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The Brands Hatch Indy KA 500 is rapidly becoming a flagship event for EnduroKA and everyone associated with the series couldn’t have been more excited for the 2022 edition.
Great anticipation built on Saturday (19th November) afternoon, as a 46-strong grid of Mk1 Ford KAs took to the circuit for qualifying. The session seemed to belong to one man – Octane Junkies’ Adam Smith. Adam set the early benchmark and then continued to post exceptional lap times from there, with his fastest time (1:03:237secs) being set on the team’s fourteenth lap of Brands Hatch’s Indy circuit. A large number of KAs were hot on the heels of Octane Junkies, but ultimately none were able to prise pole position away from Adam Smith and his team. IP Racing #36 took the second spot on the grid, putting them in a great position to challenge for their third win of 2022. Strong displays from Turn 7 and NAPA Racing UK were rewarded with third and fourth on the grid respectively, ahead of: Ferguson Motorsport #736, AxiaMetrics.com, IP Racing #63 and the two Autotech Motorsport KAs.
Despite some rainfall overnight, a bright Brands Hatch greeted the competitors on race day. An outstanding few opening laps from polesitters Octane Junkies ensured the team kept the lead, before a series of challengers mounted their challenges. A fast-starting Ferguson Motorsport #734 were the fast to get in front of Octane Junkies, with Joe Ferguson enjoying a stint at the head of the chasing pack. Burton Power Racing, NAPA Racing UK and DKMS/LDR Performance Tuning all lead for short periods through the opening pit stops, as race strategy started becoming all-important. At the two hour mark, Nick Tandy held the lead for NAPA Racing UK, with: Ferguson Motorsport, AxiaMetrics, Powerbell Motorsports/Pristine Condition and Wolf Motorsport #5 narrowly behind. Notably, previous winners GM Performance were enjoying a strong start running comfortably within the top ten.
As the race entered the halfway stage, two familiar faces had found themselves immediately behind leaders NAPA Racing UK – AxiaMetrics.com and IP Racing #36. Consistent pace from Wolf Motorsport #5 and Sukaru Racing ensured the pair were keeping in touching distance of the podium places, while LDR Performance Racing and M@D Racing had both enjoyed strong opening stints to rise to 9th and 14th respectively at the four hour classification.
With darkness fast approaching, a two-lap penalty for the race leaders NAPA Racing UK completely shifted the dynamic of the race. The team fell to fourth at the seven hour mark, behind Sukaru Racing and the dueling AxiaMetrics and IP Racing #36. An exceptional battle between AxiaMetrics and IP Racing #36 ensued, keeping everyone watching at the circuit and on the livestream on the edge of their seat. Hard racing from the pair saw the lead switch hands a number of times, before ultimately IP Racing #36 crossed the line less the one second ahead of AxiaMetrics to take their third win of the season and be crowned the 2022 Indy KA 500 victors!
NAPA Racing UK finished third on the road, ahead of: Sukaru Racing, Ferguson Motorsport #736, Powerbell Motorsports/Pristine Condition and the sister Ferguson Motorsport #734 KA. A solid and consistent drive from Shine Automotive and Wolf Motorsport #5 saw top ten finishes for both, while M@D Racing recorded a highly impressive finish in the top ten after starting in 38th on the grid. The MSVTRacing KA enjoyed a great race, rising from 42nd to finish in 24th.
The final Dagenham Dustbin of the year went the way of Sukaru Racing for their creative take on the infamous Subaru Impreza ‘555’ rally car, while Joe Ferguson secured the fastest lap of the race (1:02:993) on lap 391.
A massive congratulations to all teams who competed, there was brilliant racing provided by all!
KA #18 and #128 were disqualified from the result post-race, promoting Sukaru Racing and Ferguson Motorsport #736 to the podium places.