Racer battles back to finish second at Silverstone

Caerphilly race driver Graham Cole fought through from 21st on the grid to claim a second-place finish at Silverstone following an oil spill on the track.

The podium result in the MSVR All-Comers championship came after Caerphilly firm Richwest Engineering re-engineered the team’s Bicknell PS7 engine mountings.

Cole suffered an oil pump belt failure at the Northamptonshire circuit when he last raced there in May, forcing an early retirement.

Company director Rich West identified structural weaknesses in the original design and manufactured a custom replacement item.

Following pre-race testing at Llandow circuit in the Vale of Glamorgan, the team returned to Silverstone for qualifying with Graham’s son Alexis setting the second-fastest lap time, with Graham qualifying third.

In the opening race, Alexis took an early lead before a front-wheel puncture on lap five forced him to stop.

The non-finish penalised the team for the second race, forcing Graham to start from 21st position in a 24-car field.

Despite the grid penalty, Cole passed 15 cars on the opening lap and reached second place by lap six after overtaking Andrew Noble.

His pursuit of race winner Matthew Twynham was cut short at Stowe corner when fellow local driver Wayne Spiller, from Ystrad Mynach, suffered a total engine failure in his Seat Leon Cup Racer.

The incident left a half-mile trail of engine oil near the pit entrance. Race organisers issued a red flag due to hazardous track conditions for cars running on treadless slick tyres, with final results declared based on the previous completed lap.

Graham said: “With fuel prices so high we didn’t want to travel the four-hour journey to Silverstone without being confident the engine would last. Rich’s design meant the car ran flawlessly, so we could focus on improving the handling and not worry about the engine.”

He added that catching Twynham was unlikely given the time lost starting from the back of the grid.

The GCCRacing team will next travel to France to compete in the TTE Free Proto series, with rounds scheduled at Val de Vienne, Nogaro, and Le Mans.