Luke Garrett, Paul Rivett and Steve Powell clinch Division 2 honours at Pembrey

Luke Garrett extended his advantage at the summit of the MV Commercial BTRA Championship Division 2 standings at Pembrey Circuit this past weekend (May 11/12), winning two of the four races run.

Both Paul Rivett and Steve Powell ensured they remained within touching distance of Garrett too as they also triumphed.

Kicking off the defence of his title in style at Brands Hatch, the MAN driver was in scintillating form as he powered his way to a near-perfect performance around the picturesque Welsh venue.

Garrett began the weekend as the man to beat in Division 2 qualifying as he stormed to the top of the timesheets, clinching his second successive pole position.

Starting on the front row of the grid, Garrett was a tour-de-force in the opener as he broke clear of the rest of the field and onto victory. Storming into the first corner in the lead, Garrett was unchallenged as he extended his advantage at every chance he got.

Behind, Simon Cole found himself in strife through the opening sequence of corners with Erik Forsstrom and John Bowler making their way into second and third respectively. From there the battling duo held station to finish behind Garrett whilst Cole fought back from as low as sixth to clinch fourth.

Race two at Pembrey proved to be one to remember for those in attendance as four-time Renault UK Clio Cup champion Rivett scored his maiden win in the series. Having starred at Brands Hatch, the WDE Motorsport driver showed his class with a stunning drive to put the rest of the field on notice that he will be one to watch.

Starting fourth, Rivett scythed his way through the order to cross the line after lap one in first, and that was to be where he would stay. Bowler backed up his earlier podium with another strong driver, keeping Rivett honest throughout.

Further down the order Garrett didn’t begin to make his way up the order until the second half of the race. Picking his way past fellow competitors one-by-one, the race one winner valiantly fought his way into third place as the chequered flag flew.

Despite the dawn of a new day on Sunday, the same theme ran through the Division 2 ranks as Garrett further strengthened his position at the summit of the points with a second win of the weekend.

Powering into the lead as the lights went out, the defending champion took up his customary position at the front of field and broke away from the chasing pack. Cole and Bowler were to be the closest challengers to the leader, finishing second and third.

The final race of the weekend at Pembrey saw both Division 1 and Division 2 amalgamated together to bring the curtain down on another unforgettable two days of track action from the heavyweight behemoths.

Having gone somewhat under the radar throughout the course of the weekend, the bright yellow MAN of Powell came to the fore in the last race as he soaked up late pressure from Garrett and Rivett to score his second win of the season.

For the full classification of results from all Division 2 sessions at Pembrey, click here.

The MV Commercial BTRA Championship now heads to the fastest circuit in the UK, Thruxton, for the third event of the 2019 season on June 29/30.