Snetterton 300 - Roadsports & ClubEnduro - 750MC - 21st - 23rd June 2024
It had been a few weeks since the TTs were out, and we were off to Snetterton for Friday testing, 45 Minutes 750MC RoadSports on Saturday, then a 2hr Club Enduro Championship race on Sunday.
I was alone for the full weekend, Ryan was Solo for Roadsports and Michael was back in the Golf after a great debut at Silverstone! Lewis was supposed to be sharing with him, but wasn't feeling too good on Friday evening so decided to leave the driving to Michael. Dylan would be sharing with Ryan for ClubEnduro on Sunday again.
Below is the layout of the Snetterton 300 Circuit:
![](https://www.darksidedevelopments.co.uk/product_images/uploaded_images/snetterton-300-track-layout.jpg)
The TT TDIs have a declared weight of 1177kg, and being in Class A can only have ~285bhp/ton, which works out around 325bhp on the Championship Dyno. Weight is without the driver, Diesels have a 1.05 power multiplier, and Petrol powered Forced Induction cars are required to run at 5bhp/ton lower than the class maximum (i.e. 295bhp/tonne for Class A), so we are ~10bhp/ton down on Forced Induction and 15bhp/ton on NA Cars.
The 750MC now uses TSL for timing.
Full Race Day Vlog
We have a full Vlog from the weekend, with snippets of the races:
Testing
We decided to do the afternoon testing, but as Ryan was otherwise engaged (George's Sports Day!) I had the task of testing both cars
It was a good job we did, as it was pretty eventful! My car felt great and my first flying lap around here in the TT was a 2:03.79, which was in the ballpark we needed to be.
I came in and jumped into Ryan's TT to give that a quick shakedown for him, and it was a good job I did, as the shocker decided to slip down the hub on the first kerb strike, damaging the bottom of the damper and the driveshaft.
I went back out in my TT and it was flying, easily into the 2:02s before the fuel return line decided to separate and spray fuel all over the windscreen. This brought out the reg flags, but there was less than a minute left anyway so it did not cause too much disruption!
The guys did a great job sorting both cars out ready for the second session of the afternoon, and I managed to get into the 2:02s in Ryan's TT as well, not as much in it as Ryan was hoping I think! haha. Roll on Qualifying!
Roadsports Qualifying
Snetterton is one of the longest circuits we use in the UK, with the largest capacity. This race was a sellout, with 45 cars out for Quali. Whilst overtaking is not impossible here, there are a lot of pinch points that could ruin a lap. I knew the best method would be to get to the front of the queue and get a lap in early on.
While I was sat at the end of the pitlane waiting for the green light, the clouds ahead were looking pretty grim. I said to Tom on the radio that if they come our way, it was not going to be dry for long. Even more reason to push hard quickly. I got a clear lap and did a 2:02.147, which was a tenth off my best in testing, a time I knew could have been improved with a perfect lap. I came into the pits for a pressure check and to see if anyone got close.
Ryan had missed testing so was on the back foot compared to most of the guys, his first lap a 2:05 dead which wasn't too bad, however we expected everyone to be much quicker than that.
Michael was also on the back foot with no testing, and a dodgy boost pipe clamp made the situation worse, it coming off before he'd even put in a lap. The lads quickly got it sorted yet it was still 7 minutes lost in the pits.
While we were all in the pits, the clouds I had seen decided to dump their load all over the track, it was not wet, just greasy in all the wrong areas. I came straight into the pits as I knew no one was going to beat my time with the track as it was now.
Ryan got close to his best, however it was going to be impossible to get any further up the order. He came in and hoped no one found any more pace as the rain subsided.
Michael didn't have a choice but to stay out with no time on the board. He eventually got a lap in at the end, the track drying somewhat, yet was still over 3s off Class B Pole.
![](https://www.darksidedevelopments.co.uk/product_images/uploaded_images/roadsports-r3-2024-snetterton-300-qualifying.jpg)
You can see in Class A, the laps were all done at the start of the session. Ryan needed to push harder on his first lap, but that is easier said than done when you haven't been in the car the day before or at the track for over a year!
![](https://www.darksidedevelopments.co.uk/product_images/uploaded_images/roadsports-r3-2024-snetterton-300-qualifying-laps.jpg)
Class B seemed to be a mix of early and late laps. the track must have got quieter and dried up a bit right at the end. Whilst Michael was not where he wanted to be, he could make it work from there, he was not miles away from his main rivals.
![](https://www.darksidedevelopments.co.uk/product_images/uploaded_images/roadsports-r3-2024-snetterton-300-qualifying-laps-b.jpg)
I let Simon have Pole for 9s then kept it for the rest of the session!
