Blink and you’ll miss it. We have found ourselves at the end of the 2025 season, it honestly doesn’t feel 2 minutes since we were getting ready for the season to start back in May and now we are in October getting ready for the season to end. Like many seasons before, the finale is once again held at Snetterton on the 200 layout. This has been a bit of a bogey track for me over the last couple of years, so much so, I’ve dubbed it as the cursed circuit. With that in mind, after Knockhill I checked over as much as I could on the car along with some minor maintenance in an attempt to minimise any potential issues. After going into the gravel at Knockhill there was also some Scottish gravel to clean out and some small repairs to the front splitter to patch up. Going into the final round it was still all to play for in the Club 2WD Class Championship.
Warm Up
Heading into the first session of the day I was a paranoid due to bad luck in previous years. Sometimes not even managing to turn a competitive lap. My first goal was to register three laps to secure the one point available during warm up. After 2 laps the red flag was out, meaning we had to return to the pits while the track was cleared, not quite enough laps completed for the point! Once the session was green, all focus was on completing the final lap needed aiming to collect as many points as possible. With three laps completed there was a decision to make. Park the car and wait for the next session or continue lapping in a bid to build speed and confidence.
Another red flag brought the session to brief pause. While in the pits we had a chat amongst the team on what to do but in reality, I had already decided what I was going to do. Get back out and set a bench-mark lap time. After a brisk out lap, I managed to clock a 1:18.322. 2 seconds quicker than I had ever been around the 200 layout before. On that note, it was time to park the car for the session and wait for next session, Attack 1.
Attack 1
After running with my most worn set of tyres for warm up, we had planned to equip the car with my 2nd best set for Attack 1 before fitting the optimal set for Attack 2 and Super Attack. However, after checking the weather forecast we made a last minute decision to run the optimal set of tyres in Attack 1. Rain was looking more and more likely to arrive in the afternoon, so the best chance for the lap record was going to be now. With that in mind I also waited until last to leave the pit lane, a tactic I have developed as the season has progresses. allowing myself some space on track rather than being caught up in the pack and being able to push from lap 1.
Straight away I set another PB with a time of 1:17.267 – just 1 tenth off the existing lap record. After that run it was time to return to the pits to check tyre pressures before heading back out to see how much more time could be found. Frustratingly, a third red flag of the day halted the session. After the track had been cleared, it was time to try again. Sadly, it was not meant to be, I was potentially trying to overdrive the car in search for the ultimate lap time. So after 7 failed attempts, the ended with my best lap being my first flying lap. Enough for P2 in class but more importantly, one place ahead of my main championship rival.
Attack 2
Following Attack 1 we found a bit of play in one of the driveshafts. Not a major issue, it was swapped with one of the spares we carry in less than 5 minutes. Surprisingly, the circuit was still dry but you could tell the rain was coming. We had another chance at the lap record before the rain arrived but before too long the Snetterton 200 curse decided to raise its head. On the first fast lap we lost 4th gear. This was a big issue, but with nothing we could do to resolve the failure we continued and did the best we could. Shifting straight from 3rd to 5th was costing 2+ seconds down the long straights resulting in a best time of 1:19.365. This left me 5th in class, enough to score a few points.
Super Attack
My hope now was for the rain to arrive. It was the only way I stood a chance of a strong finish as it would help neutralize the performance loss after losing 4th gear. Thankfully it did start to rain, we adjusted tyre pressures to suit in a bid to counteract the lack of heat we’ll be able to put into the tyres. My usual wet session running plan was to stay out and lap as much as possible, pushing more and more each lap. As each lap was completed the time was coming down, eventually dropping down to a 1:29.764. Which was enough for P1 in class until it was beaten in the dying seconds. Despite missing out on 1st, it was still a fantastic result given the circumstances. It just shows what is possible in Motorsport if you don’t give up. This result meant I had secured 7 out of a possible 8 podiums this season. Including two wins, four second places, a third place, one lap record and 8 personal bests. Sadly, it wasn’t quite enough for me to clinch the championship but we are still immensely happy and proud with 2nd place. even after 15 seasons and 101 rounds the performance in the car and myself is still there to battle the best cars and drivers around. It’s now time for a small rest before the preparation begins for 2026.
Overall I would call Round 100 a massive success, with the car running faultless all day, bringing back a nice haul of points and another podium finish. Once again, I would like to say thank you to everyone who has helped me get to this point over the last 15 seasons. Next up is the final round at Snetterton on the 200 layout in 3 weeks time on October 19th the championship decider!