Walderslade based racing driver Guy Pettit is really enjoying his racing at the moment having branched out into a few different avenues.

As the season begins to get underway for most Guy has already tried his hand at Rallycross and has also taken part in the opening round of the Fun Cup.

However there is nothing like racing behind the wheel of your own race car and that is exactly what Guy will be doing this weekend.

Speaking to Kent Sports News about his experience in Rallycross, he said: “Before I decided to enter the first round of the 2014 British Rallycross Championship, I had only done a few laps of testing in the Suzuki Swift Sport at Lydden Hill.

“I didn’t know how I was going to fare in a race with more experienced drivers and I didn’t give myself a lot of time to prepare either as I only signed up to the event on the Thursday prior to race. That itself left me very apprehensive, but as soon as I was sat on the grid for my first ever race start it felt like I had been there a hundred times before.

“I was totally relaxed and ready for action. And although I wasn’t as quick as the regular guys, I found myself embroiled in a memorable and epic battle with American X Games gold medalist Danny Way, who was also trying Rallycross for the first time.”

The main aim for Guy was to have fun whilst racing at Lydden Hill as he had no expectations going into the weekend.

He added: “I was under no illusions as to how I would measure up against more experienced drivers. The plan at the start of the weekend was to have fun, learn and bring both me and the car back facing the right way in one piece. I achieved all that and was pleased to rank ninth overall in the championship after the weekend, but I was left ruing a couple of mistakes which affected my final position.”

All of this was made possible due to the tutelage of Peter Gwynne ahead of his debut in the British Rallycross championship and Guy was full of praise for his mentor.

“Peter is very experienced in the world of both rallying and rallycross, so I knew I was in the best possible hands. I was made to feel very welcome and the entire crew were so encouraging of my performance. My battle with Danny Way in the first heat got everyone jumping up and down with excitement and Peter was extremely impressed with my initial pace. It spurred me on no end.

“My engineer for the weekend was Kris Fruru, a highly experienced Belgian driver who will be racing with Peter Gwynne Motorsport this season. Kris’s help and guidance throughout the weekend was invaluable. He was so supportive and we’ve become good friends as a result.

“I came away from my first ever race weekend knowing I could do a lot better and be a lot quicker next time round. The Swift Rallycross Championship returns to Lydden Hill in August and I will almost certainly be back to better my performance then.

“However, Peter and his partner Sarah, who runs the hospitality at each event, have invited me to join them at every other round of this year’s British Rallycross Championship as a member of the team to help with the running and organising at each round, an opportunity I have jumped at. Sadly I have not got the budget to complete the season.”

It was then a move from one form of motorsport to a totally different one as he swapped rallycross for Endurance racing in the UK Fun Cup.

He said: “Entering the first round of the 2014 UK Funcup Championship was a little more pre-planned than rallycross. The team with which I was competing I have known and worked with for a couple of years. But prior to actually racing with them, I had only completed one day’s testing, which ended somewhat prematurely with me crashing the car into the tyre wall at Oulton Park in Cheshire.

“Nevertheless, the driving style for the race required a lot more consistency. Even though the race was over four hours as opposed to four laps like Rallycross, the racing itself was still very close and as a result fatigue was a major factor. My teammate and I shared the car doing 45 minute stints each, in a fast car with no power steering. My arms are still aching!

“My teammate John Halestrap is an experienced and consistent Funcup driver. I was desperate not to let him or the rest of the team down with a lacklustre performance, so I was buoyed by our position in the midfield after I had completed my first stint. It was encouraging also to see I was one of the quickest novice drivers in the race.

“It was unfortunate that John got caught up in another driver’s incident as the rain began to fall near the end of the race. John was forced to retire the car with just one lap to go. The change of weather caught a lot of drivers out, including the team’s sister car, who was leading and looked set for certain victory with just a few minutes to go. That aside, the team left Oulton Park confident the overall performance from all the drivers will make for a promising season ahead. I am aiming to re-join their driver line up for Brands Hatch later in the year.”

This Easter Guy gets back behind the wheel of his own Seat as takes part in the MSVT Trackday Trophy.

He added: “Racing my own car on Easter Monday is something I am very excited about. Trackcars4hire, who I race with in the Funcup series, are running my SEAT Leon Supercopa this year. Phill De Groot-King heads up the team and is incredibly experienced and hard working in both the driving and technical fields of motor racing.

“The series we are running in is the Trackday Trophy, is a championship designed for novice drivers like me making the transition from track days to competing. It’s another long trek back to Oulton Park this coming weekend, but it’s the team’s local circuit. They are proven winners there, and with the reliability of the SEAT beneath me, I am excited for our prospects.

“The Trackday Trophy supports the British GT Championship this weekend, and with our race taking place immediately before the headline event, we’ll be racing in front of a huge crowd. I’ll be sharing the car with Steve Johansen, who is a race winner in Funcup with Trackcars4hire and a very successful racer.

“I am using this year to learn a lot about racing and race craft. Although I have spent eight years driving lots of different cars around race circuits across the country, racing them competitively is very different. My current budget doesn’t allow for me to incur any damage, so I am not as confident as I could be. I am reluctant to take those risks on track just yet.

“That’s why I think the Trackday Trophy will be beneficial to my career as everyone will be in a similar position with a more level playing field of competitors. But nonetheless I would love to come away with a top three podium finish before the end of the year.”

Top picture supplied by Martin Taylor. Bottom picture supplied by PSP Images.