The chase for the 2024 Britcar Endurance Trophy overall crown went down to the wire, culminating in joint champions from two very different teams Here we catch up with teenager Hadley Simpson, who shared the title-winning High Row Motorsport Renault Clio with Maurice Henry (left in the main photo). Britcar’s Steve Wood asked Hadley to summarise his season.
With co-driver Maurice Henry in parc fermé, Brands Hatch, 5th May
“For me was amazing, the tight knitted racing just made it all the more special coming out on top even when we had to work so hard to get there. Me and Maurice showed what we were capable of and how well we can work together as a team and with constant direction by (team boss) Max Coates it meant we could tune our craft as the season continued which only meant we created a bigger gap to the opposition. This season has opened so many doors for me and my sponsors are all to thank for that and we are reaching for the stars together for the future. High Row were the class of the field for sure, how they took our feedback onboard and had full trust in the drivers, it only meant we had everything underneath us to succeed. Having a racing driver as a manager also meant Max could relate to us on an experienced level which I would not have had going anywhere else. Dragon Sport (our opposition) really took it to us and didn’t let us run away with it, I’d often find myself in some tricky situations with three Dragon Sport cars around me which I had to wriggle myself out of a couple of times. They were amazing competition and there was a lot of respect at the end of the season which is always nice to have despite the tensions”.
Hadley describes his journey in motorsport as a “rollercoaster”, starting karting aged five as a “dad’n’lad set-up, but having three years away from the tracks due to illness, then getting more serious as he graduated into the senior categories, now with a team, winning National events and finishing fifth in the English Championship and third in the Paul Fletcher International Championship, before fate intervened again; “After being pushed off the track at 16 years old while leading a national championship I fractured my skull and once again was forced to leave the sport. One year later and I was on the grid for the first round of the BRSCC Fiesta Junior Championship, with no pre season testing due to the injury, but I still claimed multiple podiums and was sitting third in the championship before I had to leave due to budgetary issues”.
Donington, 11 Aug 2024
Then in 2024 the Britcar opportunity arose: “Britcar have been amazing and certainly a good breeding ground for drivers looking to go down the endurance route. Dealing with traffic faster and slower than you was a real learning curve for me and also with the success penalties it evened the field out so much and stopped people having massive gaps. The other thing we had which was really useful was learning pit stops as drivers and as teams which is amazing for drivers looking to go down the GT endurance route as this is a regular theme higher up the ladder. I have already had to use this knowledge in another team this year and it gives me a massive advantage”.
Hadley (left) In the High Row Motorsport garage at Snetterton with co-driver Maurice and team manager Max Coates
So what does the future hold for this talented youngster? “There are a lot of talks for 2025, obviously winning the championship gets a lot of people talking and a lot of phone calls and meetings have took place since the title win. Nothing is confirmed yet but rear wheel drive and the GT route is 100% the route I’m striving for. I have already competed in a GT event and shown massive success, nothing’s confirmed yet but all will be revealed soon…”
Britcar are proud to have been a significant aspect of Hadley’s aspirations, and are sure he will succeed.
Words: Steve Wood; photos: Chris Valentine and Stevie Borowik.