George Grant concluded his fine Max5 Championship season with another strong points-paying weekend, which saw him secure a superb third place in the 2016 standings.
Running a Paul-Sheard Mazda MX5, George has consistently finished inside the top ten this year and it was a familiar story in the final round at the Silverstone International Circuit, as he delivered an eighth and a sixth place finish.
“It has been a really enjoyable season for me and this was a good way to end it,” George said. “There are obviously still some things that I need to get my head around, the tyres for example, but overall the improvements that we’ve made to the car make me feel much more natural behind the wheel.”
It was George’s first experience of the 2.249-mile circuit and as has become customary at many rounds this season, the wet weather refused to hold off as the Kingston-upon-Thames-based ace got to grips with track.
After complaining of some understeer in qualifying, George managed to find a good balance in the first race and his lap times improved considerably. He caught championship rival Ian Loversidge towards the end of the race, but just ran out of time to make a move and finished eighth.
“The car felt great in race one,” George explained. “The set-up was slightly off in qualifying and I had a bit of understeer, but the team did a really good job and it was much better in the first race. My times were improving and I was able to catch Ian. It was a really clean battle and a lot of fun, but I knew if I just had a few more laps I maybe could’ve got him!”
Race two saw the #69 driver start in eighth as the rain came down, but George’s wet-weather driving skills were on show again as he climbed up the order to finish sixth.
“The second race was a lot more slippery!” Continued George. “The conditions were difficult, but I just kept my head down. Halfway through the car felt a bit funny, which is why my pace dropped off a bit, but it picked up towards the end and I was happy to come home in sixth.”
These results mean that George finished third overall in the standings, after championship leader Nick Dunn was controversially disqualified from the series, when it was found his car was illegally running ABS.
“If I’m honest, I’m quite saddened really by the manner in which this year has ended,” said George. “I’m happy for my team-mate John Munro to have won the championship, but after the unfortunate disqualification of Nick it’s felt bitter sweet.
“I’m just a bit unhappy at the organisation and the way in which the situation was handled. Everyone knows what a great driver Nick is, just look at his performance this weekend - race two in particular. It was Senna-esque!”
George still has one race left in the Supercup Championship, which is again at Silverstone this weekend (October 14), where he will be teaming up with Nick as the youngster makes his debut in the series.
“I’m really enjoying driving recently, I’ve felt much more comfortable in the car and I’m thoroughly looking forward to getting back out there in the Supercup next weekend for the final at Silverstone. Nick will be driving in that for the first time alongside me in a Paul Sheard-run car, so I’m very excited for that.
“Lastly, I just want to say how important the Coming Home campaign has been to me this year. Providing assistance for ex-service personnel and their families is something I care very much about and I’m glad that I’ve been able to increase awareness and raise funds for such a good cause.”
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.
