Cadwell Park’s reputation as the “Mini Nürburgring” was reinforced once again as the opening round of the Time Attack season delivered high speeds, relentless pressure and one of the standout performances of the weekend from MMT Race Team and Clive Hopwell.
On a circuit known for its narrow layout, blind crests and unforgiving rhythm changes, Hopwell not only secured another overall victory but rewrote the pace of the class in the process, breaking the class lap record by more than two seconds before mechanical trouble interrupted what was becoming a dominant weekend. By the close of the event, he had also produced the fastest lap of the entire day in the hot lap session, securing another lap record for the group and cementing MMT’s arrival as genuine contenders heading into the new season.
“Our main expectation was to come away with a strong, consistent result and show the progress the team had made with the car over the winter,” Hopwell explained. “After the frustrations of last season, it was important for us to start the year positively and prove we could compete at the front again.”
Preparation had been extensive long before the team arrived at Cadwell. Four separate test days at the Lincolnshire circuit allowed MMT to cycle through different setups and understand the car in conditions far removed from a conventional race weekend.
“The car felt really solid throughout the day with no major issues at all, which was a huge positive for the team,” Hopwell said. “We’d put a lot of work in during the lead up to Round 1, completing four tough test days at Cadwell Park over the last few months and making a lot of changes to the setup along the way. Those test sessions gave us the chance to properly understand the car and fine tune everything, so coming into race day we felt much more prepared and confident.”
That work translated immediately into pace. Early sessions showed the car had the speed to fight at the front, and as lap times continued to fall, belief inside the team began to grow.
“I think the moment we realised we were really on for a strong result was after the pace we showed early in the weekend,” Hopwell said. “The car felt consistent straight away, and every session we were able to keep improving and finding more time. Once we started pulling away and the lap times kept improving, that’s when it really hit us that we had the potential not only to fight for the win, but also challenge for the lap record.”
Hopwell’s approach before his quickest lap remained simple. “Before my fastest lap, my mindset was just to stay calm, focused, and put everything together cleanly. We knew the pace was there from testing and throughout the weekend, so it was all about making the most of the car and committing to the lap.”
The performance itself underlined the scale of the progress MMT Race Team has made over the winter. New Nitron R1 suspension transformed the car’s stability through Cadwell’s high commitment sections, while support from Direnza helped unlock further performance through upgraded cooling and airflow systems.
“This year we’ve made some major changes to the car,” Hopwell explained. “We’ve upgraded the suspension setup to Nitron R1 coilovers, and thanks to our sponsor Direnza for supplying the MVT intercooler and Vortex. We’ve also now unlocked the gearbox, which has allowed us to develop a much stronger map to improve both upshifts and downshifts where we struggled last year.”
From the pit wall, the improvement was equally obvious. James Aurecchia, monitoring tyre pressures, lap times and relaying information to the driver throughout the weekend, described the car as noticeably more composed.
“The new Nitron suspension impressed me so much,” he said. “The car looked a lot more planted through the corners.”
Images by shotbymills
There was, however, one scare. During the second lap of a key run, while Hopwell was on course for another fastest lap, the car suddenly developed a gearbox fault caused by overheating transmission oil. Gear shifts became inconsistent as the system entered protection mode, briefly threatening to end the team’s weekend.
“We had a gearbox fault half way through round two which we was concerned that the day could be over,” Aurecchia explained. “After monitoring closely we soon realised that the car had overheated and put itself into protection mode as it did not happen again after.”
The issue did little to derail momentum. MMT recovered quickly, and by the final hot lap session Hopwell delivered the fastest lap of the day overall, securing another record in the process.
For those inside the garage, the result carried particular emotional weight after the setbacks of the previous season. “Last year was incredibly frustrating for us as we struggled to consistently show the pace we knew we had,” Hopwell admitted. “To come back this year and take both first place and the lap record in the opening race is a massive confidence boost for the whole team. It shows that all the hard work over the off season is paying off, and it gives us real momentum moving forward.”
Away from the stopwatch, the scale of effort behind the scenes remained a recurring theme throughout the weekend. Louise Hopwell described the workload required simply to arrive at the circuit prepared.
“I know from the times Clive gets home it requires a lot of late nights working on the car,” she said. “Not only is Clive racing, we have staff on trade mapping cars. Prepping the car is a huge job in itself but also planning logistics for staff, packing all the trade show stuff and equipment really has to be a team effort.”
She also highlighted the emotional side of race weekends that rarely gets seen publicly. “It only takes one thing to go wrong on the car or trade and it can get pretty hectic and stressful quickly.” Watching from the sidelines has never become easy. “Stressful,” she said when asked about seeing Clive on track. “I remember the first race I went to at Cadwell, the red flag went and I stood waiting to see Clive come off the track with the other cars but he didn’t. It was him who had flew off the track.”
Yet Cadwell 2026 brought very different memories. “P1 really does make all the prep, late nights and stress worth it.”
The team structure itself has also evolved significantly. Alongside core race support from Pat, Paul and Ben, the weekend also included James and Thierry working on the trade stand, while Millie and Biggie focused on media and content creation throughout the event.
“We are a small close team,” Louise explained. “We work together outside of the racing. We like to try get people involved with MMT as much as possible.”
That atmosphere was evident throughout the paddock. Ben, supporting the team operationally across the weekend, said the event exceeded expectations from the moment they arrived. “The atmosphere, the level of the cars, and the professionalism across the paddock really stood out once we arrived at Cadwell,” he said.
“The pressure during a Time Attack event is intense because every lap matters. You’re constantly balancing performance, reliability, and quick decisions, knowing small mistakes can make a huge difference on the timesheets.”
Thierry echoed that view, pointing to the discipline and preparation within the team as one of its defining strengths. “What gives the MMT Race Team its edge is our discipline, preparation, and focus on continuous development,” he said. “Through extensive testing at Cadwell Park, we’ve worked hard on suspension setup, driver confidence, and overall car balance ahead of the first race of the season.”
He also revealed how much technical work had gone into solving previous weaknesses before the opening round. “During testing, we identified sluggish gearbox performance and incorrect gearing for the circuit, so we developed a dedicated gearbox map for Cadwell, which significantly improved the car’s response and pace around the track.”
For media creator Millie, the result also reflected the work taking place away from the circuit itself. “From a media perspective there were so many moments that stood out but nothing will beat the feeling of smashing that first lap and thinking okay yeah we’ve got this in the bag,” she said. “I never expected less from the team. From seeing how hard they work behind the scenes to watching Clive push on track, every moment is deserved.”
As the paddock packed down following Round 1, the sense within MMT Race Team was not simply satisfaction, but momentum. The opening weekend had delivered victory, multiple records and proof that the pace developed over winter testing could now translate under competitive pressure.
“To everyone supporting MMT Race Team this year, we just want to say a massive thank you,” Hopwell said. “The support we receive from our sponsors, partners, family, friends, and fans means everything to us and plays a huge part in what we do.”
With Donington next on the calendar and the team already investigating additional gearbox cooling solutions ahead of hotter summer rounds, the message from Cadwell was unmistakable. MMT Race Team is no longer chasing the front runners. It has become one.
