2024 Milltek Sport Civic Cup – Rounds 4, 5 & 6
Snetterton 300 – 18th & 18th May 2024
Rounds 4, 5 and 6 of the Milltek Sport Civic Cup took place over the weekend of 18/19 May at Snetterton in Norfolk – the home venue of Josh Files, who showed his prowess with a dazzling performance that yield two race wins.
Files’s Area Motorsport team-mate Max Edmundson was also in top form, scoring an incredible reversed-grid success from ninth on the grid to strengthen his defence of the championship title.
Qualifying
Another very strong entry of 25 cars took in the latest round of the official TCR UK support series, and included a debut for Daniel Petters, elder brother of Jamie, who has a strong background in Pickup Trucks, the Mini Challenge and short oval racing, among other disciplines.
It was Josh Files who set the pace in qualifying, enjoying a run at his home circuit and revelling in a car that had had its differential issues fixed since the season’s opening event last month. The international multi-champ managed a time more than 0.3 seconds faster than Area Motorsport team-mate Max Edmundson, the reigning champion.
Two-time TCR UK champion Lewis Kent was another 0.15s back, ahead of 2021 champion Alistair Camp, the first driver of an FN2 model car among the EP3 hordes. Sam Kirkpatrick was fifth, driving a new shell after his previous car had taken a pounding at Brands Hatch. The Cumbrian was just 0.004s slower than Camp and completed an incredible 1-2-3-4-5 for the Area team.
Best of the rest was Ben Sharpe Racing’s Will Redford, who was two tenths quicker than team-mate Spencer Stevenson, with the third BSR car of Harvey Caton eighth fastest.
MJB Motorsport’s Jack Ruddell, who missed the season opener owing to a clash, managed an impressive ninth despite missing Friday’s test day, while Liam McGill (Area) completed the top 10.
Drivers’ second fastest times set the grid for weekend’s final race, with Files once again securing pole position from Edmundson. Kirkpatrick’s consistency lifted him to third ahead of Camp, Stevenson and Ruddell. Redford, McGill, Caton and Dave Marshall’s FN2 rounded out the rest of the top 10. Lewis Kent was the big loser: with only one time that wasn’t deleted for a breach of track limits, the Essex driver would have to start the weekend finale from the back of the grid.
SNETTERTON 300 QUALIFYING RESULT
Round 4 – Race Report
Files successfully converted his pole position into the lead of Saturday’s race, as Kent managed to sneak inside Edmundson for second at the first corner. But Edmundson quickly hit back, diving past his team-mate at the Wilson hairpin.
As the leaders set about pulling away from the pack, there was drama at the start of lap two of seven as Redford went off from sixth position at the first corner, Riches, under the close attentions of team-mate Caton.
Edmundson set the race’s fastest lap on the second tour to keep some pressure on his illustrious team-mate, but the pair had a clear pace advantage over the rest.
Behind them, Kent was under attack from Camp, who was benefiting from a slight weight break for the FN2 ahead of the weekend but was still having to manhandle the car around to stay on the pace of the EP3s. Camp eventually got ahead at the start of the final lap, but all was not well aboard Kent’s car and he pulled off into retirement with a broken gear linkage.
Files secured a victory of nearly 2.5s over Edmundson, his first in the category, with Camp completing the podium another 4.5s back. After a difficult start to the season, Kirkpatrick was delighted to get back in the big points in fourth, while Caton beat Stevenson to the honour of being the first non-Area car home in fifth.
Stevenson only just held off McGill by the narrowest of margins – 0.001s – for sixth, with Pro Alloys racer Alex Kite eighth. Daniel Petters (Team Petters Racing) and Owen Hillman (Pro Alloys) completed the all-important top 10, securing themselves front-row starts for Round 5 of the championship the following day.
SNETTERTON 300 ROUND FOUR RESULT
Round 5 – Race Report
Polesitter Hillman would have been hopeful of scoring at least a top-six result in Sunday lunchtime’s race but unfortunately for him, his chances were over almost as soon as the race started. A lurid spin exiting the first corner put him to the back of the field and allowed second-row starters Kite and McGill to take up the running.
An early battle between Petters and Stevenson for third let the lead pair escape to the tune of nearly two seconds after the first lap, and McGill then made his move for the lead. The Scotsman dived ahead at the Wilson hairpin and then set about scampering away while the danger posed by his Area Motorsport team-mates was lessened as they worked their own way through the order.
It was Edmundson who led that charge. Fourth within a lap, it took him little more than an extra tour to demote Stevenson, whose handling was being hampered by a damper issue.
Edmundson’s next target was Kite, and he took his prey in spectacular fashion, with a charge all the way around the outside of the long Coram sweeper, completing the move under braking into Murrays.
Meantime, Files was also working his way forward. He took advantage of a squabble between Camp, Petters and Caton to steal fifth on the second lap and later managed to pass both Stevenson and Kite when the latter was wrongfooted by the champion’s blistering manoeuvre.
