Hunt in pole position to grab Radical Cup glory

It’s been a near-perfect start to my 2021 Radical SR1 Cup campaign, writes Will Hunt.
Will Hunt was a winner at Brands HatchWill Hunt was a winner at Brands Hatch
Will Hunt was a winner at Brands Hatch

At Snetterton in April, I opened my account with maximum points for a brace of wins, two fastest laps and a pole position, and I was selected as the Sunoco Driver of the Weekend.

It was a dominant meeting and achieving so much at a track that has delivered me a fair amount of misfortune gave me a lot of confidence and motivation moving forward to Brands Hatch.

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Last year ‘down The Hatch’, we dragged a result out of what seemed a nothing weekend, converting a mid-pack starting position into a win.

It's been a season of victories so far for Will HuntIt's been a season of victories so far for Will Hunt
It's been a season of victories so far for Will Hunt

That gave me high hopes for the Radical SR1 Cup’s return to the circuit and going in as the championship leader provided a further boost.

A boxer friend says it’s always important to land the first punch and I used that to my advantage, keeping up the momentum by once again monopolising the top step of the podium at Brands Hatch.

I’m delighted to have bagged four wins from four races, and to enter the two-month break with a healthy points advantage was awesome.

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It does feel like 2021 could be my year, though my time on the hockey field taught me the importance of maintaining a “0-0 mentality”, even if you’re way ahead at half-time, because the opposition can still come back.

Whatever happens, I’ll try to stay humble and continue taking one race at a time.

I recently took time off to reset, letting my routines slide and taking my thoughts away from motorsport.

The intensity of training and staying mentally focused can take its toll and it’s impossible to go a whole season without a meaningful break, something my Sports Conditioning Coach Tom Archer factored into my programme.

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My respite started with a round of golf with a small group of friends; we’ve taken different paths in recent years – one works for the Bank of America, one on a superyacht in Monaco and another on a private yacht that frequently crosses the Atlantic – but every now and again there’s an opportunity to reunite.

Nobody talks shop and we simply bleed off the accelerator, focusing on the futile pursuit of the perfect 18 holes.

My first swing in eight months was by far my best in more than five years of golfing but my game quickly deteriorated and bragging rights went to one of my mates. Still, it was nice to have a laugh with some old pals.

While talk of yachting was banned from the golf course, recent weeks have centred around boats for my family.

In the early 80s, my dad joined the Royal Yachting

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Association and UK Offshore Powerboat Racing Association (UKOPRA), racing in the Cruiser class of the

British Powerboat Racing Club and winning the

championship with sponsorship from Chandon.

He had a boat until I was ten, coming away with great memories and stories of trips to France and calamitous rides on stand-up jet skis, and he has been dying to get back on the water.

So my week away from all things motorsport included a family jaunt to Plymouth to view a 2005 Sunseeker Manhattan 66 flybridge yacht.

My dad entered negotiations to buy what turned out to be a beautiful, pristine boat, before we headed on to Torquay for a one-night stay in the Grand Hotel.

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The trip got me thinking about his exploits in powerboats and how he’s probably responsible for my innate competitiveness and my desire to win.

Refreshed and rejuvenated, I’m getting increasingly excited about resuming my Radical SR1 Cup title bid at Snetterton on July 3.

The objective will be to consolidate my points lead as I try to match my dad’s British Powerboat title on terrafirma.

Clearly, racing is in my blood. Or maybe there’s just something in the water.

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