Qualifying: Penalty to the rear of the grid (solo driver)

Race Result: 1st & 3rd

The Friday morning at Rockingham started gloomily for the team with the news that regular driver Mike Gardiner would have to withdraw with a neck injury. After a number of discussions with the Clerk of the Course and the Series Co-ordinator it was agreed that Phil Keen could race solo. As a recognised professional driver he would have to start from the back of the grid in both races as well as serving an extended "professional" length pitstop of 60 seconds instead of 50.

Testing continued throughout the Friday and into the qualifying sessions, with grid position immaterial, the team concentrated on set-up work. Race 1 started in bright breezy conditions, with Phil making an excellent start and rapidly gaining places through the field. At the end of the 3rd lap, Phil was up to 6th and climbing through the other SR8 runners. At the mandatory pitstop the white and blue SR8 was up to 4th and chasing 3rd place. Shortly after taking 3rd place, fortune smiled on the team for the first time of the weekend and a safety car was deployed to recover a dangerously positioned car. This bunched the field up and allowed Phil to jump into 2nd at the restart. In the dying moments the leader sufferred a puncture allowing Phil past into Tarzan. The former leader wasn't finished and pushed the white SR8 out of the way on the exit. At the final corner Phil used his experience to bide his time and drive around the outside of the #1 car to take the first victory for the team's Radical SR8 in the uK.

Race 2, on the Sunday morning, started badly with the field split before the start. This and early lap traffic cost the #57 car at least 15-20 seconds in the opening laps. Again Phil's dramatic pace allowed him to slice through the field and into 6th place in a short space of time. At the perfect moment the 4th and 5th placed cars decided to spin in unison allowing Phil through into 4th. At the pit stop Phil overtook the 3rd placed #61 car as that car also served a stop/go penalty for speeding in the pit lane. From there it was a run to the flag in 3rd with the leader and 2nd place cars out of reach in a 40 minute race.

The team left the Northamptonshire circuit in 2nd place in the championship, which was a remarkable result following the Friday morning gloom.

All photos by Mick Herring