Team Scalextric at the home of British Motorsport (16th - 17th August)

Team Scalextric arrived at Silverstone hoping for a better showing than at Castle Combe (2nd August). While many things had been out of their control, some harsh lessons had been learnt so far this season. Arriving at the penultimate event of the 2014 season, Swanlight.com Team Scalextric would work hard to try and climb the leader board.

Testing took place on Thursday in warm and dry conditions. The MINI Challenge drivers who took to the track for testing were able to race alongside McLaren 12C GT3s, Porsche 997 GT3s, Ferrari 458 GT3s and other similar GT cars. The testing session was busy with so many fast cars, but it was a fantastic experience for all the MINI Challenge drivers. Adrian's car was in good shape, excluding the engine which had not been rebuilt since 2011.

Qualifying

Despite the Clerk of the Course laying down the racing rules, stressing that drivers should not go beyond the track limits, the Qualifying session was complete chaos. Qualifying was red flagged after ten minutes for the lack of driving standards displayed. Drivers were constantly going beyond the track limits, cutting corners and running wide. All the cars were directed back into the Pits to attend a special Driver's Briefing. With everyone gathered together, the Clerk of the Course once again spelt out the standards that were expected of all those racing on the historic track. However, the drivers were not given another chance and the Qualifying was stopped. While this was a huge disadvantage for the drivers who had stuck to the rules, including Adrian, not much could be done - the rules were the rules.

Later on in the day, the Clerk of the Course called another meeting to explain his decision. During the Qualifying session, a reporting system had been set up which used a Marshall Observer to report any incidents that were spotted (like going outside the track limits). This report would include the track location, car number/description and Marshal Post. These reports would then be verified with a return call and the details logged. However, during the MINI Challenge Qualifying the Clerk of the Course could not process the incoming reports quick enough and was not able to verify or record the information. This meant the system collapsed and the session had to be stopped for everyone's safety.

Very few reports had been recorded before the system failed, leaving many drivers unpunished. Adrian qualified in a low 10th, although his time (2:43.693) would have achieved pole position in the 2012 season. A real sign of the growth in the MINI Challenge and the Cooper Class.

Round 15

The first race of the weekend commenced, with Adrian starting in 10th position. Adrian was able to pass two cars initially but found himself back in 12th soon after. However, as the race continued, Adrian was able to claw his way back into 8th, despite his engine massively under-performing. His race statistics showed that his car cannot reach the same top speeds as the rest of the field, meaning an 8th place finish was down to some good driving. Team-mate Simon Walton finished in 12th with a faster lap time.

Round 16

On Sunday, mechanic Bob changed the near-side rear arm on the car as it was found to be buckled, which was causing the left rear wheel to be out of alignment. The car was then readied for the upcoming race which was the rolling start. Like Castle Combe, the rolling start proved difficult as the row in front would not keep up with the rest of the pack, forcing Adrian further behind. This meant that by the time he reached the Start Line, most of the field had already taken the first corner.

Despite Adrian's car being the third slowest on the circuit, in terms of speed, he was able to finish in 11th, with his fastest lap two seconds behind the leaders. Simon managed to finish in 9th.

Round 17

Despite a few afternoon showers, the track stayed dry. The standing start went well for Adrian and he climbed into 9th. For the second time at Silverstone, a great battle commenced between Adrian, Simon and Martin Poole. The battle finished with Adrian claiming 11th, with Simon in 12th. Adrian's fastest lap time of 2:44.438 was further proof that his engine was off the pace. The leaders were almost four seconds ahead per lap.

Although Adrian finished further down the field than normal, given the circumstances surrounding his engine, the weekend represented some good driving and proof that Adrian, and the whole championship, were improving year-on-year.

If you'd like to watch the race itself, please tune in to MotorsTV at 7pm on Friday 5th September.

The next and last event of the 2014 season would take place at Brands Hatch on the 13th and 14th September.