Excitement at Season Opener as Chris Takes Driver of Day
The 2014 season opening at the famous Brands Hatch Indy circuit in Kent on 12/13 April brought mixed fortunes for Chris with a DNF in race one before a great comeback drive in race two.
An 18-car Tin Tops entry fully justified their exclusive race in the first half of the weekend programme which saw Chris qualify a respectable 6th on his first comeback race.
The race itself broke into two groups, with the faster turbo charged cars ahead of the next group which included Chris – with the cars changing places on pretty much every lap.
Half way through the race the BMW of Colley spun out on his own oil, which also caught out Chris who couldn’t restart because of a loose wire on the alternator.
That said, Chris had much to be encouraged about following an impressive performance by the Peugeot in his first competitive race in over ten years in the first round of the 2014 season.
Race two saw Chris start from the back of the grid having not finished the first race and after a great first lap he was up to 6th overall. Over the rest of the race he battled up to third before a back-marker caught him out; allowing his step-father and team mate through to finish on the podium on the last lap.
Overall, the car showed signs of pace while also battling new-car teething troubles and saw Chris clinch the very first Mark Fish driver of the day award.
Chris said: “I think underneath all the problems we may just have a decent car here. The balance and power seems strong and we appear to be capable of mixing it with the front-running MG and Honda’s when the car is running so, with some development and reliability, we should achieve some good results. One thing is certain – the team and I will be going flat out to do the best job we can and I’m looking forward to getting back behind the wheel to continue the good work we have done so far.”
For more information on Chris Bassett’s racing activities, please visit the official www.chrisbassett.co.uk website, ‘like’ his Facebook page or follow @Chris_Bassett on Twitter.
