Multiple MINI Challenge race winner Rob Smith says he is hungrier than ever to make an overdue return to the top step of the championship podium when the series visits Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit, the scene of his maiden category victory, this coming weekend.
Rounds eight and nine of the season, which will both be contested on Sunday, 11th June, will come just a fortnight after an eye-catching series of performances from the MINI UK VIP Customer Team driver at Snetterton 300 Circuit.
While not rewarded to the level he should have been, alternator failure in the first of the three races in Norfolk costing a likely victory, Smith did manage to mount a sensational recovery in the second contest which enabled him to successfully challenge for the podium in race three.
After taking his first pole position of the season by an unheard of 2.1 seconds in very challenging wet conditions, the Crewe-based racer bounced back superbly from his enforced race one retirement, while leading, to gain no fewer than 18 positions from the back of the grid in round six.
Finishing ninth, and therefore securing a fifth row start for round seven, Smith converted that into his second podium finish of the year and managed to depart Snetterton eighth in the championship despite the non-score in the opening encounter.
Delivering pace more than capable of victory, Smith is now aiming to make that long overdue return to the top step of the podium at Silverstone where he celebrated his first ever MINI Challenge race win back in 2014.
Earlier this year, of course, the Evergreen Tyres, GroupTyre and BMTR-backed driver gained some significant mileage on the full Silverstone GP track as part of his first ever twice-round-the-clock race in the Creventic 24 Hour Touring Car Endurance Series.
Finishing fourth in class, along with team-mates Stuart Hall, Mark Lemmer, Matt Kelly and current MINI Challenge rival Max Bladon, Smith is relishing the prospect of being back at Silverstone and is determined to utilise his recent experience to the full.
“I really am looking forward to Silverstone, I took my first [MINI Challenge] win on the GP track in 2014 so there are a lot of good memories”, he commented, “We obviously know the track well and I did lots of mileage there in the 24 hour race so we’ll definitely be going there looking to get our championship moving in the right direction.
“We had the pace to challenge for the podium in every race at Snetterton, if not wins, but the alternator issue in race one obviously put us on the back foot. I was really happy with my pace and the performances in races two and three, though, and I definitely feel we’re the fastest package.”
Qualifying for the fourth race meeting of the MINI Challenge season will take place at 11.55 on Saturday, 10th June, with round eight scheduled to begin at 12.45 on Sunday, 11th June, with round nine following at 17.20. Both encounters are set to be screened live on the Front Runner channel.
2017 MINI Challenge Standings
8th Rob Smith, 191pts
