Maloney sets record, Walcott scores well as Bushy Park returns

A new Radical SR3 Qualifying Record set by Zane Maloney and good haul of points for Reigning Champion Andre Walcott in Bushy Park Motor Sports Inc’s (BPMSI) Group 1, the best-subscribed class of the day, were among the highlights of Sunday’s (August 30) VP Fuel Sales & Rock Hard Cement Race Meet. With the 1.28-kilometre National Circuit in use and Covid-19 safety protocols in place, a good turn-out of fans in the Clubhouse enjoyed an ideal vantage point with the entire lap in clear view.

The planned programme of 12 races became nine, caused by a number of technical issues, including Steve King’s Nissan Skyline with a melted harness and Covid-19 delaying completion of Mark Maloney’s Mazda RX-3. All the BPMSI saloon classes ran together, therefore, with championship points at stake, although the BimmaCup and Radical SR3 events were non-championship.

Taking a break from his EuroFormula Open campaign, Zane Maloney set a new Qualifying Record of 38.893 seconds, chopping 0.4s off Stuart Maloney’s July 2018 time, so looked set to add to his eight Radical SR3 wins . . . but things did not work out. After a first-lap shuffle, his father Sean led the opening 10-lap race throughout, with Mark Maloney second and Zane third, just seven-tenths spread across the trio at the finish.

In the second race, Stuart was tagged into a spin at The Hammer on lap two, forcing Sean and Zane’s cousin Justin to take evasive action, which delayed them both while Zane headed off in pursuit of Mark. He caught and passed him on lap seven, heading for the win until his car suddenly slowed before the final corner with a loss of power, dropping him to third at the flag behind Mark and Justin. Zane and Mark swapped the lead back and forth in the final race, but Zane had the same problem while leading in the closing stages, so finished third behind father Sean, as Mark claimed his second win.

The three BPMSI saloon car events were lively affairs, as the Group 1 cars lined up at the front of the grid, creating the effect of a standing-start Handicap Race each time. Double BPMSI Champion Driver Walcott (Suzuki Swift) had won all three Group 1 races in round one of the championship in March and was quickest in Qualifying, albeit with two more drivers covered by less than 1sec, newcomer Kyle Smith (Honda Civic) and returnee Jeremy Croney, in one of BPCI’s rental Suzuki Swift Sports. Walcott was the class-winner in the first two races, ahead of Croney first time round, then Smith in the middle race. Although he slipped to third in the day’s final outing, behind Croney and Sebastian Thompson, making his car racing debut in another Swift Sport, Walcott collected all three fastest laps and collected valuable points in his title defence.

Mark Thompson (Toyota Starlet) won Group 2/Class 1 twice, almost claiming the overall win until Zane Maloney passed him a lap or so from home each time in the four-wheel-drive Skoda; Jermin Pope (Honda Civic) and Verdon Inniss (Starlet) claimed the class podium places in the first two races, but Darren Lashley (SRG Engineering/Hi-Speed Performance Parts Peugeot 205) was the only finisher in the day’s last race. Tremaine Forde-Catwell (Daihatsu Charmant) won Gp2/C2 three times, although without opposition after the first race, in which Kurt Thompson (Honda Civic) was involved in an accident and Tyrone Martindale (Honda CRX) also retired.

The sole entry in each of Group 3 (Stuart Maloney, Citroen C2 S2000) and Group 4 (Zane driving Stuart’s Skoda Fabia R5 rally car) started at the back of the grid each time, aiming for the win. Stuart’s Citroen was up to fifth in the first race on lap two when a puncture halted its progress – the Skoda won – while Zane clocked up his second win in the middle race, with Stuart third, the Maloneys sandwiching Mark Thompson. In the final race, Stuart and Zane were the top two by lap five and seemed set to finish that way, until the Skoda ran out of fuel.

Honours were shared in the BimmaCup Challenge, although Sacha Soodeen was the star turn. Fastest in qualifying, he then won the first of the three eight-lap races, taking the lead from Trinidad & Tobago’s David Coelho just before half-distance and holding him off to win by 1.6 seconds, with Shawn Boxill third after an early duel with Jason Parkinson. Boxill passed Spencer Hutchinson and Parkinson on the first two laps of the second race, easing ahead for a 2.3s winning margin over Soodeen and Parkinson. but Soodeen headed the final race throughout. He won by 7.7s and set the best BimmaCup lap of the day (50.727s), while the others scrapped over the places, Parkinson finishing second and Coelho snatching third from Boxill on the final lap.

For media information only. No regulatory value

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