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Luke Beardmore Racing, Manningtree (2026)

02/06/2026

🏁 Silverstone GP: Roadsports Round 3 Race Report 🏁

They say motorsport can be a cruel business, and right now, it’s testing us to the limit. Three races, three DNFs. It’s a incredibly tough pill to swallow when the pace is right there, but as the old saying goes: "To finish first, first you have to finish!"

Despite the heartbreak, there are massive positives to take away from the home of British motorsport. Here is how our weekend unfolded on the full Silverstone GP loop in a massive, capacity grid of 59 cars!

⏱️ QUALIFYING
Heading out at 10:20, the sun was already absolutely baking. Finding a clear lap with nearly 60 cars on track was a lottery, but the pace in the car was unreal. I actually had a lap deleted for track limits that would have put us on overall class pole! On my final flyer, I was 4 tenths up on my delta before catching a backmarker. I overdrove a bit trying to make up the time, which cost us the lap—a good mental reminder to stop forcing it!

Even so, we qualified P2 out of 13 in class (34th overall). The margins were razor-thin: I missed out on Pole Position by just 3 milliseconds to Sam McKee, with Matt Creed only 28 milliseconds behind me. Less than a tenth of a second separating the top 3!

🏎️ THE RACE
Starting on the front row of the class grid, we knew we had a fight on our hands. Unfortunately, straight from the green flag, we suffered a significant straight-line speed deficit compared to qualifying. The intense heat was a massive factor—our rotary engine really doesn't love high air-intake temps. Instead of fighting for the lead, it became a game of survival, leaving me a bit of a sitting duck on the straights and losing time in the corners behind traffic.

About 4 laps in, I took a tap to the rear into Brooklands. At the time I was really miffed about this but spoke to the driver after the race, compared our thought's and It was clear there was no intent and just one of those thing's.

After the pit stops, we came out sitting beautifully in P3 despite the minor damage. But the motorsport gods had other ideas. Accelerating onto the Wellington Straight, the car simply refused to go anymore. It was a massive race of attrition out there with 19 cars retiring due to the brutal heat.

WHAT'S NEXT?

Right now, we aren't sure what caused the failure. We're praying it's a heat-induced limp mode or a fuel surge rather than engine damage, the team are going to look into it.

Were also unsure why we suffered so much from high air intake temps, we had hot events last year and the engine didn't pull any timing at those events, Maybe the engine is just getting tired :(

I know I keep saying it, but we will bounce back strong. The results don't reflect the speed of myself or the team right now, but the raw pace is absolutely there. Huge thank you to the team, everyone who came out to support, and my incredible sponsors!

Onto Anglesey in a month's time to finally turn this luck around. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿💪

Middlesex Hose and Fittings ltd B K WASTE Management Rocketdog Racing

29/05/2026

This weekend sees me return to racing for round 3 of the 750mc Roadsports Championship at the home of British motorsport for the full GP loop.
Looking to bounce back strong after 2 DNF's really excited to get back behind the wheel.

The grid is looking massive this weekend with over 60 cars taking part across 4 classes so it's going to busy out there!

Rocketdog Racing

Middlesex Hose and Fittings ltd
B K WASTE Management

15/05/2026

Buckle up, because things just got a little InSeine. 🏎️💨

I didn't think I’d be back on the grid for this one so soon, but an incredible opportunity opened up to compete in this year’s C1 24 Hours with team InSeine, and I couldn’t say no.

After the absolute blast I had last year—seriously, the sheer amount of seat time you get is second to none—I’m buzzing to be back at the home of British motorsport.
🏁 The Team & The Mission

This year, we’re heading in with a diverse squad of six drivers. What makes this lineup truly special is the range of experience; we have drivers over the age of 60 who only started their motorsport journey last year proving that:

It is never too late to follow your dreams.

Age is just a number when it comes to competitive spirit.

The track doesn't care how many candles are on your cake—only how late you can brake!

🗓️ The Schedule

We’re taking over Silverstone for a full trip around the clock:

Friday Evening: Qualifying and the always-intense Night Practice.

Saturday, May 16th (17:00): The green flag drops for 24 hours of non-stop racing.

Huge thanks to the team for having me on board. It’s going to be a long, grueling, and hopefully very fast weekend. Wish us luck!

As always thanks to my fantastic sponsors.

Middlesex Hose and Fittings ltd
B K WASTE Management

07/05/2026

Race Report: Brands Hatch GP
Roadsports Championship – Round 2
The Stats:
• Qualifying: P3 in Class (25th/49 Overall)
• Best Lap: 1:45.806
• Race Result: DNF (Running P2)
________________________________________
High Highs and Low Lows

They say racing is a game of extremes, and Round 2 at Brands Hatch proved it. After the heavy lifting required to get the car back on track following the damage at Croft, we arrived at the iconic GP circuit ready to fight. Having my partner and three children there to support me made the weekend even more special, especially with the incredible atmosphere of being on the support bill for the GT World Challenge Europe.

