George Grant took his first-ever victory in his Paul Sheard-run Mazda MX-5 at Pembrey.
Finishing fifth in practice, George qualified a strong third for the first race of the weekend. “I made a cracking start and led the race for the first time – I don’t think I’ve led a race in my life before!” he enthused.
“I tried to create a bit of a gap, but unfortunately at the end of the second lap I didn’t cover and was out-braked into the hairpin and then made a similar mistake, going in too quick letting two cars past. I was then in a three-way fight for third position – I felt quicker than the guys in front of me, but couldn’t find a way past. It must have been a fantastic spectacle to watch.
“I was thoroughly disappointed that I couldn’t get a podium, and then felt I was harshly penalised for exceeding track limits and was given a 15 second time penalty.”
This meant George started back in eighth place for race two, but he set the fastest lap before a red flag after team-mate John Munro was involved in an incident. “I ended up in fifth position and setting fastest lap shows I have the pace,” Grant said.
Buoyed by his potential and keen to prove a point he wrapped up the weekend in style by taking victory in the final race of the weekend. “Unfortunately this was not a championship race and three of the drivers went home!” said Grant. “This left Andrew Pretorius and I on the front row, and as he’d beaten me in the previous race I had a bit of a point to prove. I made a great start; my starts have been a major bonus.
“I took the lead at the hairpin and got the hammer down. I created a cushion as the tyres weren’t at their best and put in consistent laps. I cooled it down a bit towards the end, extending the lead to just under six seconds.
“It’s great fun to win! It’s quite emotional and if it hasn’t happened to you before it’s an extraordinary experience. It’s not a championship race but a win is a win and it’s a massive leap forwards.”
After sustaining damage in his last outing at Anglesey, George was full of praise for the work undertaken by his team: “The boys did a fantastic job getting the car prepared because it needed a whole new front end,” Grant explained. “Paul Sheard turned it around really quickly and I was delighted.
“With the huge disappointment of the previous weekend I had a point to prove to myself. I came to Pembrey with all guns blazing, a renewed confidence but relaxed – which is the key.”
But that wasn’t all for George, as he also entered the Nippon Challenge race in-between races one and two for the Max5 Championship. “There was an opportunity to drive. I qualified second in class and sixth overall, and that’s how I finished. I did it for a bit of fun – I pushed but didn’t want to ruin myself for the Max5 races,” Grant noted.
This season George is raising funds and awareness for the Coming Home campaign, which provides housing assistance to ex-service personnel and their families. They build specially adapted homes, which are tailored to the needs of those in desperate need of housing following a traumatic or life-changing injury. Coming Home is the latest fundraising campaign from Haig Housing, which is a strategic partner of Help for Heroes.
The next race for George is in the Max5 Championship at Donington Park (18-19 June) although the series heads to Mallory Park before then. He will then race in the Mazda MX-5 SuperCup at Oulton Park (25 June).
Paul Sheard Racing Team:Paul Sheard has been competing in UK motorsport for over 30 years, as well as instructing new drivers. The team has had a successful history in all forms of motorsport but, having run MX-5s since 2004, is now dedicated to supporting customers in either its cars or their own cars, in all Mazda-linked championships.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.
