PURE GROUP WINS BIG AT DAYTONA MK!
On Sunday 24th September, Pure Group was revved up to get involved with the charity racing event at Daytona MK. The Buttercup Trophy was organised by Daytona MK as part of the Herd about MK charity. Leading the team was none other than our Director Robin Riley, with Sales Rep Jake Riley, Air Conditioning Engineer Paul Cottrell and Ryan Kosmalski from the Property Maintenance Team making up the rest of the Pure Group quartet.
The day consisted of 30 companies, all who had purchased a cow from Herd about MK, to help celebrate 50 years of Milton Keynes. To find out more about the charity, click here.
The Heats
The day began with the heats – 24 races of 15 drivers, 6 laps each race. First up for Pure Group was Ryan, starting in 14th on the grid. Although it was a difficult race, Ryan managed to overtake ten drivers and finish in fourth! The good performances continued as the team continued to finish in the top half of each heat they competed in. Paul had a rocky start, spinning out on the 10th corner and dropping down to eighth early on. Jake, a bit of a part-time karter, finished in first place for all three of his heats. This helped Pure Group to climb up the leader board, along with Robin, Paul and Ryan finishing in the top 5 for most of their heats. Furthermore, there was tough competition from RSR Interiors, Cygnus and RISCO throughout the heats. All three companies put out strong teams that gave our drivers a real battle. After all 24 heats, Pure Group had finished 7th. This guaranteed a place in the Buttercup Final!
The Final
The Final was to be a 30 minute endurance race, with three pit stops required to change drivers. With a competitive Director like Robin, the boys really went for it. A little team meeting before the race to discuss tactics and then they were off. Robin took the first shift, gaining some ground from our starting spot of seventh. After three laps he pulled into the pits to let Paul loose on the track. Paul screeched out of the pits, desperate to gain some ground back, and completed three laps quickly before Ryan got into the driver’s seat. Ryan did well to hold position, and calmly entered the pits after three quick laps to let Jake complete the race. With the mandatory three pit stops completed early on, it was up to Star Man Jake Riley to bring home the win at Daytona MK.
As Jake left the pits we were 14th. However with the three early pits we had the advantage of no longer needing to stop. As other teams began to pit, Jake gained more and more ground on the leaders Cygnus. After just two laps Jake had raced all the way up to fifth, and was continuing to close the gap. Setting a lap time of just under 70 seconds, Jake was the fastest of the day. With just 3 minutes left on the clock, Jake got round the Cygnus driver on corner number 4. With all the Pure Group spectators and the rest of the team on the sideline, it was a tense few moments. As Jake and Cygnus’ driver Erin continued to speed through the track, they hit the back runners. Carefully weaving through the other drivers, it was a tight battle right to the end. Jake nearly collided with another driver on the second to last corner, which would of surely lost Pure the title, but he cleverly slowed and avoided a crash. The Pure Group spectators went absolutely crazy as Jake crossed the finish line in first place. We were the Buttercup Champions!
Herd About MK
Lastly, it is important to mention that this great event would not have been possible without Herd about MK, or Daytona MK hosting the exciting day. The charity aims to help celebrate fifty years of Milton Keynes, but is also raising money for three local, and vital, charities. These include Willen Hospice, MK Dons SET and the MK Community Foundation. The cows are a wonderful display of each companies individuality, and represent an even more wonderful cause. Below are a few snaps from the event, including our cow Mairy. Showing off our company colours, Mairy sits in pride of place among the herd at Daytona MK.
