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FREKE CLOSES ON
TITLE AT KNOCKHILL
4 September,
2006: Nathan Freke edged closer to the UK Formula Ford
Championship crown yesterday when he claimed twin wins at
Knockhill in Scotland to bring his victory tally for the season to
seven.
Kidderminster-based
Freke refused to let a wet weekend at Knockhill dampen his spirits
at what was the Ford-backed championship's first appearance on the
BTCC bill in three years.
The 22-year-old
Jamun Racing driver claimed both pole positions after an intense
battle with James Nash in Saturday's qualifying session. Nash had
held the top spot for the majority of the session until Freke
pinched it with just five minutes remaining. Nash quickly
responded and retook pole but Freke bounced back again to seal it
with his last lap of the session. Nash was denied the opportunity
to respond when the session was red-flagged two minutes early with
two cars off in the gravel at the hairpin.
Freke made it away
in the lead of the first race and was able to open a decisive gap
as Nash came under threat from Peter Dempsey. The Irishman had
qualified only sixth but charged up to third off the line and
quickly put Nash under pressure for second. He found a way around
on the third lap and set off in pursuit of Freke.
But it was too late
to mount a serious challenge, Freke had broken away and Dempsey
was never able to make inroads into the gap. Freke controlled the
race brilliantly from the front and scored a well-deserved win
with a faultless drive.
Nash held on to his
third place to secure another strong podium finish, but he was
made to work hard for it on the last lap by Sarah Playfair, who
was charging through the field from eighth on the grid.
The East Lothian
lass had already displaced her Jamun team-mate Jay Bridger and
Kevin Mills Racing's Richard Tannahill on her way to the front,
and started to reel in Nash. She caught him with two laps to go
and set about finding a way through. Nash's defence was strong,
though, and he covered the inside line at the hairpin on the last
lap to hold on to the place up the hill to the finish line.
"I'm really
pleased with that drive," exclaimed Playfair. "Obviously
it's disappointing not to have made the podium after that, but I
was so close and I really enjoyed it." Sarah set the fastest
lap of the race, establishing a circuit lap record for the Duratec
class.
Tannahill headed
home Bridger for fifth, with Steve Roberts seventh ahead of
Christian Ebbesvik, who had an eventful race after qualifying an
impressive third. The Norwegian slithered off the track early in
the race and had to fight his way back up from 12th. He was making
good progress until he came under attack from Adriano Buzaid. The
young Brazilian dived up the inside under braking for the hairpin
and the pair made contact as Ebbesvik turned in. A pair of
synchronised 360-degree spins later, they rejoined and resumed
their races.
Jonny Baker was
ninth ahead of Scholarship Class victor Takashi Nagase, Sean
Petterson and Buzaid, with returning Scottish Champion Joe Tanner
13th.
In race two Freke
put in another mistake-free performance to claim his second win
but had to work a little harder for this one thanks to pressure
from Nash.
Nash chased hard in
the opening laps and even looked like he might pass Freke after a
brief safety car period. He looked to challenge at the first
corner but wasn't quite close enough to make a move stick. He was
able to follow Freke for much of the race but, ultimately, the
championship leader's pace proved too much and Nash had to settle
for his second podium of the day.
"It was the
perfect weekend for me," said Freke. "It was so
important to get off the line well and make it really tough for
everyone behind who had to deal with driving through the spray. I
managed to get away in the lead and open a gap in both races, and
the damp patches actually worked in my favour a little because
they made overtaking very difficult."
Freke's
championship lead is now a whacking 119 points - a good score at
Silverstone in three weeks time ought to be enough for him to
clinch the crown.
The Kevin Mills
pairing of Tannahill and Steve Roberts were handed third and
fourth place finishes after Bridger touched the rear of Ebbesvik's
car at the hairpin and both were delayed. The Norwegian recovered
to fifth but Bridger slipped down to ninth.
Peter Dempsey's
hopes of gaining ground on the championship frontrunners were
dashed when he slid off the road on the first lap; he recovered to
sixth. Playfair faltered in the second race too, caught out by a
wet patch while trying to overtake Roberts, she spun into
retirement at Clark.
Tanner took seventh
with Petterson eighth ahead of Bridger and Nagase again 10th. The
Japanese driver won both Scholarship Class races, lifting his Van
Diemen RF05 well clear of his nearest class rivals. He said:
"The conditions were quite difficult and keeping it on the
track was hard work. But it was a great feeling to be in the top
10 twice and to pick up the points for two wins." Glaswegian
Gary Brown finished both races to maintain his overall Scholarship
Class lead.
Ruth Senior just
missed out on a top-10 finish, with Baker following her home for
12th ahead of Jamie Jardine and Craig Bell, the sole Clubmans Cup
representative to make the trip north.
Provisional
results UKFF round 13, Knockhill, 03/09/2006. 18 laps / 22.88
miles
1, Nathan Freke, UK/Kidderminster, Jamun, Mygale, 17m 24.899s
2, Peter Dempsey, IRL/Ashbourne, Dempsey, Ray, +5.783s
3, James Nash, UK/Newport Pagnell, Fluid, Van Diemen, +8.061s
4, Sarah Playfair, UK/East Lothian, Jamun, Mygale, +8.221s
5, Richard Tannahill, UK/Coleraine, Mills, Van Diemen, +8.796s
6, Jay Bridger, UK/Horsmonden, Jamun, Mygale, +9.768s
Scholarship Cup: Takashi Nagase (JAP/Van Diemen) / 10th overall
+26.845s
Clubmans Cup: Craig Bell (UK/Van Diemen) / 17th overall, 17 laps
Fastest lap: Playfair 57.220s / 79.98mph (est rec)
Round 14,
Knockhill, 03/09/2006. 18 laps / 22.88 miles
1, Freke, 18m 03.946s
2, Nash, +3.303s
3, Tannahill, +9.395s
4, Steve Roberts, UK/Whitchurch, Mills, Van Diemen, +9.907s
5, Christian Ebbesvik, NOR/Bergen, JLR, Van Diemen, +12.096s
6, Dempsey, +13.936s
Scholarship Cup: Nagase / 10th overall +18.641s
Clubmans Cup: Bell / 14th overall +34.742s
Fastest lap: Freke 52.175s / 87.71 mph (rec) |
