Double Header at Loton Park Sees Great Competition

Round 3 - Saturday

A double-header at Loton Park provided a great draw for competitors with 24 drivers competing with Porsche Club at this demanding 1,349 metre hill climb. The weather did not get the memo about it being near the start of summer and, instead, provided an almost wintery mix of cold winds, rain showers and occasional blustery moments of sunshine. Porsche drivers were the first out and all put in tentative times during the practice sessions that ran on a cold and slippery track that never fully dried out under the trees that overhang much of this course. 

At Loton, three very different Porsches made up the competition in Class P4. A malfunctioning gearbox caused Stephen Jory problems in his 944 and his times may otherwise have been much closer to fellow P4 competitors. He finished in third place with 66.37. Driving one of the few early 911s in the Championship, Martin Leach drove his immaculate 911 E 3.0 litre to second place with 63.44. Bettering Martin’s time by 0.73 seconds, Wayne Eason finished in first place with 62.71 in his striking orange and silver 986 Boxster.

It was a huge variety of competitors in Class P3 with 13 runners and riders entered. Nick Wadsworth made the most of the drying surface to finish with a fastest time 63.50 for third place. Driving the smart 911SC/RS he shares with son Nick; Ian Wadsworth created a margin of 0.62 seconds over Nick’s time for second place in 62.88. A great final run put Justin Mather out in front in his supercharged 924 with a 2.29 second lead for first place in 60.59.

Class P2 saw four drivers at Loton, with Karl Lupton taking his supercharged 944 to third place in 64.43. Championship newcomer John Bradburn demonstrated his previous experience in single-seater hill climbing with a great debut in his factory standard 997 S. John finished the day in second place with 62.96. Andy Fagan continues to impress with another class win following on from Anglesey Circuit. This time, Andy took class honours on a hill and finished the day in his Boxster S with a time of 61.13.

Just 0.10 of a second separated the two drivers in Class P1 at Loton. Driving a production standard 718 Boxster S, Peter Taylor finished the day with 59.66, while David Dyson took the class win and Championship FTD in 59.56 in his 991 GT3.

Round 4 - Sunday

Although not as close as Saturday’s finishing times, it was still neck and neck for much of the event in Class P1. By the end of the day, Peter Taylor took second place in 59.73 while first went to David Dyson in 59.05, a margin of 0.68 seconds.

John Bradburn picked up his second trophy of the weekend for a third-place time of 61.19 in Class P2 while Karl Lupton had at least one great run to finish with 60.61 for second place. Andy Fagan had a good run before rain arrived in the afternoon – his best run of the day earned him first in class in a superb time of 59.87.

Championship newcomer Chris Wigmore took his first trophy position of the competition in P3 with a third-place time of 64.86 in the Cayman he shared at Loton with wife Cathy. Although he was even quicker in practice, Tom Fisher (Boxster S) had a great first timed run and took second place in 63.25. Out in front with a considerable margin of 2.87 seconds and running before rain set in, Nick Wadsworth took the class win in 60.38.

Times in Class P4 were close throughout the day, with each competitor slowed by rain in the final run but having at least one good run. Martin Leach took third place in 63.57 while Stephen Jory, with the considerable help and skills of Karl Lupton the previous evening, had had a replacement gearbox fitted and started to lay down better times – he finished in second with 63.14. Wayne Eason created some excellent times over the weekend, and he finished Sunday with a class winning time of 62.09.

Next rounds - Saturday 22nd and Sunday 23rd June - Prescott Hillclimb