Stewart Whyte dominates with lights-to-flag win at Oulton Park
Stewart Whyte drove to a dominant lights-to-flag win to put himself right back in the hunt for the Super Touring Car Championship, while James Dodd completed an impressive damage limitation drive from the back of the grid.
Having made the most of a drying Oulton Park circuit in qualifying, Whyte made a stellar getaway in the Honda Accord, while John Cleland tried to take second away from Paul Smith’s 4WD Audi A4 at Old Hall.
While Whyte was pulling away at around three seconds a lap, Cleland and Smith put on one of the most entertaining battles of not only the race, but the entire season, with the Scot unable to find a way past the former German STW car of Hans Stuck.
Eventually the Vauxhall managed to get alongside the Audi on the exit of Old Hall, completing the move through the Avenue with just minutes to go. Whyte, who backed off to consolidate his lead, ended up 25 seconds clear of the rest of the field, closing the gap to Dodd to just five points having taken a full 10 for the win and fastest lap of the race.
“We’re getting there,” Whyte said. “We need to win both races to have the best shot possible at the title. It was a great battle to watch in my mirrors. I planned to get away early and leave them to hold up James, so it’s nice to see that work!”
“That was a great fun battled,” Cleland told TouringCarTimes.com. “It’s been years since I raced Stuck and Biela in them, I’d forgotten how bloody good those cars were. But Paul drove brilliantly and it was an incredibly fun battle. I was never going to catch Stewart so to have some fun in the car was great.”
Meanwhile, championship leader James Dodd, starting from the back after going off in qualifying, impressively went from last to sixth on the opening lap, putting himself in a points scoring position as he looked to protect his lead in the championship ahead of Stewart Whyte.
Dodd’s father Graeme, driving a Nissan Primera, then appeared to back the Renault Laguna of Mark Jones in to James’ grasp, with the Honda Accord passing the Laguna at the next time of asking, with the Primera falling prey a lap later.
Despite his early pace, Dodd could not close the gap to Cleland and Smith, with tyre issues forcing him to play the part of spectator. Tyre issues were a recurring theme throughout the race, with a supplier issue causing drivers to start the race on used tyres, some in worse condition that others. “I’ve never, ever had to start a race on used tyres before,” stated Cleland.
Kingsley Ingram in the unique Mazda 323F took the honours in the ST2 class, winning a thrilling battle with Tony Absolom’s Vauxhall Cavalier and Roger Lavender taking third. Mark Wright took yet another victory in the GA class with his Ford Escort Mk II.
Darren Fielding and Mark Smith both retired from the race, with Smith retiring with apparent oil issues, while Fielding had engine problems halfway in to the race after struggling with extreme tyre wear at the start.
