2024 Hagerty Radical Cup UK R2 : Snetterton
It was once again challenging conditions as the Hagerty Radical Cup UK headed to Snetterton for round two. Luke Hilton of Valour Racing took his first win in the championship, while Chris Lulham secured three out of four race wins. In the SR1 class Bradley Gaunt of North Motorsport achieved his first podium in the championship.
PRO SR3
Race 1
The first race of the weekend was the postponed race three from the opening round of the championship at Donington Park, which saw DW Racing’s Peter Tyler and Oscar Joyce share the front row of the reversed grid. Joyce surged ahead into Riches, taking the outside line to pass Tyler, although he was unsure if he’d make the corner. “I think that was the karting line, but I prefer following someone,” Tyler commented.
Joyce’s lead was brief as Hilton passed him through Palmer, with Lulham advancing to third by Agostini’s exit. However, Lulham faced drama on the Bentley Straight. “I outbraked myself into Brundle and rejoined over the grass,” he explained. By lap two, Lulham was second, trailing Hilton and ahead of Joyce, Tyler, Chris Preen, and James Pinkerton. John Macleod had dropped to ninth after an off at Bombhole. The safety car was deployed to recover Lexie Belk’s SR1, neutralizing the race for a few laps.
Hilton maintained his lead after the restart, while Joyce, Tyler, Preen, Pinkerton, and Lulham, who served a penalty in the pitlane, followed. Tyler succumbed to Preen’s pressure, and Paul Denning spun off at Palmer, ending his progress.
Rishover also lost places, spinning at Hamilton after a bridge chase with Preen. The race concluded after eight laps with Hilton claiming his maiden victory by 14.8 seconds over Joyce, with Preen completing the podium and winning the Fangio Trophy. “The safety car helped me catch up,” Joyce said.
Despite finishing fourth, Lulham was penalized 30 seconds for a pitlane penalty mishap, dropping him to eighth in class. Macleod took fifth after passing Tyler on the last lap. Jack Yang, Denning, and Adrian Hallmark rounded out the top ten, with Rishover in 11th.
Race 2
Lulham and Hilton quickly built a lead on the first lap, with Rishover and Macleod leading the chasers. Rishover soon secured a solitary third, while Preen, Yang, and Joyce closed in on Macleod’s fourth.
Preen lost ground on lap five, with Joyce passing Yang to pursue Macleod. Lulham secured his third win of the season by 3.287 seconds. “Once we reached the apex, I knew it was mine,” he said. Hilton acknowledged the challenge, “I was on the marbles after the first corner.”
Rishover finished third, despite an early challenge from Macleod. “I had a good start, then a gap after Macleod’s challenge,” he noted. Joyce pressured Macleod but couldn’t pass. Yang echoed similar sentiments, balancing attack and defense against Preen. Preen finished seventh, followed by Denning, Tyler, Pinkerton, and Hallmark.
Race 3
Denning and Yang were first-lap casualties, which brought out the safety car. Lulham and Hilton again distanced themselves after the restart, with Rishover, Preen, Macleod, and Tyler trailing. Joyce passed Tyler on lap four, but Lulham’s dominance continued, winning by 12.7 seconds. Rishover lost third to Preen on lap 10 and faced challenges from Macleod and Tyler.
Tyler stormed through the field, overtaking Joyce, Macleod, Rishover, and Preen to secure third and the Fangio Trophy victory. Preen held off Macleod for fourth, with Rishover, Joyce, and Hallmark following.
Race 4
Preen started on pole with Lulham fourth, however Lulham quickly took the lead and was 6.67 seconds clear by the first lap’s end. Hilton overtook Preen for second, with Macleod challenging. Yang’s hopes of a podium were dashed with a Palmer spin.
Lulham delivered his most dominant performance yet, winning by over 40 seconds and setting the fastest lap on the final lap. “The conditions were tough, but I pushed for the fastest lap point with caution,” he said. Hilton followed, 39 seconds ahead of Macleod. Preen and Joyce finished next, followed by Yang and Rishover. Tyler, penalized for missing lights, finished ninth, with Hallmark completing the race.
PRO SR1
Race 1
Sam Shaw led from the start, fending off Marcus Littlewood and guest driver Ryan Lindsay. A safety car for Lexie Belk’s off at Riches bunched the field, but Shaw held off Lindsay, who spun at Agostini’s. “I braked on the white line in the wet and spun,” Lindsay admitted. Shaw secured the win with Littlewood second. Jack Leese inherited third after Lindsay’s spin, followed by the Gaunt Brothers, Ashley, and Bradley.
Race 2
Lindsay won lights-to-flag, while Littlewood and Shaw battled for points. However, as a guest driver Lindsay was ineligible to score a podium or points, so Littlewood inherited the win. Littlewood finished over six seconds ahead of Shaw. “I had good balance and kept Sam at a distance,” he said. Shaw struggled with straight-line speed. Leese finished in third, with Bradley Gaunt fourth after Ashley spun. Belk also finished despite an incident with Tyler’s SR3.
Race 3
Littlewood led early, but after two safety car laps, Lindsay and Shaw overtook. Shaw took the lead on lap four, with Littlewood retiring and Lindsay pitting, leaving Shaw to win. Leese and Bradley Gaunt completed the podium, with Ashley Gaunt and Belk finishing.
Race 4
Shaw and Lindsay mixed with the SR3s. Leese led initially, but Shaw took the lead on lap three, followed by Lindsay and Littlewood. Shaw extended his championship lead with another win. Lindsay finished second, with Littlewood reclaiming third from Leese. Bradley Gaunt, Belk, and Ashley Gaunt followed. Again, Lindsay was unable to score a podium or points, so the final top three was Shaw, Littlewood and Leese.
