I said after Anglesey that Donington would be the weekend everything came together. The pace was there. The start of Race Two proved it. And then motorsport did what motorsport does.
Qualifying and Race One: Fighting the Penalty
I posted the seventh-fastest time in qualifying — solid pace, but a grid penalty carried over from Anglesey meant my starting position didn’t reflect it. Race One was therefore another recovery job before it even began.
I got my head down and worked through the field, bringing the car home in 11th. Not the result I wanted, but controlled, measured, and another set of laps in the bank showing the pace is genuinely there.
Race Two: The Best Start of My Season, Then Nothing
I nailed the start of Race Two. I mean really nailed it — gaining several positions in the opening moments and moving forward with real confidence. Then a multi-car accident unfolded ahead of me and I was caught up in it as an innocent bystander. The damage was enough to end my race at the restart.
Christian Dick put it simply: “It’s a real shame for Benjy because he was showing excellent pace all weekend. Sometimes motorsport simply doesn’t reward the effort.”
That’s racing. It stings — especially when the speed is clearly improving with every event — but there’s no use dwelling on what I couldn’t control.
The Positives Are Real
Two weekends in a row where the results haven’t reflected the pace. But pace is the thing you build from, and mine is building. The Speedworks Rising Star programme gives me the data and the coaching to know exactly where I stand, and everything points upward.
Next round, we go again. 💪