Yates’ dramatic incident gives son win | Ferrari Challenge UK Le Castellet Race 2
Bradley Yates won both Ferrari Challenge UK races in Le Castellet, but his father, Gilbert Yates, likely would have won Race 2 if it wasn’t for a dangerous car failure.
LE CASTELLET, France — Well that’s it for Ferrari Challenge UK’s time at Le Castellet, with Bradley Yates winning both Race 1 and Race 2 in France. However, Race 2 had a slightly different podium, with Bradley’s father, Gilbert Yates, having a dramatic incident because of a high-speed car failure resulting in his wheel falling off. Manuela Gostner was promoted to 3rd overall after the incident, with Joseph Dean claiming 2nd, a nice reward for his impressive qualifying. In Coppa Shell, it was Christopher Beighton who won, with Ian Morris and Darren Howell taking the podium positions in the lower class.
Ferrari Challenge UK Le Castellet Race 2 Results
- 1st: Bradley Yates (Trofeo Pirelli)
- 2nd: Joseph Dean (Trofeo Pirelli)
- 3rd: Manuela Gostner (Trofeo Pirelli)
- 4th: Mike Dewhirst (Trofeo Pirelli)
- 5th: Christopher Beighton (Coppa Shell)
- 6th: Ian Morris (Coppa Shell)
- 7th: Darren Howell (Coppa Shell)
- 8th: Andrea Seminara (Coppa Shell)
- 9th: Peter Hunter (Coppa Shell)
- 10th: William Bolster (Coppa Shell)
- 11th: Huseyin Sert (Coppa Shell)
- 12th: John Turner (Coppa Shell)
- 13th: Sean Ran (Coppa Shell)
- 14th: Gilbert Yates (Trofeo Pirelli)
As It Happened: Le Castellet Trofeo Pirelli Race 2
Veteran Gilbert Yates, who was keen to get his revenge on his son Bradley Yates quickly attacked Joseph Dean, despite Dean qualifying 2nd and looking fast heading into the race. However, the Yates duo didn’t instantly run away from Dean, with the trio in a conga line during the early portion of the race. After seven minutes of racing, Gilbert Yates finally got past his son, but there was no love lost, with both drivers fighting hard against each other. This battle was also helping Dean, who had dropped back a bit before the change in lead.
With 10 minutes left in the race, it was clear that once again the Yates duo were going to control the Trofeo Pirelli class. However, Gilbert had to watch his step because of track limits, so despite leading the race, he couldn’t allow his son to force a mistake. But in a dramatic turn of events, Gilbert Yates’ wheel flew off, bringing out the yellow flags after a dangerous car failure! Thankfully, everyone was safe, but this ended Gilbert’s race and handed his son the lead. Manuela Gostner also jumped up to a podium position because of this incident, with Dean back in 2nd-place where he qualified.
As It Happened: Le Castellet Coppa Shell Race 2
It was Ian Morris who led the early stages in Coppa shell, with Christopher Beighton close behind. Peter Hunter, who had a poor qualifying performance despite winning the opening race in his class, was chasing down Sean Ran after 10 minutes of running. But he was given a gift when Ran had to take a trip down the pit lane, giving Hunter free-air to push for the podium. Shortly after setting the fastest lap in the Coppa Shell class, Beighton grabbed the lead away from Morris down the Mistral Straight. At the rear of the field Huseyin Sert was harassing John Turner, but Turner was putting up a strong defense, making life difficult for the Turkish driver. But with 13 minutes left in the race, Sert finally got past Turner and moved up to 12th overall. A spin from Ran sealed the deal for his race, with the British driver struggling in Le Castellet today. By the time the yellow flags came out after Gilbert Yates’ dramatic car failure, Beighton was over 3 seconds ahead of Morris, who in turn was over 5 seconds ahead of 3rd-place Darren Howell.
Driver of the Race: Joseph Dean
I can’t help but feel like Gilbert Yates would have held on to his race victory if it wasn’t for his high-speed incident, which is why I haven’t given his son and race winner, Bradley Yates the Tifosi7 driver of the race award. Instead, I’ve given it to Joseph Dean, who had an impressive qualifying, getting 2nd-place overall. Although he also gained a position thanks to Yates’ incident, he held his own against the Yates duo during the early stages of the race, despite eventually falling behind before Gilbert’s retirement. For this, Dean is my final driver of the race at Ferrari Challenge Le Castellet.
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