HSCC August 2021 issue 130 | Page 48

REPORT : BRANDS HATCH
The Aurora / Geoff Lees grid

Wrigley and Stretton top the Super Prix

The Club ’ s Legends of Brands Hatch Super Prix delivered an outstanding three days of racing on both the Indy and Grand Prix circuits at the famous Kent venue . Paul Lawrence reports .
Conditions on Saturday were challenging when light rain left the track very slippery . However , by moving the first Aurora / Geoff Lees Trophy race to Sunday morning , the programme was completed in full . Sunday proved to be a dry day and it all ran off extremely well thanks to the great work of the volunteer officials and marshals . It was worth waiting for the opening Aurora and Geoff Lees race because it was a cracking contest on Sunday morning as Matthew Wrigley ( March 782 ) had to work very hard to fend off the charging Martin Stretton
( March 712 ) in a battle of the F2 cars .
The grid was shuffled after a damp and slippery qualifying session on Saturday . But Wrigley quickly stole ahead as Stretton took a little longer to make his way to the front . Then , a safety car period allowed Stretton to home right in on his rival and for the last couple of laps Wrigley had to work hard to fend off his challenger .
Behind them , Mark Charteris ( March 742 ) and Rory Smith , finally making his Geoff Lees Trophy debut in his Ralt RT4 , battled over third place with Charteris just getting the verdict . Young Samuel
Harrison , who had put his Dallara 389 on pole in the wet dropped back to fifth , but it was still an impressive performance from the teenager .
At the end of Sunday afternoon , the second Aurora / Geoff Lees race was just as good and this time Stretton seized a late opportunity as they lapped slower cars to dive through at Paddock Hill Bend on what proved to be the final lap to beat Wrigley to the line by a third of a second . With Smith retiring the Ralt to the pits , Harrison topped the Geoff Lees cars in an impressive third overall . Historic Formula Ford 2000 played
Fennymore and Pearson in HFF2000
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