Steph Sore contends for top-10 finishes in rookie Vinyl Detail Fiesta ST150 Challenge season

Steph Sore concluded her first season in the Vinyl Detail Fiesta ST150 Challenge with strong performances – including a podium – and showcased consistent progress to bounce back from a difficult middle portion of the season to consistently challenge for top-10 positions in her transition to front-wheel-drive racing.

Steph Sore completed her maiden season in the Vinyl Detail Fiesta ST150 Challenge with a promising weekend at Oulton Park. Sore has adapted superbly to the competitive one-make series and stood on the overall podium in the first round of the season at Brands Hatch.

Throughout the campaign, Steph scored six additional top-10 finishes and narrowly missed out on adding to this tally in the season finale. Sore finished race one in 11th position, before an unfortunate incident in race two saw her finish a lap down, despite displaying consistent top-10 pace.

Sore made the switch to front-wheel-drive machinery for the 2024 season as she embarked on a campaign in the Vinyl Detail Fiesta ST150 Challenge. The cost-effective, single-make series attracts large and competitive grids of drivers utilising the MK6 Ford Fiesta. With 17 races held over seven weekends and a partial grid reversal for the three-race rounds, the series provides a perfect entry-level format for close and competitive racing.

Joining RM Motorsport alongside teammate Liam Browning for the 2024 season, Sore has impressed despite her limited experience in this style of racing. Steph entered the final round of the campaign sitting in the overall top-10 of the standings, despite missing one meeting during the course of the season, while not scoring any championship points in another.

Sore began the season on the Brands Hatch Indy circuit and immediately displayed both speed and determination. After a change of engine was required following Friday testing, Steph qualified in 16th position and from there she went from strength-to-strength. In race one of the weekend, she made significant steps forward from qualifying and this saw her gain six positions to finish in 10th on her debut in the Vinyl Detail Fiesta ST150 Challenge.

Race two provided further encouragement for Sore who gained four further positions to finish in sixth. As a result, she was drawn onto reverse grid pole for the weekend finale and dealt with the pressure superbly to finish in third position and stand on the podium in her debut meeting in the series.

Croft hosted the second round of the Vinyl Detail Fiesta ST150 Challenge and with changeable conditions in qualifying, this was another challenge for Steph to face. Sore qualified in 17th position, but again improved considerably during the races.

After finishing in 15th in race one, Sore found almost one second of lap time improvement in race two as she took the checkered flag in 12th position. Recovering from an off-track moment at the start of race three, Sore produced a superb recovery drive to end the weekend with a 15th place result.

The third round of the championship at Anglesey was a character building one for Sore. A tough qualifying session left her down in 23rd position and although she was targeting a strong drive through the field in race one, she was caught up in a multi-car incident which ruled her out of the remainder of the weekend. Her engineering commitments in the Ginetta Junior Championship saw her miss the next round at Oulton Park, before she returned to compete at Cadwell Park.

Although Sore had limited testing at Cadwell Park coming into the weekend, it was another event where she made considerable progress. Margins were tight in qualifying with Steph setting the 13th fastest time, before overtaking was typically challenging in the three races.

Nonetheless, Sore bounced back from the disappointment at Anglesey to secure three top-10 finishes. Tenth place results in races one and two were backed-up by an excellent eighth in race three as she pushed towards the leading group of drivers.

The penultimate round of the Vinyl Detail Fiesta ST150 Challenge took place at Donington Park with Steph achieving her best qualifying result to date. Starting race one inside the top-10 for the first time all season, Sore ran in the leading group of drivers throughout the opening contest before finishing in eighth. She was aiming to continue this momentum in race two, before poor weather conditions forced the race to be cancelled after a number of laps behind the safety car.

Now looking to end the season on a high, Sore was aiming to replicate the form which she found at the season opener at Brands Hatch. Conditions for qualifying were difficult with lingering fog adding to the challenge of a damp track. At the end of the sessions, Steph’s best time of a 2:13.946 placed her 13th in a strong 28 car field.

Conditions were drier for the opening race of the day, although damp patches still remained away from the racing line. Sore lined up from 13th position and made a clean start, holding her position while the safety car was deployed after an incident Dillon Davis. When the race resumed, Steph again held her position while showing good pace in her RM Motorsport machine. Now applying pressure to both Jamie Lewthwaite and Lewis Haining, Sore was aiming to fight her way into the top-10.

On lap five, Sore made a nice move on Haining to move into 12th and she was then able to overtake Antony Sullivan for 11th position. Steph set a personal best time on the final lap of the race to underline her pace, while just running out of time to secure a top-10 result. Nonetheless, it was another good race of progress where Sore moved forward from her starting spot.

For the second and final race of the weekend, Sore lined up 11th courtesy of her race one result with the track now dry. She made another good start and was challenging for a top-10 position on the run to Old Hall corner. Misfortune then struck as Sore picked up damage during an opening lap incident and this forced her into the pits. A good job from the RM Motorsport team saw her rejoin the race, albeit a lap down.

The safety car was deployed as Sore rejoined the race and the issue appeared to be cleared as she caught the tail end of the field without trouble. Steph’s pace was excellent despite being a lap in arrears and was often matching those inside the overall top-10. Sore took the checkered flag in 27th position which did not represent the strong pace she showed at Oulton Park.

Although it was a tough end to the campaign for Sore, she was able to develop her skills throughout the season in the Vinyl Detail Fiesta ST150 Challenge. Starting the year in impressive fashion at Brands Hatch, Steph was able to bounce back from a difficult middle portion of the season to consistently challenge for top-10 positions in the second half of the campaign. These performances will encourage her to work on securing the budget required to return for another campaign behind the wheel in 2025.