Mark Blundell and Kerry Michaels claimed honours in the Gerry Marshall Trophy opener aboard their Ford Escort RS2000. Their margin of victory over the Capri of Mike Whittaker and Mike Jordan was a mere second after 38 minutes of hard racing in challenging conditions.
76MM Gerry Marshall Trophy – race report
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Whittaker stormed into the lead from the middle of the front row, followed by Michaels and the Ford Mustang Boss 302 of Craig Davies. Man on the move, however, was Nick Swift who guided his Mini from fourteenth on the grid to eight by the end of the first lap. Davies muscled his way into second place on the second tour, but the Mustang later lost its bonnet and ultimately retired when Jason Plato was at the wheel.
Whittaker handed over to team-mate Mike Jordan after 24 minutes had been run, with Michaels pitting to hand over to Blundell near concurrently. Jordan worked his way into the lead amid a flurry of driver changes, but Blundell wasn’t to be denied. The former Le Mans winner was super-smooth as he chased down BTCC race winner Jordan who drove his Capri on its bump-stops as he tried to stay ahead. Blundell jumped him after 15 laps had been run as the lead pair lapped the Jochen Mass in the Fabergé Capri on the run to Madgwick. However, Jordan was still in contention when the race was halted seven minutes ahead of schedule. The Marlboro-liveried Rover 3500 SD1 of Andrew Bruce and ’92 BTCC champion Tim Harvey placed third.
The 15-minute Gerry Marshall Sprint race takes place tomorrow afternoon. Expect fireworks!
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