CSMCC Round 4 Race Report
Away round!
Was always looking forward to learning a new circuit and getting back out the in the AP Autocentre scholarship car and it helped and that the championship had never raced here making it a level playing field!
Practice on Friday went well with Minimax Motorsport providing a great setup allowing me run fast times throughout the day which gave us confidence going into qualifying!
Qualifying
As you can imagine, the weather was toasting! It was roasting inside the car meaning it was crucial to get a fast lap straight away before the tyres dropped off. Decided to go for a different tactic this round and get some clear air at the back of the pack allowing me to set the lap times needed. This seemed to work as my first flying put me on Pole!! I was the only the driver to set a sub 1:49 lap time. Delighted to get first pole position of my car racing career and by a nice margin too!
Race 1
It was always going to be crucial to get a good start off the line considering the long run to the first braking zone. Managed a good initial launch off the line however a slight mishap selecting third gear caused me to drop to 2nd. Spent the whole race hounding the car in front for the lead however after some questionable defending I dropped down to third after being forced onto the grass. Finished third and top novice! Two podiums on the trot and the fastest lap of the race! Can’t complain and that!
Race 2
Where it all went wrong. Starting P4 after the reverse grid sorted itself out and made a good start moving into what looked like P2 on the outside of the long first comer. However, half way round the fastest section of the track I was tagged from behind shooting me sideways across the track and in the process, I collected my teammate Hannah Chapman Racing. Thankfully Hannah and I are both okay but both cars weren’t able to finish the race due to the damage. Not the best way to end the weekend watching the race from the infield.
However, a massive well done to my teammate Taelor Shand Racing for getting a top 5 finish! Looked like a cracking race from the infield!
Overall, the weekend was full ups and downs! Pole, Fastest lap, only driver to set a sub 1:49 second lap, another podium and showed great pace throughout the weekend and made some ground on the championship so hopefully we can take this momentum onto the next round at Knockhill.
Minimax Motorsport pulled it out the bag this weekend with the setup on the car, it felt like it was on rails all the way till the end!
Again, a big thanks to Allan and Angela at AP Autocentre for giving me this opportunity, I can’t thank them enough, even with how the weekend ended up they’re still striving me forward! Onwards and Upwards!
Photos by Peter Butcher