Oct 1, 2016

Rain thwarts qualifying aspirations but Hudspeth and Kyle-Henney put in solid performance

After the glorious sun experienced during the free practice sessions on Friday, Saturday proved to be a sharp contrast as the skies opened up mid-morning and the rain started to fall.

Both drivers have had limited experience driving in the wet, especially Sean who only got his first taste of the epic Grand Prix circuit on Friday morning. It proved to be a voyage of discovery for them both as they not only had to contend with the wet but then a drying track as the session progressed. The track became an ever-evolving surface that the drivers had to adapt too every lap.

The faster times came towards the end of the session when it was driest but the conditions caught others out with Tom Sharp and Stephen Jelley going off and causing a stoppage ten minutes into the session. With two minutes to go Alessandro Latif went into the gravel at Paddock Hill bend bringing the delayed session to a premature end when many drivers may well have set faster times. Peter and Sean both set times to line up fifth on the grid in their respective classes with Peter going one better for race two.

Peter Kyle-Henney – ProAm2 – Race 1: 5th, Race 2: 4th

“It was a difficult day. We didn’t get a lot of running yesterday with the issues we had but the steering pump has been fixed now. It was disappointing to not get on the pace, especially as we were so quick at Silverstone, we were a second clear of everyone and now we are significantly behind. We’ve got it all to play for and at least I’ve done more laps now so I’m more confident with the circuit and I can build on that. We’ll need a little bit of luck though if we’re going to go for the championship.”

Sean Hudspeth – ProAm1 – Race 1: 5th, Race 2: 5th

“It’s been a tough day and we had a lot of learning to do going around the track for the first time in the wet. We managed to keep the car out of the gravel and on the track. It was difficult adjusting to the different grip levels between the GP track and the Indy circuit and I didn’t get the best out of my tyres when they were at their peak. Tomorrow is going to be dry so I need to get back into that mode and forget about qualifying. It’s going to be tough to overtake here but if its possible we’ll do it so the plan for tomorrow is to look ahead and charge.”

Josh Webster – Driver Coach

“It was a tough session and we lacked a bit of pace due to the really difficult conditions. Due to the nature of the circuit the Indy track is used a lot more so the surface is more rounded off and slippery but the GP part is more grippy so you almost have to be too drivers. It’s difficult for the two drivers, with not a lot of experience, especially Sean as he’s never been here before, to get on it and use the peak of the tyre. We’ve just got to stay positive for tomorrow but anything can happen.”

Ben Barker – Driver Coach

“It was tricky conditions and very challenging for the guys. We didn’t quite piece it together but we are working with a very small window with the tyres. With half the track being the slipperiest in the country and the other half being the grippiest in the wet it’s difficult to keep it out of trouble and put in a decent time. We’ve got a bit of work to do for tomorrow and all focus needs to go on that.”

Paul Robe – Team Principal

“It’s been tough for the drivers and neither were particularly confident around here, it’s been a new place and a new challenge. We’re all in one piece and I’m not unhappy. We know it’s going to be dry tomorrow so we’ll have a look and draw what we can from it but we’ll forget today and focus on what we learnt on Friday. The drivers and team have all benefitted and it all adds to the bank of experience so you’ve just got to be positive and look forward to tomorrow.”