At her first visit to the Welsh circuit of Pembrey, Katia Loggie made improvements during the Vertu Mini Challenge Trophy event which culminated in a 16th place result in race three, while finishing inside the top-10 of the Graduate Cup.
Katia Loggie enjoyed an encouraging weekend in the Vertu Mini Challenge Trophy at Pembrey. At her first visit to the Welsh circuit Katia made improvements during the event which culminated in a 16th place result in race three, while finishing inside the top-10 of the Graduate Cup. Earlier in the event, Loggie had banked crucial championship points in a wet race one and an attritional race two which saw her finish all three races inside the top-20 of the overall classification.
Katia’s second season in the Vertu Mini Challenge Trophy began in impressive fashion at Snetterton where the young Scottish driver recorded her best career finish to date. Loggie showed excellent pace throughout the event and was consistently battling among the midfield, while challenging drivers with more experience. Pembrey was set to provide an added test for the Excelr8 Motorsport driver as the Welsh circuit was a new track to Loggie and therefore honing in on an effective car setup would be vital.
Saturday morning’s qualifying session enabled Loggie to gain further experience of the circuit, while fighting for a good starting position. Building up her lap times throughout the session, Katia ended qualifying with the 25th fastest lap time while setting the 13th quickest lap among the Graduate Cup competitors. The three races to come would serve as a perfect opportunity to improve on her knowledge of the circuit and push towards the midfield.
Katia lined up 25th on the grid for the opening race of the weekend based on her second fastest time in qualifying. It was a brilliant start for the Excelr8 Motorsport driver who gained six positions to end the first lap in 19th position as light rain came down. After dropping two positions in the next two laps, the second of which to John Castle, Loggie had settled into 21st position.
The middle portion of the race was characterised by consistent lap times as Katia held onto her 21st position, while keeping Louis Fleet at bay. As the rain intensified, this made the surface treacherous as the drivers fought for position. Loggie managed this challenge well and picked up a further position on the final lap to take the checkered flag in 20th position, 11th among the Graduate Cup runners.
Race two of the weekend was held in dry conditions with the grid based on the finishing positions from race one. Loggie started the race from 20th position and held her ground in the early exchanges. Falling behind Leo Purches on lap three, Katia was then on the move. Showing much improved race pace from Saturday, Loggie’s speed saw her easily competing among the midfield runners and she was quickly into 18th position.
Overtaking Cameron Wood for 17th on lap six, Loggie then ran side by side with John Castle at the beginning of the next lap. A close battle then saw Katia shuffled back to 19th position, before re-passing Ben Taylor on lap ten. Close battles characterised the end of Loggie’s race and although slipping to 20th at the checkered flag, it was a productive contest for the young driver who secured 12th position in the Graduate Cup.
The third race of the weekend took place on Sunday afternoon with the grid formed based on driver’s fastest qualifying times. Loggie lined up from 25th position but knew she had the speed to move forward based on her earlier races. Gaining one position on the opening lap, Katia was quickly up to 23rd with a pass on Cameron Wood. Following the retirement of Alex Keens, this elevated Loggie to 22nd and she was soon into the top-20 following passes on both Louis Fleet and Reece Lycett.
The final race at Pembrey saw the Vertu Mini Challenge Trophy drivers battling hard, with Loggie’s clean racing moving her up the order. By lap eight, the young Scottish driver had worked her way up to 17th, but she was not content to settle for that position. Lap ten saw her move ahead of teammate John Castle and she was able to hold this 16th place result to the line, claiming a top-10 finish in the Graduate Cup.
Katia battled through changing conditions at Pembrey to record three solid finishes at a new circuit. Her ability to battle cleanly with her fellow drivers ensured she maximised her results with a 16th place finish in race three highlighting her progress.
Loggie will be aiming to push towards the top half of the field as the Vertu Mini Challenge Trophy drivers will race on the TOCA package at Thruxton on the weekend of 8th/9th June.
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