Major crash ends hope of podium finish

The car was in need of immediate repair, with the complete frontend requiring a rebuild. Nunn was rushed to the medical centre, but he was deemed fit to continue racing. Team mechanic Aaron repaired the vehicle and the car was back on the track ready for the last two hours of racing.

 The weekend had got off to a positive start for the two-man team of Nunn and Mark Holme. Testing had gone exceptionally well in the dry for Team Viking, as they were keeping up with the front of the pack. The team found themselves fifth on the timesheet out of 30 cars, “this put us full of confidence,” said team manager Holme. “We were on a high at the end of testing so we were pumped up and ready for the race.”

 The four-hour race saw a wet start as the rain fell over the Cheshire circuit. Viking started eighth on the grid, with Nunn taking the first stint. Early on Nunn pushed his way up to seventh, but on lap three he ran wide at Island Bend and on to the grass. It was only a small mistake, but with the cars still bunched up from the start it saw car 110 drop to 21^st.

 Nunn started climbing back up the pack and was in 17^th when he had his horror crash. He took the Shell Olis Corner – a hairpin – on a different line to previous laps, and tried passing another car. He was going 5mph faster than before and he tried to adjust, ended on the grass and flew head on into the tyre wall.

 Nunn was taken immediately to the medical centre, but without any major injuries or concussion he was cleared to race. Car 110 was recovered and returned to the pits, but it was un-driveable. Mechanic Aaron rebuilt the front end of the car in an hour and 29 minutes, including fitting new wishbones, a radiator, setup, balancing, fluids and welding. So the team were able to continue racing.

 Holme took the car back out and they were in last place, but as the track began to dry Holme was able to start catching some of the cars at the back and began climbing.

 Nunn was soon back on the horse and out driving again to try and rectify his mistake and focus on his driving, which he did.

 Holme took the last stint, but with three laps to go was T-boned by car 125 and the door was unable close. Determined to finish the race Holme held the door shut as he brought the car across the finish line.

 “Nick was really disappointed after his crash,” explained Holme. “He feels he’s let the team down. It was a disappointment, but we’ve seen what we can do and how we can perform. So there is no reason we can’t be in the top five at every race this season,” he concluded.

 Next up for Team Viking is the traditional double-header at Anglesey. This includes a three-hour day race, followed by a three-hour night race on Saturday 28 April.

Fastest Lap: 2:03.838

Laps: 62

Championship standing: 26th