Byrne Makes It 6 From 6 In Thruxton Thriller

Last weekend I made my way to Thruxton for rounds 4,5 and 6 of Mini Challenge UK. After a brilliant start to the championship in Pembrey only a few weeks prior I was heading into Thruxton hungry to continue this form and climb further up the overall standings. Thruxton demands a very different racing style than what I’m used to due to the high speed characteristic of the circuit and the massive slipstream. The weekend ran as part of the BTCC package which brought a massive crowd of spectators trackside as well as being broadcast on ITV4, so the paddock was filled with a lively atmosphere all weekend.

There was no testing on the day before the event which meant I had to hit the ground running in qualifying on Saturday morning. The conditions were good and I pushed the car to the limit but I didn’t manage to get a sufficient slipstream and ended the session in P11. I knew this was a position I could work up the grid from as long as I kept with the front pack off the line given the massive slipstream.

The lights went out and race one was underway. I made a clean start and put my head down but the safety car came out after just 2 laps and we only returned to racing for two laps which hindered any progress through the grid. It was a shame the race was short as I knew we had to pace to climb the standings. I came across the line in P14 overall and Rookie winner.

I started race two from P14 but a mistake on the start saw me drop all the way back to P30 before the end of the first lap. I needed to push the car to the limit to try regain some of the lost positions and after an incredible recovery drive I finished race 2 in P9 overall and Rookie winner. Its not the way I anticipated the race going but it’s not too often you overtake 21 cars in a 20 minute race.

Race 3 kicked off on Sunday afternoon and in just 2 laps I had worked my way from P9 up to P5 but a lap 2 red flag meant the race would restart and I would be lining up in P7. As the lights went out I made a mega start and had made my way to P4 by the end of the first lap. I was right on the back of the leaders and a podium finish was looking promising, but another red flag just one lap later meant the race would be called and I finished P4 overall and Rookie winner.

I think race 3 showed how strong my pace is and every weekend we are getting closer to challenging for overall wins. I leave Thruxton 10th in the overall championship and lead the Rookie championship after winning 6 from 6 races. The championship goes to Croft in 4 weeks’ time and I will be aiming to enter Croft as we left Thruxton.

Once again I want to say a massive thank you to my amazing partners and the team around me. I am delighted to be able to deliver results for them. I also want to say thanks to anyone who tuned in to watch race 3 live from home, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

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"Taithí a dhéanann máistreacht"

"Practice makes perfect"