Rick Pearson’s first British outing in the Dutch Supercar Challenge came to a premature halt on home turf at Brands Hatch on Sunday due to an engine failure on lap five.

Qualifying

Pearson and his team mate Derek Palmer Jnr set the pace in Saturday’s early morning qualifying session. Pipped to pole in the dying minutes of the forty-five minute timed practice by just 1/100th of a second, the all British duo were eventually classified second in class and eight on the overall starting grid.

“We had a great qualifying session,” Pearson said. “Of course we would have liked to have hung on to pole after being fastest throughout but second is a great achievement and gives some indication just what this car is capable of.”

Race 1

Developed specifically for racing by Japanese motor manufacturers Nissan, the Man Financial-sponsored Nissan Primera showcased its exceptional pedigree under scorching skies at the start of the race, hustling past two cars on the opening tours to slot neatly into sixth place.

In the car for the first half of the race as usual, Pearson’s deft turn of speed shuddered to an unexpected halt early on lap five due to engine failure.

“It’s a really disappointing way to end our home race, especially given how well we performed this weekend,” says Pearson. “Looking on the bright side we did set the fastest lap of the race and we can take heart from that as it would have put us well up the grid in terms of the World Touring Car Championship – which we’re looking to do next season.”