Max Hart goes back-to-front in second Brands Hatch race

Max Hart kept his TCR UK title hopes alive with a fine recovery drive from the back of the field to win the second race of the weekend at Brands Hatch.

With the engine on Hart’s Audi having been replaced, a full grid of nine cars lined up for the start with Barry-John McHenry and Russell Joyce sharing the front row thanks to the reverse grid.

When the lights went out, Rod McGovern made an astonishing start to jump from eighth to second on the run to turn one, with Jenson O’Neill-Going rapping the lead as the front pair plummeted down the order.

Hart ended the opening lap in seventh but was able to gain two spots on lap two, one of which saw him move ahead of title rival Callum Newsham when he was boxed in behind the Cupra of Brad Hutchison going into Graham Hill Bend.

Newsham tried to get ahead of Hutchison going into Paddock Hill Bend at the start of the third lap but couldn’t fine a way through, which was allowing Hart to move clear of the pair as he looked to close the gap to Max Hall in third – albeit with the Honda drivers being two seconds ahead at the end of lap four.

Out front, O’Neill-Going continued to lead the way from McGovern, who found himself under ever-increasing levels of pressure from Hall for second spot , with Hart slowly trying to draw in behind.

Title rival Newsham meanwhile had been dealing with pressure from Harry Bloor and the Honda driver slipped through into Surtees on lap nine to take sixth spot before repeating th move on Hutchison a lap later to move up to fifth.

McGovern’s hold on second spot finally ended at the start of the twelfth lap as Hall slipped up the inside at Paddock Hill Bend, with Hart quickly following at Druids to take third, with Hart then almost able to draw alongside going into Clearways.

Hall then got out of shape at Druids, which almost allowed Hart to get a better run down to Graham Hill Bend, albeit without being able to sneak through. Whilst that battle raged, Newsham reclaimed sixth spot further back as he finally got ahead of Hutchison.

Hart’s ongoing charge saw him take second at the end of the 14th lap when Hall left the door slightly ajar at Clearways, with the Irish racer then setting off to close down a gap of more than two seconds to O’Neill-Going at the front.

Having taken second, Hart immediately took four-tenths of a second out of the leaders, and then brought the gap down by another half a second on lap 17.

Within two laps, the lead pair were together, with Hart trying around the outside at Graham Hill Bend and then going side-by-side with the leader right through to Clearways, where the Audi slipped through.

That also opened the door for Hall to get alongside his fellow Honda driver, with the former BTCC racer completing the move going into Paddock Hill Bend.

Once at the front, Hart was able to ease clear to score the win that keeps his title hopes alive, with Hall following him home in second and Bloor taking third having battled ahead of O’Neill-Going at Surtees a few laps from home.

The long-time leader therefore had to settle for fourth from McGovern, with points leader Newsham having to settle for sixth spot.

Hutchison, Joyce and McHenry rounded out the finishers.