With a brace of pole positions in their favour this weekend, Graham Johnson and Mike Robinson made best of the first of these to take the win in the first of Oulton Park’s two one-hour sprints.
With their car rebuilt after its heavy accident at Rockingham, the DNF there would at least provide some benefit in allowing the PMW World Expo Racing / Optimum Ginetta a clean pit stop without penalty. Not that the #50 car would need that. Johnson coming under pressure from Will Phillips’s RCIB Ginetta into Old Hall at the rolling start was as much challenge as the #50 Ginetta G55 would get, even though an early safety car period would compress the field, courtesy of Sean Byrne’s Century Ginetta’s visit to the tyre wall on the second lap.
Alex Reed’s Lanan Racing Ginetta had been running in a promising third place until Sandy Mitchell misjudged the restart in his Black Bull Ecurie Ecosse McLaren 570S, making heavy contact with the back of the #51 G55, this pushing the Lanan car into the back of Phillips, who was waiting rather more patiently for the green flag in second.
With resulting retirement for Reed, the #45 RCIB entry would maintain a strong position to finish third despite rear bodywork damage, the Ginettas of the remaining #73 Century Motorsport car and the Nick Jones entered #66 G55, Nathan Freke and Scott Malvern respectively providing excellent entertainment in their battle for fourth in the second half of the race after the pit stops.
Though the winning #50 Ginetta never looked threatened at the front, their lead over 23 seconds at the flag, perhaps the most deserving result would be for the second placed #42 Aston Martin of Matty Graham and Jack Mitchell.
After their unfortunate accident at the opening round their car has shown good pace, and a fantastic start from seventh on the grid by Graham, followed by aggressive progress after the safety car, meant co-driver Mitchell was able to maintain a position of strength, though by his own admission could never hope to challenge for the win: “There was no way I was going to catch him,” said Mitchell. “That car is very strong. My focus was maintaining the gap to third.”
“I was more nervous about that race than any other I’ve driven I think,” Johnson told DSC. “Having made a mistake at Rockingham it was important for me to get that monkey off my back. It’s a tribute to the team after rebuilding the car. We shook the car down here last week, and it has felt very strong all weekend. Mike and I are working really well together; I think even with a penalty we could have controlled that race.”
