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The second round of the 2023 eBay MSVT Trackday Trophy took place on the breathtaking Anglesey Coastal circuit last weekend (May 21st). After a cracking season opener at Silverstone the month prior, anticipation for round two couldn’t have been higher.
Trac Mon is a fast-paced circuit that offers a number of distinct challenges, including both a banked corner and a corkscrew. The testing nature of the circuit did not provide a problem for Semprini Racing’s Evans/Hart, who topped the timing sheet after the first representative laps in Qualifying were set. They wouldn’t be on provisional pole for long though, as both Team Rebbieha and Paddock Performance Racing then took turns to trade fastest laps. Around ten minutes into the session, Paddock Performance Racing’s Michael Rawlings set a storming benchmark time of 1:17:328secs to secure provisional pole. Despite the rest of the field’s best efforts, this time couldn’t be beaten and at the end of the session it was the BMW 328i of Michael Rawlings who would be our Anglesey overall and class C polesitter. Team Rebbieha’s Mchugh/Heslop duo joined Paddock Performance Racing on the front row, finishing top of class B. Semprini Racing would have to settle for third, ahead of Team BG’s Caterham. Row three on the grid belonged to the cars who qualified second and third in class C – D.P Service Racing’s Damian Chrupczalski and Hobson Racing’s Sarah Hobson. Boreham Motorsport (Midlands) pairing of Martyn and Rob Adams demonstrated fantastic pace in class D and were rewarded with class pole position, ahead of AWH Yeah Racing’s Wilkinson-Hughes/Connell and Greenstar Racing’s James Burnham.
With glorious Welsh sunshine descending on the track and the grid set, it was time to go racing. A strong launch from driver Rawlings at the start ensured Paddock Motorsport Racing were at the front of the large field after the opening laps, with fast-starting Team BG and Semprini Racing in hot pursuit. Boreham Motorsport (Midlands) continued to pave the way in class D, capitalising on strong qualifying pace to head the very competitive class through the opening exchanges. Spectators at the Welsh circuit certainly weren’t left lacking entertainment, as constant overtaking and battling could be found throughout the field.
However, the order was set to receive a huge shakeup courtesy of a short Safety Car interlude. As the pit stop window closed, it was Aindale Racing’s Wayne Cockerill at the forefront of the classification, with the Toyota Celica driver capitalising on savvy pit stop strategy to lead the race. Team Rebbieha had recovered well from an early spin to be hot on Aindale Racing’s heels and it wasn’t long before the class B Civic of Mchugh/Heslop had overtaken Cockerill for the lead. From there, Team Rebbieha didn’t look back. A combination of fantastic pace and race management ensured that Mchugh/Heslop took the checkered flag first, taking both the overall and class B top step. Aindale Racing’s cracking drive was rewarded with the class C top step, being joined on the class podium with fellow Celica Hobson Racing and GS Racing’s Gareth Sockett – excellent drives from all! Consistently strong pace earned Semprini Racing second in class B, while Supatune Motorsport’s Tester/Quinn pairing charged from the back of the field to finish on the final step of the podium. Wilkinson-Hughes/Connell also enjoyed a strong drive, turning their second place on the class D grid to the top step of their class in the race. Boreham Motorsport (Midlands) lost ground around the pit stops but recovered well to finish second in class D, with the final step going the way of Hills Motorsport’s Andrew Jamieson – on his racing debut! Congratulations to all.
Attention now turns from West to East, as we head to Snetterton in just a few weeks time.
See you there!