Home News Epps dominates delayed Walter Hayes Progression Race

Epps dominates delayed Walter Hayes Progression Race

by Steve Whitfield

Photo: Ida Wood

An opening lap charge led to Mike Epps winning a restarted Walter Hayes Trophy Progression Race at Silverstone.

The original start was delayed when Kevin Mills Racing’s Alex Vos lined up out of position on the grid and David Porter stalled.

Nei McArthur led once the action got underway, despite having spun twice on the formation laps, with Sam Mitchell rising from 19th to fourth.

But the race was red-flagged at the end of the opening lap due to Dave McArthur and Bob Scanlon both retiring in a collision at Becketts. Eight cars failed to rejoin the grid for the restart.

Starting from the back after not taking part on Saturday, Ollie White also lost his nose cone in an incident.

Neil Richardson regained his pole position for the restart, with the distance reduced from 10 to six laps. He led McArthur Sr for most of lap one, but the pair were passed exiting Luffield by former British Touring Car Championship racer Epps who climbed from the 12th row to lead and had overtaken seven cars into Brooklands alone.

Epps was never headed after that, usually lapping two seconds faster than anyone else to finish 9.383 seconds clear of Team Dolan’s Adrien Laissac, who had a coil issue end his heat hopes, with Mitchell finishing third.

Vos ran second early on before spinning at Brooklands, but he recovered to finish fourth ahead of Hans-Dieter Haeckel and Oldfield Motorsport’s Nigel Thompson.

2020 WHT winner White’s eventful FF1600 return continued, sliding his Firman into the gravel at Luffield and being collected by Adam Fathers as he returned to track. But the pair still came home in seventh and eighth.

White was immediately summoned to the stewards post-race about the rejoin, but escaped a penalty, while Kieran Attwood was ninth ahead of Ted Pearson and McArthur Sr.

Luke Rushton recovered from an early excursion to finish 12th ahead of Richardson.

Race result (6 laps)
Pos Driver Team Time
1 Mike Epps Border Reivers 7m18.946s
2 Adrien Laissac Team Dolan +9.383s
3 Sam Mitchell Wayne Poole Racing +11.568s
4 Alex Vos Kevin Mills Racing +17.877s
5 Hans-Dieter Haeckel Auto Haeckel Motorsport +19.631s
6 Nigel Thompson Oldfield Motorsport +20.960s
7 Ollie White Don Hardman Racing +22.443s
8 Adam Fathers AF Racing +26.243s
9 Kieran Attwood Souley Motorsport +26.346s
10 Ted Pearson Nigel Grant Motorsport +26.767s
11 Neil McArthur B-M Racing +27.116s
12 Luke Rushton North Motorsport +28.385s
13 Neil Richardson Souley Motorsport +29.858s
14 Garath Buckingham Souley Motorsport +30.560s
15 Dave Porter Porter Motorsport +34.451s
16 Bob Hawkins TM Racing +36.339s
17 George Ditchfield +37.093s
18 Joseph Ahrens Engima Motorsport +39.137s
19 Luke McShane +41.660s
20 Alan Slater Swift Cooper +42.200s
21 Ian Fernihough +1m00.935s
22 Iain Rowley +1m01.438s
23 Tim Fitzgerald +1m13.705s
DNS Richard Tarling Engima Motorsport
DNS Richard Azcel
DNS John Svensson John’s Racing Team
DNS Bob Scanlon
DNS Jeremy Caine Neil Fowler Motorsport
DNS Grahame Gibson Classic Team Merlyn
DNS Dave McArthur B-M Racing
DNS Adrian Reynard Simon Hadfield Motorsport
Fastest lap: Epps, 1m11.079s