Kent and Turkington share the honours at Donington Park
Lewis Kent and James Turkington were the two winners in Rounds 3 and 4 of TCR UK at Donington Park, but Kent must have been left wondering when his run of bad luck will end. After engine problems forced him to miss the first two races of the season at Oulton Park, he was denied an overall Race 1 victory and then failed to finish Race 2 this weekend by two unrelated issues.
Kent started Race 1 from pole position and led for much of the race from Max Coates, who was competing in the Touring Car Trophy category in a SEAT Léon TCR DSG. On the final lap, the Essex and Kent Motorsport Hyundai i30 N slowed with only a few corners remaining, with the car running out of fuel and coasting across the finish line. Thanks to the gap between the pair and the chasing pack, Kent was at least able to finish second behind Coates and so claim maximum points in TCR UK.
Behind the battle for the race lead, there were a series of scraps going on between the other TCR UK entrants. Darelle Wilson had been in third place until Lap 4, when the DW Racing Vauxhall Astra ran wide and allowed Mark Wakefield to pass - Wakefield making his TCR debut after a last-minute deal to buy the CUPRA of Carl Swift. One lap later, another driver making his maiden appearance in a TCR car, James Turkington, made contact with Wilson as the pair fought for third place. On Lap 8, Turkington’s CUPRA passed the Astra, with Nick Halstead’s Honda Civic also passing Wilson after the latter ran wide.
In Race 2, a brilliant start saw Kent catch and then pass pole-sitter Coates on the run down to Turn 1 and so the Hyundai driver must have been confident of getting his revenge after the disappointment of Race 1. It wasn’t to be, however, when on Lap 5 Kent thumped over the kerb at the chicane and a mechanical failure caused the car to flick sideways moments later. Kent managed to limp back to the pits, but his race was over.
While Max Coates and Henry Neal finished first and second in the TCT, a thrilling three-way battle for TCR UK honours developed between Wilson, Turkington and Wakefield. Like Kent, Wilson had a great start and had fought his way from seventh on the grid to third place on the opening lap. He was then passed by Wakefield on Lap 3 and, after a brief contact, by Turkington on Lap 12. Finally, Turkington passed Wakefield on the following lap to finish third overall and take maximum points in TCR UK.
The TCR UK championship next heads to Croft on July 6th/7th.
Race 1
1. Lewis Kent (Essex & Kent Motorsport, Hyundai i30 N) 16 laps
2. Mark Wakefield (Maximum Motorsport, CUPRA), 9.591
3. James Turkington (Cicely Motorsport, CUPRA), 11.866
Race 2
1. James Turkington (Cicely Motorsport, CUPRA), 16 laps
2. Mark Wakefield (Maximum Motorsport, CUPRA), 1.717
3. Darelle Wilson (DW Racing, Vauxhall Astra), 0.984
Championship points
1. Carl Swift 47 pts; 2. Turkington 43; 3. Wakefield 38
