Snetterton played host to a blockbuster two days of wheel-to-wheel entertainment this past weekend (September 16/17) as the British Automobile Racing Club and four of its biggest categories took centre stage in Norfolk.Â
On what proved to be a captivating outing around the challenging 300 layout, a bumper crowd flocked trackside to witness action from the British Endurance Championship, British Truck Racing Championship, Classic Touring Car Racing Club, and the Britcar Trophy.
The performance of Peter Erceg and Marcus Clutton in the PB Racing Audi R8 GT3 was a sight to behold as they chalked up yet another victory in the Motorsport UK British Endurance Championship.
Having been the team to beat when it comes to outright victories this year prior to the penultimate meeting of the campaign, Erceg and Clutton were arguably in a league of their own as they romped to a comfortable lights-to-flag victory.
Blasting their way to pole position in qualifying, the duo converted their front row start into a commanding lead over the course of the opening stint of the two-hour bout, and from there they continued to build an advantage over the chasing pack.
As the race wore on, Erceg and Clutton extended their lead further and ultimately went on to lap the entire field at least once on their way to claiming the chequered flag.
Behind, Track Focused’s Mike McCollum and Sean Cooper produced a superlative drive at the wheel of a KTM GT4 to clinch second overall whilst the Venture Innovations Mercedes AMG GT4 of Chris Jones and Matt George completed the podium in third.
That result for Jones and George ensured they remain firmly in contention for the overall title as the series heads to Donington Park in October, with main protagonists Team HARD’s Brad Thurston and Daryl Deleon having banked solid points.
Also taking centre stage around the 300 layout were two enthralling 50-minute contests from the ROWE Britcar Trophy Championship. Like the British Endurance Championship, Snetterton marked the penultimate stop on the calendar for the multi-class series and the battle for supremacy proved to be just as intense.
Race one saw a captivating duel for top spot play out, with Simon Clark fending off the race-long advances Axel Van Nederveen in his Porsche 997 Carrera S to clinch victory by a little over a second.
Assetto Motorsport’s Julian Wantling and Jim Edwards completed the podium in their Ginetta G56 GTA in third. That wasn’t to be the only piece of silverware the duo claimed on the day either as they went on to repeat the feat in race two.
Geoff Steel Racing’s Lee Goldsmith – who was running out of the Invitation Class in a BMW M3 E90 – claimed victory in Britcar’s second bout however he was certainly made to work for it as Datum Motorsport’s Marco Anastasi closed to within half a second in the latter stages.
Five colossal contests from the British Truck Racing Championship took place, and with the series entering the home stretch of its 2023 campaign, every point was crucial in deciding the battle for title supremacy.Â
In Division 1, reigning seven-time champion Ryan Smith took another step closer to retaining his crown for an eighth successive year as he maintained his unbeaten pole position streak in qualifying and then followed it up by a hat-trick of race wins.Â
The Daimler Freightliner driver could well have left Snetterton with four wins however officials deemed he had gained an unfair advantage on his way to the chequered flag and was hit with a five-second time penalty.Â
David Jenkins – who prior to Snetterton hadn’t stood on the top step of the podium this year – inherited victory in race four, adding that success to the maiden one that he had claimed just a few hours earlier in the weekend’s third bout.
Over in Division 2, NAPA Racing UK’s Paul Rivett bolstered his own championship challenge with another near-perfect performance – all of which has seen him further close the gap to Adam Bint at the top of the standings.Â
Like he did at Donington Park in August, the MAN TGX driver charged to pole position and four commanding race wins. John Powell emerged as the only driver that could stop Rivett, with the DAF driver triumphing in race four.
Variety was the spice of life when it came to the Classic Touring Car Racing Club as some of the most iconic and nostalgic tin tops from down the years provided an abundance of edge-of-the-seat thrills across six unmissable races.
Jonathan Corker was in imperious form at the wheel of his Datsun 510 as he claimed a brace of wins in the amalgamated Poultec Pre ’66 Touring Cars and Orange Aero Pre ’83 Touring Cars races; which boasted a bumper grid in excess of 30 cars.
Elsewhere, Nick Vaughan and his Audi A3 proved too much for the opposition in the combined Edmundson Electrical Classic Thunder and Berkshire Jag Components Jaguar Challenge as he tallied a pair of narrow victories.
The CTCRC clean sweeps continued in the Laser Tools Pre ’93 Touring Cars, Burty Haulage Pre ’03, Touring Cars and Burton Power Blue Oval Saloon Series as Martin Reynolds guided his stunning Ford Escort Mk2 to victory twice.Â
To view the full classification of results from all sessions at Snetterton, CLICK HERE.
