Winfield and Brown win in crazy TCR UK opener at Snetterton

Bruce Winfield and Lewis Brown have won the opening pair of races of TCR UK at Snetterton, with Winfield emerging as the championship leader after also finishing on the podium in the final race, while Brown won the action-packed Race 2 on his TCR debut.

It was Bradley Kent who had topped qualifying on Saturday in his Hyundai Veloster N, despite having three of his laps disallowed due to track limits. However, he was excluded due to a malfunctioning wheel sensor.

Race 1 – Josh Files’ Hyundai Elantra N had inherited the pole, but his team-mate Winfield launched into the lead in his Hyundai i30 N, while Files dropped to third behind Adam Shepherd’s i30 N and was challenged by the new Honda Civic of Chris Smiley.

Brown then worked his way past Smiley on lap four, while a lap later Shepherd slowed out of second position, promoting Files to second and Brown to third. Files closed on Winfield during the closing stages, but the leader was able to hold on to take the victory, dedicating it to his father who recently passed away. Brown’s pace dropped off in the later part of the race, with Smiley getting ahead with two laps to go to secure a podium for the new Civic FL5 on its first appearance.

Race 2 - The top ten were reversed for Race 2, which put Alistair Camp’s Hyundai i30 on pole ahead of Bradley Hutchison’s Audi RS 3 LMS. Hutchison led at the start ahead of Camp, then Joe Marshall in the newer Audi passed Camp for P2, with Files also making his way through both cars to move up to second, after starting ninth.

Then the safety car was deployed after Smiley’s Honda spun on dust and crashed. 

The race restarted on lap three, with Marshall passing Files for second. Marshall then closed on Hutchison, blasting past the older Audi before going wide and falling down the order, with Files straight back up to second again. Files then took the lead at the final corner, with Hutchison struggling for pace and falling behind Brown and the Hyundai cars of Alex Ley and Winfield. 

Files was holding a small gap to Brown, but then lost ground with three laps to go, before his engine dramatically expired, promoting Brown to the lead and his team-mates Ley and Winfield to second and third.

With a win and a third, Winfield leads the drivers’ championship on 75 points, six clear of Brown, with Ley a further eight points behind.

The next event of the championship takes place at Croft on May 6/7th.

Snetterton – Race 1

1. Bruce Winfield (Area Motorsport, Hyundai i30 N), 13 laps

2. Josh Files (Area Motorsport, Hyundai Elantra N), 0.469

3. Chris Smiley (Restart Racing, Honda Civic Type R FL5), 4.887

Snetterton – Race 2

1. Lewis Brown (Chameleon Motorsport, CUPRA Leon Competición), 12 laps

2. Alex Ley (Area Motorsport, Hyundai i30 N), 5.308

3. Bruce Winfield (Area Motorsport, Hyundai i30 N), 6.843

Championship points

1. B. Winfield, 75 pts; 2. L. Brown, 69; 3. A. Ley 61 

Picture: Phil Laughton