So this is it – it all comes down to the final two rounds. An MG Trophy championship challenge that started so strongly at Brands Hatch is now reaching its conclusion at one of my favourite UK tracks - Snetterton 300. What it lacks in elevation, it makes up for in the sheer variety of corners, from the fast 4th gear Riches to the hairpins of Wilson and Agostini, and – my absolute favourite – the seemingly never-ending Coram. What a place.
Coming into the weekend I’m just 2 points off 1st place in the championship and with my engine repaired from Donington (broken fuel pump & loss of compression) I’m confident of getting the results needed for a class B championship win.
Qualifying a sign of things to come
Although posting competitive times Friday testing, I was hoping for a big leap in performance from the fresher tyres we had for qualifying. My pace wasn’t as strong as the previous year (despite the car being improved from 2020) and the balance was miles off the sweet-spot we had for Brands Hatch and Silverstone.
However, after the first few laps of quali, it was clear that something was not right. Very little rotation on the way into the corner caused issues on exit, while the usually sound brake bias settings that had worked all year were suddenly throwing up issues. Mid-corner ‘hopping’ from the rear of the car was also apparent and costing time. As a result, I qualified P3 in class for both races, narrowly missing out on P2 but miles off the superb laps set by Tylor Ballard in P1.
Race 1 sees a first lap red flag
With the dampers maxed out on stiffness at both ends, there was little that could be done to improve the handling of the ZR as I headed into race 1. Still, it’s a different story when up against other cars and it was all to play for. Off the line I managed to make a good getaway and both myself and Fergus Campbell (starting P2) leapfrogged Tylor Ballard.
It looked set to be an exciting race, but no sooner had we made it to the mid-point of the first lap, disaster struck for class B runner Joe Dalgarno. An A-class car had made an off-track excursion and, as he rejoined, smashed straight into the side of the number 93 car.
Seeing the carnage unfold in my mirrors, Joe’s car was on its roof down the Bentley Straight and the session was instantly red-flagged. After a tense drive back to the start line, we heard that Joe (and the other competitor involved) were both out of their cars and unscathed – a testament to the strength of our ZR racers.
We took the restart an hour later, and it was another good launch off the line. This time I managed to slide past Campbell as Ballard maintained his 1st place position. The goal was to stay with Tylor and shake Fergus, yet sadly it didn’t work out like that. Despite the lap times from the former being nowhere near as quick as his flyers in quail, I couldn’t stay with him and defend from a determined Fergus, so as the number 80 car extended the gap I was left battling to hold position.
Frustratingly, the handling issues from qualifying had gotten worse with the rear of the car feeling far too soft (confirmed by the hopping through fast and slow corners) and allowing my rival to take far better exits from every corner. Eventually, he made his move down into Oggies and – once released – went on to set the fastest lap of the race as I came home 3rd.
Race 2 – more drama at the start
Subsequent checks back at the garage revealed the rear dampers were indeed not performing as intended. However, with no spares it was a case of making do in race 2 and trying to get the best result possible for the championship position. Going into the final race I was feeling more relaxed than usual – downbeat that my championship challenge was effectively over but hoping to make the best out of our last drive of the year. My teammate and good friend Tylor Ballard still had an excellent chance of winning, too, so any duels I could engage in with Fergus would only help his cause.
Once again, I got an impressive start and made huge ground on Tylor off the line, but then disaster struck… The car on my left started to come across in an ambitious attempt to make it four abreast and – inevitably – contact was made. This pushed me into Tylor (who by now I was alongside) and sent him around the front of my car and into Mike Harris (who had the exact same thing happen to him after being hit by the car on my left). Seeing the crash in front of me I kept my foot on the accelerator to push Tylor around, but it was clear the damage to his car was severe.
A brief safety car period allowed me to readjust my one remaining mirror and asses the damage. Clearly, something had been broken, but it was drivable and I was determined to continue and not see a third DNF/DNS in my final race. Pressuring (a clearly nervous) Fergus for 3 laps, I knew that if I got through my teammate would win the championship.
Yet it was too tall an order. Straight-line speed was down (the tracking was badly impacted in the crash) and with Jack Chapman hassling me from behind I chose not to fight his overtake attempt into Brundle. Hopefully he could take a lunge at Fergus and I could pick up the pieces – not how I like to race but needs must!
With Jack through, I could see he was all over Fergus’ rear bumper. And yet with a few laps to go, the latter driver’s experience was paying off. In the end, we crossed the line in the order of Campbell, Chapman and myself just a couple of seconds back. Another podium finish (my 6th of the year) but not enough for the championship class win.
Final thoughts
Although not the result I was hoping for, a 3rd place finish in my first championship season represents a successful campaign – especially given the rotten luck we’ve had with component failures impacting 6 of the 10 rounds. Fergus and Tylor provided some fantastic competition throughout the year, with the latter looking good for the championship before the start line incident in race 2.
I’d like to give a huge thank you to everyone that made this season possible, including those at the MGCC, all the marshals and staff at the circuits we visited, my sponsors Motion Reality and Powerflex, all the competitors I raced against, as well as everyone that cheered me on from home and on the track. Special thanks also to Pete Smith for his support and the creation of his baffling points table for the final round – I’m just sorry I couldn’t make it work harder!
Also, a big thanks to Paul Streather Motorsport for his superb spannering, car prep/transportation, coaching and obsessive polishing. Last but certainly not least, thank you to mum, dad and Emma for their unwavering support and patience throughout the season (and life in general!). I could not do it without you.❤️
We’ve got some big plans underway for 2022 – watch this space… And, if you’d like to come along for the ride and join James Dennison Racing as an official partner, then please email or get in touch on social media.
Pics by Dickon Siddall
