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FREKE ON TOP AFTER SNETTERTON WINS
17 July, 2006: Nathan Freke claimed a convincing pair of race
wins at Snetterton yesterday (Sunday) to accelerate into the lead
of the UK Formula Championship for the Jamun Racing team.
The 22-year-old Kidderminster-based racer's glory came at the
expense of erstwhile points leader Peter Dempsey, who managed to
salvage only one podium finish from the weekend.
Dempsey, the victor of the first four rounds of the Ford-backed
championship, saw his winning streak brought to an end in the
first of the day's races. Though his Cliff Dempsey Racing-run Ray
started from its customary pole position, the 20-year-old Irishman
found himself out-gunned by Freke's Mygale, Nathan pulling ahead
into Riches corner and into a lead that he never looked in danger
of losing.
Dempsey clung on to Freke's tail for several laps but soon
found himself under mounting pressure from the cars of Nick Tandy
and Stephen Roberts, the Shropshire driver regaining the sort of
form which brought him Scholarship Class title honours in 2005.
Bedford-based Tandy was on a mission to secure second, so much
so that his enthusiasm carried him over the grass at Russell,
by-passing the chicane entirely, at one point. He managed to nose
past both Roberts and Dempsey on the ninth lap - but only for a
matter of yards before spinning away his advantage at Sear and
losing several slots.
As Freke romped home to a seven-second win - the biggest
victory margin of the season so far - Roberts took advantage of
Tandy's mishap to edge ahead of Dempsey and hold second for the
remaining four laps.
Freke was delighted with his maiden UKFF win: "It's a big
confidence boost finally to win. I concentrated on getting a good
start, pulling a gap and being consistent, and it all paid
off." Roberts was equally pleased: "We've done a lot of
work since the last race and we are getting towards where we want
to be. There's plenty more to come."
Dempsey was far from downbeat: "We seem to have an
understeer problem in the heat which we have yet to find an answer
for. But I can't be disappointed with third, it's good for the
championship."
The race was brought to a halt by red flags a couple of laps
before its scheduled finish after Jay Bridger's Mygale came to a
halt in a dangerous position at Riches; he'd overshot the corner
after losing his brakes.
James Nash battled through to fourth ahead of Richard Tannahill
and Jonny Baker, with Sean Petterson seventh after a
time-consuming spin. Christian Ebbesvik was eighth, ahead of Alex
Waters, who claimed his best-yet finish.
Championship returnee Sarah Playfair was 10th in her new
Mygale, Tandy 11th after his spin, Linton Stuteley 12th and
Adriano Buzaid 13th on his debut in the championship class at the
wheel of an Eau Rouge Motorsport-prepared Ray.
Neil Tofts claimed Clubmans Cup honours after a long battle
with David Mayes, while in the Scholarship Class Japanese driver
Takashi Nagase triumphed in a battle which involved 18-year-old
Scottish talent David Brown and Jamie Jardine for the duration of
the race.
Norfolk drivers Ruth Senior (Wymondham) and Craig Bell (Diss)
placed 15th and 20th respectively.
Race two provided the healthily large Snetterton crowd with
another helping of excitement, Freke making the most of his first
pole of the year to establish an early lead, this time pursued by
Roberts and Nash, with Dempsey joining the battle from the fourth
lap onwards.
Freke and Roberts traded top spot lap after lap, but Dempsey's
hopes of getting a nose in front took a knock at the Esses on the
12th lap when he spun after contact with one of his rivals. The
Irishman lost 10 places, and was forced into retirement a lap
later with crash damage.
In the closing stages Freke eased out just enough of a gap over
Roberts to ensure his second win of the day, with Steve
comfortably ahead of Nash, who made it to the podium for the first
time after repulsing a late attack from Christian Ebbesvik.
Tannahill came home behind Ebbesvik for fifth, with Bridger
making up for his race one crash with sixth, his best-yet result.
Alex Waters collected seventh ahead of Linton Stuteley, with Tofts
an excellent ninth - once again an easy Clubmans Cup victor.
Senior found some extra straight-line pace to claim 10th, another
personal best.
With Nagase crashing out of the lead of the Scholarship Cup on
the sixth lap, the honours went to Cheshire youngster Jamie
Jardine, with his Myerscough College team-mate Simon Kinsey second
in class and Brown third. Jardine assumes the Scholarship Cup
points lead too.
Provisional results UKFF round 5, Snetterton, 16/07/2006. 12
laps / 23.42 miles
1, Nathan Freke, UK/Kidderminster, Jamun, Mygale, 15m 20.920s
2, Steve Roberts, UK/Whitchurch, Kevin Mills, Van Diemen, +7.024s
3, Peter Dempsey, IRL/Ashbourne, Dempsey, Ray, +11.481s
4, James Nash, UK/Newport Pagnell, Fluid, Van Diemen, +11.971s
5, Richard Tannahill, UK/Coleraine, Kevin Mills, Van Diemen,
+12.232s
6, Jonny Baker, UK/Farnham Common, JLR, Van Diemen, +12.955s
Clubmans Cup: Neil Tofts / 14th overall +26.448s
Scholarship Cup: Takashi Nagase / 17th overall +36.430s
Fastest lap: Freke 1m 11.001s (est rec)
Round 6, Snetterton, 16/07/2006. 16 laps / 31.23 miles
1, Freke, 20m 59.879s
2, Roberts, +1.650s
3, Nash, +10.508s
4, Christian Ebbesvik, NOR/Bergen, JLR, Van Diemen, +10.689s
5, Tannahill, +11.114s
6, Jay Bridger, UK/Horsmonden, Jamun, Mygale, +12.332s
Clubmans Cup: Tofts / 9th overall +18.814s
Scholarship Cup: Jamie Jardine / 13th overall +30.383s
Fastest lap: Freke 1m 11.236s
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