Learning the GP Loop

Sunday morning was a whirlwind. After an 08:00 arrival from Essex and a quick pass through scrutineering and the 09:00 briefing, I was straight into the car for qualifying at 10:10.
Having never driven the Brands Hatch GP layout or even indy (apart from my ards test) before, the first half of the 25-minute session was a steep learning curve. Navigating a 49-car grid made finding clear air nearly impossible. However, as the tires came up to temperature, my confidence grew—particularly through the high-speed commitment sections like Hawthorns and Westfield.
While we suffered a slight deficit on the straights, the car was an absolute weapon through the technical sectors. On the final lap, I hooked it up to clock a 1:45.8, securing P3 in class and out-qualifying eight cars from the classes above us.
The Race: A Bitter End
Starting that high up the overall grid was a double-edged sword. I knew the faster-class cars behind me would use their straight-line speed to dive past on the Brabham Straight, likely holding me up through the corners where our car excels.
That prediction held true

Race Result: DNF – Running P2

So race time arrives and we head down to assembly and grid up. I was lucky enough to be on the inside of the grid, meaning on the first lap I was able to climb to P2 following an overtake on the Ginetta into druids. From here I had to drive defensively, knowing I would likely be a sitting duck down the long straight before Hawthorns; I kept my car to the right and managed to keep P2.
My fears from out-qualifying the cars from Class A and B came back to haunt us. I was getting overtaken down the straights but then held up in the corners. This meant we got pushed back into the pack, and I was overtaken up the hill at Pilgrims Rise into Druids. Down to P3.
From here our race settled down a bit. I had to start nursing a clutch pedal that didn't want to return all the time, and we think this is due to the thrust bearing failing (it sounded horrific after the race).
A couple of laps later, and just before the pitstop window, the Class A cars started to come around to lap us. Annoyingly, none of these guys ever want to wait until the straight to pass us, and with their difference in power and closing speeds, they often just throw it up the inside into bends. Annoyingly again, this meant I was pushed back into the grips of the P4 running car, and I defended aggressively into Pilgrims Drop, showing the P4 running BMW the left and long way around into Hawthorns.
Coming up to the end of this lap, it was my intention to pit. Coming into the last corner I saw the BMW behind me dive up the inside. I stayed left as I knew I was coming into the pits and had no intention of fighting this position. Unfortunately myself and the passing BMW made slight contact clipping my offside front. That’s racing. Did it damage anything? Possibly; it never felt the same after.
So into the pits for our 60-second stop, and the rotary engine has now decided to have hot idle and/or start issues, cutting out at our stop and requiring a bump to get us going again. Great work from the team, and we were back out in clear air.
This now meant I could run my own race at my own pace without being compromised and achieve lap times through where our car is strong. The contact at the front right did make the car feel different; however, we were lapping very well. We came out of the pits in P3.
A few laps later, the BMW pitted and returned to the track ahead of me. I knew this lap was likely my opportunity as their tyres would have lost some temp in the pit stop, and towards the end of the lap I made a move up the inside into Dingo Dell. P2!
From here I managed to pull a small gap, when down the long straight into the braking zone for Hawthorns—a massive bang. At the time I didn’t know what it was. However, the car started to become very hard to drive, with me nearly putting it in the wall a couple of times. After driving one more lap, I thought I must have a puncture as the rear end was consistently trying to come around on me. Diving into the pits there was no puncture, but our rear wing had fallen off!
This pit stop completely put us out of contention, and I took the decision to retire the car.
A very unfortunate end to a fantastic weekend in what is a highly competitive grid. Looking forward to Silverstone at the end of May now, where I hope our luck turns and we can turn our pace into a result.

A massive thanks to my sponsors and the team as always.

Middlesex Hose and Fittings ltd
B K WASTE Management

03/05/2026

That's P3 in class!! And ahead of quite afew cars in class B! Car felt really good and looking forward to the race, amazing to be on the support for the gt world challenge and to have my friends and family here.

Seeing as before today I've never tested, or even done a track day at brands indy or gp. So I'm absolutely thrilled with that result

Going to be hard keep the class B cars behind on first lap on main straights but will give it everything.

Amazing feeling racing in front of thousands of motorsport fans.

Middlesex Hose and Fittings ltd

29/04/2026

I am absolutely thrilled to announce that BK Skip Hire has officially joined the team as a sponsor for the rest of the 2026 season.

Most people know them for their skips, but these guys are the ultimate heavy-hitters in the industry. From expert waste management and demolition to supplying aggregates and ready-mix concrete, they truly do it all.

If you’ve got a project on the horizon—big or small—you won't find a better mix of competitive pricing and high-quality service.

🔗 https://www.bkskiphire.co.uk/
📞 0208 462 7777

27/04/2026

FROM THE BRINK TO BRANDS HATCH!

