Team Rebbieha win round two!

Brands Hatch hosted the second round of the 2024 Trackday Championship season on May 18, with a large grid of competitors ready to take on the sought-after Grand Prix circuit configuration.

Swaffer Racing’s Matt Swaffer laid down the opening benchmark in qualifying, after the first representative laps had been set. Tylah Motorsport’s John Lyne tasted victory at the season opener and was clearly looking to continue in the same form in Kent, by setting consecutive personal best laps to steer provisional pole the way of his BMW E36. However, just minutes later, an exceptional lap from Motion Motorsport’s Nicole Drought secured the front of the grid and Class B pole position for the #70 Honda Civic. It was a tremendous lap from Drought, 0.335secs quicker than Team Rebbieha’s Mchugh/Heslop in second. John LaMaster and John Lyne formed the Class B second row, while reigning Champion Stewart Donovan (Donovan Racing) earned Class C pole with a magnificent lap of his own. Abbitt Motorsport’s Ben Abbitt would qualify second in Class C, with PRO-AM Racing’s Thompson/Dunster duo third. Stephen Docker looked highly impressive in Class D, qualifying at the head of the class. Alister Esam and Wright/Glover (Fiesta Clubracer) rounded out the Class D top three in qualifying.

A bright and dry afternoon race awaited.

A strong start from Motion Motorsport’s Nicole Drought ensured she continued to lead the field through the opening few laps, while Stewart Donovan and Stephen Docker both sought to fend off challenges from rivals to continue leading their respective classes. A storming charge through the field from Supatune Motorsport’s Tester/Quinn saw the #91 Porsche Boxster S clinch an overtake on Drought for the lead of the race on lap five – having qualified in tenth! Supatune Motorsport weren’t the only ones enjoying a profitable opening stint either, with both Al Bull (TSC Racing) and Nathan Mcphail (MCS Racing) amongst those making gains on their starting positions. A Safety Car period coincided with the opening of the pit window, sparking a large number of cars to box and shuffling the order as a result.

Then, at the front, an epic five car battle took place on the restart between: Drought, Wright/Wright (Team Air Supply), Mchugh/Heslop, Bull and LaMaster. The Civic of Mchugh/Heslop and the VW Golf of Wright/Wright were the two to make their way to the front of the jostling leading pack, with Motion Motorsport’s Nicole Drought slipping behind Al Bull for fourth. There was overtaking aplenty in both Class C and D too, as competitors looked to maximise their points haul for the weekend in the final stages. Out in front of Class B, Team Rebbieha had seized the initiative and started to bridge a gap to the chasing competitors, when a red flag brought proceedings to close - securing the first victory of the season for drivers Paul Mchugh and Will Heslop. A huge congratulations to both, as well as the wider Team Rebbieha team. Father and son Team Air Supply duo George and Jack Wright would ultimately end up finishing second, managing to keep Motion Motorsport’s Nicole Drought behind in third. Both teams had shown their pace throughout the meeting to earn their trophies. Tester/Quinn (Supatune Motorsport) and Charlie Palk (Unique Racing) completed the Class B top five.

LDR Performance Tuning’s Ben Jenkins had enjoyed a strong and consistent race in Class C, picking his way through the field at a solid rate. As a result, the #99 driver was rewarded with his first-ever Trackday Championship class victory! Aindale Racing’s Wayne Cockerill would narrowly miss out in second, by just 0.111secs. Impressively, Tylah Motorsport’s Dean Hyde picked up a class podium on his first Trackday Championship race of 2024, finishing third. In Class D, a sensational performance by Stephen Docker (Independent) was completed with the top step of the class podium – finishing sixth overall! Fiesta Clubracer followed a strong season opener with another class podium by claiming the second step of the D podium, ahead of BC Cars Motorsport’s Alister Esam in third.

Congratulations to all!