NOV 7 – Brands Hatch Circuit
Round 3 of the Mermaids Charity Sprint Series from Brands Hatch saw the largest grid yet of the season, with a total of 16 drivers taking the green flag. The newcomers took 3 of the top 5 qualifying positions for race 1, with the #31 of Dylan Roberts grabbing the top spot over #3 Chris Nolte, #83 Emily Howe, #107 Ed May, and #16 Lia van Stevelen.
Race 1
The first 45-minute race was a wire-to-wire victory for Roberts, starting on pole and leading every lap. Howe, Nolte, and May kept it close early on, but the lead was mostly uncontested.
+MVT Racing’s #55 of Steven Carlile started in P7 and moved up to P5 as the field reached the halfway mark, but a penalty from an unsafe pit entry resulted in a 40-second hold, relegating him to a P8 finish in race 1.
Race 2
With the field inverted, Elise Main and Judith Cooper led the grid to the green flag for the start of race 2, and as expected, this created spectacular racing with the faster cars trying to work their way towards the front.
The running order changed frantically during the opening laps, with Elise Main, Dakota Canaday, and Carlile battling for the lead. Lia van Stevelen and Kaitlyn Nash also had their cars gunning for the top spot, along with Nolte and Kass Silliman. By the end, the race had 5 lead changes among 6 different drivers.
An early pit stop for Howe placed her near the back of the field approaching halfway, but her blistering pace had the Prismatic Motorsports BMW inheriting the lead from Carlile after his stop, and she would take the victory for the 4th time this season. Carlile secured P2 over Nolte after a tight battle in the closing laps, marking the 3rd time he has finished runner-up to the series’ points leader, Howe.
Next week, the drivers head to Summit Point Raceway for round 4 of the Mermaids Charity Sprint Series.
Final Results
Race 1: P8 /// Race 2: P2
Point Standings after Round 3
| Pos | Driver | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Emily Howe | 146 |
| 2 | Steven Carlile | 80 |
| 3 | Lilac Zier | 65 |
| 4 | Lia van Stevelen | 42 |
| 5 | Elise Main | 35 |
| 6 | Kass Silliman | 34 |
| 7 | Chris Nolte | 30 |
| 8 | Kari Fox | 30 |
| 9 | Kaitlyn Nash | 28 |
| 10 | Claire DeLuca | 28 |
| 11 | Dylan Roberts | 27 |
| 12 | Rebecca Rennie | 22 |
| 13 | Dakota Canaday | 21 |
| 14 | Ed May | 12 |
| 15 | Leah Nudle | 9 |
| 16 | Judith Cooper | 4 |
| 17 | Laura Wiseman | 2 |
| 18 | Mickie Rubock | 1 |
| 19 | Nina de Bhur | 0 |
Positive Movement Racing 