May 2019
Albatec and Higgins denied home success at Silverstone
Silverstone, Northamptonshire (UK) — Sunday 26 May: Albatec Racing and Mark Higgins saw their bid to reach the finals of Dayinsure World RX of Great Britain come to an abrupt end after contact in Sunday’s final qualifying race. Returning to race action for the first time since last November, the reigning British Rallycross Champion made his first appearance of the season at Silverstone’s round of the FIA World Rallycross Championship, racing head-to-head with the World RX regulars in the Eddie Stobart NCME-supported Peugeot 208 RX Supercar.
Silverstone’s notoriously challenging jump provided excitement right from the start, a broken driveshaft sustained on landing on the opening lap of Saturday’s first practice sending Mark back to the paddock for repairs. The Albatec team mechanics, and students from the National Centre for Motorsport Engineering at the University of Bolton, did a sterling job to replace it before the second session, when the triple British Rally Champion successfully completed six laps of the Northamptonshire circuit.
After set-up changes prior to Q1 to solve some handling issues, Mark confidently headed into the first of his two qualifying races. Unfortunately, damage was sustained during contact with other cars, which prevented him from showing the speed that netted him the domestic title in only his first season in the sport. The mechanics worked tirelessly to repair the damage to the chassis legs in their efforts to elevate him from his overnight position of P15 ahead of Sunday’s final two races.
A superb performance in Sunday’s Q3, despite a loss of power steering on the last lap, resulted in the ninth fastest overall time, and he went into the fourth and final race knowing a repeat showing was necessary to seal his place in the semis. After a good start, he slotted into the inside into turn one but was squeezed into the tyre barrier, dropping him 13 seconds down the order and ending his weekend.
Andy Scott, Team Principal, Albatec Racing:
“It’s disappointing to have the weekend and our hopes of progressing ended with contact in the final race. It was always going to be a tall order to recover from the damage sustained in the opening two races. Mark as always drove well, in Q3 particularly with some impressive pace that netted a strong overall position. If we could have repeated that in Q4 we could have had a shot at the finals which was our aim before the weekend. All credit to him, and the team for getting the car repaired and back out so quickly.”
Mark Higgins, Driver #134, Albatec Racing:
“It’s been a frustrating weekend. We were chasing a handling issue on day one and seemed to be getting on top of it for the start of day two. Once this was resolved we seemed to find a lot more pace. It’s been a long time since I’ve been in the car and to come back into it at this level with limited preparation was never going to be easy.
“I enjoyed qualifying three and it’s been great being back in the car and with the team. With a little bit more time and preparation, let’s hope for better things next time out.”
Dr Mark Busfield, Director, National Centre for Motorsport Engineering at University of Bolton:
“The weekend has once again proved challenging not just for Mark but for the team and our students from the University of Bolton. We’ve overcome those challenges time and again, however we just couldn’t recover from the issues we had on the opening day. The challenges have allowed the students the opportunity to see first-hand the trials and tribulations of motorsport. We have all enjoyed this experience to race on the world stage.”
Albatec NCME and Mark Higgins kick off 2019 at home World RX event
• British RX Champion heads ‘home heroes’ at Silverstone’s Speedmachine
• Albatec & NCME successful collaboration continues
• Supported by Eddie Stobart, Motis, Rock Oil and Teng Tools
Dumfries, Scotland (UK) — Friday 17 May: Albatec Racing NCME and British Rallycross Champion Mark Higgins launch their 2019 season at Dayinsure World RX of Great Britain at Silverstone next weekend. They return to the scene of their BRX title-sealing victory, when the triple British Rally Champion pilots the Eddie Stobart NCME-supported Peugeot 208 RX Supercar on 25/26 May.
With the continued support of long-term partners Motis, Rock Oil and Teng Tools, the Dumfries based team and Mark will tackle Silverstone’s purpose-built 0.972km long rallycross track in round four of the Dayinsure FIA World Rallycross Championship.
For Mark the weekend signifies his second outing in World RX following his debut appearance last year, where he hinted at his intentions with a consistent pace in three of the heats. Sadly, he suffered broken suspension in the second, following a heavy landing on the jump, which despite winning his next two races subsequently ended his hopes of reaching the semi-finals. Showing his form amongst a quality entry however, Mark left the event as top British driver.
The Speedmachine Festival features not only exhilarating on-track racing, but once again presents live music from the likes of Sean Paul, track demonstrations and displays, and includes an abundance of street food and supercar displays. Further event information and tickets are available from www.speedmachine.com
Andy Scott, Team Principal, Albatec Racing:
“We’re delighted to be competing once again at our home World RX event and to continue our collaboration with the National Centre for Motorsport Engineering at the University of Bolton. Silverstone is a track on which Mark has had considerable success at National level, securing the British Rallycross Championship there last year. With the welcome continued support of Eddie Stobart, Motis, Rock Oil and Teng Tools, we look forward to returning to the track on which he made his World RX debut in 2018. I am sure he’ll put on another strong performance and I’m confident a semi-final appearance is easily achievable.”
Mark Higgins, Driver #134, Albatec Racing:
“I’m really excited to be getting back behind the wheel of the Albatec Peugeot 208 and taking on the World RX regulars at Silverstone. Last year’s event was a bit of an eye-opener, it was only my fourth rallycross outing, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and we achieved significant results against the factory teams and drivers. During my first season in rallycross I learnt a lot, so I’m looking forward to putting that into practice later this month. Thank you to Eddie Stobart for their continued support of myself and the collaboration between Albatec and the University of Bolton and to all our sponsors and partners.”
Dr Mark Busfield, Director, National Centre for Motorsport Engineering at University of Bolton:
“Last year’s collaboration with Albatec Racing signalled the start of a hugely successful enterprise which resulted in us winning the British Rallycross Championship. Now, we are delighted to be continuing that partnership with our first event of 2019, and what better place to do it than Silverstone. Our students will once again play a major part of the team operations over the weekend, working alongside the permanent personnel, and we are all looking forward to what will hopefully produce a successful result.”