RALLYCROSS driver Max Langmaid added two further trophies to his collection after a dominant weekend at Mondello Park in the Republic of Ireland.

Langmaid, who hails from Ogwell, finished on the top step of the podium in rounds three and four of the 5 Nations British Rallycross Championship on the weekend of June 4 and 5. 

The 18-year-old saw off the competition in his BMW Mini All4 RX, which he moved into at the beginning of this season after becoming the first driver to win the Motorsport UK Junior Rallycross Championship twice in succession in his Suzuki Swift Sport last year.

'We were full steam ahead building him an R53 Mini – it’s the first of the new shape BMW Minis with the superchargers – but we had a last-minute change to an R60 All4 Mini,’ said Chris Langmaid, Max’s dad. 'These things are four-wheel drive, they have loads of power and they’re the level below the Supercars which are the pinnacle of Rallycross. Equally, though, they’re a lot of money to buy. 

'We were really fortunate that a friend was selling one and wanted to see Max in it – he had a lot of faith in Max. We managed to strike a bit of a deal and bought the car knowing it had faults, so we’ve been frantically working through those faults.’

Max’s first outing with his new machine – at Blyton Park in Lincolnshire back in March – set the tone for the months to come. After nearly missing out on the practice session, Max endured mixed fortunes in the heats. The first heat went well but he was forced to sit out race two with electrical issues. Returning for race three, he stormed to victory and qualified to start second in the final, which he would go on to win.

‘It was part of the BTRDA [British Trial and Rally Drivers Association] Clubmans Championship back in March for a one-day event,’ Chris said. 

'Max won it, which was absolutely phenomenal. It was his first time in the car – the first time he’s driven it and raced it – and we were astonished.’ 

But the problems were not remedied for good. They returned for the 5 Nations British Rallycross Championship curtain-raiser at Lydden Hill – the birthplace of rallycross – and put paid to Max’s first full-weekend event in the new car.

'We had an attack of the mechanical gremlins at Lydden Hill,’ Chris said, 'so it was tough for Max to be competitive. We had an overheating problem which led to a head gasket failure. We changed the head gasket overnight at the track – which was no easy feat – to get him back out for the second day. 

'Unfortunately, in the way that the head gasket went, it also caused engine damage – we did finish the second day and Max still got a podium – but we came home and needed a full engine rebuild and we didn’t realise that we had some real serious wiring problems.’

Fortunately for Team Langmaid, help was at hand in the form of a local vehicle works.

'There’s a local Cosworth tuning specialists company called Auto Dynamix. They specialise in re-mapping, walnut blasting, engine looms, wiring, electronics and motorsport stuff,’ Chris explained. 

'Auto Dynamix are really interested in what Max is doing and in Max himself, so they’ve put a huge amount of their own personal time in. We would never have made it to Ireland if they had not gotten involved, and we are just blown away by what James and Kieran done for us.’

The tides turned in Max’s favour in an overseas round at Mondello Park last weekend. With no mechanical worries weighing him down, the 18-year-old won seven out of his eight races over the two-day event in County Kildare and brought home a pair of trophies.

Quite poignantly, Max’s Mondello-winning Mini was emblazoned with golden bees on each wing mirror in memory of avid supporter Sally Bartlett, who lost her battle with cancer in April.

'Max won seven out of eight races – including both finals, which offer the most points,’ said Chris. 'It was an absolutely phenomenal, faultless weekend. Max is racing against some really good, seasoned drivers as well.

'None of this would be possible without the help from all of our sponsors, family and friends.’

Max is in his second year of the Motorsport UK Academy Futures program.

'He can race anything and do well, the hard part is ensuring the car is functioning as it should,’ Chris said. 'He is hoping to get some opportunities to race in other types of motorsport – rally for example – but we need to gather some more sponsors to help with this. 

'Max is definitely worth investing in; he is outstanding behind a wheel. To go from a 1.3-litre Swift to a turbocharged 4x4 and win without ever racing it before just proves this boy’s talent.’