Home News Team USA’ Scott Huffaker wins first Walter Hayes semi-final

Team USA’ Scott Huffaker wins first Walter Hayes semi-final

by Joe Hudson

Photo: Elliot Wood

Team USA scholar Scott Huffaker prevailed in a five-car battle for the lead to win the first Walter Hayes Trophy semi-final at Silverstone.

Starting in second alongside Oliver White, the Cliff Dempsey Racing driver swept into the lead at Brooklands on the opening lap and ? despite briefly losing the lead on the following lap ? maintained the position thereon.

It wasn?t through lack of challenge though, as Team Dolan’s Matt Cowley nosed ahead going into Copse on the final lap, but Huffaker held firm going into Becketts with the pair clashing wheels as he forced his way back ahead. The tangle sent Cowley onto the grass on the outside of the corner, losing a handful of positions to cross the line seventh.

Also losing positions was White, who was hit by Huffaker’s team-mate Josh Green going through Copse on lap eight of 12 after the latter took the wet line through the corner and understeered into the Souley Motorsport driver.

White was able to finish in 17th, squeezing into the final made up of the top 18 from each semi-final, but Green was forced into retirement.

The chaos ahead allowed Luke Cooper rise from fifth on the grid into second place ? just 0.164s off victory ? having utilised the slipstream from what at times was a five-car scrap for the lead.

Third went to Myerscough College’s Jack Wolfenden, who didn’t have time to challenge for the lead having prevailed in a battle with Ivor McCullough for fourth on the penultimate lap – before benefiting from Cowley?s off.

Team DDR’s McCullough took fourth by 0.099s, with Kevin Mills Racing’s Michael Moyers making a remarkable rise from 26th on the grid to finish fifth ? ensuring a top 10 start for the final.

Morgan Quinn led Dolan team-mate Cowley in sixth, the inexperienced Ian Campbell was eighth, while John Svensson and Ben Tinkler, in an older car, rounded out the top 10.

 

Race results (12 laps)
Pos Name Team Time
1 Scott Huffaker Cliff Dempsey Racing 13m18.419s
2 Luke Cooper Swift Cooper +0.164s
3 Jack Wolfenden Myerscough College +0.324s
4 Ivor McCullough Team DDR +0.423s
5 Michael Moyers Kevin Mills Racing +0.779s
6 Morgan Quinn Team Dolan +1.728s
7 Matt Cowley Team Dolan +3.417s
8 Ian Campbell +8.083s
9 John Svensson John’s Racing Team +9.725s
10 Ben Tinkler +10.343s
11 Joe Porter Porter Motorsport +10.573s
12 Milan De Laet Oldfield Motorsport +12.465s
13 Miles Griffiths Hi-Tech Motorsport +13.499s
14 Tom Hawkins Springbridge Motorsport +13.963s
15 Jamie Stanley Fox Motorpsort +15.941s
16 Ollie White Souley Motorsport +16.390s
17 James Hadfield B-M Racing +18.635s
18 Alex Gillespie Kevin Mills Racing +21.933s
19 Bob Higgins Riadro Motorsport +25.224s
20 Daniel O’Beirne ob motorsport +26.872s
21 Peter Lucas Souley Motorsport +27.951s
22 Neil McArthur B-M Racing +30.797s
23 Flashman Finneran +30.983s
24 Richard Davison Souley Motorsport +31.869s
25 Matthew Wrigley +32.455s
26 Gaius Ghinn +43.291s
27 Charlie Ghinn +43.827s
28 James Colborn Wayne Poole Racing +45.847s
29 Neil Broome +1 lap
Ret Neil Tofts Enigma Motorsport
Ret Jaap Blijleven UCLan
Ret Josh Green Cliff Dempsey Racing
Ret Richard Higgins Riadro Motorsport
Ret Joe Watts Team Fox Racing
Ret Stuart Thorburn Border Reivers
Ret James Pinkerton Rotor Racing
Fastest lap: Moyers, 1m06.856s