Brands Hatch was the latest venue to host round 2 and 3 of the Super Mighty Minis Championship in 2003.

On a gusty Easter Sunday morning I qualified 8th I could have done better, but I was still getting to grips with the first corner – the infamous Paddock Hill Bend - a very fast, off-camber and blind right-hander; a real test of driver and car.

While waiting for the race to start, my thoughts turned to areas were improvements could be made on the circuit, a good start would be imperative. An absolutely flying start was what I got!

The green light saw my feet do all the talking- overtaking cars left, right and centre. I held on through Paddock Hill and up to Druids hairpin where I was now up to 4th position. Hard on the breaks into the hairpin and down a gear where I found myself fighting with a box of neutrals.

With utter desperation and panic the type of which that can reduce a man to tears, I eventually found a gear, but by this time all the hard work at the start had well and truly been undone. Now near the back of the field I was in no mood for pleasantries. The next corner I dived up the inside of an unsuspecting Andy Croft and got the position off him. I was now zeroing in on the next victim, however, Andy was not going to give up, and re-took the position in the next corner complex. Half a lap later I had disposed of him once and for all. Now some distance from the leading pack I was pushing as hard as possible.

Then an incident behind me caused the pack to bunch up under 3 laps of waved yellows. This was the opportunity I could seize on. As the green flag was dropped I went for the pedal with such verve I was surprised not to have put a hole through the floor, but was unable to capitalise down the pit straight. The three cars in front of me were having a superb battle and at one point I felt more like a spectator than a driver. This again played into my favour as they all tried to out do each other into the corners and hence slow each other down, with what seemed to be a premature chequered flag I had to settle for 9th. Easter Monday and round three. Starting from 9th (determined from the finishing positions of the first race) and now on the inside line I could see there was a distinct possibility of being boxed in off the line if one of cars in front go a poor start.

As the lights went green another fine start was soon thwarted as everyone moved over to the inside line blocking me in. Almost temped to get 2 wheels onto the grass to get round the car in front, I thought better of it, reminding myself that you can’t win a race at the 1st corner During the early part of the race, Eli Sharp was making life tricky for me as the closer I got the wider she made her car. Then the break I was hoping for:

Barrelling down the pit straight at full chat just millimetres from Eli’s rear bumper I pulled out of her tow and was well along side her on the inside line into the tricky Paddock Hill bend. With the car sliding and screaming though the corner I made the move stick. Mark Jones would prove trickier. Although I was along side him on numerous occasions he was not going to concede the position without a fight. Final lap last corner I sized him up. I’d got the aerodynamic tow and I was catching him, coming out of the final corner I could see the Chequered flag I pulled out and was along side him for what seemed like the 1000th time but it was too late, beaten out of 9th place by 7/100th of a second.

All in all a good weekends’ racing with two top ten finishes, luckily no rain and no damage to the car this time! Round 4 (May 10th-11th) sees us visit the home of Motorsport at Silverstone. Before which I will refer to the “How to change gear” manual and the car will have been on a strict diet to loss 10 kg of excess flab.