Max has a challenging time at Donington Park

Date: Friday 13 May 2022

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Yorkshire’s Max Coates – who is sponsored by ignition and sensor specialist NGK – suffered mixed fortunes at Donington Park for the start of the 2022 MINI Challenge UK season.

Supporting the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) for the third season, the series featured a twenty-eight car grid at the East Midlands race circuit with the first race seeing Coates, who started in seventh place, having to take avoiding action off the line as the car directly in front stalled and then being tagged into a huge slide with the subsequent trip through the gravel causing a puncture. After pitting to change a tyre he finished in 24th place.

That would become his starting position for the weekend’s second race, but he gained six places on lap one and then continued to climb the order to tenth, overtaking nearly every lap. Whilst he was involved in the battle for seventh position, the race ended a lap early to recover a stricken car in a dangerous position, unfortunately causing Coates to lose a place on lap countback to the last time all the cars crossed the start and finish line.

Starting eleventh for the final race of the weekend Coates again made places on the first lap, up to ninth. There was an eight-car train for the lead of the race, all following nose to tail until a late safety car bunched the pack up again. Whilst Coates lost out on the restart, he regained ground to finish the final race of the weekend in eighth position.

Afterwards Coates said:

“It’s been a mixed weekend of what ifs and maybes, but we have good speed in the car and myself which bodes well for the next round. The team have put a in a lot of effort going into the weekend with a number of new updates to the car this year as well as taking on a big expansion, so credit to them and as ever my loyal partners who enable me to continue racing in 2022. I look forward to repaying them with some trophies soon.”

Mark Hallam, Marketing Manager, NGK Spark Plugs (UK) Ltd, said:

“It was an incident packed start to the MINI CHALLENGE series for Max but I’m sure he will be battling it out near the front when the series heads to next round at the Brands Hatch Indy circuit in Kent on May 13-15 which is one of his favourite circuits.”

Live timing from the event can be found at tsl-timing.com whilst Max’s two races on Sunday, May 15 (12.10pm & 4.40pm) can be watched live on ITV4.

For more information about NGK and its products and services, please visit the website at www.ngkntk.com/uk 

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