TOCA support championships produce all-out action at Rockingham

There was action all the way on the TOCA support package this past weekend (August 11/12) as four championships continued their campaigns at Rockingham.

The Michelin Ginetta GT4 Supercup delivered three different winners as the title battle took another twist around the partial oval circuit. Tom Roche was the man to beat in race one as he converted pole position into a flawless win.

Championship leader Charlie Ladell won on the road in race two but he wouldn’t step on the top step of the podium, that would fall to Carl Boardley. Ladell was hit with a ten-second time penalty after being adjudged to have started out of position, dropping him to fourth overall.

Harry King signed off the weekend for the Supercup paddock by sweeping to a comfortable victory in race three ahead of Ladell and Angus Fender.

There were plenty of twists and turns in the Ginetta Junior Championship at Rockingham as it too staged a trio of races over the course of the weekend. Saturday belonged to rookie Louis Foster, who vaulted himself firmly into title contention with a brace of wins.

Foster’s first win came after a breathtaking move down the inside of Patrick Kibble at the Tarzan hairpin on lap six. From there, the pair diced all the way to the chequered flag with Foster pipping Kibble whilst Adam Smalley finished third. Foster’s second win of the weekend came after he emerged from a titanic tussle in the lead to win, Luke Browning and James Taylor rounding out the rostrum.

Treacherous conditions greeted the Junior contingent for their final race of the weekend and Foster almost made it a hat-trick of wins. Running Browning close throughout the ten-lap encounter, he could do nothing to stop the Richardson Racing driver scoring his latest win, whilst Smalley scored another podium in third.

In the Renault UK Clio Cup, spoils were shared between Daniel Rowbottom and Jack McCarthy. Off the back of his maiden victory in the series at Snetterton, Rowbottom was at it again as he stormed to a commanding win in race one. Taking the lead on lap three, the Cataclean-backed racer was unstoppable as he headed Paul Rivett and McCarthy. Elsewhere points leader Max Coates found himself out of luck and out of the race, forced into retirement following contact.

McCarthy became the latest winner in the series in a wet race two as he controlled proceeding’s to take a memorable first triumph. Getting the better of Bradley Burns early on, the Pyro Motorsport driver edged out the chasing duo of Mike Epps and Coates, both of whom capped off the podium.

The F4 British Championship certified by FIA – powered by Ford EcoBoost served up plenty of entertainment across its three races, with a host of drivers coming to the fore. In a lively opening encounter, Patrik Pasma delivered a scintillating performance to score his maiden victory in the single seater series, leading an Arden Motorsport 1-2-3 ahead of Red Bull Junior duo Jack Doohan and Dennis Hauger.

Johnathan Hoggard was back in the winners circle for race two as he narrowly pipped Kiern Jewiss in a thrilling 14-lap race, with Doohan third. Pasma added a second victory to his CV in the final race of the weekend, producing another superlative drive to top the podium.

For the full classification of results from all sessions, click here.

Next stop for the TOCA support package will be north of the border at Knockhill, where the Ginetta Junior Championship, Protyre Motorsport Ginetta GT5 Challenge, Porsche Carrera Cup and the F4 British Championship certified by FIA – powered by Ford EcoBoost will all do battle on August 25/26.