After two seasons in the Mini challenge JCW class, Jo Polley decided on a change of direction for 2018 and has moved to Super mighty minis.
Jo had previously raced in the slower Mighty Mini class before her Mini Challenge days and so she hoped to build on that in the Super class.
She had a small amount of winter testing before the weekend at Silverstone and soon settled in to the smaller car. They might not have the power of a JCW Mini challenge car but they certainly still handle well with the racing being some of the closest of any championship in the UK.
Qualifying was in wet conditions and Jo was right in the mix. Times and positions changed all through the session and by the end, Jo was eighth on the grid. With positions changing all through the top ten during the whole of the race, anything was possible from there.
Both races were held on Sunday and by now the rain had stopped although the track was still very slippery. Jo managed to get into the lead pack battle and had a huge fight all through the race. She moved up as high as third but with the usual Mighty Mini pack shuffling through slip streaming she was moving up and down the positions. For most of the race she actually held the fastest lap before she was pipped towards the end. As she crossed the line she was sixth but just a tiny fraction of a second (4 thousandths) behind fifth.
It was a great start to the season and Jo’s best result for several years. Jo was hopeful for even better in race two though.
The second race was the penultimate one of the day and by now the track was dry and the sun was out. Jo made a great start and once again raced with the leading pack. After a few laps there was a bit of bumping in the cars ahead of her and Jo took full advantage to move into the lead. She led for several laps before being slip streamed back down to sixth. After getting a taste of leading, Jo wasn’t going to take this lying down and fought her way back up to fourth. For several laps she battled for third and on the final lap finally moved into a comfortable third place. The two leading cars ahead were now involved in their own fierce battle and were bumping into each other quite a bit. As the three cars headed around Woodcote on the final lap, the two leaders clashed again. Jo had to quickly decide which way to go to avoid them and opted to go round the outside of both of them. As the line approached she edged ahead to take an incredible win.
It was Jo’s first ever win in circuit racing and she was overjoyed;
“What an amazing race for my first win, so close all the way down to the wire! Thank you so much to everyone who has helped me get here, loving being back in Mighty Minis and I can finally say Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!”
Jo’s next races are at Rockingham in the middle of April, a circuit where she went well in the Mini Challenge Cooper class so she will be hoping for another win or two in her Super Mighty mini! By Marc Waller
