For all the impressive drives during his domination of British Formula 4 last year, Alex Dunne never scored a win quite like one Louis Sharp achieved at Donington Park last weekend. Starting 20th on the fully reversed grid for race two, Sharp’s expectations were low. Yet he kept his head in tricky wet conditions and claimed a remarkable victory.
The Rodin Carlin driver admitted he was “very lucky” to carve through the pack so successfully, his progress aided by a safety car – caused by polesitter Isaac Barashi being beached at the Old Hairpin – bunching the field, but he had already climbed to fifth by this point.
Hitech’s Jimmy Piszcyk was the early leader after passing Barashi into Redgate. But it wasn’t long before late Argenti entry Sonny Smith caught the Aussie, and snuck through when Piszcyk ran wide at the Old Hairpin. But Sharp then emerged ahead after Smith made of a mess of the safety car restart, bunching the field up, and took the incredible win from Aiden Neate – the Fortec driver up from 15th.
“It was a crazy race!” said Sharp. “Coming into the race, I wasn’t thinking about a podium – I didn’t expect a points finish – so it’s unreal [to win]!”
Yet there was still time for more drama when Sharp and Neate were initially given 30-second penalties for overlapping other cars on the restart. But these were rightfully later rescinded when Smith’s inconsistent pace on the restart was highlighted.
INSIGHT: The drivers to watch among the 2023 BTCC supports
Earlier, Sharp had grabbed the lead of a dry race one from team-mate Noah Lisle with a move around the outside of Redgate. “I knew if I wanted to win, I had to get him at the start,” said the Kiwi. But a red flag with Gustav Jonsson’s and Aqil Alibhai’s cars stranded meant the roles were soon reversed, although Sharp resisted Lisle, while Daniel Guinchard (Chris Dittmann Racing) completed the podium.
Sharp’s hopes of a perfect weekend were dashed in the finale when he went too deep and through the gravel at Redgate when challenging Lisle. After dropping to the back, he stormed up to sixth, while Lisle completed a perfect weekend for Rodin Carlin by heading home team-mate Dion Gowda and Jack Sherwood (CDR).
He may not have the 37-point lead Dunne enjoyed after the opening weekend last year (instead it’s eight), but Sharp has still stamped his mark on this year’s championship in ominous style.
If the racing at Donington Park is anything to go by, then an exciting Porsche Sprint Challenge GB season could be in store, and it was Steve Roberts who left Leicestershire with the early advantage.
Like his Redline Racing team-mate Roberts, Toby Trice is another continuing in the championship as it joins the British Touring Car support bill full-time this year, and he took full advantage of his experience to claim a maiden series win from pole in the opener. But it was not straightforward – Team Parker’s Joe Warhurst finished just 0.28 seconds behind, and Trice said his rear tyres began to get “a bit lairy” towards the end. “What a way to start the season!” Trice added. “It means everything – just to get on the grid has been a challenge.”
Roberts was third after a close fight with Ginetta GT5 Challenge runner-up Will Jenkins (Century Motorsport), but passed Trice early on in race two and then grabbed the lead from Warhurst through the Craner Curves on lap 10 of 14. While Roberts scampered clear, there was a thrilling five-car battle for second, with Warhurst just holding on from Max Coates.
There was another close battle behind Roberts in race three. Originally, Warhurst held the position but was relegated late on at Coppice by a charging Coates as the Graves Motorsport driver put a disappointing 11th in the opener, after struggling off the line, behind him.
History was made at Donington Park when Robert de Haan became the Porsche Carrera Cup GB’s youngest-ever victor after taking an impressive win in the opener.
The ex-Ginetta Junior racer dominated the winter Sprint Challenge Southern Europe contest and continued that strong form into Leicestershire. De Haan started third in his Richardson Racing car, jumped slow-starting Theo Edgerton (Redline) off the line, and grabbed the lead on the inside of the chicane from Porsche GB Junior Adam Smalley. Yet the Team Parker Racing driver quickly reclaimed the place with a good run through Redgate and down the Craner Curves before edging away.
But Smalley admitted to struggling with his tyres as the track dried and de Haan pounced on lap 15 of 24 – again on the inside into the chicane – to become the youngest series race winner aged just 16.
Smalley was determined to bounce back in race two, and a brilliant opening lap set up his first win in a year, grabbing the lead from Gus Burton at the chicane to build a seven-point advantage in the standings. Burton added second to his earlier third, while de Haan was lucky to avoid being hit when he spun down the Craner Curves and across the pack backwards at the Old Hairpin.
For the majority of the Donington Park weekend, Dan Zelos’s miserable Mini Challenge fortune seemed to have been cast aside. The Excelr8 driver led the first two contests from start to finish, and even a late-race power-steering failure in the opener did not derail his charge. But the finale ended with a frightening crash where Sam Smith speared into Zelos’s car at Redgate and left two battered Minis, and Smith in hospital.
Smith’s race had not got off to a good start when he clashed with Hybrid Tune team-mate Joe Tanner into Redgate on the first lap when attempting to take the lead, which enabled polesitter Will Orton to sneak back ahead. Amid two safety-car periods, Zelos climbed to third from the partially reversed grid, and it was on the restart from the second of these cautions when the sizeable clash occurred.
Smith was out of control on the grass on the inside at the end of the Wheatcroft Straight and clattered into an unfortunate Zelos at the Redgate apex. The race was red-flagged, with Orton declared the winner from Tanner and Cooper class champion Nelson King.
Earlier, Zelos had held off a fast-closing Smith in race one, while in the largely uneventful wet second race he always had the measure of Tanner, Smith and early points leader Orton.
Want more reports from the world of national motorsport? Subscribe today and never miss your weekly fix of motorsport with Autosport magazine
