Pictured: Stefan Di Resta. Click to open hi-resolution version

NEWS RELEASE: 12 JULY 2014

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DI RESTA TAKES THE WIN AND CHAMPIONSHIP LEAD

There was to be no fairytale follow-up win at Spa for Lucas Orrock, for although the Friday race victor led the lion’s share of Saturday’s Belgian finale his hopes came undone along with the front bumper of his KPM Scirocco just three laps from the chequered flag. With his car hobbled, Orrock had to cede the lead to Stefan Di Resta, and settle for third place behind both Di Resta and Joe Fulbrook.

Di Resta, who slips just ahead of Fulbrook for the championship lead, was more than pleased to inherit the win – his second in three weeks: “I was catching Lucas but I don’t think I would have had to time to pass him before the end of the race. Then he had his problem; we all have problems, and I had mine at start of the year. I’ll take any win that comes my way.”

It was David Sutton who led the way initially, the SlideSports Scirocco driver making a great start from fifth on the grid to overhaul pole man Stewart Lines (Maximum Motorsport) on the way through Eau Rouge. Sutton repulsed an attack from Di Resta, another fast starter, but had no answer to Orrock’s pace on the third lap. Lucas sped ahead to open a gap of approaching two seconds over Di Resta by mid-distance.

It all went wrong for Lucas on lap seven. “It had been a fantastic race for me up until that point,” said the Cambridge youngster. “As soon as I hit the front I thought I had it all sewn up and I could control the race. Coming through Stavelot I heard something drop; I knew something was wrong and when I hit the brakes coming into the Bus Stop chicane the front just locked up. What had happened was that the front bumper had dropped and been sucked underneath the car. The lock-up flat-spotted my tyres and I knew at that point that all I could do was drive within the limits of the car and try to salvage a half-decent result.”

Di Resta passed Orrock with ease and went on to win by 1.3s from Fulbrook’s AWM/Warranty Direct Golf GTI. Joe was delighted with his maiden Spa podium: “We made some big changes to the car after qualifying and it made a massive difference and the car was brilliant. The boys got it absolutely right – they did a cracking job for me.”

Sutton survived getting Orrock’s dislodged bumper under his car to finish fourth. “It was a big battle the whole race,” said David, “and a good way to end what has not been a bad weekend for me and the SlideSports team.” Lines’s Scirocco came home fifth.

James Walker, his Milltek Sport Golf still struggling for straightline speed, was pleased with sixth, pipping Aaron Mason to the place with a final-corner move. Sam Morgan was classified eighth, behind Mason, after the application of a five-second penalty for exceeding track limits. Mason broke the lap record on his charge through from 20th on the grid.

George White impressed again for KPM, the Scirocco driver claiming ninth ahead of the leading Team HARD finisher, Kieran Gallagher, Maximum’s Chris Panayiotou and AWM man Josh Caygill, who had started dead last. In his 50th VW Cup race, Philip Morris took 13th spot, ahead of Team HARD men Chris Smiley and Simon Rudd. Simon Andrews pinched 16th from David Fairbrother on the final lap.