2010 British Grand Prix

Janne Tanskanen leads the field away at the start of the race.

The British Grand Prix is always a special occasion in the GPVWC. The many British and British-based drivers are keen to impress their home crowds and the historic track of Silverstone is a favourite for all teams, with the result of a great race in the history of the league. The 2010 Grand Prix proved one of the most exciting ever, with breath-taking maneuvers, great displays of skill and a nail-biter that took most of the last 20 laps.

Championship fighters Janne Tanskanen and Lee Morris occupied the first row once more, with reigning World Champion Joe Consiglio and Kieran Ryan behind them. Wayne Mullins made the grunt of his Draig Racing count as he lined up 6th on the grid, just a bit shy of Mark Wicks in 5th.

The start proved a chaotic affair: Red Archer's Leontin Nemet stepped on the kerb, slowing down the car and leaving Fernando Babij no space to avoid the crash. The stranded Greek car was then hit by Mullins, Mark Stanton, Sam Millar, Richard Bayes and Christoph Lichtenstein before ending up on the inside of turn 1. Miraculously, the Romanian driver emerged unscathed from this terrible crash, an incident which could have had much worse consequences for him.

Ahead, the first 5 cars remained in the same positions as in the grid, still very close and battling, trying to force their opponents into a mistake. The situation only got unstuck on lap 6, when a mistake by Lee Morris, visibly uncomfortable with his car, allowed Consiglio to gain P2 and Tanskanen to open up a comfortable lead. In the meanwhile, Turn 1 keep claiming victims as both William Ponissi and Jason Muscat overdid their exit and met the wall instead, meaning instant retirements for both drivers.

Joe Consiglio slips up the inside of Lee Morris.

A solid display by Kieran Ryan allowed the most successful Irish driver in the history of the GPVWC to enter a battle with Morris. Despite some too-close-for-comfort moments, the drivers avoided major damage until an apex misjudgment by Ryan resulted in collision - the only one to gain from it being Mark Wicks, who went third. Ryan finally got his way through on lap 17, only to collide with a spinning Adam Smith a few seconds later, collecting big damage in the process.

With Gavin Thomas and Sam Millar joining the list of retirees, the drivers hit the mid-race point in a battling mood. Nick Rowland, despite a poor start, overtook his teammate Morris when he spun, only to relinquish the position 5 laps after. The CSG Racing internal squabble worked well for Mark Stanton, who was able to close the gap to the black and green cars.

The last round of pit stops allowed the Constant Racing driver to leapfrog Rowland and enter a massive fight with Morris - a fight which was to last until the very last turn. With Nick Rowland also on Stanton's tail, Morris and his rival exchanged position several times. The CSG driver, which man suspected tried to slow down Stanton to allow Rowland through, nearly lost his position on several occasions, most notably on the last lap. However, a daring maneuver at the very last turn ensured he finished 5th, followed by Stanton and Rowland.

Up ahead, however, a smooth race allowed Janne Tanskanen to claim another important win to consolidate his lead in the Championship. Team mate Consiglio was 2nd, only seven seconds behind, and Mark Wicks completed the podium. Liam Hatchell finished a majestic race in 4th position, while the last points of the day went to Wayne Mullins, Fernando Babij and Christoph Licthenstein.

Preceded by: 2010 Monaco Grand Prix

2010 British Grand Prix 2010

Succeeded by: 2010 Portuguese Grand Prix