F1000 24/25 March Season Opener At Brands Hatch

The Speed Group F1000 2017 Champion Michael Watton stamped his authority on the 2018 season by taking a hatrick at the Season Opener at Brands Hatch on 24 & 25 March. It wasn’t a walkover though as he was given chase by the second placer in both the second and third race, Adam Walker who led for part of the final race. Walker, who has raced his Jedi Racing car for thirteen years took his first podium at Oulton Park in the final race of the 2017 season has found his finally found his form…

Dan Clowes finished all three races taking two thirds and a fourth with his reliability giving him third in the championship table behind Watton and Walker. Paul Butcher DNF’d in the final race leaving him with some catching up to do in the points although he picked up a 2^nd and 3^rd trophy.

The Brands Hatch meeting was the 51^st time that 76 year old Peter Lague turned up on a grid at the venue and he perfected three finishes, gradually improving his lap times to give him a standing of 5^th on the championship table – a great start to his season in one of club motorsport’s fastest championships. A true legend, proving there really is no limits to your dreams.

Mid field, the following runners each had a DNF which put them in 6^th, 7^th and 8^th overall respectively: Alok Iyengar spun, Elliott Mitchell experienced an electrical fault and Dax Ward an engine issue which necessitated an overnight replacement.

Newcomers Rob Bailey and Chris Hill acquitted themselves very well, with improving lap times as they drove through the weekend, with Chris Hill, driving in his first ever races, winning the Championship Class iZone Newcomer of the Weekend Award.

The Championship has introduced a new Invitation class, sponsored by Sonic Equipment, for older Jedi Racing Cars which lie outside the Championship class specification. One competitor joined in, Dave Wheal, with a Mk4 Jedi, and collected points, a laurel and trophy!

Michael Watton took home the F1000 Brands Hatch Circuit Champion award, Adam Walker was the Sonic Equipment Driver of the Meeting and Team #83 in the Invitation Cup was awarded the Sonic Equipment Technicians of the Meeting Prize.

The grid provided incredible racing fractions of seconds apart with barely a whisper of a yellow flag and the safety car wasn’t disturbed all weekend. All cars managed to make it to all races so praise indeed to the mechanics and engineers who dealt with the usual start of season gremlins!

The next meeting is a triple header at Snetterton on 14 & 15 April on the long 3 miler circuit.