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Bacheta pips Bradshaw in Round 6 thriller |
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Monday, 14 May 2007 |
Bridgman throws away victory at damp Snetterton
Luciano Bacheta won a drama-filled sixth round of the 2007 Visma Formula Palmer Audi champion at a damp Snetterton after Tim Bridgman threw away victory with an off at Russell with just two laps to go.
With the drivers racing in light rain on slick tyres, Bridgman beat Bacheta away from the start and immediately set about building a healthy four-second lead. Jolyon Palmer slotted into third, with Alex Brundle spinning at Russell on the opening lap.
Bradshaw, meanwhile, started to work his way up from fifth, passing
Dominik Jackson on lap five and then Palmer on lap ten, proving supreme
in the greasy conditions as he began to hunt down Bacheta.
Then, on lap 16 of the 18-lap event, Bridgman spun at Russell and
rejoined in third, turning Bacheta and Bradshaw's fight for second into
a battle for victory. The final lap proved to be Bacheta's saviour, as
the red flags prematurely concluded the race after debutant Ivan
Lukashevich spun at the Esses, preventing Bradshaw from attempting a
move.
"The red flags were exactly what I needed," said a relieved Bacheta
after taking his third win of the season. "I knew this was a great
chance to get more points on the board and I wasn't in a position to
fight Tom too hard, so I guess today's my lucky day!"
Bradshaw, meanwhile, was happy enough to score his first FPA podium
finish after a difficult start to the season. "The conditions were very
tricky, so to beat the drivers I did and get on the podium is
fantastic!"
Having recovered to third, Bridgman expresses his disappointment but
remained confident ahead of Rounds 7 and 8. "It was very slippery on
the apex at Russell, and that's what spun me round. It is a blow, but
I'm going out to win the other two races and I'm not going to settle
for anything less."
Fourth went to Jolyon Palmer, whose blushes were spared by the red flag
after he spun on the penultimate lap, which was then removed on
countback. Dominik Jackson came out on top of a great scrap with Stefan
Wilson to take fifth, with Jack Clarke in seventh, followed by a
jaw-dropping comeback drive from Alex Brundle, who took eighth and
fastest lap after dropping to last after his spin. Russell Small came
ninth, with Chris Chubb finishing in the top 10 once again.
Formula Palmer Audi - Round 6 Result
1. Luciano Bacheta 16 Laps in 19m03.922s
2. Tom Bradshaw +0.627s
3. Tim Bridgman +4.558s
4. Jolyon Palmer +5.014s
5. Dominik Jackson +6.251s
6. Stefan Wilson +13.774s
7. Jack Clarke +20.467s
8. Alex Brundle +22.448s
9. Russell Small +25.064s
10. Chris Chubb +29.335s
11. Richard Plant +32.163s
12. Derrick Collin +32.576s
13. Alan Kempson +35.385s
14. Jason Moore +35.792s
15. Nik Iruwan +40.751s
16. Mark Powell +50.797s
17. Chris Bell +51.664s
18. Jeremy Preddy +1 Lap
19. Max Snegirev +1 Lap
Did Not Finish
Ivan Lukashevich 15 Laps Completed
Doros Loucaides 7 Laps Completed
Richard Kent 2 Laps Completed
Fastest Lap - Alex Brundle, Lap 4 - 1m08.383s
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