Kevin Procter: 2012, a European Rallycross Championship win as a privateer

In my second full season of competing as a privateer in the European Rallycross Championship I claimed what was a truly memorable and emotional victory in France in May 2012.

I very nearly didn't go to compete at all that weekend.

With a couple of days to go before heading over to France for the ERC round I had serious doubts. Earlier in the year I had gone to the circuit at Dreux and tested a Saab there. I found the track really quite difficult and just didn't feel able to hook up a good lap. It's a big commitment to compete over a weekend, to what can amount to just 30 minutes at the wheel and my hope were not high

Fortunately my wife made me see sense and off the team went.

My previous best finish in ERC had been 8th overall, the championship is ultra competitive with some big works budgets to compete against. Sizing up the opposition, I was expecting to probably make it to the B final via the heats and that was pretty much my hopes for the weekend.

Unfortunately the heats didn't go quite as expected and I found myself down in the C Final. I was at least on the front row of the grid and the car then behaved flawlessly on the way to victory. Having won, this promoted me to the back row of the grid for the B Final.

Before the off, Dave Bellerby came over on the team radio and pointed out to me that the standard of cars and drivers in this one pretty much made it the equivalent of the usual field for ERC A Finals. His advice was just to go out and see what I could do, just give it a go.

During the heats and C final, I'd spotted one chance to make up time on most of the field. On one particular corner, everyone was going in to it quickly, then drifting wide and scrubbing off speed. I'd figured if I went in slower I'd get a better apex and much faster exit.

The plan worked.

Avoiding all the usual carnage of bumps, scrapes and mechanical failures that are part and parcel of Rallycross, I followed Timur Timerzyanov across the line to take second in the B Final and make it through to the A Final.

What happened next remains something of a blur. I started the A final at the very back of the grid with former French champion Marc Laboulle and current French championship leader Jerome Grosset-Janin sharing the front row.

With just a few laps to go, I found myself in front, but dropped behind Laboulle again after completing my joker lap.

2 laps left and I tried to get past him at my favourite corner, but he shut the door on me so it was now down to the last lap. Second place would have been pretty mind blowing, but in the heat of the battle I knew I had one more chance to take him. Slowing into the hairpin, he left just enough space that with a bit of a tap, I was through. Foot down, hope for the best and head to the line.

Past the chequered flag to claim victory.

Celebration lap and then head back to park up. Everyone went mad. I sat in the car just clapping, I really couldn't believe what we had just achieved. Liam Doran came running out to greet me, "You've won it!." Then my team appeared and I couldn't hold back the emotion any more. I shed more than a tear or two, as did many of the team in a mixture of utter joy, adrenalin and sheer emotion of what had just happened.

So there I was on the top step of the podium, the Union Jack flying behind me and the National Anthem ringing out across the circuit. An unforgettable moment for myself and the whole team.

Time for the party? Well yes but one snag. The weather was a bit grim and I'd really not expected to progress far, so had instructed the team to take the awnings down and start packing up during the B final. So we didn't have a venue. No problem, we moved our music and drinks down to the clubhouse and were then joined by the organisers, competitors and other teams for one mighty celebration.

My overall victory was only the third time since ERC started in 1973 that a driver has gone on to win an A final having started in the C final, Olle Arnesson (France, 1982) and Richard Hutton (Portugal 1994) being the others.

Fantastic Memories.

Kevin Procter