![](https://www.darksidedevelopments.co.uk/product_images/uploaded_images/roadsports-r3-2024-snetterton-300-qualifying-laps-history.jpg)
Qualifying Laps
Our fastest Quali laps are shown below:
Roadsports Race
The race wasn't Live Streamed by the guys at AlphaLive but they were broadcasting the ClubEnduro Race on the Sunday.
After missing out on Pole to Mauger at Silverstone last month, it was good to be back on top. Ryan was lucky not to be further down the order considering the times, so was still in the mix and would definitely improve while chasing the pack.
Michael just needed to keep it clean at the start and stay out of trouble at Turn 2!
![](https://www.darksidedevelopments.co.uk/product_images/uploaded_images/roadsports-r3-2024-snetterton-300-race-grid.jpg)
Going into this race I had a 25s Penalty, 15s success and 10s for the Sequential Box. Mauger only had 15s so I had a decent amount to make up at the start. Ryan had 5s.
We had a decent start, and as I looked in my mirrors, Ryan was up to 2nd position coming out of Turn 2, perfect! It didn't last long, as the Sequential Cupras are monsters in a straight line, and Snett has a lot of long straights! So it was not long before he was in 4th position and held it there.
Michael had started 20th, and was up to 18th by lap 1, he carried on chipping away and was 14th by lap 3, he settled into 12th on Lap 5 for a while, then jumped to 10th on Lap 9. I'd told him to keep believing after the disappointment of qualifying!
I was going pretty well and and pulled out almost an 11s gap on the rest of the field by lap 10. It was a good job as I was distracted by the Browes Cupra exiting the Pits, and had an almighty slide into Turn 1, ending up on the grass. I have no idea how I caught it and got back onto the black stuff, then found my shifter lever was not working. I needed a miracle. It came, a safety car was called just as we got to Turn 2. What I didn't know was the cause. Ryan's engine had decided to let go again. Later diagnosis was a shredded cambelt. Similar to the issue we thought we'd fixed last time out. Back to the drawing board!
Whilst I was gutted for Ryan, it did give me a helping hand, I was able to limp back to the pits and serve my mandatory 1 minute stop plus 25s penalty. Fixing the lever took way longer than that, as you can see below.
![](https://www.darksidedevelopments.co.uk/product_images/uploaded_images/roadsports-r3-2024-snetterton-300-race-pit-analysis.jpg)
I was in the pits for 2 minutes longer than my rivals, however they were behind the safety car, and up to now had not put a lap on me. All I needed to do was get out in front and catch the pack up, then the worst case I was the length of the train behind. As I trundled up the pitlane, the lights changed to red as I was at the line. I was damned either way. If I stopped, the race was over. If I carried on and was reported for it, a penalty would ensue. I also didn't have much time to react. In hindsight and looking at the footage, I could have stopped. At the time, I figured I would have overshot the line and needed to reverse back, another no-no. As I'd gone, I put my fate in the hands of the gods!
At this point Michael was sitting in P12, third in class and directly behind his class rivals, waiting for the safety car to come in. As it did and the circuit went green, quite a few of the Class B cars, including Michael, overtook before the safety car line. This is a frustrating part of the multi-class racing, you can end up stuck behind a much slower car for a long time until the line. Some people were aware of the rule changing a few weeks ago, it now only attracts a 10s time penalty, so they had took the gamble that they would make up more than 10s by doing it. They were probably right, but it caused a right old mess at the end of the race!
I drove like a man possessed after the restart, but was confused as to how Mauger had made up so much time on me. I understood how Bialan had, he was at the front of the train so didn't need to wait for the line to get to full speed, and was almost the length of the straight ahead of me, but Mauger was a few cars ahead. Despite being rapid, Simon has not done that many Circuit Races, and didn't realise he needed to wait for the line once the track went green, so he was added to the list going to the headmasters office!
the 2:02s I was punching in were not enough, and I finished 3rd on the road, seven seconds off the lead and five from Simon. Maybe a few more laps and I could have caught them up at least!
So this is how we finished. It was not going to last, myself and Mauger were called to the Stewards office for a telling off.
Michael had put in a mega second stint after the safety car, and ended up P1 in Class, back where the Golf belongs! He was on the naughty list as well, so we needed to see how it all played out.
![](https://www.darksidedevelopments.co.uk/product_images/uploaded_images/roadsports-r3-2024-snetterton-300-race-results.jpg)
I got my telling off first. It was clear from the footage that I had gone through the red light, however it changed just as I arrived, so instead of the standard disqualification and 4 points, mitigating circumstances reduced it to 35s (putting me back to P4) and 3 points. I could live with that.
