GT5 Challenge Am:
Karim Sekkat (Elite Motorsport) started the weekend in style as he scored a maiden pole position in the GT5 Challenge Am class. He finished over a second clear of team-mate Mangion, who was making a welcome return to the grid after having to sit out the last rounds at Donington Park.
Sekkat unfortunately dropped from pole position to seventh in class on the first lap of the opening race, with Mangion moving to the front. Chris White (Raceway Motorsport) put him under pressure in the second half of the race, but Mangion kept him at bay for the opening win.
Bal Sidhu (Xentek Motorsport) was running third heading onto the last lap, but Sekkat got ahead to complete a great comeback drive. Mike Doble (Xentek Motorsport), father of series regular Mikey, also got ahead for fourth in his debut race, with Sidhu finishing up in fifth.
Mangion converted pole position for race two into a lights-to-flag victory. White rose from fifth to second on lap one and ran side-by-side with the leader at one stage, but Mangion was able to edge clear for his second win of the day so far.
Sekkat was up to third at one stage, but Doble fought back and was seemingly on course for a first podium finish. A hard-charging Paolo Santi (Raceway Motorsport) got ahead on the final lap though, with Doble fourth from his Xentek Motorsport team-mate Phil McGarty.
The final race of the weekend took place in heavy rain and started with White taking the GT5 Am lead on lap one, before Mangion worked his way back past on the next tour. White fell back late on and Sidhu became Mangion’s chief challenger, those two running close together at the finish as Mangion completed his treble win.
Doble completed a brilliant debut weekend with third – a special moment with his son Mikey also stepping onto the podium in second overall – with Santi in fourth. Mark Steel (Toro Verde GT) progressed across the weekend meanwhile and ended with a fifth place result.
G40 Cup Pro:
Qualifying saw Thomas Holland (Raceway Motorsport) become another to top the class timesheets by a dominant margin, posting a lap 1.7 seconds quicker than team-mate Marc Warren for his second double pole position of the season.
Warren went on to take the lead on the opening lap of race one and he held the advantage until lap four, when he suffered an off track moment at Riches corner. Holland took the win therefore, with Warren recovering to third behind Nick White (MRM).
It was a case of déjà vu in race two as Warren once again took the lead on lap one, however there was no dramas this time as he led throughout to an eighth win of the season. Holland and White stepped onto the podium again ahead of Bren Maude (CTS Motorsport).
An early shuffle in the tricky wet conditions in race three saw Holland move into the lead ahead of Maude and White. It was the latter that made some moves, eventually taking a second win of the season on the final lap. Holland settled for second, with Maude scoring a third podium of 2021.
G40 Cup Am:
The weekend began with a new name at the top of the class times, as Andrew Willis (Privateer) edged out Jeremy Sussex (SVG Motorsport) by just 0.048s to become the first driver other than Rupert Laslett (Raceway Motorsport) to lead the class in a qualifying session this season.
Laslett qualified at the rear of the class field, however a stunning start to race one saw him move into the lead by the end of the opening lap. He went on to pull clear at the front, while Willis overcame Peter Dilnot (Elite Motorsport) for second place.
It was a similar story for Laslett in race two, as he once again took the lead by of lap one and went on to record a tenth win of the season by five seconds. Willis ran second throughout, while Brenden Haffner (Raceway Motorsport) was third initially before Dilnot got ahead.
The final race of the weekend saw a landmark moment for Dilnot, as he scored a first win of the season after moving to first on lap one and leading throughout in the wet. Sussex bounced back from woes earlier in the day to the podium ahead of Haffner, with pole-sitter Laslett in fourth.
The Protyre Motorsport Ginetta GT5 Challenge returns to the British Touring Car Championship package next for the penultimate meeting of the season at Croft (18/19 September).
Full session results from the weekend are available at tsl-timing.com/event/213105
The live streams of all three Snetterton races can be watched back at youtube.com/ginettatv
Find out more about the championship’s title sponsor, Protyre Motorsport, at https://www.protyre.co.uk/
