Morgan Kidd stepped up to the Pro class of the AIRTEC Motorsport Fiesta ST240 Championship and achieved a best result of sixth place at Brands Hatch, overcoming a number of issues and still finishing all three races banking valuable points.
Morgan Kidd achieved a best result of sixth place as she stepped up to the Pro class of the AIRTEC Motorsport Fiesta ST240 Championship. Competing at Brands Hatch for the first time in 2022, it was a challenging weekend for Kidd who fought hard to overcome a number of issues throughout the weekend. Nonetheless, Morgan finished all three races and banked valuable points to begin her assault on the Pro class championship.
Morgan enjoyed an excellent debut full-season in the AIRTEC Motorsport Fiesta ST240 Championship where she was crowned Club class champion. Significantly developing as a driver throughout the campaign, Kidd opened her title bid with a hat-trick of fastest laps at Snetterton, before going on to win five races over the course of the year.
Now moving up into the Pro class of the competitive one-make championship, Morgan was targeting further progression with a goal to stand on the overall podium. Brands Hatch did not feature on the 2023 calendar and thus Kidd would have to draw on her experience from the final round of the 2022 season. This added to the challenge of stepping up the Pro category, however Morgan was determined to begin the season positively.
Qualifying took place on Saturday morning with Morgan taking full advantage of the fifteen-minute session. Completing the most laps of any driver, Kidd set the eighth fastest time in the Pro class, 13th overall, while being less than one second away from the pole position time set by Zachary Lucas.
Race one got off to a challenging start for Kidd who dropped three overall positions on lap one. Fighting amongst the Am class drivers in the opening stages, Morgan made a move on Harry Hayes which brought her closer to her Pro class rivals. Lap times were extremely close throughout the field which made progress difficult, however Kidd remained consistent and this allowed her to stay in contention with the drivers ahead.
As the second half of the race unfolded, Morgan began to close in on Am class competitor Charlie Ellis. However, misfortune then struck as Kidd found the gravel at Druids with issues related to the ABS system hampering her progress. Although this incident triggered the safety car, assistance from the marshals allowed Morgan to re-join the race two laps down. This allowed her to take the checkered flag in 18th position overall, tenth in the Pro class, therefore banking championship points which may become vital later in the season.
With the grid positions for race two based on the finishing positions from race one, it would be a challenge for Kidd to move back inside the overall top-10. Morgan’s chance of a good finish was immediately improved following a first lap red flag, with a multi-car incident at Paddock Hill bend bringing the race to a halt. The race was then resumed for fifteen minutes, with Kidd making an excellent initial restart and moving into 12th position overall, sixth within the Pro class.
Solidly running in the midfield, Morgan’s pace was already faster than her times from race one and this allowed her to challenge some of the leading Am class runners. After moving ahead of Henry Howarth, Kidd overtook Harry Hayes and then Charlie Ellis which elevated her to ninth overall. Holding this position to the line, it was a much better race for Kidd who also claimed sixth place in the Pro class and would be nicely placed for a weekend-best result in race three.
This was because race three of the weekend featured a reverse grid which saw Morgan line up second overall, first among the Pro class runners. However, it was a challenging start for Kidd who did well to avoid major contact and end the opening lap in fifth, fourth in the Pro class. Aiming to settle in among the leading runners, Kidd’s progress was halted after contact from James Pope saw her fall to the rear of the field.
Determined to fight back, Morgan set a series of personal best lap times and by the end of lap seven, she had caught the rear of the pack. Chasing veteran driver Simon Horrobin, Kidd was able to learn from the multiple race winner while sizing up an opportunity to overtake. The duo were also catching a number of Am class runners and although Morgan gained just one position in the closing stages, it was another encouraging performance. Taking the checkered flag in 15th position overall, ninth in the Pro class, Kidd will be looking to use the experience gained at Brands Hatch to carry forward into the remainder of the season.
Although it was a challenging start to the season for Morgan, she overcame adversity in her first weekend as a Pro class driver. Brands Hatch was a circuit which she limited experience of heading into the weekend, however Kidd made good improvement over the course of the event. A sixth-place result in race two underlined her speed, while banking points in all three races of the weekend will be valuable later in the season.
Morgan will now be looking ahead to the next round of the AIRTEC Motorsport Fiesta ST240 Championship which takes place at Snetterton on the weekend of 18th/19th May, a circuit which she has enjoyed success at in the past.