Josh Fisher wins incident-filled opening semi-final at WHT

Photo: Ida Wood

Wayne Poole Racing’s Josh Fisher has won the first Walter Hayes Trophy semi-final to earn a front row spot for the final.

Rory Smith and Jason Smyth shared the semi-final front row, but a stronger start from Chris Middlehurst meant he passed Team Dolan team-mate Smyth for second place and was thinking about challenging B-M Racing driver Smith for the lead into Brooklands when the safety car was called out due to Adam Fathers crashing out and Callum Grant also retiring.

Josh Le Roux spun himself down to 34th and last place, while Josh Fisher climbed nine places to fifth and Andrew Rackstraw (winner of the progression and last chance races earlier in the day) rose from 27th to 22nd before the race was neutralised.

Middlehurst drew alongside Smith several times before the latter returned to racing speed entering Brooklands on lap three and it caught Middlehurst out. He ended up spending lap four defending against Smyth, but by lap five he was hassling the leader again.

He started lap six just 0.084 seconds behind him and went to the inside at Copse with Smyth in his slipstream. It was side-by-side for the lead heading to Maggotts, then contact between Smyth and Smith sent the pair spinning and somehow they avoided the barriers and other cars.

Fisher was right behind them and now he was in second place behind Middlhurst, with Nolan Allaer moving up to third ahead of Joey Foster and Julian Van der Watt who had passed Jacob Tofts at Brooklands on lap four when he made a mistake there. Rackstraw got up to 15th before the first safety car period, and climbed several more places before the Smith-Smyth incident required a second safety car intervention.

The next restart did not take place until lap 10 of 12, with Adam Higgins running wide at Becketts and slipping two placex to 10th behind Jordan Kelly and Lewis Fox.

Fisher used the tow to draw alongside Middlehurst on the Wellington Straight before sweeping around the outside of Brooklands into the lead. Behind them, Foster moved to the outside of Allaer, who spun has he tried to sneak back up the inside.

Fisher remained ahead during the final two laps to win by 0.224 seconds from Middlehurst, with Foster third and Van der Watt fourth. Rackshaw continued his remarkable rise through the field to finish fifth ahead of Higgins, Allan Berg and Fox. PWR1 Racing’s Jeremy Fairbairn was ninth ahead of Ben Cox.

Race result (12 laps)