Following Westbourne Motorsport’s previous successes at Castle Combe race circuit, the team were excited to return this weekend as part of the HRDC.
Despite the poor weather conditions at the start of the day, there was hope that the sunshine would appear in time for the qualifying session. As the drivers took to the track from the pit lane, the final drop of rain fell as they first lap started surrounding the track in beautiful sunshine.
After winning in the HRDC Academy class last weekend at Thruxton, Bruce Chapman was determined to continue his winning streak in the penultimate round of the championship. Dominating in class again in his pale blue Austin A35, Chapman qualified in pole position with plenty of scope for the race ahead.
Ben Colburn had several mechanical problems with his car at the Thruxton weekend which meant that he did not finish either race. His last appearance at Castle Combe saw him and his father, Richard Colburn take second place so he was determined for another podium finish. After competing with teammate, Chapman, Colburn managed to qualify in P2 ready to start another battle in the race for first place.
James Dorlin left his Austin A35 at home this weekend and instead entered the HRDC weekend in a bright blue Austin Mini Cooper S with brother, Richard Dorlin. The two would have to share the car throughout the weekend leaving a fun twist on the qualifying session as Richard currently in P5 entered the pit lane to let James have a go behind the wheel.
James (known for driving in the Michelin Clio Cup) entered the track with every anticipation to get pole position and he would stop at nothing to get there. Pushing the car to its limits, James managed to finish the qualifying session in P1 which put the driving duo in a great position for the afternoon race.
The weekend was dominated by the Dorlin family with James and Richard’s father, Pete Dorlin driving a Jaguar mark 1. Pete qualified in P5 but unfortunately in the second race sustained damage to the car and did not finish.
Dark black cloud threatened the track as the drivers waited in anticipation for the race. After a long wait following the qualifying session, it was finally time for the driver to line up on the grid.
Richard Dorlin started the race for the duo and after taking a comfortable lead was confident that his brother would continue to defend this position for the remainder of the race.
The dark black cloud started to cause chaos on the track as heavy rain made the visibility challenging for the drivers. As several cars span off the track, the dangerous conditions were a concern for all the drivers. Ben Colburn was battling with Chapman for valuable championship points but narrowly missed first place by seconds. Bruce Chapman had done it again finishing in first place for the second week running.
The Dorlin brothers were running circles around the competition which paid off after they took first place in the race! A brilliant result for the Dorlin family.
The final rounds of the HRDC will be held at Donington Park on 15 October 201