Dumfries, Scotland (UK) — 17 September 2018: Albatec Racing returns to British RX action at Pembrey this weekend (23 September), with Mark Higgins top of the tables going to Wales. Higgins took victory in the last round of the series at Lydden Hill to retake the series lead by just three points in his Eddie Stobart partnering NCME Peugeot 208 RX Supercar. The penultimate round of the Toyo Tires MSA British Rallycross Championship takes place on the Carmarthenshire track which was completely revised for 2018 and offered up some exciting racing on the series’ first outing of the year in June. Then Mark finished second after dominating the day’s qualifying races. He never put a wheel wrong, topping the times in practice, securing victory in all three qualifying races, and twice setting the race fastest lap, but was just beaten to the top spot in the Final.
“We had a solid run at Pembrey last time out," said Higgins, "and I’m looking forward to getting back out there. Although we lead the championship, it’s heating up at the top and a clean trouble-free run is required to maintain the momentum. We’ve proved we have a good package, with some fast and consistent pace across the season. Now we need to continue that through into the last two rounds to keep our title hopes on track.” Albatec’s collaboration with the National Centre for Motorsport Engineering (NCME) at the University of Bolton will see five engineering students join the team in Wales, working alongside the experienced team personnel.
Dr Mark Busfield, Director, National Centre for Motorsport Engineering had this to add, “From our side the season has gone very well so far which has provided a valuable learning opportunity for our students. We’ve had a good combination of trouble-free races, and some where the students have been able to work alongside the Albatec personnel to solve issues. I’ve been very happy with the way the two have worked together and I have no doubt this will continue at the penultimate round.”
Track action commences with practice from 09.30, followed by the first qualifying race at 10:15, Q2 at 11:40 and Q3 from 13:45. The semi-finals start from 15:10 with the Finals from 16:30. “We return to Pembrey hoping to leave with the championship lead intact and another win under our belts, said Team Principal, Andy Scott. "Last time there Mark was in dominant form, quickest across the day but just didn’t get the start he needed in the Final to convert that to victory. The event marks a very important stage in the season, with dropped scores now very much on people’s minds. However, we’ll treat it like every other weekend; present a reliable, race-winning package for him, and hope we can come away with the results we deserve.”