Stefan Hodgetts and Ben Winrow shared the wins in round 2 of the Trofeo Abarth 500 GB at Silverstone on Saturday and Sunday.
Former BTCC racer Hodgetts won a closely fought race 1 as the Mardi Gras Motorsport driver kept Winrow at bay to cross the line 2.5 seconds clear, with Gareth Howell, winner of the new series’ inaugural races at Oulton Park on Easter weekend, in third.
2008 Renault Clio Cup champion Winrow was unstoppable in race 2 as he beat Hodgetts off the line and stormed clear.
His task was made easier when Hodgetts retired from second place midway through the race, and the Pyro Motorsport man’s winning margin was a massive 26 seconds at the finish.
“Stef’s a great driver, so once I got him, I just had to concentrate and put my head down and try to build a lead,” Winrow said. “Then it was a case of protecting the tyres and hanging on for the win.”
Howell protected his lead in the points standings with second place, ahead of his Advent Motorsport team-mate Charlie Butler-Henderson, who followed up a strong fourth place finish in race 1 by completing the race 2 podium.
Advent’s third driver, Josh Wakefield, also had a strong weekend with fourth and fifth place finishes, but Benny Simonsen, brother of GT racer Allan, lost ground to all his rivals in the standings after only managing sixth and eighth in the two races.
The Trofeo Abarth 500 GB now heads to Cadwell Park next month, where it will support the British Superbike Championship.
Trofeo Abarth 500 results – Round 2, Silverstone
Race 1
1 Stefan Hodgetts, Mardi Gras Motorsport, 19:35.752
2 Ben Winrow, Pyro Motorsport, +2.584
3 Gareth Howell, Advent Motorsport, +7.043
4 Charlie Butler-Henderson, Advent Motorsport, +10.325
5 Josh Wakefield, Advent Motorsport, +12.105
6 Benny Simonsen, Pulce Motorsport, +18.117
7 Paul Smith, Mardi Gras Motorsport, +19.387
8 Matt Shead, CMS, +23.339
9 Cassey Watson, Lunar Racing, +28.102
10 Sarah Franklin, Reflex Racing, +1:06.641
Not classified
James Blyth, Advent Motorsport, 8 laps
Roger Green, Rockingham Cars, 7 laps
John Gaw, Abarth UK, 1 lap
Race 2
1 Ben Winrow, Pyro Motorsport, 30:51.753
2 Gareth Howell, Advent Motorsport, +26.329
3 Charlie Butler-Henderson, Advent Motorsport, +29.745
4 Josh Wakefield, Advent Motorsport, +30.423
5 Paul Smith, Mardi Gras Motorsport, +31.283
6 Matt Shead, CMS, +50.576
7 Roger Green, Rockingham Cars, +1:09.127
8 Benny Simonsen, Pulce Motorsport, +1:12.352
9 Cassey Watson, Lunar Racing, +1:22.712
10 Sarah Franklin, Reflex Racing, +1:54.681
11 Fiona Leggate, CMS, +1:56.120
Not classified
Stefan Hodgetts, Mardi Gras Motorsport, 8 laps
James Blyth, Advent Motorsport, DNS
John Gaw, Abarth UK, DNS
Championship Standings (after 2 rounds)
1 Gareth Howell – 76pts
2 Charlie Butler-Henderson – 60
3 Ben Winrow – 56
4 Benny Simonsen – 53
5 Josh Wakefield – 50
6 Paul Smith – 32
7 Matt Shead – 24
8 Stefan Hodgetts – 21
9 Jason Greatrex – 20
10 Cassey Watson – 19
Next round: 22-23 May, Cadwell Park
Watch Trofeo Abarth 500 highlights on Motors TV (Sky Channel 413, Virgin Media 545).
Andy Wilkinson
Follow Motors TV on twitter – www.twitter.com/motorstv - and Facebook
Click here to win tickets to the FIA GT1 World Championship at Silverstone
International
