Luke Pullen Racing Driver
BRSCC Mazda MX-5 Championship 2024

10 & 11 August at Cadwell Park

Rain and Podiums at Croft

Bouncing back, Luke made a strong start at Croft on 13th & 14th July by qualifying in pole position in tricky wet conditions.

He held the lead for race one until a battle in the closing laps pushed him down to P2. Undeterred, he took the lead off the line in race two and a great re-start after a few laps of the safety car saw him put just over a 5 second gap between himself and the rest of the field to take the win!

An eventful and increasingly wet final race brought another P2 finish to end a successful weekend with a stack of trophies, podium hats and championship points.

Luke was competing on 13 & 14 July at Croft Circuit

Results

• Qualifying: Position 1

• Grid Race 1: Position 1
• Grid Race 2: Position 2
• Grid Race 3: Position 1

• Race 1: Position 2
• Race 2: Position 1
• Race 3: Position 2

Sun and Sea Salt at Anglesey

The 4th round of the BRSCC Mazda MX-5 Championship race series took place at the stunning Trac Môn Anglesey Circuit on a very sunny 15th & 16th June.

Due to its proximity to the sea, the salty sea breeze makes Anglesey’s surface changeable and hard to predict and this, together with a mis-judged tyre strategy meant that all of the AB Motorsport drivers struggled to convert their speed from Friday testing into the rest of the weekend.

However, Luke still managed to achieve his best results there to date with one 4th place and two 5th place finishes.

Luke was competing on 15 & 16 June at Anglesey International Circuit

Results

• Qualifying: Position 5

• Grid Race 1: Position 5
• Grid Race 2: Position 5
• Grid Race 3: Position 4

• Race 1: Position 5
• Race 2: Position 4
• Race 3: Position 5

It’s club racing so drivers have to fund themselves which is why sponsorship is so important.

There’s still space on the car for more sponsors so if you would like to support Luke, you can find details of sponsorship packages and how to join his supporters club on his website:

Luke Pullen “Does the Double” at Oulton Park

An exciting third round of the BRSCC Mazda MX-5 Championship at Oulton Park on 25th May saw Luke on the top step of the podium not once, but twice!

Oulton Park is reputed to be one of the most challenging and technical tracks on the racing calendar. Due to local restrictions on Sunday racing, there were only two races instead of the usual three in this round with qualifying and both races all happening on Saturday.

After a close “quali”, Luke started the first race in third place, moving into second by the end of lap one and taking the lead early in lap two. He continued to head the field for the remainder of the race to take home the winner’s trophy.

Lining up on the front row of the grid for race two, Luke found himself next to reigning champion, Steve Foden, who had dropped in as a guest driver at his home track. The pair swapped the lead back and forth for most of the race before an epic wheel to wheel battle in the final lap. With Foden’s guest status denying him any championship points, Luke could have settled for a second place finish but the racing driver in him wanted the win and he pulled off a brave move round the outside to cross the line 0.063 seconds ahead of Foden. Both drivers acknowledged the fun and mutual respect of racing so closely together again with a post race hug!

Luke will be racing next at Angelsey on 15th & 16th June and Croft on 13th & 14th July. You can follow the action on the BRSCC You Tube live stream as it happens.

Luke won both of his races on 25 May at Oulton Park International Circuit

Results

• Qualifying: Position 3

• Grid Race 1: Position 3
• Grid Race 2: Position 1

• Race 1: Position 1
• Race 2: Position 1

Due to a gap in the racing calendar and the timing of our print deadline, we will be bringing you a full report of how Luke got on at Oulton Park in next month’s issue with the results being posted on this page on 25 May. In the meantime, we thought we’d fill you in on how the championship works.

The BRSCC Mazda MX-5 Championship runs monthly from March through to October. There are usually three 20 minute races per event. A qualification session sets the grid for race one with the race results determining starting positions for races two and three respectively.

Drivers earn 100 points for 1st place, 98 for 2nd, 96 for 3rd and so on, plus a point for the fastest lap. There is no prize money so the driver with the most points at the end of the season wins a trophy and, of course, the glory of being the championship winner!