Mauger was given 10s but that didn't drop him from 2nd since I was miles away with my penalty.
Michael was hit with the same, however the guys ahead were close behind and had followed the rules, so it dropped him to P3. Still, a podium was a great achievement! It could have been worse, Chris Freeman had realised his error, gave the places back and STILL was hit with the penalty!
![](https://www.darksidedevelopments.co.uk/product_images/uploaded_images/roadsports-r3-2024-snetterton-300-race-results-amended-2.jpg)
![](https://www.darksidedevelopments.co.uk/product_images/uploaded_images/roadsports-r3-2024-snetterton-300-race-results-amended-2-nc.jpg)
So we left the track to grab some food a little despondent. Dylan was already on his way to the track when Ryan called to say the #6 was terminal, so he decided to still come for some delicious Mexican food, able to go for the spicy stuff now there was no danger of being strapped in the car at an inconvenient time! While I was driving to the restaurant, I had a call from one of the stewards asking me to go to race control. I said I was out so they were going to call me back. They didn't and I found out my fate the following day.
Someone had thought my penalty was too lenient, so appealed it. The MSUK Stewards agreed and upgraded it to 1 lap, which dropped me to 17th overall and 9th in class. Luckily this was not a championship race!
![](https://www.darksidedevelopments.co.uk/product_images/uploaded_images/roadsports-r3-2024-snetterton-300-race-results-amended-3.jpg)
![](https://www.darksidedevelopments.co.uk/product_images/uploaded_images/roadsports-r3-2024-snetterton-300-race-results-amended-3-nc.jpg)
No one really touched my pace all the way through, and I lost all the time plus more in the pitstop. Without all that hassle, it would have been an easy win. You can see how much I was pushing towards the end!
![](https://www.darksidedevelopments.co.uk/product_images/uploaded_images/roadsports-r3-2024-snetterton-300-race-laps-a.jpg)
Michael's laps were very competitive for Class B, with only the non-finishing Ginetta and Freeman in the Golf significantly faster.
![](https://www.darksidedevelopments.co.uk/product_images/uploaded_images/roadsports-r3-2024-snetterton-300-race-laps-b.jpg)
You can see my domination at the start and Michael's quick rise through the field on the lap chart.
![](https://www.darksidedevelopments.co.uk/product_images/uploaded_images/roadsports-r3-2024-snetterton-300-race-position-chart.jpg)
TSL allows us to see some more statistics about the race as well, I held the fastest lap all the way through, and we spent a third of the race under safety car!
![](https://www.darksidedevelopments.co.uk/product_images/uploaded_images/roadsports-r3-2024-snetterton-300-race-statistics.jpg)
Class B was a much tighter battle looking at the stats.
![](https://www.darksidedevelopments.co.uk/product_images/uploaded_images/roadsports-r3-2024-snetterton-300-race-statistics-b.jpg)
Fastest Laps
Our fastest race laps are below:
I'd held the Lap Record in Class B from last year, a 2:08.81, Freeman stole it with a 2:08.21. During the race the Ginetta also shaved a chunk off it, a 2:08.4.
Despite my poor results, I was happy to beat the 2:03.05 set by Bradley Burns in the Area Golf last season.
![](https://www.darksidedevelopments.co.uk/product_images/uploaded_images/roadsports-r3-2024-snetterton-300-race-lap-record.jpg)
That was it for Saturday, and unfortunately for Ryan and Dylan, the #6 TT was not going to be racing again this weekend, the first time we had had to withdraw from a race in a long time. We did have the guys poised to bring the spare engine down and throw it in, however without a definitive cause and fix sorted yet, we did not want to thrown away another brand new engine.
For some reason this new engine, bought from a guy who'd cancelled a CUAA Crafter Project, had been low on compression since the day it was installed. We thought it might have just needed some bedding in, but it never improved. A post mortem will be done shortly.
ClubEnduro Qualifying
I knew Qualifying on Sunday would not be as easy as yesterday, with a few more competitors arriving. It was even warmer than it had been all weekend, which would slow the times down a fair bit, especially the consistency. These Yokohama A052s are amazing, but are sensitive to overheating.
I had the same strategy as Roadsports, push hard on the first lap with clean air and get a banker lap in. What I didn't do was warm my rear tyres as much, so I had my second rallycross moment at Turn 1 again! This meant the lap was ruined and I needed to go again, issue was I would now get traffic somewhere around the lap, so I was on the back foot. Completely self inflicted!
