CNC HEADS SPORTS/SALOON CAR CHAMPIONSHIP

Oulton Park – Rounds 5 & 6 Preview

It may be July but this Saturday the CNC Heads Sports/Saloon Car Championship makes it’s first appearance of the season at his home circuit of Oulton Park. It’s round five and six and after the latest double header at Croft, Paul Masters’ Westfield has a two point lead in the Championship, having already played his double points joker.

With Masters absent this weekend, we expect to see a new Championship leader by Saturday evening, which could be from the current second place drivers, Riccy Walker in his Class D Mini F56 or Bod Buckby’s Class B Caterham. Buckby won both races at Croft outright, but will need to maximise his points tally, as he will be missing the Cadwell Park rounds when Masters returns.

There are four cars entered in Class A this weekend, headed by Simon Allaway’s Lotus Esprit V8, if his Croft maladies have been sorted. Garry Wardle is back with his Audi A3 after missing Croft and is joined by Championship sponsor Ric Wood, due out in his Ford Capri GAA, which could be something entirely different by race day. Former Champion Iain Gorrie makes another comeback too, after a fairly lengthy absence. His latest project is a 2 litre Supercharged Lotus Elise.

There are 12 cars in Class B, all trying to challenge Buckby. Connor Modro and Richard Hall currently share third in the Class. Modro showed immediate pace in the Donington opener on his debut in the Westfield Aero, but was absent from Croft. Hall stepped up to a Caterham CSR for this season and is starting to get used to his new mount. Jamie Cryer hasn’t had the best of luck so far this season, after a breakage at Donington and incident in race one at Croft. But the former Champions Ginetta G20 will be seeking its first 2024 podium.

Chris Roberts and Gareth John’s Ginetta G40’s both made their Championship debuts at Donington and are welcomed back to the grid this weekend. Both are regulars in the Welsh Sports/Saloon Championship and will be joined at Oulton by fellow Welshman Den Davies with his Darrian T90. Classic VW racer Tim Moll is back with his VW Golf and is joined by fellow racer Donald Dewar, debuting his Golf in the Championship. Mark Primett will be hoping to have solved his Croft problems too, and if on song his Banks Lotus Europa should be a challenger too.

It’s welcome back to Arron Armiger in the family Vauxhall Tigra. A race winner last season, but Arron has been recovering from a serious road accident towards the end of last year. Robert Wakelin and Ben Roberts are making their seasonal debuts too. Wakelin is due out in his self-built and developed Peugeot 205, which sure to have had some more changes since it was last seen. While Roberts debuts his 2.3 litre Honda powered Locost, the ex Paul Dobson car which replaces his previous BMW M3.

Gary Warburton’s Mini has been the only Class C taker so far, and he is on his own again this weekend.

But in Class E Walker’s Mini heads the pack, but is only two points up on Steven Parker’s Ford Fiesta. Parker debuted his former road car at Donington, and found it vastly improved last time out at Croft.

There’s no doubting the pace of Oliver Thomas’ Subaru Impreza, especially if it rains. But problems at both Donington and Croft have left him sidelined. Marshall Groves has had a troublesome start to the year too with his Vauxhall Vectra. He had a breakage at Donington and was forced to withdraw from the Croft round as he was still waiting for parts. Both David Jones’ Ford Focus and Clive Dix’s Mazda RX7 have shown their pace at times too, but are both seeking that reliability that will get them the results they are capable of.

Paul Goodlad gave Croft a miss, but so long as he has someone to race in his VW Scirocco, he’s happy. But he has race against time to be out now, following an engine bay fire in testing. The evergreen Bob Claxton’s VW Golf is currently joint fourth in Class, while Ralph Underwood’s TR7 V8, Julie Butler’s Holden Commodore and race marshal Phil White’s BMW 325 round off the Class.

Peter Koukoulas’ Toyota MR2, Wayne Spiler’s Mazda RX8 and Lee Bull’s Renaut Clio have all had wins in Class E and they are all out this weekend. Koukoulas currently heads the Class and is joint fourth overall in the Championship, while Spiller, Bull and Mark Jones’ Fiesta share second, Spiller having missed the Croft rounds. Bull is so far unbeaten though, but can he keep his record going with Spiller returning. Both Julian Wood and Cavan Taylor continue to familiarise themselves with their cars, Wood with the ex Steven Parker BMW Compact and Taylor with his Renault Clio. Watch out too for the returning Paul Rotheroe, having missed the whole of last season in his Citroen Xsara VTS, while debutant John Allen completes the Class with his Honda Civic Type R.

There is just the one starter in Class F again with Helen Allen’s Ford Fiesta Zetec S, and finally there is former Ginetta G20 and XR racer Stuart Pearson in an AB Sabre Kit Car due out in Class G.

Qualifying is at 8.30am, well it is summer!! It’s lights out for race one at 10.45, with the second due off at 16.00, both over 20 minutes.

Published by Peter Scherer for BARC NW, July 2nd 2024.