WORCESTERSHIRE international racing ace Tim Matthews was happy with his return to competitive racing in Norfolk.
The Worcester driver was 14th overall and sixth in class in the first round of the UK Sports 2000 Championship at Snetterton.
It was Matthews’ first proper championship race in three years and he jumped straight into the 2009 MCR race car for qualifying with no prior testing.
The two-litre Le Mans-type race car was fitted with new tyres and a sequential gearbox which was an entirely new experience for him.
With only 30 minutes to set a competitive qualifying time, Matthews was under pressure but ended up at the back of the grid.
He admitted: “With so little time to put in a good lap, I decided the only way to drive was cautiously.
“It was going to be easier and safer starting from the back than trying to push hard in a car I didn’t know.
“The car was so much easier to drive than anything I had ever used before in Sports 2000.
“But I just couldn’t get used to the massive grip levels, it was like getting in an F1 car all over again.
“Thirty minutes was never going to be enough so I just used the session to get used to the gearbox and brakes.”
Matthews had a good deal of work to do if he was to get into the points against 24 other cars.
He said: “When the lights went out, I actually got a really good start and managed to get past three cars almost immediately but then I got squeezed against the wall on the inside and had to back off to avoid a collision.
“That lost me the three places I had originally gained, then when we got into the first corner I stayed tight to the inside and a collision took out two cars straight away.
“After that, I managed to settle into a rhythm and my lap times came down as I got more used to the car.
“Gradually, I managed to get past a few cars until I caught Belgian driver Bert Smeets in the new Juno.
“We were in a really close battle for about four laps but it all went pear-shaped when a following driver punted me off the circuit from behind.
“I managed to keep the car moving and get back on the circuit but the incident cost me several places and a good deal of time.”
The next championship race is at Brands Hatch this weekend when Matthews has been asked to drive the AAR2 built by Anglo American Racing.
He is still looking for support from companies or individuals and wants to find drivers who might be interested in testing the AAR2 ready to take over his driving role.
Anyone interested can call Anglo American on 01299-250927 or Matthews on 07918-776368.
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