There were three different winners from the three races at Knockhill this weekend. Seb Perez and Geri Nicosia took race wins on day one – though Nicosia never got his moment on the top step – whilst championship leader Will Tregurtha took the win on Sunday.
Race One
The Sebs locked out the front row of the grid for the first race of the weekend. Sebastien Priaulx celebrated his first pole position of the season ahead of teammate Perez, but a perfect start for Perez saw the second Seb speed into the lead.
Whilst Perez sped off into the distance, Priaulx had a battle on his hands. After starting third, championship contender Stuart Middleton was after second, as did Middleton’s teammate Daniel Harper.
Priaulx and Middleton switched and swapped places throughout the race, Harper always close behind them, but it was Middleton who eventually ended up at the top of the battle, with Priaulx taking the final step of the podium.
Middleton’s championship rival, Will Tregurtha, hadn’t been able to follow Middleton forwards, and found himself fighting against Geri Nicosia. The two were battling throughout the race, with Dave Wooder joining them for the beginning of it. Nicosia and Tregurtha were side by side as they came over the start/finish line for the final time, but it was Tregurtha who just came out on top, finishing fifth.
Race Two
Perez’s race win earned him pole for the second race of the day with Middleton starting alongside him, but neither driver would find themselves at the front of the pack for long. Both front row drivers were deemed to have jumped the gun and made false starts. A drive through penalty each dropped them back through the pack and out of the lead battle.
Douglas Motorsport’s Dan Harper inherited the lead of the race, but both Will Tregurtha and Seb Priaulx were looking to take that place. A bad start for Priaulx had dropped him back to sixth, but he’d managed to recover up to third. The three way battle for the lead filled the entire second half of the race and, on the penultimate lap, Priaulx managed to get up into the lead, dropping Harper to third behind Tregurtha.
It was all change on the final lap of the race though. As Tregurtha and Harper battled on the final lap, a mistake by Tregurtha sent him back through the pack and he ended the race in sixth.
Harper couldn’t claim second, though, as Geri Nicosia passed him to follow Priaulx over the finish line.
So it was Priaulx, Nicosia, and Harper who stood on the podium at the end of the race, but that’s not what the final classifications looked like. Priaulx and Harper had also been a little too eager at the start of the race, and were penalised for false starts. Both were handed 30 second time penalties, which dropped Priaulx to thirteenth and Harper to fifteenth.
Nicosia officially won the second race of the weekend, ahead of Dave Wooder and Tom Wood, whilst Tregurtha would end up taking fourth.
Elsewhere, the battle between Harry King and Enzo Fittipaldi – outlined here – ended with Fittipaldi finishing eleventh and King finishing last and two laps down as he was forced to pit. Though both drivers spoke to the stewards, no action was taken.
Race Three
Lewis Brown would start on pole for the final race of the weekend in the partially reversed grid, with Connor Grady alongside him.
The start of the race went well for Brown. Third in the championship but without a race win since Donington, the HHC Motorsport driver was looking to make up for the long winless streak. It wasn’t to be though as, two laps into the race, it was deemed that Brown had jumped the start and was also handed a drive through penalty.
That put Will Tregurtha into the lead of the race – a position he was much more used to being in – and Grady in second.
This time, the drama came from a different Elite Motorsport driver. Wood had fallen behind Nicosia and was trying to recover the position when he span. Middleton and Perez behind him were also caught up in the collison and send onto the grass and Wood almost took teammate King out when he rejoined the track.
Middleton recovered to take fourth – his highest finish of the season – behind Nicosia.
It was all about the firsts on the podium though. Tregurtha may have been a familiar face but it second place for Grady was the TCR driver’s first podium. Jordan Collard also celebrated a first as he celebrated his first rookie cup win.
Tregurtha leaves Scotland thirty six points ahead of Middleton. The Douglas Motorsport driver is still sixty nine points ahead of third place though. Dave Wooder now claims that spot, whilst Dan Harper continues to lead the rookie championship.
Results
Race One
1 – Seb Perez – JHR Developments
2 – Stuart Middleton – Douglas Motorsport
3 – Seb Priaulx – JHR Deveopments
4 – Daniel Harper – Douglas Motorsport
5 – Will Tregurtha – HHC Motorsport
6 – Geri Nicosia – JHR Developments
7 – Connor Grady – Total Control Racing
8 – Cameron Roberts – JHR Developments
9 – Charlie Fagg – HHC Motorsport
10 – Enzo Fittipaldi – Douglas Motorsport
11 – Dave Wooder – Total Control Racing
12 – Lewis Brown – HHC Motorsport
13 – Tom Wood – Elite Motorsport
14 – Harry King – Elite Motorsport
15 – Olli Caldwell – JHR Developments
16 – Charlie Digby – HHC Motorsport
17 – Jordan Collard – Total Control Racing
Race Two
1 – Geri Nicosia – JHR Developments
2 – Dave Wooder – Total Control Racing
3 – Tom Wood – Elite Motorsport
4 – Will Tregurtha – HHC Motorsport
5 – Connor Grady – Total Control Racing
6 – Lewis Brown – HHC Motorsport
7 – Jordan Collard – Total Control Racing
8 – Seb Perez – JHR Developments
9 – Stuart Middleton – Douglas Motorsport
10 – Olli Caldwell – JHR Developments
11 – Enzo Fittipaldi – Douglas Motorsport
12 – Charlie Fagg – HHC Motorsport
13 – Seb Priaulx – JHR Deveopments
14 – Cameron Roberts – JHR Developments
15 – Daniel Harper – Douglas Motorsport
16 – Charlie Digby – HHC Motorsport
17 – Harry King – Elite Motorsport
Race Three
1 – Will Tregurtha – HHC Motorsport
2 – Connor Grady – Total Control Racing
3 – Geri Nicosia – JHR Developments
4 – Stuart Middleton – Douglas Motorsport
5 – Jordan Collard – Total Control Racing
6 – Dave Wooder – Total Control Racing
7 – Charlie Fagg – HHC Motorsport
8 – Cameron Roberts – JHR Developments
9 – Daniel Harper – Douglas Motorsport
10 – Olli Caldwell – JHR Developments
11 – Seb Perez – JHR Developments
12 – Enzo Fittipaldi – Douglas Motorsport
13 – Harry King – Elite Motorsport
14 – Lewis Brown – HHC Motorsport
15 – Tom Wood – Elite Motorsport
16 – Charlie Digby – HHC Motorsport
17 – Seb Priaulx – JHR Deveopments
Image Credit: Caroline Rhea
