Pole and P3 at Brands Hatch moves Tipperary’s Nicole Drought up to second in UK Championship Standings
Nicole Drought is becoming a bit of a Brands Hatch specialist of late.The Tipperary lady took a win and a second in the EnduroKA and Trackday Championship races respectively at the Kent venue at the end of 2023 and she returned there last weekend for the second round of the 2024 MSVR Trackday Championship.
The Motion Motorsport team had been working hard on the EBC Brakes Honda Civic since Nicole’s last outing, where she took a win and a third at Donington Park, and with no testing available on the Brands Hatch Grand Prix layout, she would go straight into qualifying on a new setup.
Nicole has only raced once on the longer Grand Prix layout at Brands Hatch, but you wouldn’t have thought so as the red Civic shot to the top of the timesheets in qualifying. As the flag fell to end the session, her advantage to her nearest challenger was three tenths of a second and she was confident of a strong race later in the afternoon.
With team mate Justin Roberts not attending the meeting, Nicole would have to drive the entire race on her own, including a mid race pit stop. She duly headed the 38 car field around to the rolling start and led the pack down through the famous Paddock Hill bend to start the race. Having made an initial break, Nicole was caught and lost the lead on the Grand Prix loop on lap six. With the car appearing to lose power slightly, she was helpless to fight off the competition, briefly dropping to fifth. She battled back to fourth though and a late braking lunge into Druids corner brought her back up to third, a position she held until the chequered flag to take her third concecutive Brands Hatch Podium. This finish, and the extra points for pole position, means Nicole and her team move up to second position in the Trackday Championship with the next round at Lydden Hill on June 15th.
Nicole Drought “Although it is fantastic to stand on the Brands Hatch podium, I have to admit I am a little disappointed. To get pole was fantastic and early on the car felt great. I suspect it lost power as the race went on though and I had to fight hard for third. Still, it’s a good haul of points and to be sitting in second place in the championship at this stage of the season is great. I have never been to Lydden Hill before but I am really looking forward to it. Big thanks, as ever, to Siltex Safety, Gem Oils, Joe Mallon Motors and ITM Digital for their support.”
Nicole Drought, from Roscrea in Tipperary, is Ireland’s top female racing driver. She has won in Circuit Racing, Endurance Racing, Rallycross, Stage Rallying, Endurance Trials and Autotesting.
She is double, and reigning, Open Clubman Rallycross Champion, a former double Endurance Trial Champion and has won races in a variety of different cars. She was the first woman to win in Irish Touring Cars, the UK Citroen C1 Challenge and the UK EnduroKA series. She has also won in Clubsport Enduro, Trackday Trophy and scored a class win in the Uk Race of Remembrance.
She has also driven two F1 cars, three Group C Endurance cars and a variety of Historic race cars such as a Lola T70, Lancia LC1 and March 83G
Nicole is an Ambassador for Joe Mallon Motors, Gem Oils, ITM and Siltex Safety Solutions. She is an Accountant by trade and currently works as the Finance Manager at Mondello Park Racing Circuit.
Image from Michael Chester