Race 8:  Snetterton

Since the last ESP News update, we have been racing again, this time at Snetterton race circuit. It's well known to the team, with a recent class victory there in an Aston Martin Owner's Club 'Super GT' race.

Everyone was justifiably excited about the prospect of racing at Snetteron again, this time in the Britcar Production championship. Having dropped points at the last round, it was important we did well in order to be in contention for the championship come the end of the season.

In testing we had already knocked off a second off our best lap time, so were in buoyant mood ahead of qualifying. However, the clutch needed replacing which took until midnight for our race mechanics to fix!

The next morning, with the clutch in and car running well, we were hoping to go even better in qualifying thanks to fresh tyres and low fuel.

We were delighted to knock yet another full second off our best lap time to qualify 3rd for the race, effectively putting us 2nd as one car ahead of us was an invitation entry (therefore not eligible for receiving points).

The start of the 2 hour race went well, despite the long straight at Snetterton we held 3rd place against the far more powerful BMW M3s. As the first stint progressed, there was an ongoing battle with the 4th placed Seat Leon Supercopa.

At the halfway point of the race, it was time for a pit-stop. A slick changeover meant we exited just before a safety car, putting us in 2nd place. In contrast, our competition was suffering from all sorts, from mechanical woes to stop-go penalties! Would this be our day?

As the race entered the final hour, our Lotus Motorsport Elise was edging closer to the lead car. Being an invitation car, it wouldn't affect our championship standings, but we wanted that 1st place trophy!

Then, with just 7 laps remaining, the leading BMW spectacularly blew it's engine, leaving us to cruise by with a 1 lap lead on 3rd place. In the end, this proved an easy win for us, being in stark contrast to recent races which have been plagued with mechanical issues.

The winning results puts the Sixth Sense ESP racing team top in the leader board, by just a single point!