Time Attack 2009 - Round 1

Time for another 5 rounds of Time Attack, 1st stop Oulton Park for an interesting day

Pro/Club Pro/Prototype/Openwheel Class
For the first time since June 2007 it was not a Subaru Impreza on the top step - it was a Mitsubishi Lancer Evloution! Chris Ward in the RSE Motorsport Evo 7 took top honours with a 1.26.8 lap and was in the top 3 times all day

But the Imprezas were never far behind, Olly Clark in the Roger Clark Motorsport Impreza, managed a very close second with a 1.27.1 fastest lap

Another Evo in third, perhaps the tide is turning! Gareth Lloyd in the Car Planet Racing Evo 5 with a 1.29.3

Fourth for Russell Humphrey in the Interceptor Racing Evo 5 with a 1.30.8 - but running in the new ClubPro class, for the not so fast cars, but still more developed than club class cars

Fifth for James Nicholls also in ClubPro with 1.31.8 in the second Car Planet Racing Evo 6. Prior to today, this was the last Evo to have won a Time Attack round overall

But this was the car that had everyone talking. The sole Prototype class car, the AG Motorsport Ford Focus Cosworth of Andrew Gallacher, which had topped 2 of the 4 sessions with a fastest time of 1.27.1, which he no doubt would have beaten if only for a blown diff in final qualifying

When time attack started properly in 2006, these little openwheel cars were the ones to beat - but in 2009 they are having to fight for it. Duncan Cowper in the Dax Rush, with a Suzuki Hayabusa engine with a 1980's F1 turbo, good for 7th over all with a laptime of 1.32.4

Finally Simon Norris could debut Version 2.0 of the Norris Designs Evo 9 SWB 'Bogey' but he had differential carrier failure, but will return

2007 champions Zen Performance were back with pro-driver Tom Ferrier but a few teething problems kept them out of the serious running, but will be onces to watch

Best looker for now, Robin Duxburys Evo 8....

Club Class

An overdue win for Shane Smith in the Abbey Motorsport / CAT Driver training R32 GTR with 1.35.1

2nd for Marcus Webster with a 1.36.8

3rd for Duncan Graham in the RaceDynamix Impreza with 1.37.1

Round 2 will be at Knockhill on May 17th

Time Attack 2008 Round 4 - Oulton Park

Sorry for the lack of activity recently, but hopefully the recent events I have attended will be uploaded quicker from now on, anyway onto Time Attack
Round 4 of Time Attack and Oulton Park was the venue, where the Pro Class cars had come to hunt down and kill the BTCC lap record of 1.28.8......

The cars swarm around the cameras, ready to attack the lap record

Pro Class

First up to the kill was Phil Bennett in the Autosportif / TEIN Impreza with 1.28.545

Then Steve Gugliemi in the Gugliemi Motorsport Elise did a 1.28.031 to secure 3rd place

Tom Ferrier in the Zen Performance Impreza claims 2nd with 1.27.2

There had to be a winner - and for the 3rd time this year it was Olly Clark in the Roger Clark Motorsport Impreza with a quite amazing 1.25.9 lap, faster than both the BTCC race and qualifying lap records

Still the top Skyline GTR in Pro is Ron Kiddell in the RK Tuning R32 GTR with 8th place and a 1.32 lap

Top 'privateer' runner in Pro so far this year is Lee Broadhurst in the NR Autosport/Edgehill Evo 9


Top RWD is the same as 2007 Darren Robinson in the WhifBitz Mazda RX7. The car was very fast at Brands in 2007 so should have a good result there at the next round - Brands Hatch

Club Class

The future? RC Developments had their new R35 GTR running in club class with a top 20 finish, 6 seconds off the pace, which shows how fast the club challenge cars can be!

John Begley in the torrential rain which made the morning sessions interesting

More rain, Marco Haig in the Fiat Coupe, 1 of the more distinctive cars in club

The next round of Time Attack will be at Brands Hatch on August 10th as part of the Autotuner show