John Cooper Challenge Rounds 5 & 6
Thruxton circuit in Hampshire will play host to Rounds 5 & 6 of the John Cooper Challenge on Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th May.
There is no shortage of local interest at Thruxton with two of the competitors, Rob Austin (43, Romsey) and Eric Bailey (55, Romsey) hailing from Hampshire. Chartered Surveyor, Austin has been in the Challenge since 2004, driving a 133 bhp Works MINI Cooper. Sixth in the Challenge last year, his second place at Donington in Round 1 has shown the rest of the field his potential to be a contender this time round.
Company Director, Eric Bailey has joined the Challenge this season after his long standing friend, Austin told him how much fun he was having. Bailey has shown some strong form in the early part of the season with all his finishes being inside the top 10 in the ultra-competitive Club Class. In the last round at Croft, Bailey emerged unscathed after sliding into a barrier backwards on the last lap of a rain-lashed race.
In the S Class championship, Arthur Forster (37, Newcastle) looked invincible in the first three rounds in his 210bhp Works MINI Cooper S before finally letting his guard slip in Round 4. The canny Geordie gambled on dry tyres for the final round hoping the soaking track would dry in the latter stages of the race. His gamble failed and the crowd at Croft were treated to the unusual sight of Forster racing outside the top 3 to a 6th place finish.
Andy Sayle (46, Congleton), has reaffirmed his championship credentials with his first ever win at Croft in Round 4. This went some way to making amends for his lowly finish of eighth in Round 3 after a collision with James Loukes (24, Didcot) left him with bent steering, which made driving extremely difficult.
Sixteen year old T-Cars graduate, Freddie Nordstrom (Weybridge) was in impressive form at Croft, finishing third and then second in the double header race weekend. The schoolboy drove a mature race, keeping his 210 bhp Works MINI Cooper S on the circuit despite extremely difficult track conditions. Nordstrom seems almost certain to be a contender for the title when it comes to the end of the season.
In the Club Class, young Stephen Campbell (20, Catford) did his best to turn the excitement factor up to maximum by spectacularly rolling his 133 bhp Works MINI Cooper before he had even crossed the start line in Round One. Seemingly unaffected by his exciting start to the season, Campbell took a double class win in Rounds 3 & 4 at Croft in his 133 bhp Works MINI Cooper. The University student twice relegated double Donington victor, Barney Craggs (34, Clapham) despite the ebullient Londoner having started in pole position for both races.
Famous for the being the highest average speed circuit in the country, Thruxton promises to be a real test of nerve for all as they battle it out, bumper to bumper at over 130 mph. The Hampshire circuit rewards the brave with almost half the lap spent virtually flat out. Rain and hail-lashed Croft showed that none of the front-runners lack the courage necessary to succeed at Thruxton, ensuring that Rounds 5&6 have all the makings of a classic Cooper encounter.
