TRICE WINS THRICE AT BRANDS HATCH
Toby Trice hit the track at Brands Hatch weekend — cheered on by a crowd of friends and sponsors — for the opening rounds of the Ginetta GT Academy. The first race event of the season couldn’t have gone better for the Kent-based racing driver, as he snatched three out of three wins.
The success on track was made all the more sweet with Trice’s supporters out in force. They were easy to spot in their purple and orange branded hats, almost completely taking over Paddock Hill bend during the races. This weekend was the first time Trice had been able to meet many of his sponsors face-to-face due to COVID restrictions limiting them to video calls only. For everyone to be able to come together in this way was very special.
Trice explains: “What a way to start the race season. I can’t quite believe it! It was so great to have all of my sponsors there and I’m so pleased I was able to put on a great show for them. This was absolutely a team effort and it’s incredible to see all that hard work pay off.”
After Trice had taken pole during qualifying on Saturday, it felt like a long wait until the race at the end of the day — especially as the rain clouds started to move in. A short, sharp shower unsettled some of the drivers during the race and after only a handful of laps, the safety car was deployed. Trice, able to hold onto his lead in the rain, was a little way ahead of the pack in first place. The race eventually ended under the safety car; a bit of an anti-climax but a deserved win nonetheless.
The second race, which took place on Sunday in slightly sunnier conditions, provided much more excitement for Team Trice. Slow off the start line, Trice lost the lead on the first lap but he kept his nose clean as a spun car caused another safety car. With just two laps to go, the safety car was brought in and Trice dove for the lead, only to lose out to the third-place car behind.
Now in third with one lap to go, Trice was hassling the cars in front. He moved back up to second with a clean overtake midway though the lap and was soon challenging for the lead. It was on the very last corner of the last lap that Trice was able to pass for first, taking the chequered flag.
On pole again for the third race on Sunday afternoon, a poor start from Trice on the dirty side of the track meant he immediately dropped back to second but managed to defend the position from the cars behind him. An incident further back caused the safety car to be sent out once again, bunching all the cars up, giving Trice a great chance to steal the lead on the restart.
Once the track was cleared, the safety car came in and Trice calmly maintained his position, waiting for the right opportunity to make the pass. It came on the penultimate lap when the leader went wide, allowing Trice to sneak his purple and orange Railscape Ginetta through into first.
Three mature, professional drives from Trice made for a perfect weekend, much to the joy of his sponsors and supporters alike.
Trice adds: “I poured my heart and my soul into this race weekend and I’m overwhelmed by the level of support I’ve had. I’m so proud to be racing to raise awareness for male fertility and to bring home three wins is just amazing. Thank you to my friends, family, sponsors and SVG Motorsport for being part of this journey.”
