George Grant’s MaX5 Racing Championship campaign resumed with a difficult seventh round outing at Thruxton last weekend (September 20) as his efforts to raise awareness for official Armed Forces charity Mission Motorsport continued.

It was always going to be a relatively tricky debut for the GGR Motorsport driver at Hampshire’s 2.356-mile circuit, as Grant had never previously turned a wheel there in anger prior to pre-event testing the Monday before.

However, Grant could rely on the knowledge of Mission Motorsport team manager Tony Compson in best preparing his Mk3 MX-5 for the ferociously quick turns of the former airfield, as well as David Brodie, who has much experience of Thruxton.

Despite utilising this expertise, an understandably apprehensive George lined up 16th for Saturday’s opening contest. However, an excellent start – something of a Grant trademark – vaulted him to 11th before further tyre issues saw him slip back to 15th, which became a season-best 14th following team-mate David Birrell’s penalty.

Although encouraged by his exploits on the fringes of the top-10, Grant was realistic about his maiden race at the super-fast venue.

“Firstly, in terms of speed, I’ve never experienced anything like Thruxton before.” beamed Grant. “It’s all about being smooth through the corners, while maintaining a high average speed, in order to maximise your exits onto the back straights, which I think we achieved.

“Despite a great getaway, I’m still learning how to maintain a level of consistency while getting to grips with the limits of the car and track. Nonetheless, I think 14th was the best we could do in race one, but we’re moving forward all the time.”

Another fantastic launch in race two once again elevated Grant from the seventh row, although his well-documented tyre struggles continued towards mid-distance, dropping him to the rear of an eight-way battle for 10th, which was eventually occupied by fellow Mission Motorsport-run driver Birrell.

Notwithstanding keeping pace with the cars directly ahead of him, Grant admitted he found it tricky to maintain a constant level of performance.

“It’s quite frustrating to make a good start and battle drivers with far more experience, only for the lap times to drop off,” explained Grant. “It’s something I’ve really got to focus on managing, although the excitement of racing wheel-to-wheel can sometimes distract you, which isn’t a bad thing I suppose! We’re certainly Taking Fun Seriously!

“It’s extremely challenging to manage the tyres – particularly the softer compound – but it’s still tremendous fun. Once I find a way to perform consistently, hopefully I can crack the top-10.”

While struggling with on-track consistency, Grant’s eye-opening weekend has elevated him to fifth in the 14-strong Mk3 standings. He’s also keen to stress the importance of Mission Motorsport’s work in preparing his Mazda for a somewhat unique circuit.

“I must thank Tony, David and the entire Mission Motorsport crew for their efforts in the last few weeks,” Grant added. “Sometimes, the work that goes on behind the scenes doesn’t get the recognition it deserves. The guys are juggling lots of projects all at once, so I’m extremely grateful for their assistance.

“I’m also very proud of my team-mate David Birrell. After receiving the penalty in race one, he pulled a cracking performance out of the bag to finish 10th in race two. Personally, I’m now looking forward to competing at Pembrey in two weeks.”

Indeed, Grant will be seeking a strong end to the season at the Welsh finale on October 4/5.