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The penultimate race meeting of the debut Miata Trophy season took place on September 30th, at the fantastic Oulton Park circuit. A large number of competitors were eying up the podium places and looking to maximise their points haul at this vital time in the season.
CRS’s Steve Foden and Hills Motorsport’s Nicholas Stott were quick out of the blocks in the morning’s qualifying session, with current championship leader Declan Lee then besting the two’s times to become the provisional fastest. However, Lee’s time wouldn’t stand at the top of timing sheet for long as the session was about to belong to one man. Miller Motorsport’s John Langridge looked electric in his #5 challenger, consecutively improving lap on lap. Eventually, on his fifth lap, a tremendous 2:00:867secs secured Langridge’s place in the subsequent SuperPole, topping the qualifying session in the process. The Hills Motorsport team were looking set for a strong weekend, with team mates Nicholas Stott, Michael Knibbs, Declan Lee and Drew Fletcher all joining John Langridge in SuperPole. NA Class championship leader Liam Cochrane (Turner Property Services Racing) continued to shine, heading rival Mk1 Gary Paddock (Misty Racing) into SuperPole.
A breathtaking session followed. Declan Lee, undeterred by being fourth in qualifying, hooked up a fantastic lap to heap the pressure on the remaining Mk3 field. As the remaining SuperPole contenders crossed the line it became apparent that Lee had done enough to become the first-ever repeat Miata Trophy polesitter - by the barest of margins! Just 0.065secs separated the front row, with John Langridge having to settle for second on the grid. Incredibly, Nicholas Stott was just 0.018secs behind Langridge meaning less than 0.100secs split the top three. Michael Knibbs would edge Drew Fletcher to start fourth, with Liam Cochrane securing pole position in NA Class ahead of Gary Paddock.
A tremendous getaway from the grid in race one by John Langridge stole the lead for Miller Motorsport #5, but a quick recovery from Declan Lee put the #12 MX-5 back in front. Michael Knibbs (Hills Motorsport #82) quickly followed his teammate Lee through, following a brilliant launch from the grid into second place. Alex Miller sat second in the overall standings ahead of the Oulton Park meeting and the #7 driver found himself moving in the right direction early on, rising two places by the end of lap one. In NA Class, Liam Cochrane saw off the early competition from Misty Racing’s Gary Paddock to retain the lead of the Mk1 field. Current championship leader Declan Lee didn’t look back after securing the lead from Langridge on lap one, setting the pace at the front lap on lap to maintain a slender gap ahead of his NC Class rivals. Ultimately, Lee didn’t put a foot wrong and richly deserved an excellent victory for the Hills Motorsport team. Drew Fletcher also enjoyed a strong race, with the #26 MX-5 picking off fellow rivals throughout the race to rise to a brilliant second place in NC Class. Rounding out the podium was Jiffy Wink’s Simon Fleet, whose consistent pace was rewarded with third in class and a good haul of championship points. Michael Knibbs and Alex Miller finished in fourth and fifth respectively. Like Lee in NC Class, Liam Cochrane (Turner Property Services Racing) didn’t put a foot wrong to take victory in NA Class, earning another first place to add to an already impressive season. Gary Paddock managed the race well to come home in second for Misty Racing.
Tricky conditions added to the already challenging Oulton Park International layout for race two, however the story at the front of NC Class remained the same. Declan Lee put in a faultless performance to lead the pack over the line each and every lap. The Hill Motorsport #12 driver demonstrated exceptional racecraft to navigate all obstacles and record his second win on the day. His Hills Motorsport teammate Michael Knibbs narrowly missed out on a podium in race one, but the driver ensured he wouldn’t fall short again by putting in a stellar performance to keep Lee honest all race long – ultimately finishing just 2.855secs behind the #12 car. Miller Motorsport’s John Langridge had started the race in 14th place after unfortunately retiring in race one, however the #5 driver fully capitalised on all the pace he had shown in qualifying to put in a phenomenal drive in the day’s second race to finish third on the road and secure a well-deserved podium. His fellow teammate Alex Miller finished in fourth, ahead of Xavier Brooke in fifth. Liam Cochrane did excellently to again pick up the Class NA victory, resulting in a vintage clean sweep. Gary Paddock navigated the tricky conditions well to once again earn the second step of the podium. Congratulations to all!
There’s just under a month until Miata Trophy heads out for it’s season finale at Brands Hatch and we couldn’t be more excited for one final showdown. Race entries can be made here: https://entries.msv.com/miata-2023