Success on the track for performance exhaust manufacturer

Sheffield manufacturer Cobra Sport Exhausts celebrated success on the track as its team took home three championship titles during the final rounds of this year’s Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship at Brands Hatch.

The Cobra Sport AmD with AutoAid/RCIB Insurance Racing team was chasing two Independent class titles and was also in the lead for the Jack Sears Trophy, with drivers Rory Butcher and Mike Bushell making the most of the pace of the NGTC Spec Honda Civic Type R around the full circuit.

Despite wet conditions, the combined efforts of the two drivers ensured the team successfully wrapped up the Independent Teams’ Championship and the Jack Sears after the second race of the day.

However, it was down to a nail-biting last race in which Butcher produced the drive of the season to secure the Independent Driver Championship Title. At the end of the 2019 season, the team came third in the overall Teams Championship, behind works teams BMW and Honda, while coming top in three of the five championships in the series, taking the titles of: Independent Teams’ Championship Winners; Independent Drivers Championship Winner (Rory Butcher) and Jack Sears Trophy Winner (Rory Butcher).

Rachel Abbott, Cobra Sport managing director, said: “We were aiming for three trophies at the start of the season and to have won them all is absolutely fantastic. I’m delighted for the whole team because we have worked so hard and it has been a massive team effort.”

Butcher said: “To come away from the weekend with the Independent title and the Jack Sears Trophy for me personally, and to finish in the top five overall, is absolutely fantastic and I think it will take some time to sink in.

“It’s hard to believe what we have achieved. For the team to also win the Independent Teams’ title and finish third overall is brilliant, and you can see in the eyes of the guys in the team just how much it means to them. I’m so pleased to be part of this team and to have had this opportunity, and I’m also happy for all of my sponsors and for the team sponsors who have made it possible.”

Cobra Sport, which jointly owns the cars and has been title sponsors of the team since 2017, is a family-run business specialising in the manufacture of stainless steel performance and motorsport exhausts which are sold worldwide for many applications.

Along with the financial investment in the team, Cobra also manufactures the exhausts for the race cars at its Sheffield HQ. This allows the firm to test its products on vehicles performing at the top level of British Motorsport, a process which then feeds back into the development of its road-going stainless steel performance exhaust range.

The company’s commitment to continuous improvement and investment in new exhaust technology led to it being awarded the “Made In Sheffield” mark – a symbol of excellence in manufacturing which is recognised worldwide.