The 2009 Super Minis Championship kicked-off at the most technical and demanding of circuits; Cadwell Park.

Set in the idyllic hills of Lincolnshire, Cadwell is an aggressive rollercoaster of a track that demands total respect and commitment; get it right, and it’s one of the most rewarding experiences, get it wrong and it can bite with terminal effect. This would put the drivers and cars to the test.

With major changes to the technical rules for this year, qualifying was as much a test session as it was a contest to get a good grid slot. It was however short lived as the session was red flagged due to a nasty looking incident, we caught up with our man in the No. 41 Mini Spares car:

“Ah it’s good to be back, especially at Cadwell! It was a shame about the red flag, but I’m glad that Steve [Dawson] is ok. He went off just in front of me, it looked a pretty big shunt.
The car was running well and I was straight in trying to exploit the new characteristics of the engine. 14th is far from ideal, the engine seems to be a bit down on power at the moment. Hopefully it is just due to it being new and “tight” I’ll see what I can do in the race.”

From the grid., Comis made what looked like a rocket assisted start; one of his finest yet. In to the 1st corner and he was already challenging the current Champion; Pat Ford for position. Steady progress saw Comis closing on Dave Rees for 7th. An error through the fast flowing Charlie’s corners and Comis took an unplanned detour across the grass. Luckily holding it all together, he we soon, literally, back on track. On the last lap of the race another off at the same point suggested all was not well with the handling as he nursed the car back. Just yards from the pits and the front left wheel departed from the car taking most of the front wing with it. Such a shame after such a strong race!

Back in the paddock with the car being unloaded from the tow truck, Alex gave us his account:

“Ah, that was a brilliant start, loved it. The race seemed to be heading my way, however, I was struggling to get a tow off the cars in front, yet those behind seemed to catch me ok so I had to bear that in mind to keep my position. That’ll be because I’m down on power at the moment - but it should improve. There seems to be some suspension damage, probably from my trip across the grass. I could feel it getting worse and when I went off again, I knew it was terminal.

As always he saw many positives from the performance:

“My race ‘till then was going well and looking at the relative lap times, it looks like the engine is improving all the time. Hopefully some of my moves will have been caught by the TV camera here today.” He Joked.

“This time last year I was looking very strong then various gearbox issues turned against me. This year I’m hoping it’s the other way round; it’s a long season and anything can happen. I can’t wait!!”

Rounds 2 & 3 of this epic championship moves to the long fast track of Snetterton on the 2nd & 3rd May where Comis will surely be in a strong position for glory.