Sadly, Kite was then forced to retire shortly afterwards with a bottom-end failure on his engine.
Edmundson and Files began closing the gap to team-mate McGill who was looking to secure a career second win in the category. On the penultimate lap, a mistake from McGill brought Edmundson onto his tail and then another at Riches gave the teenager a run and allowed him to dive ahead at Wilson on the final lap. McGill tucked in behind to avoid losing another place to Files, and the team completed another podium lockout: Edmundson from McGill and Files.
Behind them, Edmundson just held off Kirkpatrick for fourth, ahead of Camp and Caton. Kent produced a superb drive from the back of the field to make eighth, with Redford and Petters completing the top 10.
SNETTERTON 300 ROUND FIVE RESULT
Round 6 – Race Report
Having rued a decision not to run new front tyres in the second race, Files fitted a fresh set for the finale and used them to full effect. He converted pole position into the race lead and never looked back, with even Edmundson unable to match the local driver’s pace.
Files swept to a 4.5s win, with Edmundson equally comfortable in second.
The action came behind the lead pair. With the car more to his liking, Stevenson swept around the outside of Kirkpatrick to take third at the first corner, with the pair followed by Ruddell, Camp, Redford and McGill.
Unfortunately, teenager Ruddell’s challenge for a podium finish didn’t last long. Pad knock-off caused him to lose his brakes at Oggies on the first lap, with his car spearing into the rear corner of Stevenson as a result. Both were out on the spot, but the drivers were unhurt.
So Kirkpatrick regained third position, chased by Camp, while Redford and McGill traded fifth until the former made it his own.
A mistake from Camp dropped him behind Redford and the top six remained unchanged thereafter. Kirkpatrick was pleased to record his first podium finish of the season, with Redford also returning to form in fourth ahead of Camp – again the first FN2 home – and McGill.
Caton and Marshall were seventh and eighth, while a strong run from Nick Cristofaro yielded ninth. Kent charged through from the rear of grid once again, this time making 10th and denying Josh Bromley a first top-10 finish.
Hillman was also running just outside the top 10 but was pitched into a spin and a heavy trip into the infield barriers on the final lap.
The Pro Alloys Racing driver was sent to the Medical Centre afterwards, where he was cleared but understandably shaken.
SNETTERTON 300 ROUND SIX RESULT
Paul Winfield Trophy and Goodyear Diamond Award winners
In addition to the main championship race, the Milltek Sport Civic Cup runs classifications for those aged over 40 as well as less experienced drivers.
Mark Hughes (DMR with KA Car Sales FN2) took a hat-trick of wins in the Goodyear Diamond Award.
The Paul Winfield Trophy is for genuine championship rookies or those without top-10 championship placings in the previous three seasons.
Spencer Stevenson continued his fine form from the opening weekend of the season to take the laurels in Rounds 4 and 5, with Josh Bromley taking his first Paul Winfield Trophy win in Round 6.
The results mean that Files has marginally reduced Edmundson’s healthy lead in the championship standings, which now stands at 27 points – the value of a fourth-place finish. Hughes holds a big advantage over Simon Welch in the Goodyear Diamond Award standings, while Stevenson is clear of Bromley in the Paul Winfield Trophy.
Driver Quotes
Rounds 4 & 6 winner, Josh Files
“When you’ve got Max ‘Verstappen’, as I call him, in your rear view mirror, you’ve got to keep going harder and harder. But it was nice to get away from the line, leading to Turn 2, which is always the critical thing.
“Max kept me under pressure and I just kept putting quali lap after quali lap in. I’m really happy with the car, we’ve fixed our problem that we had at Brands, so fingers crossed this is the first of many this year.”
Round 5 winner, Max Edmundson
On his race-two overtaking move: “I saw [Kite’s different approach to Coram] the lap before, and then he braked so I was like, ‘Well I have to go for it now.’ So I went for it!
“I think Josh [Files] has slightly caught on me points, but it’s only the second weekend, there’s a long way to go.”
Next time – Oulton Park Island!
The 2024 Milltek Sport Civic Cup is back in action in less than 3 weeks time, on Saturday 8th June where rounds 7 & 8 will take place at Oulton Park in Cheshire.
The Island layout will be used for this event, as the Milltek Sport Civic Cup returns to the venue which has been one of its hottest events in recent years, both in temperature and for on track action!
You can now purchase tickets for the next event of the 2024 season, at Oulton Park, from their website: https://www.oultonpark.co.uk/2024/june/tcr-uk-touring-car-championship
To find out more about the Milltek Sport Civic Cup visit https://civic-cup.co.uk/ for more info and how to get involved.
To find out more about the events on the 2024 Milltek Sport Civic Cup Calendar, visit https://civic-cup.co.uk/2024-season-calendar/ for more info.
