Essex & Kent Motorsport racer Lewis Kent feels a marginally longer opening TCR UK Touring Car Championship race at Brands Hatch could have given him an opportunity to challenge Ollie Taylor for second.
The Hyundai i30 N TCR driver took his first podium in the championship after a strong start put him into third, from where he successfully held station to the chequered flag.
The gap to Pyro Motorsport’s Ollie Taylor ahead began to decrease in the closing stages, but the last lap board ultimately put paid to Kent’s charge.
Regardless, the former Ford Fiesta racer was satisfied to score the result at his local event.
“It feels really good to get this first podium finish and I can’t thank all the guys at Essex & Kent Motorsport enough,” said Kent to TouringCars.net
“We pushed hard at the start and managed to get into third and then managed our tyres during the middle. I started going for it with ten laps left and you could see the lead gap decreasing, maybe if the race had been another five minutes longer I’d have passed him.
“It’s great marketing at our home event. Everybody that sponsors me is from around this area so it’s really good for them and I’ve got so much support here – half my family are here – so it’s good to have everyone here supporting me and to reward them with a podium.”