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SuperChamps - Round Five
Daytona Tamworth
We returned to Daytona Tamworth on Sunday 4th May for Round Five of the SuperChamps series where a sunbathed track set the backdrop of a thrilling wheel-to-wheel day of racing.
N35-ST
Rhys Barker claimed victory in the Lightweight Shootout, finishing three tenths ahead of championship contender Joseph Smith. Despite the close margin, Barker led from lights to flag, showing strong pace throughout. Zachary Smith took third, another driver firmly in the championship hunt.
In the final, the Barker–Smith battle resumed, just as intense as before. Barker held on for a second consecutive win, this time by four tenths at the chequered flag. A look at their average lap times revealed just five thousandths of a second between them – a testament to how closely matched the pair are. Brandon Barker, Rhys’ brother, stole the Fastest Lap point with a 59.861, denying Rhys a perfect round score of 61. Zachary Smith rounded off the podium, after an earlier bump-and-pass incident involving Barker altered the running order.
Anthony French was untouchable in the Heavyweight Shootout, crossing the line comfortably ahead of the rest of the field. He backed it up with another dominant drive in the final, building a thirteen-second lead over Kieran Bryant. Bryant had to work hard in the early laps to fend off Saul Gregory, who eventually settled for third.
DMAX
The story of the day in DMAX Lightweights was once again the season-long rivalry between Joseph Simcock and Luke Dodman. In the Shootout, Dodman initially held the lead, but Simcock made his move on lap five and never looked back, holding on for victory by just a tenth of a second.
The final brought more drama, with Simcock executing a decisive move on the last lap to snatch the win. The gap between them at the line was again just one tenth. Nihal Joye drove brilliantly to claim third place but narrowly missed out on the overall third spot due to Barker claiming the faster lap time of the day.
In the Heavyweight Shootout, Ashley Mayston-King came out on top after a close contest with Antony Wypych. The two resumed their duel in the final, which ended in controversy. Wypych made a borderline overtake on Mayston-King on the final lap and received a one-place bump-and-pass penalty. The penalty was upheld on appeal, awarding Mayston-King a perfect round. James Estrop made a strong return to DMAX competition, finishing third with an impressive drive.
It was another action-packed round of SuperChamps at Tamworth, with tight battles and standout performances across all classes. Round Six returns on the Heats layout on Sunday 1st June where the championship battles will resume. It is all to play for - this one’s not to be missed!
Daytona Sandown Park
SuperChamps returned to Sandown Park for Round Five, back on the sweeping Grand Prix Circuit in the Grand Prix format. With the season now entering its decisive phase, drivers across all categories were pushing hard to maximise points, and the action did not disappoint.
SODI
Jamie Riches got his day off to the best possible start, securing pole position for the Shootout with a 51.146. James Callan was just 0.092 seconds behind in P2. Riches made no mistake from the front, delivering a composed and commanding performance to take the win. Callan stayed close behind to finish second, while George Beauchamp drove a smart race to come home third.
The final followed a similar script. Riches led from the front and extended his advantage steadily over the 33-lap contest. He crossed the line with a gap of just under eleven seconds to seal a clean sweep on the day. Callan again took second, and Beauchamp repeated his earlier result with another solid drive for third.
Behind them, the battle for fourth was a standout. Abhay Parmar came out on top after a fierce scrap with Ashton Woolger, Harry Pickles and Caesar Chen. The four were inseparable for much of the race, with Woolger and Pickles even finishing in a drag race to the line.
Riches set the fastest lap of the race, capping a dominant showing.
The Shootout in the SODI Heavyweights was a classic three-way duel. Sam Roy held his nerve to take the win by just over a second from Benny Reid, with Jason Miller a further half a second back in third. All three drivers were glued together throughout the race, constantly swapping positions.
In the final, Roy went two-for-two, fending off another determined effort from Reid to take the victory. Miller rounded out the podium in third once again. Reid managed to set the fastest lap in the final, but Roy’s consistency earned him the maximum points haul for the round.
DMAX
Archie Bullard looked like the man to beat after setting pole for the Shootout with a 46.469. Thomas Williams joined him on the front row with a 46.716. Bullard kept Williams behind to take the Shootout win after withstanding race-long pressure, while Yaseen Khan crossed the line in third, just one second adrift.
Further back, the battle from sixth to eighth was one of the most exciting of the race. George Lawlor, Jamie Warner and Frederick Burden were locked in a tense exchange, finishing within half a second of each other. Warner had been making a charge through the field and was right in the mix during the closing laps.
Bullard set the fastest lap of the race, while in the Heavyweight class, Kieran Hyde-Moody held off Mike Bennett to take the win by just four tenths. Henry Lopes-Gracey found the barriers early on and spent much of the race trying to recover lost ground.
The DMAX final brought the drama. Thomas Williams produced a sensational drive, storming clear to win by over nine seconds after 33 laps. It was a chaotic race behind him, with as many as eleven drivers in contention for second place at one point.
Adam Palmer managed to break free of the midfield chaos late on to secure second place. The rest of the top ten was a mess of close racing and post-race penalties. Archie Bullard originally crossed the line in third but was handed a penalty that dropped him to sixth. Yaseen Khan and Charlie Foster were also among those penalised after the race which was packed with contact.
Frederick Burden finished just ahead of Foster on the road, but with penalties applied, the pair swapped places. The midfield was extremely tight throughout, and those infractions proved costly for several big names.
Bullard clocked the fastest lap of the day – a rapid 46.447. Mike Bennett set the fastest time in the Heavyweight class, adding another solid performance to his campaign.
Round Five proved to be one of the most dramatic yet, with elbows out and points on the line across all classes. The SuperChamps grid returns to Sandown Park on Saturday 1st June for Round Six.
Photos:
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