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Qualifying:
Oliver Allwood #63 produced a fast early lap in qualifying to set the pace and qualify on pole, albeit just 7 hundredths of a second ahead of Declan Lee in the #12 MX-5. William Antrobus in the #57 Hills Motorsport car was third, only 4 tenths behind Lee. With the top eight cars separated by less than a second, the scene was set for a close fought Race One.
Race 1
From the start, it was Declan Lee who jumped Allwood off the line to take the lead in the run into the first corner. Allwood, struggling for traction was only able to hold third as Antrobus also found a way past. By the end of the first lap, Lee had managed a slight gap to Antrobus, and Allwood, who were still very much together.
Over the opening stages, the top three were able to break away thanks in part to the battle for fourth, between Langridge and Cossins. The pair stayed almost side-by-side, until Cossins made it stick on the wet outside line into turn 1 to take the position.
Retirement for Allwood later promoted Cossins to the last podium position, although still under pressure from a chasing Langridge.
Further down the field, Will Powell #25 and Drew Fletcher #26 shared a great battle, swapping positions, until the introduction of the safety car to recover a car from the gravel.
When the Safety Car released the pack, Lee and Antrobus were able to make the jump to gap the field, both maximising the exit out of the Esses and onto the start/finish straight. Cossins emerged third ahead of McAlpine and Brown.
A brilliant last-lap shootout followed, with Lee and Antrobus battle for the lead ultimately ending with Lee victorious after post-race penalties. Tyler McAlpin was awarded second place, with Antrobus taking third place.
Race 2
The reverse grid for race two saw #3 Elliot Lettis lead the pack through the first corner. Damon Wellman #88 and #36 Max Brown were quickly joined by McAlpin who was looking to get into the lead battle.
Brown and McAlpin hit the front later that lap joined by Declan Lee, who had made his way to the front having started in 14th!
After biding his time, Lee was able to find a way past first McAlpin and then Brown, with a great exit out of the chicane on the run down to the first corner, before a safety car bunched the field back up.
As the safety car came back into the pits, it was anyone's race, with the running order seeing Lee, Brown, Antrobus, Cossins and Allwood as the leading pack from the restart.
Antrobus made a great move around the outside of Brown into McLeans for second place, with his sights now clearly set on a race victory. A late move on Lee at Redgate was enough to see Antrobus take the lead then the win ahead of Lee second, and Cossins rounding out the podium in third. Max Brown captured fourth, with Oliver Allwood, who ultimately took the fastest lap of the race, fifth.
The Miata Trophy championship is heating up, with some brilliant new contenders proving their worth and the order blown wide open looking ahead to Oulton Park. We can't wait to see the Miatas battling it out around the Cheshire countryside!
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Photo: Rikki Palmer / Gary Hawkins Photography