The drama started before practice even began. Loading the car on the trailer the night before, I discovered an unfused circuit, grounded it out, sparked a small electrical fire, and blew the ignition fuse. After some frantic late-night repairs, we got it sorted – but rolled into The Bend tired and on the back foot.
Practice didn’t offer much relief either. Greasy track conditions, a brief off through the grass, flying ducting from the roof, and an oil spill on the fastest part of the circuit all conspired to ruin any meaningful setup time. We were chasing front-end grip, but without clean laps, feedback was near impossible.
With one last practice session to dial in the car, disaster struck. Third and fourth gear disappeared completely – joining the infamous “1-2-5 Club.” Luckily, we had a spare gearbox on hand (thanks to some wise paddock advice). With huge help from Tinker at Hampstead Auto, Alan from P&H Racing, Sam and Matt from TCM Race Services, we thrashed late into the night and even into Saturday morning to get the car ready. It’s a perfect example of the amazing community in Excel racing.
Qualifying was just as wild. We were pushed into a third row on pit lane for recovery vehicles, forgotten about for the green flag, and then hit with a red flag before completing a single flying lap. When the session resumed, we had one shot at a lap and managed to put down a time good enough for P13. Unfortunately, the car failed post-session scrutineering, falling 5mm too low on ride height after the gearbox swap. Technical disqualification meant we’d start Race 1 from the very back of the grid – alongside our teammate, who suffered the same fate.
With nothing to lose, we lined up at the tail of a 20+ car grid for the opening race. This was our “last-to-first” challenge moment. I got a strong launch off the line, threading through the backmarkers and picking off cars one by one. Clean but assertive driving was key; the field at this round was the fastest we’d seen all season.
Every lap felt like a sprint. The car was finally feeling decent after the gearbox swap, but the conditions were still greasy which made every move high-risk. There were elbows-out battles with familiar names — Redwood, Wallace, Perryman, and others — but the racing was respectful and tight. By the chequered flag, we’d clawed our way from dead last into 17th. Not a podium, but a personal victory considering how the weekend had started.
Race 2 felt like déjà vu but with a twist. A poor getaway off the start bogged the car down badly, undoing much of the progress from Race 1 and putting me back in the thick of traffic. Determined to recover, I fought hard through the pack again, trading positions and even giving Elliot a “love tap” into Turn 6 that smashed my headlight!
The middle laps were a blur of bump-drafting, slipstreaming and side-by-side action. The front group’s fighting slowed them enough that I could close gaps and make passes, but every time I made a move, someone was right there to counterattack. By the chequered flag, I’d hauled the car back to 17th again – the same as Race 1. Frustrating, but it showed the car had pace and that I could stay with some very quick drivers.
We lined up for our final race of the season determined to finish strong. Lily jumped on the radio for the first time to get some experience before next year. Unfortunately, Fletcher suffered a spectacular fiery engine failure, spilling oil onto the track. Moments later, Elliot went upside down in the same corner. The race was red-flagged and ultimately declared a non-event. Zero points awarded. A frustrating but sobering reminder of how unpredictable racing can be.
Despite the chaos of Round 6, we finished our rookie season 15th overall in the championship – beating our initial top-20 goal. It’s been a steep learning curve but an incredible experience. We’ve had great battles, built pace, and learned so much about the car, the craft, and ourselves.A massive thank you to our sponsors – Exo Terra, Aqua One, API, Seaview Aquarium, KJ Built, AquaLabs – and to everyone who pitched in to keep us on track this season. With a new team and fresh momentum for 2026, we’re aiming even higher. Onwards and upwards!
