Rebecca only managed to get 30 minutes of track time during testing due to mechanical issues.
The team changed the spark plugs and coil packs to try and identify the cause of the misfire. Eventually, it was discovered that the boost control valve was to blame. This was promptly fixed for qualifying.
Despite limited running in testing, Rebecca went four seconds quicker in qualifying, placing her P26 for the first race of the weekend.
In race 1, Rebecca got a fantastic start, making her way up to P19 after some great battles with Kevin O’Connor and Jesse Chamberlain. Unfortunately, the car lost drive thanks to a clutch plate failure, meaning Rebecca had to retire from the race.
The team got to work straight away to fix the issue. Rebecca says: “Special thanks to my mechanics who fixed the clutch before race 2 with permanent smiles and happy attitudes. You can’t get better than that!”
Because of the issue in race 1, Rebecca had to start from the back of the grid for race 2 but she got another amazing start and worked her way up to 19th once again. There were a number of offs and incidents with other drivers that caused a safety car but Rebecca was able to keep her nose clean. Eventually, the race had to be red-flagged when one car crashed into the wall on the outside of Copse corner. When a race is stopped and not restarted after a red flag, the finishing position is dictated by the position from the previous lap. Unfortunately for Rebecca this was P22 and not the 19th that she had fought for.
Despite the mechanical issues early on in the weekend, the time Rebecca made up and the battles she had on track made it all very worthwhile. She says: “Silverstone GP is an amazing track to drive and while I’m experienced with Porsches around there, I felt at one with the MINI in the high-speed corners. It was a great feeling!”
Rebecca’s next race is the 8-9 July at Brands Hatch at the MINI Festival.
