Craig Denman bounced back from a failed clutch in practice to dominate the Elise Trophy at the weekend, despite starting both races from the back of the grid at Dutch circuit Zandvoort.
Denman’s problem meant that he wasn’t able to take part in qualifying leaving him 17th and last at the start of the opening race, but it hardly seemed to matter as he proved to be the class of the field following a superb drive.
With pole man Adam Bewsey retiring after just two laps, Steve Quick, Ben Hyland and Andy Dolan were left to fight for the lead in the early stages as Denman worked his way through the field.
He was soon with the front trio and, having got Dolan to move up to third, he then dispatched both Hyland and Quick in one move before pulling away to a very impressive 9.211-second win.
Hyland and Quick filled the other podium positions in second and third ahead of Dolan, while Dave Carr beat Gavin Kirby in their battle for fifth.
Denman’s winning margin in the second race wasn’t as emphatic as Bewsey joined the lead fight with Dolan, Hyland and Quick.
Nevertheless, Denman was still able to work his way through the pack and into the lead and led home Bewsey by 0.655 seconds at the finish, while Quick was only a couple of tenths further back in third.
Dolan and Hyland both left the track in a high-speed incident with four laps to go, but while the former retired, Hyland was able to recover to fourth place ahead of Carr.
The Zandvoort race was one of two overseas trips for the series this season, with Spa-Francorchamps also on the calendar later in the season.
Lotus on Track Elise Trophy results – Round 4, Zandvoort
Race 1
1 Craig Denman, Lotus Elise S1, 10 laps
2 Ben Hyland, Lotus Elise S1, +9.211
3 Steve Quick, Lotus Elise S2 111R, +12.598
4 Andy Dolan, Lotus Elise S1, +18.538
5 Dave Carr, Lotus Elise S1, +29.051
6 Gavin Kirby, Lotus Elise S1, +29.305
7 Neil Stothert, Lotus Elise S1, +35.099
8 Nigel Hannam, Lotus Elise S1, +47.033
9 Simon Jones, Lotus Elise S2 111R, +1:02.515
10 Andrew Kell, Lotus Elise S1, +1:03.308
11 Paul Baker, Lotus Elise S1, +1:31.961
12 Jan Christie, Lotus Elise S2 R111, +1:32.229
13 Chris Dunster, Lotus Elise S1, +2 laps
14 Paul Patterson, Lotus Elise S1, +2 laps
Not classified
Steve Williams, Lotus Elise S1, 7 laps
Nigel Ayres, Lotus Elise S1, 4 laps
Adam Bewsey, Lotus Elise S1, 2 laps
Race 2
1 Craig Denman, Lotus Elise S1, 15 laps
2 Adam Bewsey, Lotus Elise S1, +0.655
3 Steve Quick, Lotus Elise S2 111R, +0.812
4 Ben Hyland, Lotus Elise S1, +22.492
5 Dave Carr, Lotus Elise S1, +30.395
6 Nigel Hannam, Lotus Elise S1, +33.420
7 Neil Stothert, Lotus Elise S1, +35.458
8 Simon Jones, Lotus Elise S2 111R, +1:17.803
9 Paul Baker, Lotus Elise S1, +1:30.047
10 Andrew Kell, Lotus Elise S1, +1:33.274
11 Paul Patterson, Lotus Elise S1, +1:33.383
12 Jan Christie, Lotus Elise S2 R111, +2:10.368
13 Andy Dolan, Lotus Elise S1, +3 laps
Not classified
Gavin Kirby, Lotus Elise S1, 7 laps
Chris Dunster, Lotus Elise S1, 1 lap
Steve Williams, Lotus Elise S1, DNS
Nigel Ayres, Lotus Elise S1, DNS
Next round: 25-26 June, Snetterton 300
Watch Lotus Elise Trophy highlights in Motors TV’s special Lotus-on-Track programme on Friday nights throughout 2011.
Andy Wilkinson
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