The Bill Richards Racing team headed to Lydden Hill for the latest round of the Dunlop Motorsport News Saloon Car Championship. This meeting marked the teams return to the championship having missed the previous rounds following the accident at Brands Hatch in April. Thanks to the generosity of the teams Sponsors and assistance from various friends of the team the new Clubman had been completed in short order and was ready for action.

Final fettling of the car took place at the circuit and the untried car went through the scrutineering process with no problems. After undergoing a final checkover the team was satisfied that the new Clubman was ready for action although given that the car had yet to turn a wheel expectations were naturally kept in check.

Qualifying

The sight of the Clubman heading out onto the sun bathed circuit for qualifying was a satisfying sight for the team and marked a welcome return to action. As the Clubman had not been tested prior to qualifying the early laps of the session were used for basic checks and to give the car a brief shakedown to ensure everything was working as expected. As the session progressed the Clubman picked up the pace and began to post some representative lap times. Finding clear air on the circuit the times were fast and consistent with the new car performing well. The Clubman ended the session 5th overall on the grid only 5 thousandths of a second behind the car ahead (in fact a group of 4 cars including the Clubman was covered by less than 2 tenths of a second). The team was ecstatic with the performance of the Clubman – the untested car had turned in a superb performance and set about making some minor set up changes ahead of the first race.

Race 1

A non-starting car promoted the Clubman to 4th position before the first race got underway but from the rolling start the Clubman was beaten into the first corner by a fast starting Renault Megane. Slotting in behind the French machine the Clubman sought to regain the lost position and immediately set about trying to pass. For a number of laps the Clubman harried the Megane and several times drew alongside but the Megane was well positioned on the circuit and resisted the Clubmans attacks. Finally the Clubman was able to make a move on the Megane going into Chessons and once ahead pulled away from the now ailing Megane.

Having dispensed with the Renault the Clubman quickly closed the gap to its familiar adversary in the shape of a Peugeot 205. The two cars circulated nose to tail with the Clubman applying unrelenting pressure to the 205 as the duelling pair spurred each other on and closed the gap to the leaders. Getting a good exit from the Devils Elbow the Clubman was able to make a successful pass and snatch 3rd place away from the Peugeot. Initially the Peugeot fought back and attempted to regain the lost position but as the race continued both the 205 and Clubman eased off to save the cars for the second race – the hot ambient temperatures had already taken their toll on other competitors. At the chequered flag the Clubman was 3rd on the road and 1st in class – a superb result for its first race outing.

Race 2

Starting from 3rd on the grid for the second race the Clubman was setting its sights firmly on taking 2nd position from the Subaru Impreza ahead. A good start saw the Clubman immediately on the offensive and latching onto the bootlid of the Impreza. The turbo charged machine held the initial advantage but soon had its mirrors full of Clubman as the smaller machine snapped away at its heels.

Each car sought to play to their strengths and time and again the Clubman was able to get alongside the Impreza but couldn’t make the move stick. As the race wore on the battle continued unabated, the Clubman allowing the Impreza no respite with the cars separated by inches. Finally the Clubmans persistence paid off as it got a better exit from Paddock and passed the Impreza as the cars ran down towards Chessons. Once ahead the Clubman sought to fend off the Impreza as the roles were reversed for the final part of the race. The Clubman stayed ahead of the Impreza to take the chequered flag 2nd overall and 1st in class after another superb race performance.

The team can be rightly proud of their days work, the new car ran faultlessly throughout the day in demanding conditions – a testimony to the teams workmanship and build quality of the new machine. To qualify first in class, take two class wins, two fastest laps and a second and third place overall is a superb result and a deserved reward for the effort that has gone into getting the new car onto the circuit for this meeting. Both races also showed once again that the Clubman can compete with more powerful cars and that races involving the Clubman are never dull with clean hard fought action throughout.

The team would once again like thank all their sponsors and supporters for all their help in getting the new car on track so soon after the accident at Brands Hatch. Without their generous support this result would not have been possible. A big thank you must also go to everyone that came over to see the team in the paddock – it’s good to be back!