Cadwell Park - 2010

16th May - National Championship
Round Four
Cadwell Park

There was cause for celebration in the Burnett Motorsport camp, after all three drivers took a win at Cadwell Park. Ross Marshall and John Jon Higgins had each taken a heat win, before Lee Fitzpatrick dominated the final, with Higgins and Marshall completing an all Burnett podium.

Pos	Driver	R1	R2	R3	Score
1	5 - John 'Jon' Higgins	6	1	2	525
2	19 - Lawrence Davey	4	2	5	495
3	12 - Stephen Treherne	2	12	4	425
4	55 - Ben Power	3	10	7	400
5	3 - Ross Marshall	1	0	3	375
6	1 - Lee Fitzpatrick	20	6	1	350
7	32 - Peter Morton	5	4	0	315
8	11 - Simon Belcher	7	17	6	300
9	4 - John Mickel	12	3	16	290
10	8 - Nick Brace	8	5	0	275
11	14 - Paul Musselle	11	15	8	260
12	7 - Dean Brace	14	7	13	260
13	95 - Niki Meredith	9	8	0	235
14	66 - Steve Whitelegg	10	11	0	195
15	33 - Chris Bell	18	16	9	170
16	15 - Paul Simmons	23	14	10	170
17	49 - Dave Ward	13	0	11	165
18	52 - Gareth Martin	26	13	14	140
19	96 - Paul O'Brien	17	12	0	115
20	30 - Craig Mitchell	22	21	12	100
21	59 - Paul Mansell	16	20	15	100
22	43 - Mick Mercer	15	18	17	100
23	29 - Nathan Anthony	19	19	18	40
24	54 - Nick Power	27	25	19	30
25	71 - Alasdair Thom	25	24	20	30
26	39 - Jess Gwynne	21	22	0	25
27	53 - Dominic Spurr	24	23	0	25
28	69 - Gerard McCosh	17	16	12	0

Marshall led the first heat from the start, with Stephen Treherne and Simon Belcher in his wheeltracks. Ben Power soon grabbed third, but Treherne took the outside line through Coppice on the second lap, before heading Marshall into Charlies.

The top three had broken away, but it was wheel to wheel for the lead and sometimes even closer. Behind them Power kept a watching brief and Higgins began to work his way through to close on Lawrence Davey's fourth place.

Marshall kept the pressure on and finally hit the front at Park Corner, having arrived into the braking area side by side. It was desperately close as they took the flag, but Marshall got the verdict by 0.498secs. "I had a good start and knew Stephen would be quick. He hooked on to me straight away then attacked. We made contact a couple of times and I finally got a run on him on the last lap," said Ross.

Power was delighted with his second place, "my best ever finish and I had a good view of the lead scrap," he said.

For while it was a four car train for fourth, but Davey held on, "I was trying to catch the leaders though," he explained. Peter Morton clinched fifth after Higgins and Belcher found some oil at the Gooseneck. "I went to take Simon and slid off on the oil," said John Jon, after recovering to complete the top six.

But what of reigning champion Fitzpatrick? No brakes on the first lap and got pushed off, Then I worked my way back and got locked up with John Mickel and went for a ride I didn't want. I lost the will to live after that," he said after trailing in 21st.

Poleman Dean Brace managed to hold onto the lead of heat two as far as Coppice on the opening lap, before Higgins came charging by and soon built a dominant lead.

As Brace started to lose out to his more experienced rivals, it became a five car train for second, with Mickel heading Morton, Nick Brace, Davey and Dean Brace just holding on.

Davey was up to fourth at Coppice on lap four and was eager to continue his climb. But for Marshall his race was over as he tried to break into the top ten, with a spin at the Mountain from which he was unable to restart.

Higgins made it a second win of the day for the Burnett team by a huge 7.639secs. "I Just got the gap and kept my head down, "said John Jon.

Morton had eased past Mickel for second on lap four but both had Davey poised to challenge. Mickel lost out on the penultimate lap and Morton on the final. "Peter went wide and we were level before I got him at the Gooseneck," said Davey. "Brilliant, that's why we come Legends racing," said third placed Morton.

Nick Brace was fifth and Fitzpatrick snatched sixth from Dean Brace on the last lap. "The car was better, but I was a bit too cautious," said Lee.

There were three different leaders on the first lap of the final. Poleman Nathan Anthony ran wide exiting Charlies and then Dave Ward made it past Paul Mansell. But Fitzpatrick was really charging, into third as they approached the Mountain, and almost second as Paul Simmons just held him off.

It was only a matter of time before Fitzpatrick had the lead. He got Simmons exiting Coppice on the second lap, before charging past Ward down the Park Straight.

The lead soon began to grow, but Belcher had managed to break free in second too, as Ward had an ever increasing queue behind. But on four Fitzpatrick almost threw it all away, "I left my braking too late at the Mountain and decided to go over the grass, rather than turn in late and spin," he explained.

Marshall and Power continued to pile the pressure on Ward. Into Coppice for the fifth time Marshall grabbed third and Power almost followed. The delay was only brief leaving Ward to get mugged by Davey, Higgins and Treherne.

Belcher had just started to make inroads on Fitzpatrick's lead, when the safety car was scrambled with only a lap to go."I thought oh no, not again," said Fitzpatrick.

From the green flag it was a two lap sprint, Fitzpatrick survived and made it a clean sweep for the Burnett squad. But there was even better to come, when Marshall roared past Belcher into second, "it was like Ross had an extra 30bhp, he just flew past me," said Belcher. "But then Power tapped me and more cars went by," he added.

Out of the chase behind emerged Higgins with Treherne chasing him too. There were certainly no team orders with the Burnett duo, as Higgins was all over Marshall as they started the last lap. "John Jon got me under braking at park, he just cut down my inside," said Ross.

"Yes the safety car was good to me, I knew I had Ross on that last lap too, but overall it's been a good day," said John Jon. So it was a Burnett lock out on the podium, with Treherne, Davey and Belcher completing the top six.