Brands Hatch - 19/20 October 2002

Official Race Report

Cathy Metcalfe reports:

Matt Wilson ended the 2002 BRSCC T-Cars Championship in style with a double victory in the final two rounds at Brands Hatch over the weekend. Long time series rival Phil Rose secured second place in the championship with two strong second places at the Kent track, while newcomer Dan Hoy took third by just one point from Jonathan Cocker.

The event, which supported the famous Formula Ford Festival kicked off for the T-Cars drivers with testing on Thursday and a 20 minutes qualifying session on Friday afternoon which saw Wilson top the time sheets ahead of Hoy, with Jonathan Kennard, Rose, Tom Onslow-Cole and James Sothcott completing the top three rows.

At the lights Rose and Kennard made great starts from the second row, as Hoy dropped back suffering with wheelspin with Wilson too struggling to get traction but as the cars headed into Paddock Hill Bend, both Hoy and Kennard were off into the gravel, their race ended on the spot. Contact between Onslow-Cole, which later resulted in his exclusion from the results, and Rose caused Rose to run wide but a remarkable recovery enabled him to resume his position behind race leader Wilson. As the cars crossed the start/finish line at the end of the opening, Onslow-Cole had dropped to sixth, as Sothcott was up into third ahead of James Jakes and Simon Walker-Hansell, the newest boy into the series having made up five places from his tenth place qualifying slot.

A lap later Onslow-Cole had found a way past Walker-Hansell and two laps later got past Jakes for fourth and thereafter the race positions stayed the same, with Wilson going on to record his 16th win of the series, ahead of Rose, Sothcott, having his best race of the season, Jakes, also his best race performance, Bratt and Cocker.

Sunday’s second race of the weekend then had Wilson and Rose on the front row with Hoy, Kennard and Onslow-Cole, also with a 10 second penalty, at the back and as the cars headed off onto the green flag warmup lap, the threatened rain started. At the lights a superb getaway from Rose and Jakes, had the pair ahead of series winner Wilson into Paddock, as Sothcott dropped right down the field struggling with wheelspin and another great start by Kennard had him picking off cars at the start.

As Rose and Jakes were chased by Wilson on the opening lap, Wilson’s experience saw him pass Jakes at Druids and as the cars entered Clearways, Wilson was past Rose and into the lead. As the cars crossed the line at the end of the opening lap, it was Wilson, Rose and Jakes with Kennard in a superb fourth place ahead of Will Bratt, making a superb start too, Cocker, Hoy and Walker-Hansell.

Two laps in though, Jakes' superb drive was over as oversteer going into Paddock Hill Bend pitched the unfortunate youngster off into the gravel, and immediate retirement. As Wilson and Rose enjoyed their own battle at the front ahead of Kennard, Cocker and Hoy battling for third place in the championship knew that whichever driver crossed the line first would take the third place. Throughout the 12 laps, the pair ran together joined also by Bratt, but at the line it was Hoy who got the place to take third in the title by just one point.

Go to home page for 2002 Season here

See 2002 Championship standings here

Check the dates of the races in the 2002 season here