Martina Ward enjoyed her best weekend in the Massimo Tyres 5Club Racing MX-5 Cup at Silverstone, finishing all three races inside the top-20, including a season-best 16th place as well as a season-best qualifying, consistently showing top-10 pace.
Martina Ward enjoyed her best weekend of the season in the Massimo Tyres 5Club Racing MX-5 Cup as she finished all three races inside the top-20 at Silverstone. A season’s best qualifying effort of 16th was backed-up by strong race pace as Ward narrowly missed out on a top-15 result in race one.
Regularly displaying top-10 speed across the event, Martina finished races two and three in 18th position to round off an encouraging weekend at the home of British motorsport.
Ward made her second appearance of the season in the Massimo Tyres 5Club Racing MX-5 Cup at the previous round at Cadwell Park. It was a successful debut at the challenging track for Martina as she twice finished inside the top-20, while displaying pace that challenged those on the fringes of the top-10.
Now heading to the Silverstone International circuit, Ward was aiming to challenge for results inside the top-15 and push her way up the order. After earning the Driver of the Weekend award at the home of British motorsport in 2023, the BS Motorsport driver was looking to build upon this positive experience.
The first competitive session of the weekend was qualifying which was held on Saturday morning. Conditions were perfect ahead of the fifteen-minute session, with the slipstreaming effect set to play an important role throughout the weekend. A series of consistent laps saw Martina sit just outside the top-20 for the majority of the session, before one final lap saw her achieve a season’s best qualifying result. Improving by a whole second on her last lap, Ward qualified in 16th position and was just over a second away from a front row starting spot.
Martina lined up on the eighth row of the grid for the opening race of the weekend and made a good start, ending lap one in 17th position. On lap two, Ward was the fourth fastest driver on track and had pulled out a sizeable gap behind which allowed her to focus forward on the drivers inside the top-15. The BS Motorsport driver continued to enjoy a strong run during the initial stages and was running with a group of drivers who were competing for positions within the top-10.
On lap five, Ward set another personal best time and was again faster than the majority of the drivers ahead. This allowed her to close in within two tenths of a second of Charles Vye, before making an overtake on lap seven. Vye was able to move back ahead the following lap but Ward fought back, re-passing her rival and pulling out a gap of almost a second.
Martina caught Jack Lawrence on the final lap but was unable to make a move for a top-15 position, taking the checkered flag in 16th to secure her best result of the season to date.
Following her good result in the opening race of the weekend, Ward lined up from 16th position on the grid for race two. It was a challenging start for Martina who lost three positions on lap one, before dropping behind Amy Worthington on lap two.
Ward was then able to settle into her rhythm and found the race pace which saw her achieve a season’s best finish in race one. Overtaking Charles Vye on lap three, Martina was looking to make further progress before the safety car was deployed shortly after.
The neutralisation period lasted for the middle portion of the race with the green flag being displayed at the start of lap seven. Ward opened up a sizeable gap at the restart and this allowed her to focus forward and aim for a top-15 result. Overtaking Mary Barnard on lap eight, Martina’s pace was good but she ran out of time to make any further moves and ended race two in a credible 18th place.
Looking to end the weekend positively, Ward lined up 18th on the grid for the final race of the event. At the end of lap one, Martina had fallen two positions to 20th, however she was less than five seconds away from the race leader highlighting the competitive nature of the Massimo Tyres 5Club Racing MX-5 Cup.
Once again, Ward fought back after a tough start and moved ahead of Neil Burrows on lap two before closing in on the group of drivers ahead. Her progress was halted when the safety car was deployed on lap three, however the stoppage lasted for just one lap.
It was a great restart from Ward who remained close behind Mary Barnard and was able to complete the overtake on lap five. After Michael Pearce pitted on lap seven, Ward was up to 17th and then set a personal best time with the BS Motorsport driver now faster than the next nine drivers ahead. Battling hard with Barnard and Nicola Favot in the closing stages, Ward took the checkered flag in 18th position after Barnard made a move on the final lap of the race.
Martina enjoyed her best event of the Massimo Tyres 5Club Racing MX-5 Cup season to date as she secured three top-20 results and was unlucky not to secure a top-15 finish. Nonetheless, her consistent performances were cause for optimism heading into the final rounds of the season, with Ward’s race pace regularly comparable to those inside the top-10.
The next round of the championship takes place at Oulton Park with a double-header taking place on Saturday September 21st.
The BS Motorsport driver exhibited a phrazle consistent performance throughout the early stages, engaging in a competitive race against several drivers vying for spots inside the top-10.