Round 4 - Event Report

Trackday Championship took on the picturesque Oulton Park International circuit on Saturday 9 August, for the fourth round of the 2025 season.

Swaffer Racing’s Matt Swaffer made the most of the trip to Cheshire, as the BMW 130i driver claimed his first victory of the year – both overall and in Class B. Elsewhere, it proved a fantastic weekend for both the current Class C and D championship leaders, as Dan Abbitt (Abbitt Motorsport) and Stephen Docker (Independent) secured victories in their respective classes.

Qualifying

The morning’s qualifying session belonged to the father and son duo of George and Jack Wright, as they lit up the timing sheet in their VW Golf. Having set the original benchmark for competitors to beat, the pair quickly bettered their time with a lap of 1m56.821s to secure the front of the grid for the afternoon’s race.

Swaffer joined Wright/Wright on the front row, having outqualified Donington Park winners Wright/Glover (Clubracer) by just 0.095s. Reigning Champion Nicole Drought would start in P4, ahead of Charlie Palk in fifth.

Abbitt, like Wright/Wright, was quick out of the blocks. The Honda Integra DC5 driver made a number of improvements as the session progressed to qualify fastest in Class C, just 0.156s faster than class rival Nathan Mcphail (MCS Racing). Docker continued his fine form in Class D by qualifying fastest, with Hornigold/Hornigold and James Howells rounding out the top three in class.

Race

Wright/Wright maintained their lead through the early stages of the race, but with Swaffer and Wright/Glover in hot pursuit. Mcphail had managed to get the jump on Abbitt to lead in Class C, while Docker remained in front of his Class D challengers.

Drought managed to get past Wright/Glover on the second lap and immediately set about making a move on Swaffer in front. Despite a period of sustained pressure from the 2024 TDC Champion, Swaffer maintained his position. While the two battled, Wright/Wright were able to start opening a small buffer to the chasing pack.

Mcphail was having to work hard to keep Abbitt behind, while Howells and Steven Orant had managed to pass the Hornigold pairing to stake their claims on the Class D podium places. Just before the pit window opened, Drought managed to make the move on Swaffer stick to take second.

By the time the pit window shut, and following a safety car period, the running order had seen a shake-up. Drought now led the way, with polesitters Wright/Wright looking to utilise their earlier pace to mount a challenge on the car in front. Swaffer was pushing hard to join in the fight, while Cockerill and Orant were now at the front of Class C and D respectively.

Swaffer had the bit between his teeth, rapidly closing down and passing Wright/Wright for second. Wright/Glover and Palk were now challenging Wright/Wright for the final spot on the Class B podium, while Abbitt and Docker were pushing hard to retake their class leads.

Mcphail remained in close proximity to Abbitt ahead, with both managing to pass Cockerill to sit first and second in Class C. The battle between the two drivers was incredibly close, putting on a great show for those in Cheshire and watching along on the live stream.

Out front, Drought was maintaining her lead on track. Swaffer wasn’t far behind, managing to maintain a small gap to Wright/Glover behind. However, after a pit-stop infringement by Drought resulted in a one-lap penalty, the pressure piled onto Swaffer to keep his net lead.

The #45 driver wouldn’t crack under the pressure though, taking the checkered flag first to secure his first TDC victory of the year! Congratulations to Matt Swaffer and the wider Swaffer Racing team!

Wright/Glover continued their fine point-scoring form to come home in second place, just 1.792s behind the winning BMW. Palk’s solid drive was rewarded with the final step of the Class B podium, with Wright/Wright narrowly missing out in fourth.

Abbitt expertly saw off the charge from Mcphail to claim the Class C winner’s trophy, finishing 2.872s ahead of the Honda Civic driver. Cockerill secured the final step of the class podium, despite battling mechanical issues throughout the race.

Docker’s excellent season continued in Class D, earning the top step of the podium after a stellar drive. Howells followed up his class victory at Donington Park with a hard-fought second-place finish, being joined on the podium by Mk4 Mazda MX-5 driver Orant in third.

Congratulations to all!

Trackday Championship returns on Saturday 6 September, as part of the Cult Classics event at Cadwell Park.

Entries for Round 5 can be made here.

Photo: Gary Hawkins