MIDLANDS CENTRE DOUBLE HEADER


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Aaron Trigwell is one of several drivers in contention for the Fiesta crown. Photo: John Cooper

It is certainly going to be a busy weekend for the BRSCC Midland Centre as their officials and marshals are involved in running two race meetings. The FIA European Truck Racing Championship takes centre stage at Donington, supported by the BRSCC Avon Tyres Northern Formula Ford 1600 Championship. Meanwhile, less than fifty miles down the road, seven BRSCC championships will be in action at the Rockingham Motor Speedway.

Donington hosts two rounds for both the Pre 90 and Post 89 classes of the Northern Formula Ford Championship, which is also a designated points scoring round for the Triple Crown Championship. Liverpuddlian John Murphy arrives at Donington leading the Post 89 chase, but Neil Winn is in hot pursuit just a point behind, with Martin Short further adrift in third. In the Pre 90 class, Stuart Jones has built a comfortable lead ahead of Nigel Dolan & Ian Parkington.

Over at Rockingham there are fourteen races scheduled for the two-day meeting. Neil Smith is in fine form in the Alfashop Alfa Romeo Championship, having accrued five wins from five starts to give him a sixteen-point championship lead. Ray Foley will lead the chasing pack of twenty Alfas in his Class C GTV.

There is a battle royal shaping up at the top of the leader board in the Mighty Minis with the 2011 champion, Chris Slade, doing a good job in defending the title. However, newcomers Kelvin Fletcher and David Marcussen are keeping the pressure on, both having surprised the more established drivers with tremendous performances in the first half of the season. It will be interesting to see how they fare at this circuit with its technical infield and ultra-fast oval section, particularly under braking into the first hairpin when nerves of steel will be needed.

Ilsa Cox is the new leader in the Arrowpak Euro Saloon & Sportscar Championship having scored two Class B wins last time out at Brands Hatch. The deposed Andy Robinson is just ten points further back though having won at Brands in the first race, before dropping to third in the second tour.

Now on the halfway mark with eight rounds of the 2012 season gone, David Elsom, Nik Barton and Jason Cooper are the respective leaders in classes A, B & C of the Dunlop Ford Fiesta Championship. Class C looks like having the most competitive second half of the season. John Langridge, Nicholas Bowers and Aaron Trigwell have all closed the gap on Cooper having performed well at Cadwell Park at the beginning of June.

In the Motorsport News Ford Fiesta Junior Championship, Charles Ladell from Brightlingsea dominated the early part of the season. However, back-to-back victories at Cadwell for Jack Mitchell, means that Ladell is now playing catch-up to the Sevenoaks teenager.

In the Super Mighty Minis, Gary Patterson heads the points table from Chris Morgan, who is back after a year off. The defending champion, ARDS instructor Elliot Stafford, is struggling in third so far and has some ground to make up. Watch out for Bob Bennetts – his finish on the podium in his last outing at Combe has certainly spurred him on.

The sleek Saker Sportscars are in action on Sunday for a forty-five minute endurance race and will also be racing in both Euro Saloons races as an invitation class. JPR boss Paul Rose won both sprint races at Brands earlier this month so will be hoping to repeat the trick.

Finally, the Midland Centre will no doubt give a warm welcome to the thirty-six cars of the Darlington & District Motor Club’s Northern Saloon & Sports Car Championship. Classes A & E, will run together, with classes B, C, D & H going in another two races.

The Final Instructions and support race entry lists for Donington can be found here; DONINGTON The Rockingham information can be found at ROCKINGHAM


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