Donington Park Sunday 22nd April 2012
Another weekend, another visit to Donington....This time for a BARC organised 12 race meeting which was, in effect, a mini Mini festival! There were 2 races each for Mini Miglia's and Mini Se7en's plus a single race each for Mighty Minis and Super Mighty Minis. Also mini in size were 2 races for Smart Cars and the programme was completed by double-headers for Intersteps (ex Formula BMW cars) and for the grandly titled Dunlop Production Touring Car Trophy.
This was the second day of a 2 day meeting so most of qualifying had taken place on Saturday, so after only 3 qualifying sessions on Sunday morning it was straight into racing. As we head towards Summer it was another day of cool temperatures and at times some heavy showers. March's glorious weather is now but a distant memory! The best racing of the day took place before the lunch break when the track was dry. Indeed some of the action in all the forms of Mini races was superb with 3 abreast through the Craner Curves at times. If it was Touring Cars, at least 2 of the cars would have been fired off into gravel traps, but this was club racing at it's very best with drivers giving each another just enough room. Racing was diluted a little in the afternoon on a very greasy circuit but with a few exceptions this was one of the best days racing I've seen this year.
After many years spectating it's always exciting to witness something new and today it was my first glimpse of the Smart4Two Cup, a series for the tiny Smart cars. I wasn't quite sure what to make of them but they had a good grid (bolstered by a large foreign contingent) and over time this could be the future for Saloon racing in these days of environmental concerns and cost cutting measures.....Another thing to note was the lack of entries in Intersteps and the Dunlop PTCT. Each had 11 cars start and both series are fairly high up the pecking order in National Racing. Indeed after the demise of UK Formula Renault, Intersteps is now 4th on the rung of the UK's single seater ladder- F3,,BARC F.Renault,UKFFord then Intersteps. The Production Touring Car Trophy has some very well prepared cars out but sadly just not enough of them and 'twas ever thus in the series history. I believe only the BTCC can sustain a multi-make format at National level.
Admission was £10 (£5 DPRAC discount) and a poor programme was £3
This was the second day of a 2 day meeting so most of qualifying had taken place on Saturday, so after only 3 qualifying sessions on Sunday morning it was straight into racing. As we head towards Summer it was another day of cool temperatures and at times some heavy showers. March's glorious weather is now but a distant memory! The best racing of the day took place before the lunch break when the track was dry. Indeed some of the action in all the forms of Mini races was superb with 3 abreast through the Craner Curves at times. If it was Touring Cars, at least 2 of the cars would have been fired off into gravel traps, but this was club racing at it's very best with drivers giving each another just enough room. Racing was diluted a little in the afternoon on a very greasy circuit but with a few exceptions this was one of the best days racing I've seen this year.
After many years spectating it's always exciting to witness something new and today it was my first glimpse of the Smart4Two Cup, a series for the tiny Smart cars. I wasn't quite sure what to make of them but they had a good grid (bolstered by a large foreign contingent) and over time this could be the future for Saloon racing in these days of environmental concerns and cost cutting measures.....Another thing to note was the lack of entries in Intersteps and the Dunlop PTCT. Each had 11 cars start and both series are fairly high up the pecking order in National Racing. Indeed after the demise of UK Formula Renault, Intersteps is now 4th on the rung of the UK's single seater ladder- F3,,BARC F.Renault,UKFFord then Intersteps. The Production Touring Car Trophy has some very well prepared cars out but sadly just not enough of them and 'twas ever thus in the series history. I believe only the BTCC can sustain a multi-make format at National level.
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