The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
Andy Molsom remains in the hunt for Caterham Super-Graduates Championship glory after putting in two strong showings at Zandvoort.
Spalding speedster Molsom finished second in round ten at the Holland track, before storming to victory in round 11 to go 12 points clear at the top of the driver standings.
However, taking into account dropping the three worst results, he is actually five points behind leader Toby Briant with just four rounds to go.
The races, both held on Sunday, were a mixed grid of 45 cars. Electrical gremlins again afflicted Molsom in free practice on the Saturday, with the car breaking down on track – meaning he missed virtually all of the morning sessions.
Repairs to the car were made, and the remaining afternoon free practice session went without a hitch.
Two qualifying sessions later in the afternoon, saw Molsom qualify second in class for the Sunday morning race but, due to traffic, some ten places on the road behind main rival Briant.
The second qualifying went better, and he was third in class, but directly behind Briant and Barry White in the mixed class grid.
On Sunday morning, the track was drying from overnight downpours, which made conditions tricky for the start. Molsom made a good start, and pushed throughout the 35-minute race, making up ten places, but not quite catching Briant on the road, finishing second in class.
Sunday afternoon’s race was dry and another great start ensured that Molsom was soon behind Briant, challenging for the lead of the class.
After a few laps, Molsom made his way past and kept fighting among the faster class cars to ensure his lead.
After a safety car period (Briant’s rear wheel came astray and he was left stranded in the middle of the track), Molsom resumed his attack, winning his class and finishing eight seconds ahead of his nearest competitor.
He also completed the fastest lap in his class, just two tenths off the lap record.
Molsom said: “Saturday was a hard day, with the recurring electrical problems which we thought had been solved at Croft.
“I struggled to get a clear lap in first qualifying, but went out at the back of the group of cars for the second session, and that gave me a few laps of clear running.
“Zandvoort is a great former F1 racetrack, with some challenging corners, and it was important to manage the tyres to prevent overheating during the 35 minute race.
“I didnt get a chance to catch Briant in the first race due to the challenges of mixed class racing, but I was determined to catch him in the afternoon.”
The next round is at Snetterton, Norfolk in early September.
Molsom added: “I am looking forward to Snetterton.
“Last year I won both races after monumental battles with Ed Benson, winning one race by just 13 thousandths of a second.”
