On the 22nd of May, the C1 was taken out to its (and my) first ever race weekend at Snetterton circuit. It was a major relief just getting the car to the track after all of the issues and stress in the last couple of months, whether that be transportation problems, university and countless other problems.
The main aim of the day was simply being able to put the car back on the trailer in the same state that it came off in, which was potentially easier said than done (hearing a couple of guys write off their cars after the Friday practice session, that I didn't attend, did not fill me with confidence).
It was always hard to know exactly what to expect in terms of pace throughout the day, with limited running in the car prior to the event. I was hoping to be somewhere in the middle of the full pack of 32 cars, giving me somewhere to build from for the remainder of the season, but nothing was certain.
Qualifying was not ideal - a short session only allows a few laps, and after trying to find space, letting other cars go by and being blocked, I ended qualifying with having completed only one qualifying time, my first lap of the day. This was good enough for 18th, almost exactly in the middle of the field. Whilst being frustrated, that was also a good sign that my pace was comfortably in the mid-pack, with genuine opportunities to move forward.
A horrendous start from 18th on the grid put me back into 23rd place come the first corner. Once again, not ideal. However, my confidence in the car was building, and lap after lap saw me climbing up the field for the full 20 minute session. I found the best overtaking opportunities normally occurred at Agostini hairpin, where some brave, late braking was rewarded with multiple passes. I finished the race in 15th position, and while the overall result could have been a little better, having gained net three positions after passing eight cars throughout the race was a solid result and great introduction to the series.
I started race two in the same position I finished race one. Only losing one position off the start line was was a much needed improvement from the previous race, swiftly regaining the place down the long Bentley Straight. Similarly to race one, I was quickly on the pace, and had passed 5 additional cars before the 10-minute mark. One highlight was overtaking three cars in one corner, after a 'slightly misjudged' maneuver from a competitor gave me the space to slip up the inside of a small gaggle of Citroëns.
The race did not last much longer, after a collision with a barrier from another car and a breakdown on circuit had caused a red flag to be thrown. It was decided the race would not continue due to time constraints. A top ten finish was a great way to end the day, however I also left the circuit feeling as though a little more could have been achieved. Had I managed a cleaner lap in qualifying, or not suffered such a poor start in race one, then the pace was there to fight in the top ten throughout the day.
Having said this, after having no idea what my pace would be like compared to the others come race day, I'm in a great position to progress through the grid as the season develops, with evidence to show that the potential is there. Above all else, the car finished the day in one piece, so I'm extremely pleased with the day’s running.
A massive thanks to Andy and his crew at RTW Motorsport for running the car all day, and my friends and family who came to support me! The next round of the championship is Anglesey Circuit in North Wales, for a triple header of races over the weekend of June 18th. Whilst very unfamiliar with the track, I'm hoping to build on the potential shown, gain more confidence in the car and push on further up the grid.
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