Gambrell is first winner of BRSCC’s new Pro Sports Sprint series at Silverstone

There have been loads of highlights because the British Racing & Sports activities Automotive Membership’s new season bought underneath method final weekend at a sunny however chilly Silverstone, together with the inaugural races of its Professional Sports activities Dash collection.

In simply the second weekend on the wheel of his new Porsche 911.2 Cup automotive, racing rookie Steve Gambrell delivered a powerful victory hat-trick within the new multi-class collection, the standout efficiency being the second of these following a frenetic lead squabble with former British GT racer John Seale.

Having been overwhelmed to pole by Seale’s Lamborghini Tremendous Trofeo, Gambrell snatched the lead into Village for the primary time within the opening contest earlier than romping over half a minute clear.

The roles have been reversed on lap one of many sequel as Seale grabbed the ascendancy into Membership. Gambrell gave pursuit for many of the race till capitalising with 5 minutes remaining when the pair got here as much as lap the main Class E Ford Fiesta runners. Seale ran large into Brooklands and slipped to second, however reclaimed the lead when Gambrell had a sideways second of his personal one nook later.

The pair then went both facet of Fiesta Junior graduate Maggie Webster via Becketts earlier than Gambrell ultimately prevailed at Membership. Seale lunged up the within twice extra just for Gambrell to brush again previous each occasions, with Gambrell then holding on by 0.5s on the chequered flag. 

With Seale skipping the ultimate contest, Gambrell took a simple third win on his now fading set of tyres by over a minute from Aaron Cooke, who ended the weekend with two Class C triumphs in his Ginetta G55. Simply 0.2s separated Fiesta drivers Webster and Connor Blackburn in each races two and three, the pair taking a Class E win every, with Blackburn having gained the opener after Webster was given a five-second track-limits penalty.

There was loads of shut racing on the entrance of the Mazda MX-5 Championship, which shared the monitor with the Clubman collection for the primary two encounters to create an enormous 57-car grid of the Mk1 MX-5s. Having swapped the pitwall for the driving seat full-time this 12 months, AB Motorsport founder Ali Bray withstood strain from returning 2023 champion Steve Foden and Adam Sparrow to take a victory clear sweep regardless of a race towards time to construct his new Mk1 over the winter.

Bray led from lights to flag within the opener regardless of the shut attentions of the squabbling Foden and Sparrow, and a prolonged security automotive interval in fading gentle prevented Bray from being challenged in Saturday’s sequel. Whereas race two was an anti-climax, Sunday’s closing bout supplied arguably probably the most thrilling motion of the occasion. Bray led as soon as extra whereas Foden and Sparrow diced behind him, and he remained forward regardless of a three-wide battle at Stowe together with his pursuers approaching the midway stage.

The trio went side-by-side once more on the exit of Copse following a daring lead problem from Sparrow, with Foden rising on the entrance into Maggotts. Bray wasted no time in reclaiming the benefit by sweeping across the outdoors of Foden at Stowe, and the squabble allowed Will Chadwick and Richard Wootten to make it a five-car lead practice. Foden misplaced floor to Bray as he fended off the automobiles behind and, regardless of closing again in late on, needed to accept second once more whereas Chadwick ended up on the grass on the ultimate lap when attempting to move Sparrow for third.

“That was probably the most enjoyable I’ve had in a racing situation in a very long time, so I actually hope it continues for the remainder of the 12 months like that,” mentioned Bray on his treble win. “It is the primary time I’ve constructed a automotive for myself and it is a testomony to the crew as a result of the automotive was a naked shell six months in the past.”

Will Blackwell-Chambers was one other triple victor as he took a commanding three wins amongst a sparsely populated MX-5 Supercup grid, although he was saved sincere by reigning Mk1 champion Tom Langford, who confirmed promise on his debut in Mk3 equipment. Langford’s finest likelihood of beating Blackwell-Chambers got here within the opening contest the place, having missed out by 0.1s, he admitted afterwards he “would have tried more durable” had he realised it was the ultimate lap. Langford’s lack of expertise of the semi-slick tyres resulted in him being a extra distant runner-up within the different two encounters.

The Audi TT Cup’s season kicked off with a dramatic opening contest. Reigning champion Bradley Burns suffered driveshaft failure when main, whereas his chief 2024 rival Matt Luff took victory after on-the-road winner Sam Heading served a 10s penalty for being out of place on the beginning grid. Former British GT4 competitor Jordan Stilp inherited second on his racing return after a battle with Will Stacey.

Luff gained once more in race two by edging Carl Swift by 0.7s, whereas Burns recovered from the again of the grid to sixth in his repaired machine. With the top-eight positions from that race reversed in forming the grid for the finale, Burns climbed from third to finish the weekend with a win forward of Heading and Luff.

Julian McBride started the defence of his Professional B class title in fashion with a dominant outright victory within the opening race of the Supersport Endurance Cup season. McBride led for many of the two-hour contest forward of fellow BMW M3 driver Chris Murphy. The closest second between the pair got here after the second of two security automotive intervals through the first hour, with McBride resisting strain from his pursuer earlier than diving into the pitlane for his obligatory cease. From there, he was by no means troubled, ultimately taking the chequered flag virtually 1m30s away from Professional A category winner Murphy.

Professional C class honours went the best way of Jason McInulty, who was the final finisher on the lead lap in third general in his Lotus Elise. 4-time British Touring Automotive champion Colin Turkington made a late move to win the Clubman A category with fifth general in a Mazda MX-5 Mk3 that he shared with Bruce Robinson.

Elsewhere, Chris Freeman and Jonathan Munday took the spoils for Alpha-Trojon within the three-hour C1 Endurance Sequence race, ending 16s forward of Silverlake duo Aaron Chalk and Daniel Duell.

Alpha Trojon crew prevailed within the C1 enduro

Photograph by: Jonathan Mills