GPGSL Season 8 Round 17 - Bacon, Eggs & Black Puddin' GP - Silverstone - GB [My Mum's black pudding is so black, even the white bits are black!][Final version of both csm mods released]

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Cartwright secures late pole

Southern Cross Racing driver Ross Cartwright took pole position at the final race of the GPGSL, with Champion Ed Greenhalgh way down the order.

The British driver took advantage of the drying conditions late in qualifying to take pole, ahead of Charrel Jalving and Ruben Greidanus.

Owen Edwards took 4th, John Maverick secured 5th and the Demon Racing pair of Jake Legge and Zsigmond Somogyi were other beneficiaries of the weather in 6th and 7th, as were Stefan van Renselaar, Matteo Scala and Chris Warrington, who rounded off the top 10.

It was a day to forget, however, for three-time champion Ed Greenhalgh, in his final race of Aston Martin. Being one of the early runners, the Australian was caught up in the heavier rain and could only qualify 20th.

In what is likely to be the final one lap qualifying session in GPGSL history, Joseph Gilson took to the track with rain falling rather heavily onto the track. A time of 1m40.906s was hardly blistering pace, but it all depended on how the track evolved throughout the session as to whether the Brit would be high in the order.

Jack Elleker’s Christel VXR was out next in the British team’s final race in the GPGSL, and despite setting purple sectors in the first two sectors, the Brit could only slot in behind his fellow countryman with a 1m41.027s.

Next up was Christopher Hinz for MAC Racing, who also set a blistering pace in the first two thirds of the lap, being 8 tenths as he went through the Hangar Straight. Unlike Elleker, however, provisional pole was his reward – three quarters of second clear of Gilson with 1m40.162s. Sadly for the German, his car needed to be towed back to the garage, having suffered a fuel leak on his return to the pits.

Hungarian Norbert Horváth was next on the track, and it seemed as though, despite the on track camera coverage, that the rain was easing somewhat, given the purple sectors being recorded by the True North driver – and was the first to break into the 1m39s with a time of 1m39.736s.

Dominic Brunner for Snake Motorsports was next, and quickly debunked the theory that it was getting drier, being three quarters of second down on Horváth’s time after two sectors. The Austrian slotted into provisional third with a time of 1m40.598s.

Champion Ed Greenhalgh was next, and like Brunner was struggling heavily with the conditions. Guess there’s not enough rain in Australia. Almost a second down after two sectors, the Australian could only manage a 1m40.681s – good enough for fourth out of six runners.

Jack Hunsley was next, and appeared to be coping with the conditions far better than the pair before him. The MPR driver kept in touch with the provisional pole time for much of the lap, before setting an exceptional final sector to secure pole with a 1m39.642s.

The second MAC Racing car of Gianluigi Silvestre followed Hunsley, and thankfully was able to make it back to the pits with no troubles. His hotlap, however, left plenty to be desired – the Italian had a woeful final sector leaving him behind his team-mate with a 1m40.418s.

After a short break, Connor Steer ventured out onto the track. Once more, it seemed as though there wasn’t quite as much rain teeming onto the track – and if there had been, the Brit wasn’t paying much attention to it. Purple sectors in the last two thirds of the lap secured provisional pole with a 1m39.230s.

Michael Pedersen was next, showing some semblance of speed throughout his lap – but was unable to match Steer’s impressive showing, and could only manage a 1m39.746s. It was still good enough for fourth, however.

Uruguayan Carlos Rodríguez followed the Dane, hoping to cap an impressive debut season for his team, One Racing, in style. Although his 1m39.417s was a solid lap time, it was still not good enough to oust Steer from pole.

With half the runners gone, Steer led from Rodríguez, Hunsley and Horváth, with Michael Pedersen rounding off the top five.

The second half of the session began with Tobias Kederer. With conditions steadily improving once more, the timesheets matched the wheel rims on his Shadow Mercedes car (sort of), only narrowly failing to break into the 1m38s with a 1m39.026s.

VanSmirren’s Chris Warrington started his lap with an added bonus of clear skies above him – the rain had ceased. However, the Brit was unable to match Kederer at any point throughout the first two sectors of the lap. The improved weather instead paid dividends in the final sector, narrowly securing provisional pole with a 1m38.974s.

The second One Racing car was next, with former Alpha Racing team owner Stefan van Renselaar stepping out onto the track. With the track slowly drying following the end of the rain showers, the Dutchman easily took pole away from Warrington with a 1m38.699s.

Matteo Scala, also a former team owner, took to the track next, but wasn’t quite being to find the same pace that van Renselaar had previously shown. A 1m38.727s was his reward – good enough for second so far.

Aston Martin’s John Maverick was up next – and given his departing team-mates weather troubles, this was the perfect opportunity for the Swiss driver to put one over the Champion. The pace of what has been the dominant car in the GPGSL this season proved too good, with a time of 1m38.477s.

Shadow’s Ruben Greidanus, however, showed that despite their troubles this season, the Mercedes-powered team was still capable of great things on their day – provisional pole with a 1m38.370s.

The Demon duo was next up, with Zsigmond Somogyi the first of the two out on the track. Despite a purple first sector, the Hungarian struggled in the remaining two sectors to set a 1m38.691s, taking provisional third.

That was quickly turned into fourth, however, as his British team-mate Jake Legge showed that greater bit of pace. After two sectors, pole was potentially on the cards, but a lacklustre final sector saw the Demon Racing driver record a 1m38.517s.

Owen Edwards was next – and after a trio of retirements, the Brit needed a boost in his home race. With solid sector times, the True North driver secured a time of 1m38.431s, just six hundredths from pole.

The penultimate driver onto the track was Ross Cartwright, who appeared to find all the right sweet spots out on the Silverstone track. Purple times in all three sectors secured pole for the Brit – over half a second clear with a time of 1m37.808s.

Finally, out came Charrel Jalving. Despite keeping touch with Cartwright in sector one, a poor second sector cost him any chances of a second pole position of the season. With a time of 1m38.199s, the Martini Paddock driver joined Cartwright on the front row.