Lydden Hill played host to an entertaining round of the Power Maxed Swift Rallycross Championship last weekend.
Once again Canterbury’s Tristan Ovenden took victory just as he had done at the opening round of the season, with Darren Scott in second and another Kent favourite Rob Maynard in third.
Having initially led the B final, a half spin by Nathan Heathcote at Devils Elbow denied victory and an A final promotion leaving the race open for Jake Taylor who held his line well despite being pushed hard by Adam Weaver. Having recovered, Heathcote crossed the line third, followed by Jeff Hankin whilst Chris Saunders who made his Swift debut at Lydden found pace every time out on the Kent circuit and finished fifth ahead of Alex Spencer and Ryan McAdam.
Ovenden, the man to beat, took pole position for the A final and although not having the greatest start managed to keep the lead ahead of Scott and Brown into Chessons whilst Maynard, Taylor and Dave Ellis all opted for the Joker. Aidan Hills running fourth got out of shape into Devils Elbow and a sideways slide into the gravel trap ended play for the former junior champion.
A lap two joker by Scott saw him rejoin the circuit behind Maynard who later ran wide onto the loose which was all Scott needed to see his way through. Ovenden returned to the circuit behind Jack Brown after a last lap lunge for the joker and although Brown passed the chequered flag first, a miscalculation in laps and failure to take the joker meant the 30 second penalty resulted in a seventh position finish.
Still new to the ultra-competitive Swift Sport Rallycross Championship, Andrew Hawkes returned to deliver his best drive yet, only weeks after a roll at Croft Circuit during the opening round B final. Improved heat times secured his first automatic place in the A final, before going on to narrowly miss a podium place finishing fourth behind Maynard. Pleased with his result, Andrew Hawkes commented “Great days racing and a great result. Over the moon with my 4th place in only my 4th meeting, roll on Pembrey.”
In the MSA Junior Rallycross Championship Northallerton junior Drew Bellerby showed consistency all day in the MSA Swift Juniors, taking all three heats wins in the her Fuchs Lubricants backed Suzuki. A dominant drive in the A final gave her a clear victory and secured maximum points, increasing her lead in the championship.
Experiencing the prestigious ‘Home of Rallycross’ circuit for his first time, new Swift junior Bradley Drudin from Essex set consistent times and tried hard to chase down the former Junior Rallycross Grand Prix winner Bellerby.
Confidence grows with every outing for fellow junior driver Jennie Hawkes as her lap times increase. Hawkes had the benefit of current junior Champion Charlie Bean on hand to provide guidance throughout the day.
Joining the juniors for round three, Sam Jones, son for S1600 Swift driver Mike Jones, makes his debut after his 14th birthday. Jones has been testing the car through the winter and is looking to be on the pace as he joins the grid for round three as the Swifts head to Pembrey, Wales.