Bryony King was at the Oulton Park Mini Festival last weekend to make her debut in the Mini Challenge Cooper Class. King,
who started the season in Formula Jedi, made the decision to switch championships for the rest of the season from the tiny rear wheel drive, rear engined, Motorcycle powered single seaters to the Front engine, front wheel drive saloons. The two cars could hardly be any more different and King had some test sessions before the weekend to adjust to her new car. It would be a tough weekend but one that she felt ready for.
Qualifying was on a damp but nearly dry track and King put her pre-event testing to good use qualifying seventh ahead of many of the championship’s regulars and within reach of the front runners. This then became sixth when one of her rivals had their times disallowed for an infringement.
By the time the first race was ready to start, the track was completely soaked and rain was falling very heavily. King’s first ever start in the Mini Challenge would be in the most difficult conditions imaginable, it certainly would be a baptism!
King didn’t get the best of starts, understandable given the impossible conditions and the fact that this was her first ever start in the championship. But she was soon lapping strongly and importantly keeping it on the track! By the time the chequered flag came out she was back in a strong seventh place and had kept her car on track.
Race two proved to be slightly less wet although the track was still far from dry. She got a good start and found herself battling with several of the championship’s more experienced drivers before the safety car was scrambled for an incident on track. After several laps it was decided to red flag the race and restart it once the incident had been cleared.
King was ninth on the grid for the restart and the next four laps, in now dry conditions, were some of her best of the weekend as she fought up to a strong sixth place at the flag.
It had been an excellent debut in the new championship and one King was very happy with;
“Overall the weekend was very positive and it’s the most fun I’ve had in car racing. I feel as though getting out on track with the rest of the grid has brought me up to speed and I can only get better from now on. Obviously with the rain for my first ever race it made it very challenging, but it was good to be thrown in at the deep end and the dry race was very positive – even with the shortened race time. I’m very excited for the next round at Donington and I aim to move up the grid. I’d like to say a massive thank you to my parents and sponsors as well as Excelr8 Motorsport for making me feel so welcome!”
Her next races are at Donington in September with the last round taking place at Snetterton in October. King will be aiming to finish her 2017 on a high! By Marc Waller
