So Close To Being Champions

There was a change in the line-up though, as Jonathan Hoad stepped in to share with Colin Kingsnorth, with Mark Holme busy racing his Radical in the Gulf Cup.

 

The morning sprint race started well, with Hoad pulling out a good lead from the opening lap, before his advantage was wiped out when the safety car appeared after five laps. “I cursed that safety car after a mega start, then I was under attack after that,” he said.

 

They pitted from second on lap 11, with Kingsnorth taking over and continuing to battle in the top six. “That was very hard work, as it felt down on power and I really had to push to keep up,” he added.

 

Hoad was back in for the final stint and came home sixth, having lost out to Axiametrics on the last lap.

Kingsnorth started the three-hour enduro and had settled into an early sixth place. He was one of the first to make a stop, as he came in from 10th to hand to Hoad.

 

They were back up to sixth after the first hour and stayed in contention throughout, to start the final hour, with a fractional lead over UVio/Hofmann’s.

 

But Kingsnorth handed back to Hoad again for the final stint under the safety car and when the green flag was waved there was just nine minutes to go.

 

Hoad was one of three taking Shell alongside each other, and was second by the exit. A lap later he had the lead, but Signature RV’s Marcus Clutton was following.

 

Clutton moved into challenge at Druids with a lap to go and was ahead by the exit of Lodge, but Hoad was forced out wide at Old Hall as he tried to rechallenge.

 

“I had a few little nudges and I tried to outbrake and got hit and pushed wide. A good race though,” he concluded after finishing fourth. The finally finished third in the title hunts, in both the Overall Championship and Masters.