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The historic Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit welcomed Trackday Trophy on Saturday 24 May for the third round of the 2025 season and the second leg of the series’ Grand Prix Grand Slam.
Qualifying
Team Air Supply’s Wright/Allatt were at the top of the timing screen after the session’s first representative laps had been set. Unique Racing’s Charlie Palk initially bettered the benchmark set by Wright/Allat, before a storming time of 1m44.625s by Jamie Mchugh secured pole position for the Trackday Academy driver on his return to the series. Palk would line up second, with David Zakrzewski (Dubshack Motorsport) and Alan Bull (TSC Racing) posting the third and fourth fastest times of the session.
Qualifying in Class C belonged to one driver. Shane Roe (Algar Racing) looked sharp from the beginning, continually finding more pace and improvements in his BMW 3 Series Compact to ultimately secure the class pole position with a time of 1m47.472s. Tommy Valentine (Burton Power Racing) and Trevor Hurrell (Team Wheelcare) were the second and third fastest qualifiers in class.
On his return to Trackday Trophy, Alex Miller (Miller Motorsport) posted a phenomenal lap to ensure it was his name at the top of the Class D qualifying sheet. Alister Esam (BC Cars) pipped Adams/Adams (Boreham Motorsport Midlands) to second in class, with all of the top three Class D qualifiers competing in Mk3 Mazda MX-5.
Race
A lightening getaway from P5 on the grid saw Wright/Allatt take the race lead by the end of the first lap, while Reade/Reade were also quick out of the blocks to get the jump into second. Just 0.572s separated the leading four cars over the line after the opening lap, signaling the start of a competitive race.
Both Roe and Miller had started the race strongly to lead their respective classes, but there was still action aplenty across the 41-strong grid. Phil Hart (Harts Racing) was on the rise, while Palk mounted a challenge on the two cars that had got passed him on the opening lap. By the end of the fifth lap, Palk had taken the lead, but with Wright/Allatt following in close proximity. Zakrzewski had launched a charge and found himself in third, with Bull and a surging Richard Clarke (Finsport) fourth and fifth by the time teams dived into the pits.
Following the pit stops, Palk had resumed the lead, but with Zakrzewski now in hot pursuit. Two Aindale Racing drivers, Wayne Cockerill and Oli Moss, were making progress in Class C, as was Colin Wells in Class D.
When the checkered flag fell to signal the end of the race, Palk had fended off all of his rival’s advances to secure the race win – capping a fantastic debut outing for the new Unique Racing Volkswagen Scirocco! Bull would finish just 2.481s ahead of Clarke in second, meaning that all three drivers who finished on the Class B podium were earning their first trophies of the year with the series. Zakrzewski narrowly missed out in fourth, with Reade/Reade fifth.
An incredibly close finish in Class C saw Cockerill edge Hart over the line to take the winner’s trophy – by just 0.638s! Both drivers will be proud of their efforts, with Cockerill earning his first top step of the season and Hart finishing second after starting the race from the very back of the classed runners! Equally delighted will be Moss, who earned his first Trackday Trophy podium of 2025 by finishing third-in-class. Valentine and Roe rounded out the top five finishers in Class C.
A sensational day for Miller resulted in the top step of the Class D podium, having battled with higher-classed cars throughout the race. It was a lights-to-flag class victory and one the Mazda MX-5 driver will look fondly back on. Two teammates made up the remainder of the Class D podium, with Esam finishing ahead of Wells to complete an all MX-5 top three. Adams/Adams and Chris Stone (Boreham Motorsport) finished fourth and fifth in class.
Trackday Trophy will return for the final leg of the 2025 Grand Prix Grand Slam at Donington Park on 20 July. Entries can be made here.
Photo: Gary Hawkins Photography