Kentish Express Ashford & District
Heathcote’s dream debut
Motorsport
Nathan Heathcote scored a sensational debut victory in the opening round of the British Rallycross Championship at Croft on Sunday.
The Pluckley racer, 20, qualified third on the grid for the top-level Supercar final but made a fearless move around the outside of the first corner to seize a lead he would not relinquish.
Heathcote, who won the one-make Swift Sport Rallycross title last year, had never driven his four-wheel-drive, 600bhp Citroen C4 competitively before.
“I would have been happy with a fourth-place finish, but to win it was brilliant,” Heathcote said.
“I really didn’t think I would do it as I was struggling with lines to start with.
“But it was a brilliant feeling to win – I was shouting in the car when I crossed the line and I am so happy to have pulled it off.”
Heathcote, whose LD Motorsports-prepared Citroen was previously driven by Liam and Pat Doran, beat European championship event winner Kevin Procter and Irishman
‘It was a brilliant feeling. . . I was shouting in the car when I crossed the line’
Ollie O’Donovan to the flag in the final.
He finished fifth, fourth and third overall in the qualification heats before passing exBritish Touring Car Championship driver Warren Scott at the first turn of the final to grab the lead.
Heathcote’s in-car radio failed to work and he struggled with a steering issue towards the end, but he beat Procter to the flag by 0.9sec.
The former karter – who is set to swap his C4 for a Citroen DS3 later this season – will now enter the next round at Lydden Hill near Canterbury on Easter Bank Holiday Monday as championship leader.
“I hope I will do well at Lydden,” he added.
“There will be more pressure on me now than there was in the first race, but I will ap- proach the event in the same way as I did at Croft.
“I am going to keep my head down and I have still got a lot to learn – if I get a podium at Lydden, I will start looking at winning the championship.”