Saturday 2nd September witnessed the latest and penultimate round of The Dunlop Tuscan Challenge. The race for the title of Challenge Champion is heating up with Graham Walden currently leading both his class and the championship. He is being hounded tirelessly for both honours by fellow Class 'B' competitor Mark Hockin, who came to Brands Hatch off the back of a winning double at Mallory Park, despite Graham putting in the fastest lap for each race.

Class 'A' remains dominated by the two Tuscans of Darren Dowling and Steve Glynn, and the impressive Sagaris guise of Tim Hood. With neither Darren nor Tim competing at Brands, Steve would have to make his advantage count to make up the two-point deficit in the race for Class A honours.

As for the Rumblestrip Racing team, our reward for having placed in each of the four previous races is currently that of second in class, behind the consistent Howard Bryan. With just two races to go Class 'C' Runner-Up is in reach and must surely be our ultimate goal for the season.

Not having had the chance to participate in Friday's test session we were at somewhat of a disadvantage to Howard who'd spent the day on track. The weather was yet again against us given our lack of tyre options. There had been persistent rain for over an hour prior to qualifying but the signs were that it would dry. Being as we only needed a few quick laps the decision was made to qualify on slicks.

The qualifying session was an interesting one for many, especially the spectator. It appeared to go very well for the likes of Andy Holden who would see himself in pole position after an incredible fastest lap of 50.273s, he would be kept company by the Tuscans of Steve Glynn, whose plans were on track, and Dean Cook who appeared to be leaking oil for most of the session. Marc Hockin would be the fastest of the Class'B' contenders with less than three tenths of a second separating him from his arch-rival Graham Walden.

There were of course casualties to report. Of the fifteen that started the session, only eleven would make it to the grid, with the most spectacular of exits being Class B's Cliff Jobson who lost control at the exit of Druids to come to rest against the tyre wall on the approach to Graham Hill Bend with a very misshapen front-end and a steering rack which was now in two pieces.

Whilst most others were on either wets or intermediates we put in a very respectable qualifying session that would keep us off the back row of the grid, ahead of George Carter's Class 'B' S3 and Gerard Coakley's Tuscan.

Given the rain, the very wet track and the circumstance of being the first race after lunch we had no choice but to go out on the very poor set of four-year-old Tasmin Challenge Kumhos we had avoided using at Mallory Park. This was a big, big mistake. The tyres took an age to get any heat into them at all. It went horribly wrong from the start. I sat with wheels spinning on the grid, quick change up, and sat spinning in second-gear before dropping the clutch and crawling away only to lose control on the very first turn in to Paddock Hill Bend. I somehow managed to keep it on the track but had already lost half a lap to the rest of the field. Fortunately enough for me, George was not without problems having had the engine cut out on him at the start. I got it back in shape and coaxed the car into Druids with George in my mirrors where he would stay for the next fifteen laps. I continued at a very poor pace trying all I could to fight the loss of grip from the front then rear end whilst simultaneously holding off an attack from George. I was losing the car at every corner with the biggest problem at Clearways being that I couldn't get the power down early enough to prevent George making up time on me on the drag down the start/finish straight.

On Lap 16 George snuck by me following a Class A Tuscan that I had to give way to under a blue flag!!! By now the dry line on the track was extending and now very much the racing line which gave me the chance to push through the corners where I knew I was quicker than George. Lap 17 and I'd clawed back 0.6secs, Lap 18 and we were right on top of him, Lap 19 and I was still gaining. With just two minutes left I had to make the next lap count – and I did - I lost total control on my final entry into Paddock Hill Bend which saw me sideways through the apex spinning just off the track but into deep gravel with wheels spinning where I would sit out the final lap of the race!

Despite being on Pole Andy Holden made a pit on the very first lap for a tyre change which opened the doors for Mark Hockin to cross the line first every single lap of the race to go on and secure an immaculate overall victory with the bonus of fastest lap in class. Steve Glynn occupied second place with Graham Walden completing the podium.

Post race inspection of our car proved the tyres to be completely hard and lacking any useful life at all. We would have been much better served by our slicks, but hindsight, as they say, is indeed a wonderful thing.

The Kumhos have now been resigned to the scrap heap and we're hoping to see some dry conditions for some 'slick' action for the final race on the full circuit at Oulton Park on the 7th October. Better still, some form of sponsorship could see us competing come rain or shine and securing our position as Class 'C' Runner-Up of 2006!