Monoposto - Donington Park National - August 29/30th
The Monoposto Championship's visit to Donington Park presented competitors with everything from standing water on Saturday to a drying circuit on Sunday, and throughout it all Morgan McCourt was at the sharp end, looking to continue his recent run of podiums in the M1000 class.
Race 1
Saturday's opening race was held in challenging wet conditions after a rain-soaked qualifying session. Morgan had qualified second in M1000, lining up 16th overall in his Selco Leastone 1000. He was the quickest M1000 runner through much of qualifying before a late improvement from reigning champion Matty Haughton narrowly denied him class pole.
When the race got underway, Morgan quickly settled into a rhythm, managing risk in the tricky conditions which brought the Safety Car into action. As others struggled in the conditions, the Cork based surgeon found himself firmly in control of the M1000 category. By lap 3 he had moved into the class lead and from there, he never really looked back. At the flag, he had built a nearly 8 second class lead. He added fastest lap, which completed a fairy tale first win for McCourt, who had been knocking on the door in the past but never quite manage to step onto the top spot.
Race 2
Sunday morning brought significantly improved conditions, with the circuit drying rapidly and lap times tumbling throughout the field. Starting fifth overall and first among the M1000 runners, Morgan had every chance of repeating his Saturday success but knew that drying conditions would make it that bit more difficult.
The Leastone machine headed the M1000’s for the first six laps and was consistently among the quickest runners in the group as the track evolved. However, as the race developed, Haughton's Jedi found another level of pace. The reigning champion took over the lead in the second half of the race, and Morgan continued to struggle with pace in the latter stages, eventually slipping to 3rd – but keeping his podium streak alive.
Race 3
The final race of the weekend offered another opportunity to challenge at the front of the M1000 field. Morgan lined up sixth on the grid, but Race 3 was to be short lived. His Leastone 1000 would swap ends under braking for the final corner and the subsequent trip across the kerbs caused front suspension damage and with the added disappointment of bringing Morgans 5 race podium run to an end.
Although the non-finish ended the weekend on a damp note, it did not detract from an otherwise memorable weekend for Morgan, highlighted by his long-awaited first win.
The team now look forward to the final rounds of the Monoposto championship, which will take place at the legendary Brands Hatch GP circuit on September 19/20th.
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