After the diff failure at Croft, I honestly thought our season was hitting a premature pause. But thanks to an incredible display of support, we are officially GO for the GP layout at Brands Hatch next Sunday, May 3rd! Where we will be on the support package for the GT World Challenge Europe. This is going to be mega racing in front of thousands of motorsport fans!

This is also a massive appreciation post as without the help of my sponsor Middlesex Hose and Fittings ltd I don't think id be racing this weekend. I can't put into words how much I appreciate them helping me out.

I’m genuinely overwhelmed by their support—it’s partners like these that keep the dream alive.

Huge shout out to the team as well, who are currently burning the midnight oil to get the car race-ready. I have total faith they’ll smash it!

Want to join us?
It’s going to be an epic weekend supporting the GT World Challenge Europe.

Kids under 13: FREE

Adults: From £35 (Advance booking)

Tickets: Available via the MSV website.

keep an eye out next week for some more exciting news coming!

Middlesex Hose and Fittings ltd

GT World Challenge Europe 750MC - Roadsports

20/04/2026

Season opener at Croft! 🏎️💨 From pre-race nerves to a puncture in practice, it’s been a rollercoaster already. But we’re on the grid and ready to hunt. Let’s go! 🏁

15/04/2026

Pre-qualifying interview with the driver — nerves, focus, and game plan before hitting the track.
Mazda RX-8 Race car

14/04/2026

Race Report: Croft Circuit – Pace, Passes, and Heartbreak - Result Did not Finish.

Testing: Overcoming the Gremlins
Arriving Thursday, I split Friday’s testing costs with another driver to get two sessions each—something I don't normally do due to budget, but with a new car, I needed to make sure everything was dialed in.

The first session threw a curveball immediately with gearbox trouble, forcing me to cut the run short. During lunch, the team weighed our options: do we swap the gearbox overnight? Instead, we decided to bleed the clutch and use session two for a sustained, hard push to determine our course of action. It worked. The bleed mostly resolved our 3rd-to-4th shifts, leaving only downshifts into 3rd a bit tricky, which I managed to negate with some aggressive rev-matching.

I was thrilled with the pace, setting a 1:35.6 and putting together a consistent run of 1:36s. The only lingering issue was our rear brake pads getting dangerously low, forcing us to rig up some "make-do" items for the race.

Qualifying: Bad Luck Strikes
Saturday, April 11th, greeted us with a very wet track. After checking in for a coffee with Blind Screen TV—whose drive media programme I’ve joined to increase sponsor visibility (watch this space for videos!)—we headed out at 09:50.

With a new set of tyres bolted on for the wet-but-drying track, disaster struck. A Porsche ahead of me shed some components; I ran over the debris and suffered a rear-left puncture. Because of this, my fastest lap was set when the track was at its absolute wettest, leaving us qualifying out of position in P5.

The Race: Fighting to the Front
For the 14:35 race, we reverted to an older set of Yokohama A052s that had already seen Donington, three 50-minute Birkett sessions at Silverstone, and Friday practice. Thankfully, they don't deteriorate much, so I knew we still had grip.

Lights out, and I immediately went on the attack, passing Chris Heathcoat’s Renault Clio into Sunny In on the first lap to take P4. I set my sights on the Civic Type R ahead. I quickly noticed that the Civic was pulling massive gaps on the straights, which I was then clawing back in the corners. The RX-8 isn't known for raw power, but the deficit felt worse than normal.

I piled the pressure on the Type R for a couple of laps until the driver made a slight error, missing a gear out of the final corner. I got a great run into Turn 1, took P3, and defended the inside line all the way into Tower. Knowing I was faster through the downforce-heavy Sunny In and Out sections, I pushed hard to break the tow, successfully gaping the cars behind while matching the pace of the two leaders.

The Heartbreak and the Silver Lining
We came in for our mandatory one-minute pit stop. The P2 BMW in our class suffered a mechanical issue, meaning we cycled out of the pits in second place!

Shortly after returning to the track, a crash between two Class A cars brought out the safety car. We spent a long time circulating before getting the green flag for a one-lap shootout. On the exit of the final corner, I applied full throttle for the restart... and the rear diff exploded.

My race was instantly over. Retiring from P2 on the final lap was absolutely gutting. After helping the team pack up, the drive back to Essex was probably one of the lowest points I've felt in motorsport, as the reality of financing the repair set in, I'm not sure how but ill find away and come back stronger.

But looking at the data at home brought a massive silver lining. We had a 7mph straight-line deficit compared to practice—likely due to the rear brakes binding, which ultimately may have stressed the diff. The fact that we were fighting for a podium despite carrying that anchor proves just how much inherent pace we have.

I’ll find a way to fix the car, and we will come back stronger.

A massive thanks to my sponsor as always.

Middlesex Hose and Fittings ltd

Luke Beardmore Racing

02/06/2026

29/05/2026

15/05/2026

07/05/2026

03/05/2026

29/04/2026

27/04/2026

20/04/2026

15/04/2026

14/04/2026

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