Improving Senna Proctor nets BTCC points at Brands Hatch

In the shorter Brands Hatch Indy layout of just 1.2 miles, in front of a reduced crowd of 4,000 lucky fans, the venue provides a challenging race environment and also an especially tough qualifying session on the Saturday of the race weekend.

With 29 cars all vying for free track space during the short 30 minute qualifying session planned ‘hot’ laps can often be thwarted after the tyre warming laps have been completed.

Despite at least one flying lap being scuppered by slower traffic Proctor posted a fastest lap just 0.36 seconds off the polesitter’s best lap.

But with 28 out of the 29 drivers having best times within just 0.9 seconds of each other Senna had to settle for a mid-pack grid start of 13th.

Race day on the Sunday saw cooler conditions and the possibility of rain for the final race of the meeting.

Proctor was able to avoid serious trouble in race one and after 24 hard fought laps of door to door racing he secured his first points of the season.

Confident for the second outing of the day the 22-year-old former Scarborough College pupil again showed impressive race pace to finish well up the order after 27 laps of close racing.

Places were regularly exchanged in a crowded pack of cars as Proctor stormed into the top 10 finishers.

The reverse grid draw for race three pushed Proctor even further up the starters for a second row place.

However, a poor start meant others around him seized the initial advantage.

What followed was a tremendous race with Senna very much involved in some of the best action in a hotly-contested battle amongst the top six.

As the chequered flag was being prepared Proctor picked his moment to let his team mate Josh Cook pass him to take fifth place and keep him in third place overall in the drivers’ championship.