The guys had come on the Radio to say the bar for Pole was a 2:01.5 by the MX5. This was 0.5s quicker than I'd been all weekend, on a track that was definitely slower. I was losing 0.4s just into Turn 1 compared to the days before, such was the grip available. The more annoying thing was I had given the MX5 a tow all the way round when he did that lap! My goal was the front row, with 2:02.512 set by the Bialan and Mason Cupra who'd won the Roadsports race the day before.
I came into the pits, swapped the tyres for another set we needed to scrub in, and set about preparing for a lap. I managed a 2:02.594 which put me 3rd, then spent the rest of the session chasing a time that was not to be. I settled for 3rd and hoped for a good start!
The #4 BMW, my main rival currently in the championship after our disaster at Croft, was P4.
![](https://www.darksidedevelopments.co.uk/product_images/uploaded_images/clubenduro-r3-2024-snetterton-300-qualifying.jpg)
![](https://www.darksidedevelopments.co.uk/product_images/uploaded_images/clubenduro-r3-2024-snetterton-300-qualifying-disallowed.jpg)
I think if my first lap didn't start with me on the grass, the results might have been different, however I think conditions on the day meant a 2:01 was not happening in the TT for sure.
![](https://www.darksidedevelopments.co.uk/product_images/uploaded_images/clubenduro-r3-2024-snetterton-300-qualifying-laps.jpg)
It was early on when the MX5 set the benchmark, then we all wasted fuel and tyres trying to beat it!
![](https://www.darksidedevelopments.co.uk/product_images/uploaded_images/clubenduro-r3-2024-snetterton-300-qualifying-lap-history.jpg)
Qualifying Lap
My fastest Quali lap is shown below:
ClubEnduro Race
The whole race was Live Streamed by the guys at AlphaLive which you can see below:
Proof that Power to Weight is a great leveller, there was a mix of cars in the front few rows. Missing was the #6 TT. Still gutted for them!
As I'd won the last round, and the E46 had won Round 1 and sat out for Brands meant we both had 30s success penalties in our stops. The MX5 and Bialan/Mason Cupra had none, as did the other 2 Cupras on the 3rd row. I said to the guys on the Radio at the start, I think our main competitor today would be the Bialan/Mason pairing, as they had no penalty and were both similar pace to each other. Some of the pairings had difference abilities, so as long as I could keep touch with the faster drivers, I should have been good in the second phase of the race.
![](https://www.darksidedevelopments.co.uk/product_images/uploaded_images/clubenduro-r3-2024-snetterton-300-grid.jpg)
I had a decent start, as did the MX5 ahead, with Bialan dropping back to 3rd and battling away with Ostwick in the M3. I left them to it and concentrated on keeping pace with the Mazda, which pulled a gap then it fluctuated between 1.5 and 2s for quite a while. Eventually we caught up with the Class D cars and this is when all hell broke loose. On the entry to Hamilton I was on the tail of Henderson who'd been blocked, I went left hoping a gap would open up, and it closed, Joel gambled on going right and the door was open, them promptly shut into Oggies, allowing me to get alongside. I am pretty sure he knew I was there, but still shoved me completely onto the grass and into 3rd place.
This had thrown a load of grass clippings into my grille, so now I was battling coolant temperatures as well as trying to reclaim the place! Two laps later I got my chance and made the move back for 2nd, this one much cleaner!
All this had let the Mazda get away and the Bialan and Mauger Cupras catch up. Mauger was giving Ostwick a hard time, eventually getting him.
A couple of laps later, the MX5 seemed to be struggling and was going pretty slowly. I inherited the lead, eliminating the 3 second gap he'd pulled while we were all squabbling, He managed to carry on, down in 3rd position.
We'd always planned to pit early, but I didn't expect to be waiting for the window to open due to an issue. As soon as it was available, I was in for some new front tyres, 50L of fuel and a full front end clean up!
![](https://www.darksidedevelopments.co.uk/product_images/uploaded_images/clubenduro-r3-2024-snetterton-300-race-pit-analysis.jpg)
The guys did a great job and I was back out, all the way down in 21st position, with the leaders a few corners back, so I was just short of 2 laps behind. I needed to keep them behind in case of a safety car, as it would win me a lap all being well.
I was now on the radio asking the guys about laptimes from the other teams, making sure I was not losing too much. As we would be encountering traffic at different parts of the lap, it was always going to fluctuate, I just didn't want to be maintaining a pace that would allow them to close the gap.
As I was circulating the infield, I'd seen the MX5 at the side of the track. Whatever had caused them issues early on in the race had not gone away. Such as shame as it was flying!
