End On A High

It’s been a busy end to the season for the Motorbase team, but it ended on a high with a double Indy win at Brands Hatch.

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After a valuable points haul at Knockhill, we knew the Focus RS had the pace to be competitive but we were in for yet another rollercoaster ride with ever-changing weather conditions as the championship came to a close. At Silverstone, Tom Chilton claimed a P9 finish in race 1 of the weekend and had his eyes set on a top-5 finish for race 2. Sadly, those hopes were short-lived when he innocently collected a piece of dislodged advertising hoarding, forcing him into the pits to remove it with an overheating engine. That put him on the back foot for race 3 too. “We obviously shenanigans of the hoarding hitting my car in race 2, which was extraordinarily bad luck,” says Tom, “Where we were at the time, I know we would have finished in 11th, which is what was pulled out on pole. I feel gutted we missed out on the reverse grid.”

But Tom pulled out an heroic drive in the last race of the day as the rain returned. Taking a gamble and switching to wets proved to be an inspired choice as the heavens opened, and Tom scythed his way carving through the field and feel sure we more laps,” Tom recalls.