Brackley racer Louie Capozzoli headed to Cheshire and the famed Oulton Park International Circuit for Rounds 8 and 9 of the 2021 Quaife MINI Challenge UK Trophy, hoping for further success on a packed timetable on July 24th.
Despite not being able to attend testing the day before, the LDR Performance Tuning driver was able to muster up a good performance in Qualifying, where he would eventually place sixth overall with a 2:03.871. This put him second highest in the Rookie classification, 0.284 seconds behind the #17 of EXCELR8 Motorsport’s Nicky Taylor.
This was even with several drivers having lap times being deleted, due to exceeding track limits around the 2.692-mile circuit.
The 18-year-old would get a great start of the line for Round 8 just after lunch, using his race craft to quickly move up from sixth on the grid. It would be a fight between the #199 along with 298 Motorsport’s Lewis Saunders and Taylor to secure fourth, but Capozzoli was able to secure another rookie class win, finishing 2.025 seconds behind eventual race winner Matt Hammond.
But it would be a struggle for him in what was a heavily shortened Round 9 encounter at the circuit, following on from a hefty accident for the #888 of Matt Hammond on lap three, which halted the racing for the rest of the day.
Capozzoli would suffer power issues all the way through the first lap that saw him drop significantly down the order until the red flag was shown on lap three, seeing him finish 22nd at the end of what was a very strenuous day.
“I’m pleased with how things went in the first race, as there was a chance to take a first overall victory. But sometimes you have to play the long game and wait for the right time, and I’m happy with another class win in the Rookies,” said Capozzoli on what positives there were at the Cheshire circuit.
“Even with the lack of power from the car in the second race, my thoughts were mainly about Matt (Hammond), after his nasty accident on lap three. I’m glad he’s doing okay after a hefty incident, but it reminds us all that we are taking a risk going racing.
“Now I’m looking ahead to another challenge with Croft in a couple of weeks, so I’ll be getting myself as ready as always.”
He now sits eighth overall in the standings on 224 points, along with currently rounding out the top four in the Rookie class.
The championship now makes its way to Croft Circuit on Saturday 7th of August, with Rounds 10 and 11 taking place on the very same day.