The nature of motorsport is that things can, and do, go wrong due to mechanical failures, racing incidents and sometimes just poor luck. This can result in a DNF (did not finish). However, all is not lost, as a driver’s three worst scores of the season are dropped from the final calculations. Apart from the season finale where “drop scores” do not apply just to make it more exciting - especially if the fight for the title is close!

Luke is supported at each event by the brilliant AB Motorsport who help run the car. This season Luke has a new race car, Daphne, with eye-catching livery supplied by local company and sponsor, Tiato Ltd.

Luke Pullen Begins his 2024 BRSCC Mazda MX-5 Championship Challenge

It’s been a busy few weeks for Amesbury racing driver, Luke Pullen. After racing in Atlanta he landed back in the UK with two days to spare before heading to Silverstone for round one of the BRSCC Mazda MX-5 Championship on 16th & 17th March.

Starting in second place on the grid, Luke was the fastest driver on track in the first race and was about to take the lead when disaster struck and his left rear wheel snapped off!

Not only did this deny him a potential race win but he had to start at the back of the grid for the next race. In wet and tricky conditions, and with some minor car damage, he fought his way from 22nd to 6th place and just missed out on a podium to finish 4th in the final race.

The Chequered Flag at Snetterton

Three weeks later the second round of the championship took place on 6th & 7th April at a very windy Snetterton Circuit in Norfolk. After three very close and exciting races Luke came away with trophies for 2nd and 3rd place and finished 4th in a closely fought last race.

Luke with his trophies from Snetterton

“After the bad luck at Silverstone it was good to get back on the podium and consolidate a decent points haul,” commented Luke. “Bring on the next round!”

Luke (right) on the podium at Snetterton

Luke was competing on 6 & 7 April at Snetterton

Results

• Qualifying: Position 3

• Grid Race 1: Position 3
• Grid Race 2: Position 3
• Grid Race 3: Position 2

• Race 1: Position 3
• Race 2: Position 2
• Race 3: Position 4

Luke was competing on 16 & 17 March at Silverstone

Results

• Qualifying: Position 2

• Grid Race 1: Position 2
• Grid Race 2: Position 22
• Grid Race 3: Position 6

• Race 1: DNF*
• Race 2: Position 6
• Race 3: Position 4

*Fastest Lap

Luke Pullen at Michelin Road Atlanta Raceway, Georgia, U.S.A.

Our featured local racing driver, Luke Pullen, had an amazing opportunity to drop in for a round of the SCCA Spec Miata Championship at the prestigious Michelin Road Atlanta Raceway in early March, competing against some of the USA’s top drivers.

Luke had to learn a new track and a whole new racing style in a left hand drive car on different slick compound tyres all in one weekend. After only two hours practice he qualified 13th out of 47 drivers but didn’t have luck in the races due to incidents on the track around him that pushed him back. With some impressive pace - putting in the same lap times as the leaders - and some signature overtake moves he made up positions but ran out of time as both races finished early under safety car conditions.

Luke in the car at Atlanta

John Grimm of Ohio based CRP Racing said, "Luke is a force to be reckoned with. In a weekend where every race had incidents and safety cars he achieved a best finish of 17th in some very wet and messy conditions which is amazing! We hope he can join us again in the US and aim for the top step on the podium in America this season."

Luke Pullen racing his Mazda MX-5 MK1 1600cc

Here at the Stonehenge Trader, we are very excited and proud to be following local racing driver, Luke Pullen, as he makes his bid to win the BRSCC Mazda MX-5 Championship this season.

Amesbury resident Luke has been competing professionally since 2020, developing his race craft and racking up podium finishes. He finally made it to the top step at Donington Park in September 2023 with wins in two consecutive races and he finished 5th overall in the championship.

Luke Pullen Amesbury Racing Driver

Luke is one of the favourites to win the title this year and as we go to press he is testing his new race car ready for the season opener at Silverstone on 16th & 17th March. He will also be warming up the weekend beforehand, as a guest driver in the SCCA Spec Miata Championship at the Road Atlanta circuit in Georgia, U.S.A.