45 minutes in, I was up to 16th and as most of my rivals had stayed out, it was still hard to say if the strategy was paying off. There was still a long way to go!
We were just over halfway through the race and my strategy started to pay off, an E46 was broken down near the bridge, and looked to need some extinguishers, so it was pretty serious. This brought out the Safety Car and therefore the pitlane would be closed.
As expected, once the BMW was recovered, we were waved around so the Safety Car could pick up the leader, which at the time was Ostwick in the Green E46. The issue for me was I was behind several Class D cars, so while the lead pack were at full pace, we were still trundling along, probably as fast as the safety car was previously. Highly frustrating, but I didn't want to gamble like some had the previous day, with a 10s penalty that could have decided the race.
After what seemed to be all the pit stops were over, I was showing in second position, with the #25 Cupra of Darren Ball showing ahead of me with a pitstop completed. I didn't know how that could have happened as he was a few cars in front of me (until he span at Nelson) and was still showing a lap ahead. I knew something was wrong but just kept my head down until Tom said he'd come in super late, right near the end of the pit window. So now I was leading the race once again!
While all this was happening, I saw a Black Flag and Stop/Go Penalty board for the #4 BMW. They had sped in the pitlane. I drove past it for 3 or 4 laps then it changed to just a Black Flag. Clearly they had ignored the warning and it would mean the driver would be disqualified.
Eventually they came into the pits, swapped back to Joel and came out on track, seeming to break down several times as they did so. Not sure what was going on there. I just hoped there would not be a safety car, as that would erode my 30s lead.
After that, there was not much left to do other than keep the car on the black stuff and stroke it home. We needed this after the disaster on Saturday.
2hrs of racing, lots of sweat lost (it must have been over 50c inside the car!) and a great strategy later, we were on the top step again!
![](https://www.darksidedevelopments.co.uk/product_images/uploaded_images/clubenduro-r3-2024-snetterton-300-race-results.jpg)
![](https://www.darksidedevelopments.co.uk/product_images/uploaded_images/clubenduro-r3-2024-snetterton-300-race-results-nc.jpg)
I knew when Mason got in the Cupra he was going to be pushing hard, so we both did our best laps in the latter stages. In the end the gap was pretty much what it was when they left the pits. I had a bit more pace in the car, and was gutted not to push that little bit more to nick the fastest lap!
![](https://www.darksidedevelopments.co.uk/product_images/uploaded_images/clubenduro-r3-2024-snetterton-300-race-laps.jpg)
The lapchart tells it all. I nearly fell off it after pitting so early!
![](https://www.darksidedevelopments.co.uk/product_images/uploaded_images/clubenduro-r3-2024-snetterton-300-race-position-chart-1.jpg)
![](https://www.darksidedevelopments.co.uk/product_images/uploaded_images/clubenduro-r3-2024-snetterton-300-race-position-chart-2.jpg)
Only 1 safety car period was pretty good considering all the issues people had, thanks for the Orange Army for sorting most out while the racing continued!
![](https://www.darksidedevelopments.co.uk/product_images/uploaded_images/clubenduro-r3-2024-snetterton-300-race-statistics.jpg)
Fastest Laps
Our fastest race laps are below:
I think I could have beaten the 2023 Lap Record set by Will Stacey in the Elise, but on the few good laps I did towards the end, I was held up in the last few corners. Really I needed to just keep it clean and neat so that was not on my mind! The 2:02.76 race lap record was still nowhere near the 2:00.91 Will did and Brad's 2:01.91 in CE Quali the previous year.
The Class B record was also untouched from 2020!
![](https://www.darksidedevelopments.co.uk/product_images/uploaded_images/clubenduro-r3-2024-snetterton-300-race-lap-record.jpg)
I am now on top of the Championship Positions for the first time this season. Let's hope it stays that way for the rest of it. Ryan and Dylan are further down that we would hope, but with 1 dropped score, they just can't afford any bad results now and need a bit of luck.
![](https://www.darksidedevelopments.co.uk/product_images/uploaded_images/clubenduro-r3-2024-snetterton-300-championship-standings.jpg)
The next round for RoadSports is at Cadwell Park on Sunday the 21st July. I am sure overtaking will be hard work there! Then we have a RoadSports and ClubEnduro double header in August at Silverstone on the International Circuit.
Thanks to the team for all their hard work in the run up to this and over the weekend.
Photos courtesy of Jonathan Elsey Motorsport Photography and 750MC
All the details and dates for future races we are entering can be found on the Darkside Motorsport Page.
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