A 30-second penalty cost NGK-sponsored Charlie Martin victory in the latest round of the Praga category of the 2021 Britcar Endurance Championship at Silverstone.
Tumultuous weather conditions set the scene for the two-hour showpiece round of the championship with Charlie and her Powerhouse Performance by Praga teammate Jack Fabby qualifying in sixth position.
She took the start of the double-length race and made the most of the changeable weather conditions to climb to fourth, pushing hard through the rain on slick tyres whilst others pitted for wets.
After her strong opening stint, the team took the lead after the pit stop cycle and Fabby then held firm in a nail-biting finish to take the chequered flag before unfortunately the team received a 30-second post-race penalty for a pit stop infraction, dropping them to second place.
Charlie said: “It was a huge effort to make our way through the grid and an amazing feeling to finish first on the road – we gave it our all today and really enjoyed fighting it out at the front so it’s gutting we received the penalty. The big positive is our pace was really strong and that’s something we’ll aim to carry forward from here.
”I was really pleased with my stint to start the race; I was able to make a few places just as the heavens started to open. I kept my composure, stayed calm and did my best to ensure we were in as strong a position as possible when it came to the pit window. Jack then did an excellent job under pressure to hold the lead at the end – it was so tense I almost couldn’t watch
“Again it’s a shame to lose the win but I’d just like to say thank you to all of the team and Jack for their amazing efforts, we did everything we could as a team and stepping back onto the podium is a really nice reward for that hard work. We’ll regroup once again ahead of Brands Hatch at the end of the month and come back even stronger!”
Mark Hallam, Marketing Manager, NGK Spark Plugs (UK) Ltd, said: “Charlie and Jack performed heroically at Silverstone and were so unfortunate to be denied victory by receiving the pit spot penalty. I’m sure Charlie’s fans can look forward to even more drama in the future races.”
The result means Charlie now occupies third in the championship standings with 151 points.
