Nicole Drought secures MSVT Trackday Championship title at Brands Hatch

Irish driver Nicole Drought concluded her 2024 season by clinching the overall MSVT Trackday Championship title at Brands Hatch, achieving a consistent podium streak in the Class B and sealing two overall victories.

Nicole Drought, MSVT Trackday Championship, 2024 — Photo credits: Gary Hawkins Photography

Irish racer Nicole Drought ended her season by sealing the overall MSVT Trackday Championship title at Brands Hatch. Driving a Honda Civic Type R for Motion Motorsport alongside Justin Roberts for the majority of the season, the pair finished every race on the Class B podium, while securing two overall wins.

Drought also claimed a pair of victories in the MSVT Trackday Trophy, including at Lydden Hill and Circuito de Navarra. Completing her campaign with a third-place finish in the season-ending MSVT Trackday Championship event, Drought secured the title in a thrilling finale.

Drought entered the weekend leading both the overall and Class B standings of the MSVT Trackday Championship and was aiming to seal both championship titles at Brands Hatch. It has been an exceptional season for the Irish driver who has displayed both speed and consistency throughout the 2024 campaign.

Nicole is a hugely versatile driver who has experienced success in a wide range of machinery, both in Britain and her native Ireland. Tackling a full-campaign in the MSVT Trackday Championship, along with a partial season in the MSVT Trackday Trophy, continuity has been the key to her strong performances. In both series, she has driven a Honda Civic Type R, primarily alongside Justin Roberts, while competing solo at select events.

The MSVT Trackday Championship offers drivers with a cost-effective introduction to endurance racing. Qualifying, together with the 45-minute race, takes place on one day in an attempt to control costs. A mandatory pitstop is required and therefore an option to run alongside a teammate is possible, in addition to the potential of a solo entry. The MSVT Trackday Trophy is a parallel series which adheres to identical regulations, with the absence of championship points.

The multi-class format allows drivers to develop their traffic management skills, together with teamwork in the case of the pitstops. In 2024, a seven-round calendar for both series has seen the drivers visit iconic circuits such as Donington Park and Snetterton, while racing at more challenging and unique tracks such as Lydden Hill and Circuito de Navarra in Spain.

Opening the 2024 season at Donington Park in April, Drought shared the #70 Motion Motorsport Honda Civic Type R alongside teammate Justin Roberts. In the MSVT Trackday Championship, the pair began their campaign by qualifying in the top-3, before finishing in third and missing out on the race victory by just six seconds.

They used the knowledge gained to good effect in the subsequent MSVT Trackday Trophy meeting on the same weekend. Qualifying in fourth position, Drought and Roberts claimed overall victory by a margin of eight seconds to open their account for the season.

The second round of the MSVT Trackday Championship took place on the challenging Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit with Drought driving solo. The Irish driver displayed superb speed to claim her first pole position of the season, before once again stepping onto the podium. Nicole took the checkered flag in third position despite managing some late-race technical issues in her Honda Civic Type R.

Although Drought did not enter the MSVT Trackday Trophy at Brands Hatch, a double-race programme was back on the cards for round three which took place at Lydden Hill. A unique circuit famed for rallycross, the Kent based track also hosts a number of tarmac-only races with the both MSVT organised events taking place in June.

Lydden Hill was a brand new circuit for Drought and she qualified the Motion Motorsport machine in fourth position for the MSVT Trackday Championship alongside Roberts. The pair took significant strides forward in the first 45-minute race and came out on top in a thrilling late-race battle with the Renault Clio of Charlie Palk. Drought and Roberts were successfully able to double-up with a grand-slam event.

After claiming a dominant pole position in the MSVT Trackday Trophy by over a second, they went on to lead lights-to-flag and claim victory by a margin exceeding 17 seconds, while also claiming fastest lap.

For the fourth-round of the championship, Drought once again ran solo and entered only the MSVT Trackday Championship event at Snetterton. It was a challenging start to the weekend for Nicole who qualified eighth overall, fifth in Class B. Drought showed good improvements in a race which was shortened by a red flag as she kept her streak of class podium finishes intact by taking the checkered flag in third position in Class B, fifth overall.

Cadwell Park hosted the fifth-round of the championship and was set to feature a thrilling race for the MSVT Trackday Championship competitors. Drought and Roberts had qualified on overall pole position with a sizable margin of three seconds back to third position. However, no racing was able to take place due to deteriorating weather conditions, a factor not in-play for the penultimate round of the championship.

Once again driving solo, Drought took the trip to Circuito de Navarra in Spain for the sixth round of the MSVT Trackday Championship. Weather conditions were ideal throughout the weekend and Nicole took full advantage to perform superbly during the event. After qualifying in second position, Drought executed a perfect race to take the race win by a margin approaching 20 seconds.

Now reunited with Roberts for the season finale on the Brands Hatch Indy circuit, Drought’s aim was to seal the overall and Class B titles in the MSVT Trackday Championship. Qualifying took place on Saturday morning and was held in damp and greasy conditions. With over 30 cars tackling the Brands Hatch Indy circuit, traffic management was also crucial in the twenty-five-minute session. At the end of qualifying, Drought and Roberts had set the third fastest time overall and the second quickest in Class B, behind the Renault Clio of Charlie Palk.

The first race of the day was the MSVT Trackday Championship decider with Drought and Roberts battling against George and Jack Wright for the title. Justin Roberts drove in the first stint and started from seventh position overall, third in Class B, due to a grid penalty carried over from the previous round.

A lightning start from Roberts saw him gain three positions on lap one to move into fourth overall, third in class. After passing the Class C machine of Stewart Donovan on lap two, Roberts was now directly behind his two Class B rivals, but crucially ahead of Jack Wright.

Roberts continued to set a fast and consistent pace until the safety car was deployed on lap ten as Amy Allen’s Honda Civic and the Pro-Am Racing Renault Clio required recovery. This interruption coincided with the pit window opening and therefore Roberts handed the car over to Nicole Drought.

Following the pit stop, Drought was in third position overall, second in Class B and now with a larger margin to George Wright. The Team Air Supply Volkswagen Golf had stopped one lap later and therefore dropped down the order through the pit cycle.

The race resumed on lap 18 and Drought’s restart was compromised by being trapped behind a lapped car. She also ran wide on the exit of Paddock Hill bend and surrendered a podium position to Jack Goes in his Volkswagen Scirroco. Drought then fell behind Matt Swaffer and the Irish racer ran in fifth position overall, fourth in Class B. A second safety car period was then required as the Ford Fiesta of James Howells was beached in the Paddock Hill bend gravel trap.

Drought’s pace at the restart improved and she set a new personal best time on lap 31 and began closing in on the leading trio. The Team Air Supply machine was still in the midfield and therefore the championship was heading the way of Drought and Roberts unless a significant change occurred in the closing laps. Into the final five minutes, the top-4 drivers were separated by less than one second and lapped traffic was once again in play.

On the penultimate lap of the race, a fantastic move saw Drought overtake Swaffer to move into third position as she read the situation ahead superbly. Despite mounting a late challenge on Goes, she was unable to pass her rival but maintained the team’s perfect podium record in Class B by finishing on the third step of the podium, while also securing third place overall. This result sealed by the overall and Class B title in the MSVT Trackday Championship for Drought and Motion Motorsport.

Drought and Roberts formed a dominant partnership throughout the 2024 season as they finished on the Class B podium in every race they entered. Even when driving solo, Nicole rose to the challenge to maintain both speed and consistency in her Honda Civic Type R. The Irish racer has taken significant steps forward in 2024 and should be targeting a step up in her motorsport career with winning momentum behind her.