Round 2 Report 2010 - PTM Show

The second round of the Euro Sports Compact series was awash with interesting new entries and a big field always produces interesting racing… and so it was!

A the top of the table, multiple champion and trophy-hog Andy Waite topped the tables with an amazing 9-seond run- the first in the ESC series. Following closely behind were no less than 7 10-second cars, including new entries Karl Ellis and Chris Backshell. Darren Scannel was also out for the first time with a solid run but Paul Jordan’s weekend went up in smoke (literally) on his first qualifier with a series of exotically coloured misfires.

1st Round

In round 1 Andy Waite as top qualifier went up against the slowest qualifier, and as a double bonus for Andy, his opponent was still broken from his earlier problems, so Andy was able to sail through to an easy victory.

Chris Backshell put in a massively powerful run to dismiss Sam Lukac – that terminal speed of 144mph showing the potential of the Renault 5.

James Hodson was up against a broken Tim Orpen, and therefore got a free ride to the next round.

Andy Nicholls put in a strong 10-seond run against Chris Green, and sailed through to the next round despite Chris’ excellent reaction times getting him off the line first.

Chris Sutton was up against a broken Sam Bolton and therefore ran on to the next round unopposed.

Karl Ellis was up against a broken Tom Barnes, but he himself was in a damaged vehicle. However, he wisely staged and “broke the beams” for first round points.

Darren Scannel and Robert Johnston had a great race, but despite Robert’s better ET, Darren took the win utilising his superior reaction times to beat Robert to the finish line.

Quarter Finals

Andy Waite had a bye-run in round 2. Yet another reward for such stunning qualifying.

James Hodson combined an excellent ET with good reaction times to firmly see off Chris Backshell’s charging Renault 5, which once again was making huge mph at the finish line.

Andy Nicholls and Chris Sutton were out of the traps at exactly the same time, but Andy was able to eek out a few more mph over the Corsa driver to take a convincing but hard-fought win.

Darren Scannel pulled out a frankly stunning reaction time against Karl Ellis and then romped off to a convincing win with a 10-second pass.

Semi Finals

Into the semi-finals and only the most serious of machines were left to do battle. 3 familiar faces and one newbie, 1 RWD, 1 4WD and 2 FWD.

Andy Waite and James Hodson took this battle very seriously- the reaction times tell you that. Andy and James both gambling on cutting a good light. For Andy the gamble paid off, but for James, a big red cherry put him out of the competition.

Andy Nicholls was a good match for his opponent Darren Scannel, and again, good reactions came into play, with Darren off the line first and Andy Nicholls on a furious charge to catch him up… which he only just managed as they were rapidly running out of tarmac. There must have been inches in it at the finish line!

Finals

Only one thing was for certain in this final- Andy would come both first and last, but which Andy would take the smart money? If you were a betting man, you’d probably go with Waite. His 9-second run in qualifying and enviable consistency would be a huge mountain for Nicholls to climb, but it would only take one fluffed gear-change or a bit too much wheelspin for it to go the other way. With the pressure cooker turned up to max, either Waite or his VW faltered, losing a few mph mid-track, and it was all that was needed for Nicholls to barge past and take the win. An excellent race and a long-awaited victory for Andy Nicholls.

The Round 2 points and championship tables can be found on the 2010 Points page.