BRANDS HATCH - 17/18th October 2009 - Rounds 13 & 14

BRANDS HATCH - SEASON FINALE

    The final two races of the 2009 season were held at Brands Hatch circuit. It was an eagerly awaited weekend for Mark, not because he was keen to finish the season - far from it - but because Brands is his home circuit. Mark was looking forward to racing in front of his home crowd and having the support of family, friends and sponsors. This race weekend was going to provide the opportunity for offering his sponsors the “hands on” experience of motor racing missing for them in the rest of the season. As local companies they were unable to attend the other race circuits during the year.

Mark was also anticipating with enthusiasm the performance of his car as in between Anglesey and Brands the engine had been rebuilt and was expected to provide greater power. The decision to rebuild had been delayed until this point in the season in order to give the timescale needed for the work to be undertaken. Mark also knew that if he was to get the best out of the rebuild it would be racing at Brands. He knows the circuit so well and would be able to maximise the potential of the improved performance.

A full days testing on the Friday preceded the race days of Saturday and Sunday. It was dry but windy day so slick tyres were the order of the day. The day was to provide Mark with the first taste of the engine and it did not disappoint him. Each session saw his lap times getting quicker as he adjusted to the new performance levels. He finished the day with lap times comparable to the previous years qualifying times in the low 46 seconds and was feeling confident for the weekend. Mark also had a taste of how the weekend was to develop supporter wise, when he was not out on the circuit he was busy talking to the friends who turned up throughout the day.

The weather continued to be dry but windy for the two race days. This made a big difference to Mark but not to his sponsors as they were packed into his hospitality suite on both days and were guaranteed a comfortable viewing position regardless of the weather!

Qualifying

    Qualifying was on Saturday morning. Mark went out on new tyres and after the first ten minutes was logging the fastest lap time which at that time would have placed him on pole. While in the pits for some changes to be made and to reset the tyre pressures this position dropped to sixth as his rivals raised their game. Back out on the circuit Mark moved back into second fastest, finally qualifying for the first race in fourth at the end of the 25 minute session. The top five cars were separated by only 0.4 of a second. Having put in the second fastest time of the qualifying session Mark would be placed third on the grid for the second race. He felt quite pleased with these grid positions confident that the performance of the car would place him in a strong position to challenge those in front of him. No doubt however Mark would only have been completely satisfied if he had achieved P1!

Race 1

    Race 1 saw Mark making a very good start and before reaching Paddock Bend he had gained 2 places having overtaken first Mark Harrison and then squeezing past John Gray going into Paddock Bend. From second position he then set about catching Chris Needham who had taken the lead. Over the next few laps Mark reduced the gap until he had caught up to Needham only to have the gap widened due to back markers blocking his way through. Undeterred he battled through to lap the unyielding drivers and with 2 laps to go was in position to have planned a move to pass him on the next lap. However unbeknown to Mark race control had decided to bring out the chequered flag one lap early and Mark therefore finished the race in second position. There was 0.2 of a second between Mark and Needham and there was no doubt that had the race run the full distance the final lap would have been exhilarating for Mark and nail biting for his supporters!

Mark went into Race 2 on the Sunday determined to push himself and the car as hard as possible in the knowledge that this was his last chance to improve his overall standing in the Championship. A good result could move him up from his then position of 3rd.
The Hospitality Suite was once again full of Sponsors and even more friends and family were there to support him at key points of the circuit.

Race 2

    From third on the grid Mark did not have the start he was hoping for as excessive wheel spin resulted in him slipping back to fourth. However with just a few laps completed he had a good run up to Druids and had the speed and skill to make a move on Mark Harrison and passed him. He then set about getting past John Gray at Druids

The fight between Mark, Harrison and Gray played into Chris Needham’s hands and he had opened up quite a gap leading the race. Mark spent the remaining laps getting back up to him and was to succeed on the last lap. Meanwhile however he could not afford to be complacent about this position. Whilst he was closing the gap on Needham Gray had passed Harrison and was closing the gap on Mark. Gray was getting closer to challenging Mark for the second place in the Championship. Whilst closing up on Mark John Gray set the fastest lap of the race but with three laps to go spun coming out of Clearways allowing Harrison to pass him. To his supporters this appeared to be a great advantage to Mark but while relieved to have the pressure lifted he was disappointed as he knew that the change of position had moved him from second to third in the Championship, giving Harrison the second place. Having fought to secure his second place in the race there was absolutely nothing Mark could have done to influence what was happening behind him and the final standings in the Championship. That was very frustrating for him but on balance he had achieved two second places in the races and a third place in the Championship having lost the second place by just 1 point. He was however very pleased to have provided his supporters with such exciting races and to have coped so well with the pressure that comes from racing on your home circuit.

As a driver Mark is very modest about his achievements and the great thing about this final weekend is that the praise and genuine pleasure his success brought his supporters should have left him with no doubt that he is a very skilled driver.