Menai Motorsports compete in Race of Remembrance

Menai Motorsports’ Peugeot 107 competed in the British Racing and Sports Car Club’s Race of Remembrance at Trac Môn.

Motorsport engineering students at Coleg Menai’s Llangefni campus prepared the college’s Peugeot 107 to race in the Armistice Day event at the Anglesey circuit.

They competed in the Club Sport trophy under category E (cars with a power-to-weight ratio up to and including 135bhp/tonne), finishing seventh in class.

The event consisted of a 30-minute qualifying race, in which the team were able to practise pit stops and time the vehicle’s lap times and entry and exit from the pits.

Then in the afternoon they competed in a 45-minute race in which the car had to be held in the pits for two minutes.

Menai Motorsports qualified 33rd out of 35, and finished 22nd in the race proper.

Out of the 35 cars that started, only 22 finished. The Menai Motorsports Peugeot stood firm and kept a consistent lap time of 2:02 minutes.

Learners also gained invaluable experience by helping out other teams on race day.

Endaf Jones, Motorsports tutor, said: “What an experience! We had a few tweaks to make to the car, amending the ride height and suspension travel while also adjusting the tracking. Learners did themselves proud and worked well as a team.

“Also, a massive thanks to Jade Developments who were a huge help all weekend offering advice and assistance and also allowing the learners to work on their Renault Clio 200.”

His fellow Motorsports tutor Iolo Williams said: “It was a real eye-opener being there for the weekend and being part of such a huge event remembering the fallen on Armistice Day. The learners gained valuable experience and boosted their confidence no end.”

Hywel Rosenthal, Menai Motorsports Driver and owner of Star Autocare in Gaerwen, said: “We as a team had a hugely productive weekend. With the changes the students implemented, it put the performance more in line with the frontrunner times from the CityCar Cup earlier in the year, which was a great feeling.

“The car performed flawlessly across over an hour of consistent track time, while 13 cars failed to finish. Huge thanks to the students and staff from Coleg Menai for their support and all the other sponsors who've helped get the car to this point. Here's to next year.”

Earlier this year, learners on the BTEC Level 3 in Motorsport Engineering transformed the Peugeot into a race-ready vehicle for the Student Motorsport Challenge, which was incorporated into the CityCar Cup Championship at Trac Môn.

They finished that event as the top college from Wales, beating off competition from Coleg Gwent.

The Race of Remembrance was the last event of the racing calendar for Menai Motorsports, and the team are now preparing the vehicle for next season’s races, which will take place from the beginning of March 2024.

For more information on the Motorsport Engineering Level 3 course at Coleg Menai, click here.