The Richardson Racing team maintained its strong form in the Michelin Ginetta Junior Championship with victory in the latest round of the season at Croft.
The Corby-based outfit headed for the North Yorkshire circuit on the back of a successful weekend at Thruxton, with Will Martin, Casper Stevenson and James Taylor all looking to fight towards the front.
Qualifying saw all three drivers battling towards the sharp end of the grid, with Will securing a place on the front row alongside points leader James Hedley, Casper securing third spot and James settling into fifth.
Ahead of the opening race of the weekend on Saturday afternoon, heavy rain hit the circuit, which resulted in the decision being taken to start the action behind the Safety Car.
Unfortunately it soon became clear that conditions weren’t safe enough to allow the race to continue, with the decision taken to abandon proceedings and delay the race until Sunday.
With improved weather ahead of the start, Will made the perfect getaway to jump ahead of Hedley on the run to turn one, with Casper slotting into second before the end of the opening lap just before the safety car was deployed.
With James sitting in fourth place, the race resumed on the third lap with Will building a slender lead as Casper batted Hedley behind.
Casper would hold the place until lap eight when Hedley finally got ahead and set about trying to chase Will down, but he was able to maintain his position at the front to secure a second win of the season.
Third place overall meanwhile gave Casper his second podium finish of the year, and a maiden win amongst the rookie drivers.
The team had looked well set to fight for a podium lock-out after James got ahead of Hedley to run third after the early Safety Car period, but a small error saw him slip back to fourth – a position he would ultimately hold right through to the finish.
The tight nature of the Croft timetable means the second race of the weekend could not be run and will instead take place at a round later in the season.
Will Martin, #10 (Battle, East Sussex), said
“It was great to get my first win at Thruxton and it meant I came to Croft with a lot of confidence behind me. It was tight at the start with the battle with Hedley into turn one but I was able to build a lead out front.
“When he came back at me towards the end, it wasn’t easy to keep him at bay and to win again is great. I have to thank all my sponsors and the team, as I couldn’t do it without them.
“It was important for me to show that Thruxton wasn’t a one off, and we have shown here we have the pace to run at the front once again. That’s what have to keep doing now, and the points will follow.”
Casper Stevenson, #25 (London), said
“I’m pleased to finish on the overall podium again and to get my first rookie win is fantastic. There was a lot of pressure because of the fact there was only one race due to the weather, and I didn’t want to come away from the weekend with nothing to show for my efforts.
“I enjoyed battling at the front of the grid and it’s good to build on the result I gained at Thruxton last time out. Hopefully we can push for more finishes like this at Oulton Park.”
James Taylor, #66 (Rotherham, Yorkshire), said
“It’s good to get fourth place and some solid points, but I’m disappointed it wasn’t a podium. I made a bit of an error that cost me time, but ultimately I didn’t have the pace to keep up with the top three for some reason.
“It’s a shame for me that we only had one race given its my home circuit, and particularly that we didn’t get to run in the wet as I think I’d have been strong.”