Callum Newsham takes a double win in TCR UK at Croft
Callum Newsham claimed two wins and reigning champion Carl Boardley picked up one in a closely contested weekend of TCR UK at Croft. The weekend was heavily affected by rain and also saw drama for championship leader Adam Shepherd, who missed qualifying and Race 1 due to an ECU issue in his Area Motorsport-run CUPRA. The team focused on being back on the grid for the last two races on Sunday when Shepherd set the fastest lap in Race 2 and finished fourth in Race 3.
These results helped Newsham to relaunch his odds in the title fight; Boardley leads the standings, 25 points clear of Newsham, with Shepherd in third position with a gap of 39 from the leader. This without considering the two results the drivers will have to drop, which make the situation completely different, with Shepherd, Boardley and Newsham in the order, covered by seven points.
Race 1 – In very wet conditions all drivers opted for rain tyres, Newsham made a slow start from the pole and was passed by Bradley Hutchison into T1. Boardley and Newsham ran side-by-side, making light contact with Boardley forced out wide. Boardley was able to retake second, but Newsham moved back ahead in lap 2. Hutchison had built up a three-second lead, but Newsham was closing in at a rapid pace and after a few attempts he took the lead in lap ten 10 as Hutchison went wide. Newsham then bolted away from Hutchison, who soon found himself under threat from Boardley for second but managed to hold him off until the finish.
Race 2 – Shepherd joined the grid at the back but headed into the pits for checks twice during the first part of the race. Stewart Lines was due to start from pole but pulled into the pits at the end of the formation lap, leaving Bradley Thurston alone on the front row. Thurston led the way, while Steven Laidlaw leapt up to second ahead of Rick Kerry who was soon passed by Boardley, who had started eighth. Boardley then took second from Laidlaw in lap 2, before tapping Thurston to take the lead. Laidlaw’s race came to an end in lap 3 when he was hit by Darron Lewis; Thurston fell behind Lewis and the chasing pair of Newsham and Hutchison, while Boardley pulled out a five-second lead. In the latter stages, Boardley began to lose pace and the trio of Lewis, Newsham, and Hutchison closed in on him. Hutchison passed Newsham for third in lap 8 and overtook Lewis in lap 11 for second. Newsham was fighting with Lewis for third, they ran side-by-side on the penultimate lap, but Lewis edged back ahead forcing Newsham out wide. Hutchison was on Boardley’s tail but ran wide on the last lap rejoining just ahead of Lewis and Newsham. He kept Lewis behind, which gave Newsham the opportunity to move into third. Boardley won by 2.7 seconds over Hutchison, with Newsham third.
Race 3 – Rain had eased slightly when Newsham started from the pole and retained the lead despite running wide into T1; behind him Boardley passed Hutchison for second. By the end of the first lap, Shepherd had gone from 12th to fourth. On lap 2, Hutchison made a move on Boardley for second, while Thurston crashed causing the deployment of the safety car. When the race resumed, Newsham was able to build a safe margin over Hutchison, while Boardley was left to defend third for the remainder of the race against Shepherd who eventually had to settle for fourth.
The championship will resume at Silverstone on 17/18 August.
Croft – Race 1
- Callum Newsham (JH Racing, Hyundai i30 N), 13 laps
- Bradley Hutchison (MPH Racing, CUPRA Leon Competición), 4.379
- Carl Boardley (CBM Hart GT, CUPRA Leon Competición), 4.995
Croft – Race 2
- Carl Boardley (CBM Hart GT, CUPRA Leon Competición), 13 laps
- Bradley Hutchison (MPH Racing, CUPRA Leon Competición), 2.716
- Callum Newsham (JH Racing, Hyundai i30 N), 3.745
Croft – Race 3
- Callum Newsham (JH Racing, Hyundai i30 N), 13 laps
- Bradley Hutchison (MPH Racing, CUPRA Leon Competición), 3.617
- Carl Boardley (CBM Hart GT, CUPRA Leon Competición), 7.620
Championship points
- C. Boardley, 370 pts; 2. C. Newsham, 345; 3. A. Shepherd, 331
Picture: TCR UK/Jakob Ebrey
