Leinster Trophy Weekend - with Max Hart
It was great to finally be back at the home track! Testing on Friday went very well. I needed to try get as many laps in as possible and with every lap I happy to be improving speed and consistency. I was really looking forward to racing on Saturday with the BOSS Ireland class, which had some impressive machines on show. Qualifying went well on Saturday morning. I managed to get a P8 out of the 18 on the grid, I was happy with that considering the cars we were up against.... Race 1 on Saturday afternoon I was lined up and ready to go on the grid. When the lights went out I got a great start, however my engine gremlin came back to haunt me by moving and I was stuck in 1st gear. I pulled into the pits and Paul amazingly fixed it for me in a few minutes. Thankfully I got out for a few laps, to see if we had the pace to be ‘up there’, but unfortunately I didn’t get the race I wanted. On Sunday, the rain came, which in fairness was what I wanted, but I struggled a lot in qualifying and that landed me in P14 on the grid for the main Leinster Trophy race. I was so disappointed in my grid position. As the race was about to start, myself and Mark tossed for an alternative tyre type! I was hoping that the tactic would help with grip, but unfortunately it didn’t pan out that way as the rain intensified and I struggled at every corner. The race, though tough, was enjoyable, especially as it was my home track and I had never raced it this fast before.
Not the best weekend for wheel to wheel racing, but the car came back how it went out so that is always a good thing, it could have been a whole lot worse. I especially enjoyed racing alongside Mark, who has been by my side throughout the season in the UK giving me his valuable advice and in-depth knowledge of the tracks and the capabilities of the car. He also raced so well this weekend against the cream of the crop of Irish Racing cars. I now look forward to Pembrey, in Wales on October 5th, where we are back racing with the Monoposto Racing Club. Thanks, as ever, to Paul and all at Team Leastone, to my sponsors Selco Hygiene Supplies, Little Dragon Supplements, to Adapt Paper Products and Finol Oils. A massive thanks to everyone who came over to Mondello Park to make the weekend so great. It was great to have support on home ground.
