Caitlin May returns to the AIRTEC Motorsport Fiesta ST240 Championship podium at Snetterton

With an excellent weekend in the AIRTEC Motorsport Fiesta ST240 Championship at Snetterton, Caitlin May returned to the Am class podium, showing superb speed during the event. May qualified fourth in class and was set for a trip to the rostrum in race one.

Photo credits: BRSCC

It was an excellent weekend for Caitlin May in the AIRTEC Motorsport Fiesta ST240 Championship at Snetterton as she returned to the Am class podium. Showing superb speed during the event, May qualified fourth in class and was set for a trip to the rostrum in race one before a technical issue led to a retirement. Nonetheless, Caitlin was determined to bounce back and charged through from 19th on the grid to finish 9th overall in race two, while finishing second in the Am class.

Caitlin arrived at the event fourth in the AIRTEC Motorsport Fiesta ST240 Championship Am class standings after a solid opening weekend at Brands Hatch. May was able to battle with a number of Pro class drivers throughout the weekend and scored a class podium in race two. Looking to build upon these encouraging performances, Caitlin was targeting regular trips to the Am class rostrum as the drivers took the trip to Norfolk to race on the Snetterton 300 circuit.

Qualifying took place on Saturday morning with May aiming to challenging for leading honours within the Am class. She was immediately on the pace and got herself amongst many of the Pro drivers, therefore placing herself near the top half of the field. A series of consistent lap times saw Caitlin qualify 11th overall, fourth in the Am class and less than half a second from the runner-up spot.

There was just a short break between qualifying and the first race, with May targeting an Am class podium. It was an excellent start for Caitlin who made up three overall positions, while moving herself into second among the Am class runners. A fantastic pass on James Pope at the final corner saw her climb into second, before dropping to third at the end of lap two.

Caitlin was enjoying a great midfield battle as the race unfolded, with Am class rivals running both ahead and behind. This meant she had to be careful not to lose positions while aiming to move forward. Continuing to hold down an Am class podium spot, May’s lap times were strong as the race entered its final stages. Misfortune then struck as lap six concluded as Caitlin’s Ford Fiesta ground to a halt just short of the start/finish line, leading to a retirement from race one.

May was looking to bounce back in race two of the weekend and would face an uphill task with grid positions set by the result of race one. It was a fantastic start to the race with Caitlin gaining six overall positions, four within the Am class, to move up through the order. However, a red flag was displayed prior to the completion of the first lap which led to a full restart.

Caitlin displayed her racecraft when the shortened race got underway, once again moving up to 13th overall, fifth in class. Gaining a further position on lap two, May’s speed was extremely competitive and continued to rival those holding down Am class podium spots.

As Daniel Lewis ran into an issue from the Am class lead on lap five, this elevated Caitlin into third position but she was keen to continue her progress. Taking the checkered flag in ninth position overall, May secured a runner-up finish in a shortened race which saw her gain ten overall positions while setting her personal best time on the final lap of the race.

The final race of the weekend took place on Sunday morning with a partial reverse grid seeing Caitlin line up fourth overall, but first in the Am class. It was a good start from May as she initially moved into third place, however Isaac Hayden made a move at the end of the opening lap. A safety car was then brought out, with the race restarting at the beginning of lap three. Caitlin was then shuffled down to eighth overall as the faster Pro class drivers made their way through, but she did well to hold the class lead.

May continued to be under pressure from the drivers behind and this saw her lose the Am class lead to Archie Johnson on lap four, before Henry Howarth shaped for a move. Both Howarth and James Pope found a way through on lap five, with May then falling behind the Pro class car of Luke Warr.

Caitlin was not quite able to replicate the pace she had shown on Saturday and this allowed Harry Hayes to claim fourth position on lap seven. Running a sequence of personal best sectors to end the race, May completed the weekend with a fifth place result to bank good championship points for the Am class standings.

Returning to the podium at Snetterton, it was a productive meeting for Caitlin who continued to establish herself as a leading contender within the Am class. Her speed in race two was exceptional, gaining ten positions in a shortened race as she showed excellent racecraft in the process.

May will be targeting her first Am class victory as the AIRTEC Motorsport Fiesta ST240 Championship drivers visit Oulton Park on Saturday 8th June.

Photo credits: BRSCC