and pole position at Snetterton season opener

Liz Halliday made a stunning start to this seasons Lotus Cup UK campaign last weekend by recording class victory and pole position, as well as second overall, at Snetterton.

With the reliability issues that blighted her 2012 campaign ironed out by the John Danby Racing squad over the winter, the professional dual sportswoman was hoping to lay down a marker for the year ahead in Norfolk. That certainly appeared to be the case on Sunday morning when she secured 2-Eleven class pole position by 0.4sec.

But despite her advantage over a single lap Halliday was expecting a tough battle during the afternoons 1.5-hour race around Snettertons 300 layout after struggling to find an ideal set-up with the new Avon tyres that the series has mandated this year.

Incredibly the scrap for victory would last from start to finish between herself, Simon Deacon and Tom Chatterway, who all spent time in the lead. An excellent stop from the JDR crew also ensured that no more than the minimum three minutes was lost in the pits before Liz returned to the action.

All three drivers were still in contention as the minutes ticked away before Chatterway span into retirement while fighting for the lead. Then a late Safety Car period only added to the pressure as Liz, who now headed Deacon, focused on retaining the place.

But having successfully negotiated the traffic at the re-start, Liz was baulked by a slower car on the exit of Turn 1 on the final lap, allowing Deacon to slip through. Halliday wasnt done though and after the duo clashed at the next corner Liz was able to find a way past at the Esses before holding on for a hard-fought class victory, not to mention second overall.

Liz Halliday: What a fantastic result! This ones for the team at John Danby Racing who have worked very hard to uncover the issues we experienced last season. The car was very reliable all weekend, which makes such a big difference when trying to work on the set-up with a new tyre. Theres still some progress to be made on this front but producing such a good result regardless of that gives me a lot of encouragement for the rest of the year.

It was a dash from lights to flag and there was some great racing between all three of us. I was very determined to finish the job properly so being held up with a lap to go wasnt ideal. I just thought to myself, there is no way I am losing this one, and fortunately I was able to make the pass stick. If we carry on like that its going to be an incredibly close and exciting season.

Halliday returns to Lotus Cup UK action at Silverstone on April 28.