Ru Clark takes first pole of the year at Donington

Ruaridh Clark secured his first VW Racing Cup pole position of the year. The 19 year old surprised many with a stunning lap at Donington Park to add two points to his impressive tally. Clark completed fewer laps than any driver ensuring his tyres will be less scrubbed ahead of Race 1 at 9:35 on Sunday.

All eyes were on the three championship protagonists as the VW’s burst into life for the final qualifying event of the year. It was Mark Wakefield who set the early pace, being the first driver to break into the 1min 43s. His benchmark was soon shattered as Josh Coggan moved into the 1min 42s, over a second quicker than anyone bar Wakefield.

Wakefield went into the session knowing the extra two points for pole would have been crucial to narrowing his 14 point gap to Owen Walton. Fellow title chaser Martin Depper would join him near the sharp end of the grid, as Coggan continued to lead at the halfway distance.

As the clock counted down, Ru Clark emerged from the pits having sat out most of the session. On a clear track, the JW Bird Motorsport Scirocco set a 1min 42.294, pulling into the pits after only seven laps as to save his tyres. Clark, a mid-season entry, is not in competition for the title, but will be a tough obstacle for those behind.

He’s joined on the front row by Coggan, only 0.3 seconds behind the Scottish driver. Wakefield was a further 0.144 seconds behind and will set off from third alongside Jack Depper. The second JWB driver recorded his best qualifying of the year, and will be favourites to collect his third Hankook Trophy of the year.

Notably, Jack’s father Martin Depper lines up fifth ahead of Simon Walton and Tony Prendergast. The best news for Wakefield and Depper will be that Owen Walton could only qualify eighth and will have to put in the work to maintain his points advantage.

Rob Allum is ninth ahead of the remainder of the field, made up exclusively of Hankook Trophy runners. Russell Joyce leads to foray from Richard Gilbert, Jeff Alden and Matt Evans. Behind them, Jeff Clark and Michael Jones line up ahead of Mark Steel whose session was completed early due to an off.

Speaking about the result, polesitter Ru Clark, said;

“First pole of the year eventually! I’ve been trying to do that all year. I like Donington, this was the home of my first race so it’s always good to come back home, it’s a fast flowing track.