3, 2, 1 at Cadwell
2019 BRSCC Mazda MX-5 Championship.
Round 3, Cadwell Park.
Cadwell Park is a beautiful place to drive a car, but the circuit is quite tight for racing on. Therefore, qualifying is key to set yourself up for a good weekend. I was a little off the ultimate pace of the first qualifying group, but fastest enough to top the times in mine and secure an important front row start for race 1A.
After running in second place initially, Brian Trott came past after a couple of laps. I didn’t fight it at that time as I thought he would be able to attack the leader (Will Blackwell-Chambers) later in the race. The three of us pulled away and it was all starting to boil up nicely when another car dropped some coolant at the hairpin. I slid wide and lost some time, but further back a car hit the barrier. The safety car was called to allow marshals to repair it, but ultimately the race was stopped. I was classified 3rd – another podium and a good start to the weekend.
Race 2A ran the distance and was much more fun. The three top drivers from the first race pulled away again and we were fighting it out the entire way. Trott pulled a great move to take the lead but then missed a gear a lap later, letting Blackwell-Chambers and I nip past into 1st and 2nd. That was the order to the flag, but there were attacks and defensive moves all the way to the end.
I knew the best chance I had in the final race would be off the start. It worked out perfectly as I had a great getaway and managed to take the lead. A bit of carnage behind gave the top three a gap immediately. I was determined to stay in the lead and defended lap after lap, mindful that if Trott could get into second place, that would help my points score compared to Blackwell-Chambers. Eventually it happened and I could see another car catching up too, but he wasn’t able to quiet get into the mix. I was a happy camper by the time the flag fell, taking my third win of the season.
So we left Cadwell with three podium finishes. A big thumbs up must go to my team, Blink Motorsport, who made a small but crucial change for the final race. We are allowed to drop points from three races towards our season total and now they are being taken into account I am second in the table, on the same points as Blackwell-Chambers, but behind as I have less points to drop. There is still a long way to go, but it is a fantastic start.
Back to Wales next for the costal circuit at Anglesey. Time to dress for all weather!
Circuit photos: Dave Luck
