TOM OVENDEN OPENS SEASONAL ACCOUNT IN SNETTERTON OPENER

Tom Ovenden secured his first win of the Vertu MINI CHALLENGE season in the opening race of the weekend at Snetterton.

The EXCELR8 Driver Development Programme driver had started the race from pole position after his second fastest lap was the quickest in qualifying, earning him a spot at the head of the field ahead of Charlie Hand.

Ovenden made the best start when the race got underway to lead the field into turn one, with Hand being overhauled by Jamie Osborne having been slow away from the line.

Osborne immediately set about putting pressure on Ovenden for the lead, with Hand close behind in third, and managed to briefly nose ahead at the end of the fifth lap.

Ovenden however had the inside line going into turn one to start lap six which meant he was able to retain the position as Osborne instead came under pressure from Max Edmundson.

Edmundson had started back in fifth his Pro Alloys Racing-run car due to a two-place grid penalty but dropped a spot to sixth when the lights went out before storming his way back through the field – overhauling Lewis Selby and then Alex Solley to take fourth and then nipping ahead of Hand for third.

As soon as he closed onto the front two, Edmundson immediately launched a move down the inside into Wilson to get ahead of Osborne and briefly challenged Ovenden before slipping back on the final laps as the EXCELR8 man grabbed the win.

“Jamie was awesome at Donington Park and we did some head-scratching to see how we could beat him – and now we have,” he said. “It was far too stressful early on but when Max got behind me, I knew I just needed to have one lap where I got a better run out of the final corner and I could make a break.

“That’s what happened and to win from pole is a great feeling.”

Edmundson would be forced to defend from Osborne in the closing stages as the championship leader looked to reclaim second spot, with the pair running together to the line but with Edmundson ahead by just 0.064s.

That marked a first overall podium of the season for the Pro Alloys Racing man, as well as victory in the Rookie Cup.

“If I didn’t get a bad start, I reckon I could have gone one better but that’s how racing goes,” he said. “I knew we had the pace from testing yesterday and when I got up into third spot, I knew Jamie was locked in on the leader so I went for it – I don’t think he even realised I was there.”

Behind the lead trio, Hand was under pressure for fourth place from Selby and they too would run together to the line before Hand held in by 0.048s to score the best result yet for Mannpower Motorsport, with Albert Webster behind rounding out the top six.

Webster had been the fastest driver on track during the mid-part of the race whilst dicing for position with Josh Porter, although that battle would be ended when Porter got off-line going through Coram and ran wide across the grass to drop down the order.

Webster was chased home by Jacob Hodgkiss as he came through from 15th on the grid to take seventh, with Solley slipping back down to eighth. Harry Campey and Harry Hickton rounded out the top ten, although only after Hickton lost two spots on the final lap.

Steven Chandler took eleventh in the Sustainable Fuel Development car ahead of the delayed Porter, with Owen Hillman beating Ned Anthony to the line for 13th.

Cameron Richardson and Nathan Edwards rounded out the finishers with the latter being delayed on the opening lap after a clash with Marlo Cordell. Edwards would drop of the back of the field but managed to bag the three bonus points for fastest lap, with Cordell forced to pit and retire.