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Miata Trophy’s long-awaited debut race meeting took place on the highly prestigious Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit on April 30th 2023.
Aidan Hills (Hills Motorsport #8) kickstarted the new-for-2023 Mazda MX-5 Championship in ferocious fashion, setting the early benchmark for NC Class competitors in qualifying. Hills’ teammate Declan Lee enjoyed a brief spell at the top of the timing sheet, before a blistering 1:45:886 ensured it was Hills Motorsport #8 that lead the way into the first-ever Miata Trophy SuperPole session. The battle to join Hills Motorsport #8 in SuperPole was extremely tense, with a wide array of NC Class competitors challenging to break into the top five-fastest class qualifiers. After the competitive qualifying session, the inaugural NC Class SuperPole lineup was comprised of: Aidan Hills, Michael Knibbs, Declan Lee, William Morris and John Langridge. Impressively, four of the five Class NC SuperPole contenders were from team Hills Motorsport! Steve Foden (CRS) enjoyed an outstanding qualifying session in Class NA, leading the way into SuperPole ahead of Turner Property Services Racing’s Liam Cochrane and Misty Racing’s Gary Paddock.
As midday drew nearer, all eyes turned to the upcoming SuperPole session. This would be the first time Miata Trophy competitors would face the unique pressures of SuperPole and there was clearly a high level of both interest and excitement from onlookers. The pressure didn’t phase Hills Motorsport #8 though, as Aidan Hills charged round the Kent circuit to repeat his earlier feat of topping the timing sheet and becoming the debut Miata Trophy polesitter! He would be joined on the front row by Hills Motorsport #12’s Declan Lee, who managed to get the jump on teammate Michael Knibbs. Miller Motorsport’s John Langridge prevented a top four lockout for Hills Motorsport by jumping William Morris for fourth on the grid. CRS’s Steve Foden continued to look strong in NA Class and the Mk1 driver duly delivered in securing class pole position, with Turner Property Services Racing managing to keep in front of Misty Racing #14 to complete the session.
A solid getaway for Hills Motorsport #8 ensured the polesitter stayed at the front of the 30-strong grid through the opening lap of race one. Hard and clean racing from the rest of the pack ensued, as all competitors jostled for the early positions. An excellent getaway from Turner Property Services Racing launched driver Cochrane into the lead of NA Class, while the highly competitive nature of Class NC was made apparent with less than one second separating the top three over the opening four laps. Spectators were being treated to an epic season opener, with Hills Motorsport #12 constantly hunting down Hills Motorsport #8 for the lead, as well as a gripping, sporting encounter developing for the final step of the Class NC podium between Hills Motorsport #82 and Miller Motorsport #5. Exciting battles weren't just limited to just the front of the field though, as there was plenty of enthralling duels throughout both classes. Despite Hills Motorsport #12’s best efforts, it was eventually polesitter Hills Motorsport #8 who took Miata Trophy’s debut checkered flag first to be crowned the first-ever Miata Trophy race winner – congratulations Aidan Hills! Aidan was joined by teammate Declan Lee on the NC podium, along with Miller Motorsport’s John Langridge who edged Hills Motorsport’s Michael Knibbs by just 0.239secs to take the final step of the podium. Hills Motorsport’s William Morris finished fifth, ahead of Boreham Motorsport’s Daniel Parrans-Smith and Roan Lundy. CRS’s Steve Foden recovered from losing out on the opening lap to retake the lead and seal the first-ever Miata Trophy NA Class victory, ahead of Turner Property Services Racing’s Cochrane and Misty Racing’s Paddock. Congratulations to all.
As per championship regulations, the grid for the second race is determined by the finishing order of the first race – meaning Hills Motorsport #8 took their second pole position of the day. Despite not enjoying as strong a getaway from the grid as they did in the first race, excellent positioning into the first few corners ensured Hills Motorsport #8 continued to lead at the front in the second race, ahead of a fast-starting Hills Motorsport #82 and Hills Motorsport #12. In NA Class, CRS enjoyed an exceptional start to maintain the lead class rivals through the opening exchanges. Immediately it became clear that the second race would be as hard-fought and competitive as the first, with gripping racing the precedent once again. Following their fantastic battle for the final step on the NC podium in race one, Miller Motorsport #5 and Hills Motorsport #82 again found themselves duking it out together – this time with both drivers in the podium places. Hills Motorsport #17 had shown solid pace all day and was hot on their tail in fourth, seeking an opportunity to earn another trophy for the team. Despite the constant battling between the trio, they still managed to keep race leader Hills Motorsport #8 in close proximity. By the time the checkered flag fell, Hills Motorsport #8 had managed to fend off the opposition once more to take an excellent second victory and crown an incredibly impressive day for driver Aidan Hills. Incredibly, Hills Motorsport #82 and Miller Motorsport #5 once again finished with less than 0.250secs between them, however this time it was the #82 car who finished in front – claiming second on the NC podium in the process. Hills Motorsport #17 had to settle for fourth behind Miller Motorsport #5, with less than 2.5secs separating the top four! Hills Motorsport #12 finished fifth in class, ahead of Misty Racing #72 and Miller Motorsport #7. CRS’s Steve Foden capped a comprehensive day of racing with his second NA class victory of the day, being joined on the podium by Turner Property Services Racing and Misty Racing #14. Once again, congratulations to all!
It's fair to say that Miata Trophy’s debut was not one to be missed and we now keenly look ahead to our trip to Anglesey in less than three weeks time.
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