Midland Indoor Carpet C/ship Round 2 – Report

Based in Telford in the UK, Round 2 of the Midland Indoor Carpet Championship took place last weekend where fresh from his IFMAR 1:8 Onroad World Championship Finale debut in Chile, Alex Thurston took the Modified TC win.  It was Thurston who continued his dominance from Round 1 to take TQ in all 4 rounds.  Stefan Chodzynski would line up 2nd followed by Peter Eagles.  Junior Andrea Torregiani lined up 4th with Liam Brookes and Sam Richardson close behind in 5th and 6th.  Less than a second separating the three drivers.  Thurston edged out Chodzynski in a nail-biting finish, with only a tiny margin separating the two at the finish.  Eagles completed a fiercely competitive podium, finishing just behind the top two in what was one of the closest three-way battles of the season so far.  Richardson, Alex Bold, and Liam Brooks were all tightly bunched behind the leaders, trading positions and keeping the intensity high throughout the race.  Paul Chambers would cross the line in 7th, while Torregiani had a final to forget despite showing amazing speed all day.

In the 13.5 Zombie Class, Craig Nutting led the way in qualifying with a fastest run of 24 in 303.74, securing pole position. Sam Law was close behind in second and Chris Parrott took third. Jamie Hall raced to claim fourth with the famous Ashley Pattison completing the top five.  Sam Law delivered an impressive performance, taking the win and demonstrating both speed and consistency throughout the race. A returning Chris Clark secured second place, keeping the pressure on the leader until the end. Jamie Hall crossed the line in third, rounding out a competitive podium battle. The Stafford duo Stuart Evans and Chris Parrott took fourth and fifth. Darren Russell, Chris Whitworth, and Craig Howard battled through the midfield, finishing sixth to eighth, with solid laps but unable to challenge the leaders. Stephen Duff, Ashley Pattison, and Craig Nutting rounded out the top eleven, each facing challenges that limited their race distance but still posting competitive individual lap pace.

Qualifying for 17.5 Blinky Touring Car was fiercely contested, with Andy Murray claiming TQ by being the only driver to complete 24 laps, laying down a benchmark run of 312.94. Ben Cosgrove secured second with a strong and consistent 23-lap run on 300.34, keeping the pressure on throughout qualifying, while Mason Weston took third with a tidy 23 laps in 302.89, showing impressive pace. Will Everett followed closely in fourth on 23 laps in 306.43, delivering a controlled and mistake-free runs, and Andrew Robson rounded out the top five with 23 laps in 308.55 after a solid performance that kept him ahead in a tightly packed midfield battle. It was a close and competitive race at the front, with Andy Murray taking the win after 23 laps, finishing just ahead of Ben Cosgrove. Andy kept things tidy and consistent throughout, while Ben was right on his heels all race and even set the fastest lap of the night, but couldn’t find a way past. Mason Weston completed the podium in third after another solid run, staying on the lead lap and keeping the pressure on the front two. Behind him, there was a tight scrap through the midfield, with several drivers separated by only a few seconds, making for plenty of close racing.

It was another fearsomely close day of racing in the 17.5 Front Wheel Drive class. Last rounds winner and current champion Ben Cosgrove was looking to continue his success from round 1 but after qualifying round 1 it looked like he had a serious fight on his hands from Craig Nutting, Adrian Ripley and surprise entrant Andy Murray. After a DNF in Q1 Andy went on to TQ every remaining round of qualifying with a fastest time of 20 in 302.39. Craig Nutting would be lining up 2nd, followed by Adrian Ripley, Ben Cosgrove with Paul McKeag completing the top 5.  The race delivered a close and competitive battle at the front, with Aidan Ripley taking the win. Ripley was pushed hard throughout but drove a mistake free race. Andy Murray, got within three seconds of the lead even after dropping down the field. Ben Cosgrove completed the podium in third after a consistent drive, while Dale Knight and Adam Mullock rounded out the top five following tightly contested battles in the midfield. The top nine cars all finished on the lead lap, highlighting the depth of competition, with lap times separated by tenths throughout the field.  Further back, mechanical or race issues affected a few runners, with Paul McKeag, Rob Roy, and Craig Nutting unable to complete the full distance.

Thanks to Mikey Mansell for report