuit.

Dance did just enough though to take the victory and his third of the season just 0.4 seconds ahead of Ipswich’s Boardley while Grindrod took the final podium spot. All three climbed out of their Pickup Trucks for the podium with huge grins claiming this to have been one of their best races.

Dance’s podium and victory now move him above Michael Smith in the championship standings as he now sits 100 points behind Grindrod. Things have also hotted up in the Rookie Championship now following the DNF in race one for David O’Regan, which now places Nick White 53 points down on the Irishman.

Thanks to Karen, Chris and team at www.c-images.co.uk for the photographs.