Ellis and Clement consolidate second in Czech Republic
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Qualifying went well for the Anglo/French team and they secured pole position for the start of the two races, the first of which was the ten-lap Sprint race on Saturday.
As the lights went out it was the Birchall Brothers who got the hole shot into the first corner but by the half way stage of the lap Ellis and Clement had the lead.
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Hide AdBut the two outfits were joined by Paivarinta/De Haas on lap two who took the lead on lap three. This left Ellis and Clement in third place with the following outfits close behind.
By lap five Ellis was challenging Paivarinta for second place with the Birchall brothers in the lead. However, the Christie Brothers were also looking for a podium finish and they demoted Ellis and Clement to fourth place with two laps of the race remaining.
The action was close and the outfits in third to sixth place were nose to tail on the final lap. But Ellis held his line and took the chequered flag in fourth place to pick up 13 championship points.
Starting the feature race on Sunday over 17 laps Ellis and Clement once again set off from pole position and this time were leading into the first corner. But the Birchall Brothers were right behind them and as the race unfolded the pair pulled away from the pack, frequently exchanging the lead throughout the remaining laps.
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Hide AdAs they fought it out for the lead the rest of the field began to close them down and for a few laps the Christie brothers joined the fight. But both the Birchalls and Ellis/Clement were faster and shook off the Christie Brothers and continued their battle at the front through the final four laps with Ellis/Clement snatching the win by 0.2s from the Birchall Brothers.
The point accrued see Ellis/Clement retain their second place in the championship with 112 points just 28 points away from the Birchalls who lead on 140.
The next round is in Austria at the Red Bull Ring on August 4 but prior to that Ellis and Clement will be at Snetterton on July 7/9 for the third round of the British championship.