BRANDS HATCH REPORT
Easter weekend marked the start of Rory’s maiden campaign in the hugely challenging Renault Clio Cup UK, with the Team Cooksport driver arriving at the 1.9km Brands Hatch circuit looking forward to tackling the Indy configuration against 13 competitors.
After some quick lap times in testing on Friday, Qualifying for the opening round of the championship went less well, as Rory lined up 17th alongside his returning team-mate, Paul Knapp, with a fastest lap time of 58.999 seconds. His second fastest lap time ensured that he would start the second race on Sunday afternoon from the slightly improved position of 16th, his lap time in this session standing at 59.270 seconds. Having set some fast lap times, Rory outbraked himself and a trip into the gravel trap ensured he would miss 30 minutes of the 40 minute session. The track conditions improved as the session went on and Rory was unfortunate to see his time fall down the order from 7th as his rivals took full advantage of the conditions.
Round One was nothing short of mayhem. The Newport racer was lucky to involve a multiple car pile-up that saw the opening round of the season postponed, as an accident at Graham Hill Bend between Thomas Grundy, Mark Howard and Dan Holland led to a lengthy delay whilst the medical staff extracted Grundy from his 1.6 litre Renault Clio. The race would later be re-arranged for the next meeting at Donington Park in a fortnights time.
In front of a capacity crowd on Sunday, Rory was able to demonstrate his true pace as he moved up from 14th, as a result of some cars being unable to take the start, and ended his first full-distance race in the notoriously competitive championship in a credible 9th position, placing him the 4th fastest rookie of the weekend. The race itself started brilliantly, with Rory claiming his first victim into the infamous Paddock Hill Bend at turn one. This was then followed up by a move on Rory Green at the same location on the third lap in which the two made contact, however Rory was able to take the inside line and complete the move on the run up to the hairpin at Druids. By half distance Rory had again moved up the field and sat in 11th place, with further action to come. A spin from Freddie Hunt, son of former F1 champion James, following contact at Druids elevated Rory even further up the order with ten laps remaining. The second half of the race passed by with few dramas for Rory as he held off a late charge from fellow Fiesta competitor George Jackson to take the checkered flag in 9th. Unfortunately a six second time penalty applied by the stewards after the race dropped Rory back to 11th, but nevertheless the race was one of consistent progression for the 17 year old.
Looking ahead to Donington Park, Collingbourne had plenty of positives to take from the opening weekend in Kent. Finishing ahead of established names such as Ben Seyfried and Freddie Hunt demonstrates that Rory has the pace to be in the mix with the best in the championship, and being placed as the 4th fastest rookie of the weekend is a good foundation to continue to build upon.
The next round at Donington Park takes place on the 18th-19th April, with three races scheduled owing to the cancellation at Brands Hatch on Saturday. Please come down if possible and show your support for Wales’ newest prospect in British motorsport.
