By Our Special Correspondent
Qualifying
The BRSCC saw fit to give Volkswagen Beetles an hour of qualifying for their three-hour enduro race, but the Honda racers had to make do with 15 minutes (and no testing beforehand) so everyone was on their mettle to get their cars dialled in quickly. Roberts' car was the best of the bunch and he had no trouble taking pole with a lap of 48.85s. Reuben, rather surprisingly, couldn't crack the 49s barrier but was on the other front row slot with 49.17s, and then there was a small gap to Adam Saward's Arri Media car in which the Londoner posted 49.49s. Tom Tremayne was next up on 49.72s in his Restless Spirit Racing/RJ Spence Construction car, losing time with a puncture and having to run an undergeared car on one unscrubbed new front tyre as a result. Right behind him were Scot David Roper in his ex-Ben Cooper car, with 49.81s, and Louis Hamilton-Smith, revived after his Snetterton engine problems, looking strong on 49.94s.
They were the only ones to break 50s. David Scott should have lined up seventh on 50.48s in his DSM Motorsport car, but scratched from the race with engine problems, leaving Fulvio Mussi alone on the fourth row on 50.54s. Anglesey and Croft winner Mark Fell returned to the series after missing two races, but had trouble bettering 50.69s for ninth place ahead of Mark Poole, who took his Easylife Racing CBL Fasteners-backed car to 51.19s. Rob Hedley made his first appearance since Cadwell in April to lap in 51.20s, with Bev Comber taking 12th place on 51.42s and Mark Hosken completing the 13-car grid with 53.58s in his Pristine Wheel Finishers car.
Race - 14 laps
Roberts got the drop on Reuben at the start, just as he had recently at Snetterton, but this time the Rubery driver didn't have a response. He hounded Roberts' blue and white car all the way to the flag, but though he kept the pressure on the gap had grown to just over four seconds by the end. All of the drivers would find the track temperature boosting their tyre pressures and generating a little extra oversteer by the flag, but Roberts kept it all together beautifully and swept home to a thoroughly deserved victory. Reuben could afford to lose anyway, given his runaway form this season, and was as gracious on defeat as he always is in victory.
Saward had a lonely race to third place after Tremayne's hopes of snatching a podium faded the moment he tried to put another unscrubbed front tyre under pressure in left-handers. After getting crossed up exiting Clearways on the opening lap he lost fourth place to the hungry Roper. After that these two press-on racers provided the interest for the crowd. Tremayne was determined to regain his place, Roper not to surrender it. They had reached a high-speed stalemate until the pressure finally generated a small error by Roper exiting Graham Hill bend on lap 12, and that gave Tremayne his chance to slip back into fourth place by the time they reached Surtees. Further back Hamilton-Smith took sixth place, well clear of Mussi, who himself was a long way ahead of Comber, who was pleased to take home three points for his afternoon's work.
Hedley's return was rewarded with two points, while Poole and Hosken got one apiece for 10th and 12th places respectively. In Hosken's case that was sufficient to extend his Scholarship Class lead and to boost him to ninth overall in the series.
Fell finished between them, bitterly disappointed that engine problems intervened to drop him back after he had fought up to sixth place after passing Mussi and Hamilton-Smith.
The main news in the title chase was that Tremayne vaulted into fourth place ahead of the unfortunate Scott, who now had Saward only one point adrift with three races remaining.
RACE RESULT
Pos Driver Gap Qual
1 Andy Roberts 0.00s 1
2 Nigel Reuben 4.35s 2
3 Adam Saward 9.61s 3
4 Tom Tremayne 10.44s 4
5 David Roper 11.34s 5
6 L Hamilton-Smith 18.03s 9
7 Fulvio Mussi 25.06s 8
8 Bev Comber 38.61s 12
9 Rob Hedley 40.15s 11
10 Mark Poole 42.64s 10
11 Mark Fell 44.80s 9
12 Mark Hosken 46.42s 13
DNS
David Scott, engine 7
FASTEST LAP
Roberts, 49.16s on lap 7, 88.96mph
POINTS STANDINGS
After round 11 Brands Hatch, August 17
POS DRIVER POINTS
1 Nigel Reuben 150
2 Andy Roberts 107
3 David Roper 86
4 Tom Tremayne 67
5 David Scott 65
6 Adam Saward 64
7 Mark Fell 58
8 Hamilton-Smith 49
9 Mark Hosken 22
10 Luke Kidsley 21
11 Fulvio Mussi 17
12 James Baker 15
13 Jodie Hemming 13
14 Scott Mansell 10
15 Mark Poole 06
16= Philip Churchman 05
16= Rob Hedley 05
16= Bev Comber 05
19= Robin Pritchett 02
19= Skid Carrera 02
21 Dean Kidsley 01