BRAINTREE'S Cable Racing team made the trip to Brands Hatch for the first round of the British Sidecar Championship.

After a very solid 2016 season, driver Kevin Cable and passenger Guy Pawsey, who is from Witham, finished 13th in the championship, but the Essex duo know they will have to be at their best to improve on last year's results.

Qualifying at Brands Hatch saw the pair in 15th place, but only a matter of seconds separated the top 15 sidecars and as teams lined up on the grid, showery rain hit the circuit, causing the track to be slippery in parts.

With difficult conditions to contend with, Cable showed his years of experience with a strong drive to finish in 12th place, before matching that, despite having mechanical problems, in the second race of the opening weekend.

Cable said. β€œIt was a good weekend.

"We developed a fault in race two and lost a lot of places, but I know we can improve as the season goes on.”

The next round is at Oulton Park in Cheshire this weekend.