Millie Hart had an impressive car racing debut at the BRSCC Evolution Trophy, securing a class victory in race one under extremely wet conditions and gaining valuable experience in race two, setting the stage for her future racing commitments in 2025.
Millie Hart enjoyed an excellent debut weekend of car racing as she secured a class victory on debut in the BRSCC Evolution Trophy. Driving a BMW 1 Series SuperCup car, Hart qualified 13th ahead of a number of more experienced drivers before the weather changed for the pair of races.
In extremely wet conditions in race one, Millie raced superbly to finish sixth overall while claiming the class victory. Race two was held in damp conditions and Hart gained vital experience as she finished 14th ahead of a full-season programme in 2025.
After a successful spell in karting, Hart made the step up to circuit racing with a debut appearance in the season finale of the BRSCC Evolution Trophy. The multi-class series offers the opportunity for cars of a similar performance level to battle it out on track in two fifteen-minutes races across the weekend.
In 2024, Millie has tested the BMW 1 Series SuperCup car in preparation for her first car racing event. Boasting 230bhp and rear-wheel drive, these machines provide a perfect entry-level platform for young drivers who are targeting a career in GT or endurance racing. Hart was therefore looking to put her testing into practice while enjoying a clean debut weekend while racing on the challenging Brands Hatch Indy circuit.
The schedule for the BRSCC Evolution Trophy saw all three sessions take place on Sunday, with a fifteen-minute qualifying session used to set the grid. A healthy grid of 18 cars took to the Brands Hatch Indy circuit in initially dry conditions.
Hart built up her speed during the first half of the session, before a rain shower prevented any further improvements. In her debut qualifying session, Millie qualified 13th overall while being the fastest of two BMW 1 Series SuperCup machines.
Conditions became more treacherous for race one of the weekend with an extremely wet track at Brands Hatch. Hart made an excellent getaway in her first standing start of her career and was challenging for positions into Paddock Hill bend. Millie completed the first lap in 12th position, gaining one spot while losing the class lead to Stefan Oates.
Despite the tough conditions, Hart was immediately on the move and cracked the top-10 at the end of lap two as she claimed the class lead from Oates, while also moving ahead of Kevin O’Brien in his VW Golf.
On lap three, a recovering Tony Absolom made his way through but Hart was improving her times and beginning to challenge the drivers ahead. The next lap saw an incident involving Tim Evans on the exit of Druids bring out the red flag with his Audi TT requiring recovery. As a result, the race was restarted for a duration of ten minutes with conditions remaining wet and slippery.
Hart once again made a good start and had already gained positions through the opening turns. After lap one of the restarted race, Millie was up to eighth while holding the class lead by a sizeable margin. On lap two, she was the third fastest driver on track and showing great confidence on her circuit racing debut. Smart driving then saw her pass Brian Chandler while capitalising on a spin for Andy Thompson to move into sixth position overall.
Hart then enjoyed a good battle with the Audi A3 of Paul Dunningham with Dunningham’s car showing greater speed, however he made a number of mistakes behind the wheel. By lap six, Dunningham had cleared Hart with Steven Watson also moving ahead with his Audi A3 also suiting these conditions.
On the final lap, contact between Watson and Thompson saw Hart negotiate the incident well to take the checkered flag in eighth position, later promoted to sixth following penalties for drivers ahead of her. Millie had also won her class by an impressive margin of over 20 seconds.
Following her excellent debut race in the BRSCC Evolution Trophy, Hart was set to line up from sixth position for race two of the weekend, however she elected to start at the rear of the field.
Conditions remained challenging at Brands Hatch and although there was less surface water than in race one, the track was damp and greasy with the light also beginning to fade. As the drivers approached Paddock Hill bend for the first time, a number of competitors ahead spun on cold tyres with Hart doing a superb job to avoid contact.
With two cars beached in the Paddock Hill gravel trap, the race was red flagged with a full restart necessary. Hart and her fellow BRSCC Evolution Trophy drivers were careful on approach to Paddock Hill bend on the restart and it was a clean opening lap with Millie in 15th place overall, second in class.
Hart was able to move ahead of Paul Dunningham on lap two as she gained confidence in extremely treacherous conditions.
Hart was finding the damp and greasy track more challenging than the full wet conditions in race one, however she was banking valuable knowledge. This experience grew midway through the race as she dealt with lapped traffic as faster cars moved their way ahead.
As she attempted to catch Gary Fletcher, Hart set a personal best time on lap eight and was now faster than the next three drivers. Her pace continued to improve in the closing stages and she was able to complete a second clean race of the weekend, crossing the line in 14th position overall, second in class.
It was a hugely encouraging debut weekend of car racing for Millie who adapted well to changeable conditions at Brands Hatch. Her performance in race one was particular highlight as she claimed the class victory, while securing a sixth-place overall result.
She continued to gain experience in race two and she will be looking to put this to good use as she targets a full campaign of racing in 2025.