Winfield and Bradley Kent take TCR UK wins in Wales

On the TCR UK series’ first-ever visit to Wales, Bruce Winfield and Bradley Kent were victorious in the two races while championship leader Lewis Kent came away from Trac Môn on Anglesey with and advantage of 20 points over Dan Kirby.
After going fastest in the morning’s Practice, Winfield was again quickest in Qualifying to secure his first TCR UK pole position for Race 1. Alongside Winfield’s CUPRA on the front row of the grid was the Hyundai i30 N of Max Hart while Lewis Kent could only set the tenth fastest time after having two lap times disallowed. Also penalised was Alex Kite, whose Vauxhall Astra was disqualified after failing the ride height check and so would start both races from the back of the grid. 
Winfield then made a great start and held off a determined challenge from Hart in the early stages of Race 1 to record a lights-to-flag victory, eventually crossing the finish line over six seconds clear of Hart to record his maiden win in the series. Dan Kirby’s CUPRA passed the Hyundai of Danny Krywyj for third place on the opening lap, with Jac Constable passing Hugo Cook for fifth on the same lap. Krywyj and Constable then both ran wide on successive laps, dropping to the bottom of the top ten. A great battle between Cook’s Audi RS 3 LMS and the Hyundai of Bradley Kent for P4 came to a head on the final lap when 16-year-old Cook dropped two places after contact with Bradley Kent, although the Stewards later deemed that the Essex and Kent Motorsport driver caused the collision and so the pair swapped positions after the race with Lewis Kent retaining his fourth-place finish. 
That decision meant that Bradley Kent started Race 2 from pole on the top-six reversed grid with Cook alongside him. At the start, Kent made a great start, but a possible contact put Cook on the grass at Turn 1 and, although the Audi limped back to the pits, the teenager’s race was over. Winfield, meanwhile, made a superb start from P6 and would end the opening lap in fourth place behind Bradley and Lewis Kent and Kirby.
The race was packed with incidents, with Kirby first making contact with Lewis Kent, which dropped the series leader to P6, and Winfield then making contact with Kirby. Constable passed Hart for P4 and Winfield finally managed to find a way past Kirby for P2. Lewis Kent was battling with Kite while Constable was slowed by a rear tyre rubbing on damaged bodywork that saw Hart retaking third place.
With around ten minutes of the race remaining, the action intensified. First Hart pulled up with a technical issue, then Lewis Kent passed Constable for P3 as Kite headed into the pits. On the penultimate lap, Constable passed William Butler for fifth, but the final lap then saw Lewis Kent slowed by what appeared to be a fuel feed issue and so he dropped two places to finish a distant fifth at the chequered flag; the Hyundai being the last of the five cars to finish a dramatic race. 
But the result – and Hart’s DNF – meant Lewis Kent extended his lead in the Drivers’ standings while another lights-to-flag performance gave his younger brother Bradley his third race victory of the season.
The next and final event of TCR UK will be on 30 August at Donington Park, where competitors will take part in three races. 

Anglesey – Race 1
1. Bruce Winfield (Area Motorsport, CUPRA DSG), 13 laps
2. Max Hart (Maximum Motorsport, Hyundai i30 N), 6.341
3. Dan Kirby (Power Maxed Racing, CUPRA), 7.963
4. Bradley Kent (Essex & Kent Motorsport, Hyundai i30 N), 11.704
5. Lewis Kent (Essex & Kent Motorsport, Hyundai i30 N), 12.499

Anglesey – Race 2
1. Bradley Kent (Essex & Kent Motorsport, Hyundai i30 N), 16 laps
2. Bruce Winfield (Area Motorsport, CUPRA DSG), 7.404
3. Dan Kirby (Power Maxed Racing, CUPRA), 27.263
4. Jac Constable (Power Maxed Racing, CUPRA), 33.955
5. Lewis Kent (Essex & Kent Motorsport, Hyundai i30 N), 39.365

Championship points
1. L. Kent 200 pts; 2. D. Kirby 180; 3. B. Kent 176

Picture: TCR UK/Jakob Ebrey