The team returned to Lydden Hill for the penultimate round of the BARC DMN Saloon Car Championship. Although the day dawned clear and bright the weather forecast for the afternoon was mixed with a very real threat of showers.

Qualifying

The Clubman headed out into the qualifying session on a dry circuit although grey clouds loomed large overhead. The early part of the session was spent bringing the tyres up to temperature and trying to fin a gap in the traffic on a busy circuit. Finding some clear air the Clubman set about putting in some quick laps and reeled off a succession of quick times. As the session passed its halfway point rain began to fall and the lap times began to increase accordingly as the grip levels decreased. The Clubman returned to the paddock having set the fastest lap of the session to take a sensational pole position.

Race 1

The DMN races would utilise standing starts for this meeting and the Clubman lined up on pole position with its familiar sparring partner the red Peugeot 205 alongside. As the lights went out the two cars shot off the line and went into the first corner side by side, they were still running door handle to door handle as they came out of the corner and headed down the Dover Slope. Red flags quickly brought a halt to proceedings as a car had gone off at the first corner and needed to be recovered. The cars took up their original grid positions for the restart, rain had once again begun to fall and would add an extra element to the restart.

As the lights went out for the second time the Clubman once again got a terrific start and this time got into the first corner ahead of the 205. Holding the lead the Clubman edged out a small gap to the 205 behind as the field struggled for grip on the increasingly slippery circuit. The rain soon eased and the pace increased as grip levels improved, the Clubman still holding an advantage over the 205 behind. With the championship in its closing stages the 205 elected not to take any risks and attack the Clubman, the two cars holding station at the front of the field without pushing too hard. The Clubman took the chequered flag ahead of the 205 to take the outright victory

Race 2

With the weather situation remaining changeable tyre choice was always going to be a gamble, the Clubman headed out for the second race of the day on a split setup with slick tyres on the front and wets on the rear – this would give the widest window of operation for the car.

Starting from pole once more the Clubman was passed by the 205 on the run to the first corner, the red machine edging ahead with the Clubman slotting in behind. The two cars began to edge away from the following pack once more as the sky darkened above them. Rain began to fall once more and the Clubman began to drop back from the 205 as the circuit became wetter the slick tyres on the Clubman were struggling to provide grip.

Conditions did not improve throughout the rest of the race and the Clubman suffered increasingly with understeer, the effect of tyre choice was becoming obvious throughout the field – those on wets were now gaining places whilst those with dry biased setups fell back. As the race entered its closing stages the Clubman was caught and passed by a Mini but successfully held off the attentions of a Mk2 Escort that had also closed in. As the chequered flag fell the Clubman held 3rd place overall and took 2nd in class.

Despite the unpredictable weather the Clubman had a superb weekend taking Pole Position, winning a race outright and picking a class win and a 2nd in class. The result leaves the Clubman in a strong championship position going into the final round at the Brands Hatch Truck Grand Prix on the 1st and 2nd of November.