Carl Boardley eases to victory in third TCR UK race at Knockhill

Carl Boardley completed a near-perfect TCR UK weekend at Knockhill as he claimed his second win out of three in the final race in Scotland.

Having taken the lead of the TCR UK points on dropped scores thanks to his fourth place finish in race two, Boardley held the advantage heading into the final bout of the weekend over erstwhile leader Bruce Winfield, who started ninth.

From pole, Boardley led away off the line, beating Brickley into Duffus Dip for the first time as Adam Shepherd leapt ahead of Callum Newsham to sit fourth behind Joe Marshall.

Newsham was soon sent spinning on the exit of the Chicane after falling into the clutches of race two winner Alex Ley. The pair went through the corner side by side but Ley tipped the Hyundai across the track, while also delaying himself in the process.

Boardley quickly skipped away at the front of the field, opening up a lead of nearly two seconds and setting the fastest lap of the race.

Further down the order, Chris Smiley (Restart Racing Honda Civic Type-R) was in the wars again, and fell down to ninth behind the Hyundais of Bruce Winfield and Bradley Kent, the latter with a brand-new driveshaft after a failure curtailed his second race.

As Boardley made quick his escape, Brickley started to come under pressure from Marshall’s Audi, which established itself as the fastest car on track.

Brickley’s Cupra was noticeably understeering at the Clark right-hander but with overtaking at Knockhill at a premium, Marshall found the going tough.

Also struggling was Smiley, who had his mirrors full of Brad Hutchison’s Audi for ninth place. The latter got a superb switch back move exiting Clarks and completed the move under braking for the Hairpin, with Smiley’s Restart Racing team-mate Scott Sumpton – who recieved a five-second track limits penalty – also getting ahead.

Smiley then pulled into the pits to retire for the second successive race.

Meanwhile Boardley settled into a rhythm and consolidated a lead of over five seconds from Brickley who maintained a slender advantage over Marshall in second.

Boardley remained untroubled on his way to another comfortable victory, with Brickley staving off Marshall for second by nine-tenths.

Constable finished fourth after pulling off a lovely pass down the inside of Shepherd at McIntyres, with Ley finishing sixth ahead of Winfield.

Bradley Kent was eighth while Hutchison headed Jonathon Beeson at the flag.