Double podium for Richard at Silverstone in front of Racing Pride guests!
Richard Morris followed up the victory he secured alongside Milan De Laet at the opening event of the 2023 European Sports Prototype Cup in Barcelona with a pair of 2nd place podium finishes on home soil at Silverstone on 20th May. Meanwhile, Richard was also heavily involved in the Racing Pride party held at the Silverstone UTC alongside the event.
Driving the Revolution 500SC solo for this event, Richard was racing in amongst an impressive array of 23 prototypes ranging from the 7 Revolution entries to Pragas, Radicals, and more. This exciting grid was the result of a successful collaboration between the Sports Prototype Cup and the domestic BRSCC Zeo Prototypes series.
It was an assured performance from Richard from the outset of race day, securing a pair of P3 Revolution Trophy starts for the two races. In the first race, Richard made an impressive start, braving the outside line through the famous Copse corner and going wheel to wheel with the sister Revolution of Nigel Redwood on the exit, clinching P2. From there Richard drove a controlled race, finishing in a very comfortable second place. Another solid start in Race 2 – which is easier said than done with such a large and varied grid(!) – saw Richard consolidate P3 on the opening lap and through the first half of the race. When long-term Revolution works test and development driver James Abbott ran into trouble, Richard was able to move up into P2 again. These results add to Richard’s consistent record of success with Revolution, having now taken 10 podium finishes from 12 races with the manufacturer.
The day was made particularly special by the Racing Pride party held at the track in the Silverstone UTC building opposite the national pits. The party brought together Racing Pride members, ambassadors, community champions, industry partners, and special guests, alongside the UTC’s students. An extraordinary range of people, including members of 4 Formula One teams, in attendance. Over 80 guests registered, with some flying in from other countries just to be there. Between the races Richard went across to speak on stage at the Party as one of a number of stage sessions in which Racing Pride ambassadors discussed their experiences and themes around LGBTQ+ inclusion in the motorsport industry. The guests had the opportunity to come over into the paddock to see Richard’s car up close, and they were able to watch all of the racing action from the UTC’s balcony.
Reflecting on the event, Richard said: “This was a really incredible day at Silverstone, combining the success on track with such an amazing opportunity to share the experience of motorsport with Racing Pride’s members in an uplifting, supportive environment. On track I felt I maximised the result that was available and I was pleased with how consistently and cleanly I drove through the races, as well as how I found the right level of attack on the starts. We’re still making progress dialling the car in on this year’s tyre compound, but I feel like we’re moving towards a set-up I really understand with it and it’s brilliant to have taken 3 podiums, with a win, from the first 4 races!
It’s hard to describe how emotional it was to meet so many guests of Racing Pride and to feel the warmth, love, and support from them – glancing up during the races and seeing rainbow flags being waved for me, and, more importantly, hearing about how Racing Pride really means something to them. It’s a huge motivation to keep pushing.”
