The weekend started positively on a track where I had actually driven before in a Mk3 MX-5 BBR in the Mazda Spring Series in 2017.
With progress made in testing, I felt good and wanted to make amends for the disappointment of Silverstone. In my final testing session I managed to pip Ollie Allwood, the leading AB Motorsport driver! That was a first. The three cars ahead of me in the timings were all Porsches. They’re a bit quicker than an MX-5.
So, I went into qualifying, confident that I’d make it into the A race and progress further. My ambition for the weekend… compete in all three A races.
I qualified 10th, putting me 20th on the grid for the A race. I’d wanted to do better but the car didn’t perform the same as it had in testing.
Glorious sunshine…. for testing…. but the weather wasn’t looking great for the weekend. The AB Motorsport “Weather Man” (Mr Keith Pollard) wasn’t projecting many positive vibes as he checked his AccuWeather app.
Good progress in the A race and then…
During the race, I made ground, on a dry Anglesey Coastal Circuit I was really enjoying racing with the A group of cars. I made my way up to 17th, where I only needed to make one more position to stay in the A race, a feat I wanted to get done. Paul Tucker was in front, but was slow through the hairpin; I never was able to get into a position to commit to an overtake without taking a substantial risk.
Meanwhile Clive Powles had been catching up from the back of the grid after being hit early in the race. A few laps passed and he’d caught up to the back of me. Clive, is a regular A class driver, so this was always going to be the case. Heading into The Banking, he was moving to the inside to make a lunge. I closed the door and Clive locked up. Which resulted in…. a swift bump to my right rear quarter and I was spun around… positions lost again through no fault of my own.
I got on with the race having lost the positions I’d gained. With a finish in 21st, I would now start in the B race on the Sunday.
