George Grant took the positives from an experience-building outing at the first round of the 2016 BRSCC Mazda MX-5 SuperCup season at Snetterton, Norfolk, last weekend (April 2-3).After testing at Silverstone with British Touring Car Championship race winner Paul O’Neill ahead of his first season in the highly competitive series, Grant arrived at Snetterton eager to gain as much track running as possible.Friday’s test session gave Grant a good opportunity to bed-in his Paul Sheard-powered Mazda MX-5, which had been subjected to a raft of changes to prepare it for the challenging eight-round championship.“Having missed the Snetterton round last year, I hadn’t raced there for a while, so I made sure to get my eye in early on,” explained Grant. “As the SuperCup represents quite a big step up from the MaX5 Championship we knew that understanding the car and setting it up appropriately was crucial for starting the season strongly. It was good to get some solid track time under my belt.”Whilst Grant made full use of testing and free practice to record a string of solid lap times, persistent oversteer from the car significantly hindered his performance during Saturday’s hotly contested qualifying session, with the Briton ultimately having to settle for 23rd on the grid.In spite of the mystery balance issue and soaking track conditions, Grant made a storming getaway in race one and climbed an astonishing nine places on the first lap. After an intense series of close tussles throughout the race, Grant finished a respectable 17th.“I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly I managed to get the car off the line!” enthused Grant. “I’m usually confident with my race starts and braking points, especially in the wet, so given the conditions I decided to really go for it on the first lap, which paid off nicely in the end.”Grant started strongly once more in race two, and the GGR Motorsport racer was making good progress before a snap of oversteer sent his #69 MX-5 onto the grass at the tricky Montreal hairpin. Grant rejoined and improved his pace throughout the race to overtake several rivals and take 20th at the chequered flag.With experience and the support of the Paul Sheard team behind him, Grant is confident that he can build on his constructive outing and make further progress at the next round.“As my first competitive foray into the series, I’m pleased with how I drove and the amount we learnt in the time that we had,” Grant reflected. “The guys at Paul Sheard were enormously helpful throughout the weekend, and their advice and expertise will be invaluable for improving my performance over the coming season. I’m sure that we can use this foundation effectively to push even harder next time.”Grant heads to Croft for the second round of the 2016 MaX5 Championship on April 23, before returning to Mazda MX-5 SuperCup action at Anglesey circuit on May 7 and then Zolder in Belgium on June 5.Coming Home:Haig Housing’s latest fundraising campaign, Coming Home, offers a wide range of housing assistance and options for ex-Service personnel and their families. These specially adapted homes have been tailored to suit the needs of those in desperate need of housing following a traumatic or life-changing injury. “Our task is to fix up these brave young men and women so that they are capable of leading the rest of their lives,” explains Help for Heroes founder Bryn Parry, who fully supports the campaign. “That’s where Coming Home can help. They provide them with somewhere appropriate and decent to live.”Coming Home: taking over where Help for Heroes finishesHaig Housing, along with Combat Stress, is a strategic partner of Help for Heroes. As such, the charity dedicated to helping those wounded in British conflicts looks to Haig Housing for support after their work is done. As specialists in their field, Haig Housing is the ideal candidate to provide assistance in housing the serving and ex-Service personnel in specially adapted homes. With many costing somewhere between £150,000 and £300,000, their work relies on donations from the general public. Haig Housing and Coming Home have already provided many badly injured ex-Service men and women with a home for life. Read their stories today and see the contribution your donation could make to others.Please visit www.coming-home.org.uk for more information.