IMSMracing

                                  

 

 

Round 4 Brands Hatch: Qualified 5th Finished 1st

 

I got a good start from 5th on the grid but still did not manage to hold off a fast starting Dave Black from 8th. I was in 5th by the end of the first lap getting up to 4th with a move past Martin Gambling out of Graham Hill bend. Jon Laceley pulled out with problems promoting me up to 3rd place. I then sat for the next 5 or 6 laps while Tom and Dave battled for the lead. With about 4 laps to go I made my move past Tom and up to second on the way up to Druids. 1 lap latter I took the lead from David round the outside into Paddock Hill. This left me in the lead with around 3 laps to go, I had to defend heavily on the last lap with David trying to go round the outside into Paddock. He then tried to get a run out of the last corner and slipstream me to the line. I managed to hold him off but only by a very small 0.01. Thanks again to a really fun clean race with David and Tom.

 

 

Round 3 Brands Hatch: Qualified 3rd Finished 3rd

 

The race began well as I slotted into 3rd place behind pole sitter Tom Coller and Martin Gambling. Tom and Matin were having a tough battle for the lead while I sat in third. Martin tried to go round the outside of Tom at Druids but ended up running wide onto the grass. I was unable to get past at this point which left Tom with about a 1 second lead. He put in some really good laps while me Martin, David Black and Jon Lanceley were battling. This let Tom get a comfortable lead which would he would not loose. Jon managed to get by us all and get a gap in the back markers. This left me David and Martin to battle for third, I managed to get past both of them with about 2 laps to go. I managed to hold this to the end to take the last podium slot. Well done to Tom for his first locost win with an excellent drive.

 

 

Round 2 Castle Combe: Qualified 4th Finished 1st

 

The second race of the day started in a very similar way to the first but with more people into the mix to make it a bit more frantic. The top 6 were changing positions for the first 3 or 4 laps with myself and the following drivers all taking the lead at some; Lee Bankhurst, Matt Cherrington, David Black and Martin Gambling. Unfortunately Lee clipped the back of Martin Gambling when trying to find a way round which send him off track and into the armco barrier. This brought out a safety car for a lap while the marshals moved the car away from the edge of the track. This left Gambling leading, Black second, Cherrington third and me in fourth. Gambling got an excellent run after the pace car spreading the front 5 out a little but this did not last for long as with 4 laps to go we all closed up down the main straight allowing me to slipstream past Cherrington and get alongside Black and Gambling when going over Avon Rise to Quarry. I managed to get into the lead on the brakes into Quarry defending down into the first chicane. Cherrington had a spin in this chicane after contact with another car giving me about a second gap in the lead. I put my head down and tried to pull a gap at the front. I managed to stretch the front of the field out with only Black coming with me. He caught me up just in time to get the slipstream down the main straight on the last lap taking the lead on the way into Quarry. I knew that there was one good overtaking place left which was a 90 degree right hander after the first chicane. I got a good run on Black through the chicane and got down the inside of him. This just left me two more corners to navigate cleanly to take the win.

 

 

Round 1 Castle Combe: Qualified 6th Finished 4th

 

I got a good start and run up to Quarry on lap one slotting into 4th place. Everyone took the first couple of laps fairly easily settling into the new season. I then began to make a move to the front getting down in the inside of Tom Coller into the first chicane. I then slipstreamed David Black down the start finish straight to get up into second position. A lap later I managed to do the same to Locost rookie and ex Fun Cup racer Lee Bankhurst to get myself into the lead. With about 4 laps to go Lee got back past me on the run up to Quarry putting me back to second. I then started to notice a loss in power and was unable to overtake as when pulling out of the slipstream I  could not make any progress. I was then overtaken by David Black and a hard charging Alex Von Ehrheim who set a new lap record in the process. Congratulations to Lee Bankhurst who kept the lead to take victory in the first round.

IMSM racing : Locost racing team