Eastwell fends off Moyers to win second WHT semi-final

Photo: Ida Wood

KMR Sport’s Michael Eastwell won a close second Walter Hayes Trophy semi-final following a mid-race safety car period.

Eastwell lined up from pole, and he edged fellow front-row starter Michael Moyers on the outside at Copse for the lead.

Oldfield Motorsport’s Brandon McCaughan tried to squeeze up the inside of Moyers approaching Becketts before backing out, while Luke Cooper slipped one place at the start to fifth behind Ben Mitchell.

Onto the Wellington Straight for the first time it was Eastwell who had a clear lead, while Simon Hadfield Motorsport driver Moyers found himself sandwiched between Mitchell and McCaughan behind.

Mitchell swept around the outside into Brooklands but then was involved in a collision with McCaughan which sent the pair spinning, with Cooper delayed as a result and dropped to eighth.

Eastwell led by 1.5 seconds from Moyers and Ammonite Motorsport’s Hugh Esterson, while Team USA scholar Jack Sullivan gained five places to fourth and B-M Racing’s Tom McCarthur moved up eight spots to fifth.

The front two broke well clear on lap two, while Team Dolan’s Jonathan Kotyk moved past Sullivan and then made a challenge on McArthur for fourth into Brooklands.

Kotyk had another look up the inside into Copse, but ran wide along with Esterson, allowing McArthur through into third on the exit, as Cooper recovered to sixth past Sullivan.

McArthur locked up under braking for Brooklands later in the lap and got sideways, dropping to ninth after going off the circuit, with Kotyk promoted to third ahead of Esterson.

Ayrton Houk prevailed in a three-wide battle in Brooklands with Cooper and TM Racing’s Felix Fisher next time by for fifth, but the safety car was deployed moments later due to Sullivan coming to a halt at Copse.

The race resumed with four laps remaining and Houk soon snatched fourth with a lunge up the inside of Ammonite team-mate Esterson at Brooklands, while Cooper slid wide and allowed Sam Harrison to get by.

Harrison then moved up the inside of Esterson to fifth at the next corner, with Cooper following him by into sixth at Woodcote. Harrison then won a three-way scrap with Houk and Cooper heading onto the Wellington Straight to take fourth.

Having pulled a big gap to the rest, the front three went toe-to-toe into Brooklands. Moyers tried to sneak up the inside of Eastwell, who held onto the lead despite contact between the pair. 

They remained nose to tail in the final couple of laps, with Eastwell resisting another challenge from Moyers of the final lap to take victory and Kotyk coming home a close third.

Harrison and Houk slipped down the order late on, with Cooper beating his Caste Combe FF1600 rival Fisher to fourth and McArthur coming home sixth.

Logan Pacza was seventh ahead of Alex Ames, Charlie Mann and James Littlejohn. Esterson slipped back to 11th ahead of Tom Bradshaw, the recovering McCaughan and Mitchell.

Pascal Monbaron and Drew Cameron collided on the final lap while contesting the last of the grand final spots, with Spencer Shinner taking the all-important 18th place.

Race result (12 laps)