Niall Quinn takes Autumn Trophy honours

Niall Quinn took victory and with it, the Autumn Trophy whilst Aaron Steele won the FPA Shoutout in a nail biting final round of the Formula Palmer Audi Autumn Trophy at Snetterton.
Steele becomes the sixth and final nomination for the prestigious McLaren Autosport BRDC Award following his best two points finishes from the two races earlier today (Sunday).
After a steady start, Jolyon Palmer took the lead from Aaron Steele going into Sear Corner for the first time before the front runners almost ran four abreast along Revett Straight. With little room to maneuvere, Steele and Tom Bradshaw touched, which left Bradshaw bouncing across the grass and Steele was later disqualified from the race due to his part in the incident. Bradshaw retired later in the race whilst trying to charge through the field, ending his hopes of Autumn Trophy and Shooutout glory.
Niall Quinn took the lead from Jolyon Palmer on lap two with a great move around the outside at Riches and the pair contested the victory throughout the race. With Palmer knowing that only a win would land him the Shootout prize, Quinn had to defend extremely well but the Irishman was up to the challenge - taking the win and Autumn Trophy in the process: "I am just ecstatic," said Quinn. "Hopefully this shows everyone what I am capable of."
Matt Hamilton was another who could have taken the FPA Shootout but he had to settle for third in the race and second in the Shootout standings. It could not have been closer as both Steele and Hamilton finished on equal points, with Steele taking it due to him setting the fastest lap during the day: "I pushed as hard as possible," said Hamilton. "I knew I had to finish second in the race but it just didn't quite happen."
Alex Waters and Jack Clarke were fourth and fifth respectively whilst Tom Ashton scored an impressive sixth.
So it was Niall Quinn celebrating his Autumn Trophy success and Aaron Steele who took the FPA honours and that prestigious entry into the McLaren Autosport BRDC Award: "I am really looking forward to driving the DTM car but it hasn't even sunk in yet," said Steele. "This is the best moment of my career."

Autumn Trophy and FPA Shootout is going down to the wire

Tom Bradshaw has won round five of the Formula Palmer Audi Autumn Trophy at Snetterton to retake the lead in the standings with just one race remaining this afternoon (Sunday).
With each drivers best two results from today's three races also counting towards the FPA Shootout, Bradshaw delivered the perfect result in his challenge to take both honours. Starting from pole, the Blackburn racer made a great getaway off the line and led until the race was red flagged after 17 laps: "It was a brilliant race for me," said Bradshaw. "It is just so slippery out there but I managed to keep it on the island and take the win."
Aaron Steele and Niall Quinn endured a race long battle with the pair swapping places on several occasions. Both drivers also recovered from spins before Steele eventually won the place with a pass on Quinn coming out of the Esses: "I had a moment," said Quinn. "Aaron managed to get back past me but it is looking really tight for the championship."
There was disappointment for front row starter Matt Hamilton, after he retired on lap one following a spin Russell Bend. A safety car was deployed on lap ten following another big off for Matt Bell - this time after he made heavy impact with the barrier at the bomb hole.
Tobias Hegewald showed his best form in FPA so far as he stormed from 14th on the grid to take fourth at the finish, which included some nice moves past FPA regulars Jack Clarke and Jolyon Palmer following the restart of the race on lap 14.
Adam Foster and Callum Holland finished in fifth and sixth respectively whilst Jack Clarke brought his car home in seventh after the Surrey driver endured an eventful race. The race was red flagged when Jolyon Palmer spun after running out of grip at the Bomb Hole. His car speared off on the outside before making contact with the barrier: "I just pushed a little too hard," said Palmer. "The rain was getting worse and I just ran out of grip. At least I can still win the Shootout!"
The final race of the Formula Palmer Audi Autumn Trophy, incorporating the FPA Shootout, will take place 14:35 this afternoon (Sunday).

Irish driver wins action packed FPA race

Niall Quinn took a stunning win in the opening race of today's three Formula Palmer Audi Autumn Trophy races, incorporating the FPA Shootout, at Snetterton.
Quinn got the jump on pole-sitter Matt Hamilton as the field approached Riches for the first time and the Irish driver went on the take a commanding victory. Hamilton finished second ahead of a hard charging Aaron Steele but there was drama behind in what was one of the most chaotic FPA races of the season.

The chaos began as soon as the lights went out when Jack Clarke bumped into Adam Foster off the line. Foster retired in the pits whilst Clarke continued with a damaged front wing - finishing in fifth at the chequered flag.
There were further incidents on the opening lap as the drivers struggled to deal with the damp conditions - Tom Bradshaw squeezed Jolyon Palmer on to the grass along Revett Straight and Palmer spun, dropping to 16th in the process. Palmer made a fantastic recovery drive to finish fourth at the finish but there was disappointment for Bradshaw who crashed heavily at the Bomb Hole on lap eight. Bradshaw had returned to the circuit after a trip across the grass at the Esses but as he tried to challenge Matt Hamilton on the outside, he ran out of grip and ended up in the barrier.

There were spins for several drivers at the Esses including Max Snegirev, Luca Orlandi and Callum Holland but there was worse to come on lap 14, when first Matt Bell went into the gravel at Riches whilst running in an impressive fourth place. On the same lap, Tobias Hegewald spun coming out of Riches and was collected by Dan Brown as the Momo-backed racer made his way towards Sear Corner. It was an unavoidable incident for Brown - the accident left both cars stricken on the circuit and the stewards were left with no option but to red flag the race.

The race was classified after 13 laps with Alex Waters, Kenny Andrews, Tom Ashton finishing in sixth, seventh and eighth respectively - having all kept out of trouble.
Niall Quinn stood proudly on the top step of the podium, having now taken the lead in the Autumn Trophy standings: "It was a crazy race," said Quinn. "This is great for the championship as it seems some of my rivals had a few problems."