As the Austin Flyers set off from sunny Carlisle at 6:30am, hopes of reaching the national finals at Glorious Goodwood were high. When the team bus broke down on the A66 and the rain began to fall, you might have thought this would puncture the spirit of the team - but not this hardened crew of 6!

Missing the team briefing and half of practice due to some very meticulous scrutineering of the car, our reputation obviously went before us, as we were placed first on the grid for Race 1. This allowed seasoned driver Hugo to set off at full speed and burn some rubber. This he truly did… but only because the braking system had locked, and the right front tread disappeared within two laps.

A 40-minute pit stop involved much scratching of heads, and Vice-Captain Charles made the call to replace our motor with another (kindly donated by the neighbouring pit team). Debutant driver Joe then took to the track to ensure we finished with a placing, which was 24th out of 24 - but a finish nonetheless!

The team had much to do before the final race of the day; brakes fixed, wheel changed, batteries replaced and motor cooled and replaced again, we were back in the running. Team captain Sophie was to start the race this time, and from the back of the grid, she had to manoeuvre past several inept drivers to ensure we were still mobile into the first corner.

Sophie was determined and passed car after car. On lap 10 the telemetry recorded us in 3rd and on the podium. Glorious Goodwood and its amazing Art Deco buildings were in sight!

Then disaster struck, as two cars in front of Sophie swerved and crashed - the red flag was waved, and the race came to a standstill. I am pleased to report that the two drivers of the crashed vehicles were not seriously hurt, and an ambulance and emergency vehicle were on sight to remove them and their cars from the race.

This allowed our competitors to pit, change drivers and cool motors - while our dreams of a champagne finish and Glorious Goodwood drifted away. Well done to the Austin Flyers for braving the wet conditions – we’ll be back with a vengeance next year!