Running alongside the DMN Championship at Brands Hatch the SEMSEC season starter offered the Bill Richards Racing Team the chance to give “Bessie” (the teams Special Saloon Metro) an outing on the Brands Hatch Indy circuit. The car is proceeding apace with its upgrade and test program – Brands Hatch would see the team running a new gearbox.

The qualifying session was used largely as a shakedown session for the new gearbox as the team assessed the installation and function of the box. The longer gearbox casing had also required some changes to the steering geometry of the car and the impact of these changes on the handling was also closely monitored throughout the session. The times recorded during the session would see the Metro starting mid-pack in an eclectic field of machinery.

Between qualifying and the races the team made some minor setup changes and adjusted the throttle to allow a wider range of the available power to be used. The Metro ran faultlessly in both races with the lap times falling steadily when the car was able to run in clear air. The races yielded a pair of 3rd in class results – an admirable result on the Metros return to competitive action.

The team can take a lot of positives away from the Metros outing, the engine delivered good power throughout and the new gearbox generally worked well but will require a minor modification to deliver its true potential. The Avon tyres used will be sent back to Avon for analysis as the team strives to refine its tyre options on the lightweight Metro (getting heat cycles through the rear tyres in particular is a challenge in such a lightweight car). Avon have proved invaluable in this process as they continue to offer the best compounds available backed up with exceptional technical assistance.