Round 5 - Race Report

The Team Air Supply father and son duo of George and Jack Wright claimed their first victory of the season at Cadwell Park, on Saturday 6 September.

In a phenomenal finish, the #46 VW Golf managed to secure the win in front of the Cult Classics crowd by just 0.254s!

Elsewhere, there was delight for both Dan Abbitt (Abbitt Motorsport) and Stephen Docker (Independent) who triumphed in Class C and D respectively.

Qualifying

George and Jack Wright started their day in tremendous fashion, looking mighty in qualifying. After setting the initial time to beat, the team improved on their benchmark a couple of times, eventually claiming pole position with a time of 1m39.430s.

Swaffer Racing’s Matt Swaffer, fresh from his first victory of the season last time out, would start the race on the front row, while Wright/Glover (Clubracer) edged reigning Champion Nicole Drought (Motion Motorsport) to third by just 0.022s.

The battle to be fastest Class C qualifier was incredibly tight. Eventually, a mere 0.034s separated Abbitt and Nathan Mcphail (MCS Racing), with the former being the one to come out on top. 7 Motorsport’s Mabbett/Parsons rounded out the top three class qualifiers.

BC Cars Motorsport’s Alister Esam set the early pace in Class D, before fellow Mazda MX-5 driver Docker sealed the honour of being fastest class qualifier. Esam would have to settle for second, with Greenstar Racing’s Burnham/Voce third.

Race

It looked to be a fantastic getaway for Swaffer initially, but Wright/Wright managed to claim back the race lead through the opening exchanges. Wright/Glover also managed to get the leap on Swaffer to steal second, while Abbitt and Docker continued to lead both Class C and D.

Through the next few laps, Wright/Glover continued to apply the pressure to the leading Wright/Wright – the gap across the timing line less than one second on multiple occasions! The battle at the top of Class C was also providing plenty of entertainment, as Abbitt was doing all he could to maintain his lead over rivals Mcphail and Mabbett/Parsons. PRO-AM Racing were also on a charge, looking to reel in the three ahead of them in class.

In Class D, Burnham/Voce were closing the gap to Esam in front, while Docker maintained his lead, as the entire field then schemed to utilise well-timed mandatory pit stops to propel themselves up the order.

Once the stops had been made, Wright/Wright were still in front, but now with a slightly larger gap to the chasing Wright/Glover. Drought, in third position, was clearly pushing hard to catch the leading two VW Golfs. All signs pointed to the Cult Classics crowd being in for an exhilarating finish to the race.

Wright/Glover were closing in on Wright/Wright at an almighty rate, with just 0.699s separating the two cars as they headed into the final lap. Despite the impressive push, Wright/Wright defended expertly through the closing stages to cross the finish line first to claim their first win of the 2025 season!

A mere 0.254s ultimately decided the race, with Wright/Glover just missing out on a second overall TDC win. However, the #38 Clubracer team will be delighted with a large points haul to help with their championship battle. Drought’s storming second half of the race ended with the #1 Honda Civic driver claiming the final step of the Class B podium, less than 3.500s behind the race winner.

Abbitt saw off all challenges in Class C to record a well-earned victory, including a late charge from Mabbett/Parsons who earned their first TDC podium of the season by finishing second-in-class. PRO-AM Racing’s Thompson/Ogden rose an impressive ten places from where they started on the grid to round out the Class C podium.

A stellar performance by Docker earned the #153 driver the Class D victory, battling higher-classed cars enroute a strong helping of championship points to bolster his season’s tally. Esam was another who enjoyed a strong day of racing at Cadwell Park and was rewarded with second in Class D, with a consistent performance earning Steven Orant (STAL Powered For Racing) the final spot on the podium - making it a Mazda MX-5 top three lockout in Class D.

Congratulations to all!  

Trackday Championship returns next month for a debut at Croft on Saturday 18 October.

Entries can be made here.

Photo: Gary Hawkins Photography