MINI CHALLENGE Trophy UK Round 2

MINI Challenge Trophy UK season.

Following 4 extremely hot test sessions on the Friday, which were very important to Ashley and her team as it was the first time on The National layout at Pembrey, Ashley took what she had learned into Saturday's qualifying session and put her MINI Cooper in 12th position, less than a tenth away from making the top 10.

For the first race though, the heavens opened and the team took the decision to run the wet tyres. The gamble initially paid off and the Gian Luca Photography, GymSafe Security, DJB Business Finance, Maybrook Fleet Care, Whiting and Wilson Jewellers, Crossbar Marketing and Toxic Nation driver worked her way up to P6. However, in the dying moments of the race, Ashley received significant contact from her rivals and dropped back down the order, not helped by the fact that in the now drying conditions, her wet tyres overheated. Ashley crossed the line in 15th but still scored 21 valuable points.

Sunday started in a much better way for Ashley and her sole privateer team as she enjoyed a hard fought battle to go from 15th on the grid to P11 but would be promoted to 10th following a post race amendment. In the final race of the weekend, Ashley once again demonstrated her speed and racecraft to make up more positions in the opening stages of the race and she worked her way up to 7th place, on course to equal her best finish of the season. Unfortunately, bad luck would strike again as she was forced onto the grass to avoid a car that had spun, hit a bump, nose dived into the grass and was forced to retire with significant front end damage.

“What a weekend! Everything started well, the practice day was very positive and even though I’d been here before, it was nice to learn a new layout although the abrasive nature of the Pembrey circuit did have a significant impact on lap times and how much running we could do.”

“We'd made good progress with the setup and it showed as we only just missed the top 10 in qualifying, which was a positive, but then in the race it simply became a gamble as to which tyres to choose. Wets or drys? We went with the wets given the rainfall and initially they were great and we were knocking on the door of the top 5 until 3 separate moments of contact on one lap just pushed me back down the field. With overheating tyres in the end there wasn't that much I could do.”

“Sunday was a better day weather wise and it started off really well - I had so much fun racing hard but fair of course and was pleased to have finished race two in 11th and then in the final race we should have been on for another 7th place finish but I had to take avoiding action for a car that had spun and getting on the grass led to some air time and a hard landing that put me out of the race thanks to the damage on the front end.”

“I was okay and the car is repairable and I'm already looking ahead to the third round of the season at Thruxton and looking forward to being back on the British Touring Car Championship support bill at the fastest circuit in the UK.”

Round three of the MINI Challenge UK Trophy season will take place at Thruxton on 08-09 June and will be broadcast live on national television on ITV4.

MINI CHALLENGE Trophy UK Round 2