Haydn Chance proved to be the man to beat in his first outing with the new Radical SR3 XXR during the opening race, having claimed his maiden pole position.
“The new car had a better balance to suit me than the one I have raced this year and the set-up suited me too,” he said.
Chris Preen slotted into second behind his Valour team-mate at the start, from DW’s Ben Caisley, 360’s Jason Rishover and Doris’s Lay, but the safety car was deployed almost immediately after two SR1’s finished in the Redgate gravel.
Jacek Zielonka then hit Lay’s rear as he slowed for the safety car, which earned the former a post-race disqualification. “I braked behind the safety car and Jacek hit me and spun me, but I got away with it quite lightly,” said Lay, who dropped to 15th as a result.
Caisley pressed hard to challenge Preen for second once racing resumed, but it allowed Rishover to join in too, becoming a three-car battle as Chance increased his lead.
Another SR1 in the gravel meant the safety car was out again as the race became a two-lap sprint to the chequered flag. Once again Caisley was still pressing for second and was almost alongside Preen at McLeans, but Rishover and Tommi Gore were threatening too.
All this allowed Chance to claim his maiden victory, but behind, Preen was forced wide at Goddards, allowing Caisley to snatch second. Rishover and Gore followed through, dropping Preen to fifth.
“I had the pace from the start but they were difficult early laps and they had to be perfect to pull away. The second safety car didn’t help though,” said Chance.
The recovering Lay finished seventh, but the champion-elect enjoyed better success in the second outing.
Source: Autosport