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A number of Kent racers from across the county will head to Lydden Hill for round two of the MSA British Rallycross Championship

08:00, 02 April 2015

Nearly 10 Kent racers will head to Lydden Hill this weekend for round two of the MSA British Rallycross Championship.

The circuit, just off the A2 between Canterbury and Dover, will host the second round on Easter Monday and a strong contingent of competitors from the county will be on show.

In the Swift Sport Rallycross Championship, four Kent drivers will do battle for the podium placings.

The paddock will be busy with more than 70 competitors entered
The paddock will be busy with more than 70 competitors entered

Canterbury's Tristan Ovenden will be looking for back-to-back wins after claiming victory at the Croft circuit in North Yorkshire three weeks ago.

The 40-year-old, who won the title last year, is looking forward to his home event.

He said: "It went well at Croft.

"I made a few mistakes in the A-Final that let them get a bit closer than I otherwise might have liked but it was all good."

Canterbury's Tristan Ovenden hopes to repeat his Croft win. Picture: Joe Wright
Canterbury's Tristan Ovenden hopes to repeat his Croft win. Picture: Joe Wright

"Anything less (than a win at Lydden) is not what we are after but you never know with rallycross.

"It was nice to get back into the swing of it at Croft - it was a perfect start and I hope to keep it up."

"He was just so fast it was untrue..." - Darren Scott

Sittingbourne's Darren Scott is tipped to be Ovenden's closest challenger after picking up second place at the first round.

The 32-year-old has refreshed his 1.6-litre machine over the winter and is confident of a good result at Lydden.

He said: ""The car was really good at Croft - it felt on top form. It made me feel a lot better.

"I've just got to push harder. I couldn't catch him (Ovenden) - he was just so fast it was untrue.

Sittingbourne's Darren Scott will bring his refreshed Swift to Lydden
Sittingbourne's Darren Scott will bring his refreshed Swift to Lydden

"I'm hoping to have a really good result there.

"It would be nice to get the win but obviously Tristan is just as fast but you never know."

Pushing Ovenden and Scott hard on Monday will be Deal's Rob Maynard, who is now into his third year of racing.

The 38-year-old, who finished fourth at round one, said: "It's my third year and it's do or die.

"I am no longer a novice or in my second season so I have to be on the podium or in the high placings in every round otherwise there is no point in continuing.

Rob Maynard is targeting a podium finish
Rob Maynard is targeting a podium finish

"I will be aiming for the podium again at Lydden - I said this last year but it's going to be tough."

Pluckley's Nathan Heathcote will also join the Swift Sport class after finishing third at Croft.

The Croft event ended in a Kent top-four lock-out, with Ovenden leading home Scott, Heathcote and Maynard.

Elsewhere, Faversham's Stuart Emery is looking to bounce back at Lydden after engine failure ruined his chances at Croft in the first heat.

Faversham's Stuart Emery is looking to bounce back at Lydden. Picture: Joe Wright
Faversham's Stuart Emery is looking to bounce back at Lydden. Picture: Joe Wright

The 2014 SuperNational champion has fitted an all-new engine to his Peugeot 206 and will join 15 other entrants in his class.

One of those SuperNational rivals will be Canterbury's Darren Clark, who returns to the championship at the wheel of a Nissan Almera.

Nick Potter (Canterbury) and Paul Maybourne (Sittingbourne) have also entered, racing in the Super 1600 and Hot Hatch classes respectively.

Action starts at 9am on Easter Monday. Tickets cost £15.

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