2024 MSV Miata Trophy
Rounds 5 & 6 – Donington Park National
We had a long wait of nearly 2 months from the Brands Hatch meeting in early May, but that was handy for us as we had plenty of work to get done before heading to Donington. The fabulous National circuit is great to drive and always provides close action. With the weather set to be fine, I knew the times would be close. This weekend we also had a guest driver in the team, BTCC race winner and ITV commentator Paul O’Neill.
Qualifying was super close, as expected. I didn’t really get much of a tow when the tyres were at their best, but I felt I drove a couple of good laps near the end. The lack of tow ultimately cost me, finishing up eighth! 0.2 seconds covered second to ninth place, so maximising every little detail was critical. This was the first time I had failed to get through to SuperPole.
I was excited to get stuck in to the first race and after a good start I was up to fifth at Redgate, the first corner. On lap two I slipped into fourth and then sat there for most of the race; I didn’t have the pace of the leaders but was pulling away from those behind. With two laps to go, Morris in third went wide and into the gravel, heading onto the straight and I was able to nip through. I just hung on for a very satisfying podium.
The race meeting was suspended in the afternoon, due to an incident in the Caterham race. Thankfully, MSV did a great job and we did have a second (slightly shorter) race. I was a bit concerned after race one about my pace, so we made a change. I still wasn’t on the leaders pace, but it helped me stay near the sharp end and not drop down the order. I got off the line well and got up to second when another gravelly off happened in front early on. I was then poised to take the lead when Paul went off at the old hairpin, but the safety car boards were out for a separate incident, so I stayed second. At the reset I went at the right time, but had chosen the wrong gear so dropped back. It was still going well in second place, but the speed of Morris and Lee behind was too much in the end and I couldn’t hold onto a podium, finishing fourth.
A disappointing end to the day and we’ll be doing some head scratching before Anglesey in two weeks as we try and find some pace ahead of our trip to Wales.
Digital Programme
Results
| Position | Best Lap Time | |
|---|---|---|
| Qualifying | 8th | 1:22.872 |
| Race 1 | 3rd | 1:23.121 |
| Race 2 | 4th | 1:22.644 |
Full Results
Coverage
Race 1
Race 2
Gallery
Images: Gary Hawkins Photography
