Alex Fisher unlocked masses of pace and refined his racecraft in his second Fine Cut Radical Cup UK appearance (16-18 May).
Fisher had taken significant strides during a fruitful day of testing on Brands Hatch’s full Grand Prix circuit (Wednesday 14 May), but his attempt to steadily work his way into the race weekend during Qualifying on Saturday morning was scuppered by a red flag.
The first Radical Cup UK race at Brands Hatch was also halted after three cars came to grief as the pack descended Paddock Hill Bend, but eighth-placed Fisher avoided the incident by the skin of his teeth thanks to split-second decision-making and a spot of good fortune.
The delay meant the race was reduced from 25 to 15 minutes in duration and, although drama ensued at the resumption of racing, Fisher once again kept his nose clean and emerged from the first lap of the 2.43-mile Kent circuit in fifth position.
Although he initially fell away from fourth-placed Rachel Robertson in the #56 Radical Racing Rebels, he consistently registered personal best sectors to creep back towards his opponent en route to a confidence-boosting P5 result.
The starting order for Sunday’s sprint race was determined by the second-fastest qualifying times, therefore Fisher lined-up sixth on the grid.
The London-based racer briefly ascended to P5 after former Radical Sportscars Champion Shane Stoney skated wide at the exit of the Druids hairpin, but he was shuffled back to seventh as the depleted field joined the Grand Prix loop.
Fisher lost touch with the lead six while struggling to bring his new Hankook tyres up to temperature in conditions that were noticeably cooler than the previous day.
However, the DW Racing driver eventually reached new heights in the 20-minute race, as the 1m25s he registered were more than two seconds quicker than his best qualifying times and were good enough to lock in a lofty fourth-place start for the Radical Cup UK enduro.
Fisher had his fair share of adventures from the outset of the 50-minute finale, as he tumbled from fourth to eighth after opening the door to two rivals at Paddock Hill Bend and taking to the grass in avoidance of a spinner at Druids.
Unperturbed, he worked hard to counter the five-second success penalty he had to serve in his compulsory pit stop, cutting underneath Robertson at Clearways and inheriting another position when Valour Racing’s Jack Yang pitched his car into the gravel.
Fisher emerged from the pits in sixth, but the DW Racing driver faced all sorts of obstacles on his way to the chequered flag.
Firstly, he did well to avoid a clash involving 360 Competition’s Wesley Fongenie and Radical Racing Rebels’ Hamish Forrest at Sheen Curve, and he was then first to come across the stricken #4 car of Andy Lowe at the exit of Stirling’s bend.
DW Racing’s Fisher had an unforced spin of his own on the 30th run through Druids, but the mistake didn’t result in a loss of track position and he ultimately brought the #5 SR3 XXR home to another very respectable sixth-place finish.
“I’ve had a really great weekend in Round 2 of the Fine Cut Radical Cup UK at Brands Hatch,” said Fisher. “I have made good progress throughout, but particularly in the second race when I cut my lap times by approximately two seconds. Unfortunately, race three didn’t work out as well; it was full of adventures, as I held onto a big slide through Paddock Hill, span at Druids and avoided multiple spinners on my way to a sixth-place result. I delved deep into data and on-board videos between races and I may have made too many changes to my driving. I couldn’t quite find a rhythm early on and it took me too long to get up-to-speed in each of the races.
“Overall, though, I’m happy with my progression and the results, as I scored points in every race. I’ll benefit from more track time in the Radical SR3 XXR, as I need to learn to trust the car on cold tyres – my pace was always good towards the end of the races and I may have been able to challenge for podiums if I had been on it and consistent from the start.”
Darren “Daz” Winter
