Neil Newstead headed to his local track the famous and Britain’s best loved motor racing circuit Brands Hatch GP confident of some good results following his success at Donington Park.

The 2015 Power Maxed Mini Challenge MSVR Championship was supporting the head lining Blancpain GT Series.

Qualifying was cut short by team mate Steve Cocker not making the corner at Surtees and burying the car in gravel trap bring the safety car out, which then subsequently brought out the red flags bring the session to an early end. Newstead had showed great pace early on and qualified his Oakfield Motorsport Mini Cooper JCW on pole with over a second to second place.

Race 1 on Saturday afternoon, saw Newstead take pole position, however Newstead did not have the best start, and dropped backed to forth, once the start was out the way Newstead soon dispersed third place Branden, and then become attached to Durpreys bumper it would only be a matter of time before he made a pass, that said Durprey had good pace and was defending hard making his car very wide, Newstead sat patiently and then pounced from the outside of the pit straight into the inside of paddock and took second place. With the battle with Durprey this had gapped first place Brown into a good lead and although Newstead showed great pace time had run out and had to settle for second on the podium. Newstead commented after the race “It was a brilliant first race, I fluffed my start again, but I knew I had the pace and just needed to be patient – another podium is just fantastic,”

With the sun out on Sunday, thousands of people lining the track, the atmosphere was electric, every driver on the grid was charged, and clearly there was carnage into turn 1, Paddock Hill, cars where sideways, into each other, smashed, Newstead had to more ales bring his car to a halt to stay out of trouble, with this he was passed which saw him drop to seventh, For the second time of the weekend the Safety car was deployed whilst the cars where cleared from Paddock Hill, with the race being cut short Newstead new he would need to work quick to get pass the cars, within a few laps he had got back to forth position, and before he knew it the 20 minute race had finished and had to settle for a disappointing forth.

Speaking to Newstead before Race 3, clearly he was disappointed with his result in Race 2, and was confident that he would be back on the podium all going well in Race 3, Newstead’s Oakfield Motorsport Mini Copper JCW made it by the pole sitting Kevin O Conner starting in second place. With O’Conner pushing Branden into Newstead from lights out you could see Newstead was charged, and with his elbows out he sat his line on the outside of Paddock, keeping his car in the lead, Newstead showed perfect race craft with rapid pace taking the fastest lap he lead an impressive race taking a lights to flag victory.

Newstead’s next racing will be at Silverstone GP Circuit on the 13th-14th June 2015.

“What a weekend, we have had such a manic couple of weeks trying to resolve a misfire on the car, which was only confirmed all clear after a test session on the Friday before this weekend starting, the work and preparation has certainly paid off, the car set up is perfect we have great pace, without the work of the team especially my engineer Bill Sollis these results would not have been possible today, to finish the weekend with a fastest lap, and a lights to flag victory is just an amazing feeling, and to top it all I am still leading the Championship JCW class, my thanks go to my partners and sponsors: Best of British partner Corbeau Seats, Chandlers of Hailsham, Oakfield Estate Agents, SDS Builders & Decorators, Stu Lane.com and new Sponsor Teng Tools.”

– Neil Newstead