Northants Driver Smashes Rockingham Sportscar Circuit Record

25 May 2003

A great weekend of classic car racing action was topped off by Matthew Slinn from Hartwell in Northamptonshire when he smashed the lap record for Rockingham's Sportscar Circuit and then broke it again during the last race of the day.

Setting a blistering pace, Slinn led from the front in a lights-to-flag victory in the MG X Power Clubmans Cup race. It was on lap 6 that he set the new record with a fantastic time of 1m09.072 and average speed of 84.43mph around the 1.62-mile circuit. He then took part in the Classic Rock Trophy race and set about smashing his own record with a time of 1m08.987s (84.53mph) and gaining another first place trophy in the process.

Prior to this weekend, the lap record of 1m12.529s had stood to MGV8 racer Steve Williams since July 2001. It was a bittersweet day for Williams who, racing earlier in the afternoon, had just broken his own record when mechanical failure forced him into retirement while leading the race. He then had to watch as Matthew Slinn lowered the record even
more in the very next race.

A large crowd of classic car enthusiasts were treated to a great weekend of racing action as the showery weather provided an element of unpredictability as the race drivers fought door to door in the changeable conditions.

The next meeting at Rockingham is the second ASCAR 'Days of Thunder' meeting of 2003 on Sunday June 8th with a day of top line entertainment planned both on and off the circuit.

See events calendar for Rockingham

Related Story 12.05.2003 - MG Classic Rock Brings Historics Back to Rockingham