Barnes resists intense pressure for Race 2 win at Hampton Downs

Cooper Barnes became the fourth driver in five races so far in this season’s Bridgestone GR86 Championship after surviving a spirited attack from the championship’s youngest driver to take the chequered flag.

With the grid a reverse of the top eight from Saturday’s race, it was Cooper Barnes and Ajay Giddy – now experienced but still just 14 – on the front row. As the lights went out, Cooper made an absolutely textbook start from pole position to have a few car lengths at the first corner.

Harry Townshend also made a great start to slot into third after turn one, but spun just one corner later after contact from Chris White. He would resume, though more or less at the back.

At the end of an intense first lap, it was Barnes, from Giddy, and then a huge battle between reigning champion Hugo Allan, White, series leader Zach Blincoe, Simon Hunter, Mac Templeton, Lee Zeltwanger, Justin Allen, Saturday winner Josh Bethune, and the rest.

Barnes, Giddy, and Allan were quickly into their stride, but there was bad news for Cameron Hill at the end of lap two when he had to pit for a tyre change after picking up a puncture in the tight midfield battle.

Behind the top three, White was hanging on in fourth despite having some frontal damage from his earlier contact with Townshend, but his mirrors would remain full of Blincoe, Hunter, and Templeton, who all looked to have an edge on the Neale Motorsport driver.

Further back, former series leader Arthur Broughan’s frustrating weekend continued, and he was another hampered by significant front bodywork damage sustained in the battle. At the halfway mark, he was down in 13th and had no response to the recovering Townshend.

In the main battle at the front, Hunter found a way by Templeton for sixth on lap five, and a flying Bethune was next on the Christchurch driver’s tail in the Right Karts By M2 Competition car.

His teammate and race leader Barnes had not managed to break away from Giddy, who, with four laps to go, was still within half a second of the leader. On lap seven, the youngster was even closer, looking down the inside of Barnes at turn two. Barnes seemed to be struggling a little for pace, and that allowed Allan to make it a three-way battle for the lead.

Giddy was forced to defend hard as the two went around the final corner on lap seven side-by-side and again into turn one at the start of lap eight. It was the best news Barnes could have hoped for as he edged back out to a lead of over a second as the two behind slugged it out. Lap eight was almost identical, and lap nine was even better as Giddy came under immense pressure from the reigning champion.

Barnes was able to breathe a sigh of relief as the cars entered the last lap – he had enough of a lead over the two squabbling behind and cruised home to his first win of the season and the second of the weekend for his team.

Giddy hung on to take a superb second while Allan brought his Mad Butcher car home in third for the final step on the podium. Then it was White and Blincoe in quick succession in fourth and fifth.

Hunter managed to gap the battle behind him to take sixth, ahead of Templeton, Bethune, Zeltwanger, and Justin Allen, who rounded out the top ten after another closely fought Bridgestone GR86 race. A great recovery by Townshend saw him climb to eleventh by the flag.

2025-2026 Bridgestone GR86 Championship – Round 2 Hampton Downs Race 2

Header Image: Joel Hanks