George Grant is aiming to continue his promising rookie campaign in the BRSCC Mazda MX-5 SuperCup at the series’ second round of 2016 at the Anglesey Circuit this weekend (May 7-8).
The Kingston-upon-Thames driver is undertaking a dual programme in 2016; remaining in the popular MAX5 Championship, in which he finished seventh overall last season, while also stepping up to the MX-5 SuperCup for more race-bred versions of Mazda’s ultra-popular roadster.
Grant adapted well to the demands of his Paul Sheard Racing-powered SuperCup MX-5 at Snetterton last month, getting to grips with the 30 extra horsepower available plus upgraded suspension and engine components compared to the near-standard MAX5 machine.
His 17th and 20th-placed finishes served notice of his intention to move up the grid, and the GGR Motorsport driver has since been hugely encouraged by a confidence-boosting test on the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit in Northamptonshire.
This weekend’s trip to Anglesey, on the North-West corner of Wales, gives Grant further opportunity to represent ‘Coming Home’, a charity dedicated to helping those wounded in British conflicts for which he has already raised £3,000 through his racing activities.
“I’m looking forward to Anglesey,” enthused Grant. “I know the circuit after supporting the Race of Remembrance there last November, although I hope we don’t have a repeat of the hurricane or the torrential rain we experienced on that weekend.
“But wet or dry, I’m relatively happy. I did my ‘Ayrton Senna at Donington’ lap at Snetterton last month in the wet and went from 21st to 15th on the first lap alone! The new Avon tyres we’re using this year are very grippy and as long as the car’s set-up is good, nothing will stop me.”
Grant lies 19th in the SuperCup standings after the Snetterton opener, but last weekend took a pair of strong top-10 finishes as the MAX5 Championship moved on to Croft in North Yorkshire.
The results, plus the progress made at the Silverstone test, have put Grant in a positive frame of mind heading into this weekend’s triple-header.
“The key to my weekend is going to be qualifying,” Grant explained. “I started 10th and seventh for the MAX5 races at Croft last weekend, and finished seventh and sixth, which proves that if you can put in a representative time in qualifying, you can run there in a race scenario.
“At the first SuperCup round at Snetterton, I didn’t qualify as well as I’d hoped to, so in a race situation, was limited somewhat by the pace of those around me, and it affected my finishing position quite a bit.
“The real positive is that I’m performing to a higher level this year, which is only my third in motor racing. I’ve peeled back another layer of the onion and can give better feedback on what the car’s doing.
“Plus, Paul Sheard himself will be racing at Anglesey and nobody knows more about getting performance out of an MX-5 than him. Being able to tap into his vast knowledge can only be of benefit and should push towards the front of the grid.”
