Coates confident ahead of season
North motor sport with ZOE BURN
NORTH Yorkshire racing driver Max Coates believes he is perhaps better prepared than he’s ever been as his 2020 season finally kicks off this weekend.
Coates, of Scorton, is aiming high as he lines up in the Mini Challenge, a series which has been running for 11 years but has this season become part of the TOCA package, supporting the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship.
The series replaces the Clio Cup on the programme, the championship which Coates has competed in for the last few years and where he finished runner-up in 2019.
This year, he’s joined Elite Motorsport to pilot one of its Gen 3 F56 Mini Hatch JCW machines and while the team, like Coates, may be new to the championship, it boasts multi titles in other series and is expected to hit the ground running.
“It’s all new…new car, new series, the bit that hasn’t changed is that it’s still supporting British Touring Cars so its effectively the same race slot I’ve always been doing and it’s a front wheel drive racing car which is what I’m used to,” he said.
“There are some things that are different but it’s a similar different so yeah I think I’m getting to grips with it.
“We got a lot of testing in pre-lockdown. I went to Spain in January and did another three days back here and then since they lifted restrictions, we’ve done another two days. If I’m honest I feel pretty prepared. I’ve probably done more than I’ve done previously in terms of preparation and having time in the car so I’m feeling good on that front.”
Coates, who just missed out on last year’s Clio Cup title after taking the battle down to the wire, knows there are some expectations this year and he’s already been tipped as a title challenger, despite being new to a series which already has a number of seasoned drivers.
But of course, this year comes with extra pressure given that it’s much shorter than usual. Running across five race weekends between now and October, the margins for error are small and he also needs to learn more about his new car.
“I’ve been around the scene for quite a long time and for sure, my target is to go and win the championship but I think having a long term goal like that even at the start of a shorter season is a stretch,” he admits.
“I’m just going in fully focused on trying to win races and if I can do that I’m sure that the championship will follow. I know there is some expectation for me to be up there and yeah, it adds some pressure but that’s part and parcel of it and I’d much rather be in a position where I’m expected to do well like that than not be expected to.”
He may be feeling confident, but he also knows it won’t be an easy ride. With more than 30 cars expected on the grid this year, the competition could be fierce.
“I think there will be a handful that are quick all the time and battling for the championship,” he added. “But I think the early signs are good. For sure, there are things I’m going to learn this year and it’s maybe not quite as polished as maybe I was in the Clios having had so much time in them but I don’t feel like we’re a million miles away in any condition really, so hopefully we can prove that this weekend.”