Silverstone played host to the penultimate rounds of the Dunlop
MSA British Touring Car Championship last weekend with both Colin Turkington
and Jason Plato in contention for the 2016 championship title. Between the pair they were looking for a good
haul of points in order for them to be in a strong position for the final rounds
some two weeks later.
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All four made great getaways, but a tap from behind for the team
boss Warren sent him into a spin that caused Jason to take evasive action
leaving the boss stranded sideways on track allowing all of the chasing pack to
pass. He did however manage to get the
car started again albeit down in last position but clawed his way back up to 21st
place before a puncture on the final lap forced him to retire from the race
with great disappointment.
It wasn’t going to be an easy task for Colin following the grid
penalty, but despite starting from the back of the grid he carved his way
through the field, passing no less than 19 cars in the process, to finish in an
outstanding 10th place.
Jason dropped back down the order at the start but impressively
fought a good fight and gained a number of positions back to finish in a
comfortable point scoring position of 12th.
James had a great start to his first race of the day and by the
end of the first lap was up to an astonishing 17th from 23rd
on the grid. Unfortunately he too was
forced to retire on the final lap with a front left puncture.
MG were initially awarded first and second positions although the
final race result was amended due to the MG’s being excluded from the race and
both Colin and Jason were promoted two places and up to 8th and 10th
respectively.
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Colin and Jason then worked in formation picking off their targets
one by one as they fought their way through the field into 4th and 5th
places. Warren made it up to 17th
before succumbing to his second puncture of the day finishing all the way down
in 29th with James securing 23rd. James also scored a point for setting the
fastest lap of the race. Andrew Jordan was
victorious as he took the win in the Ford Focus.
For the final showdown of the day, Warren suffered more misery as
he was unable to make it to the grid for the third due to an engine issue.
Colin doubled up with a second 4th place finish after
passing Jason on the final lap after the latter brought more misery to the team
after he too suffered a puncture. He
managed to finish the race by limping across the line in 12th place
and still in a point scoring position after running fourth throughout the 22
lap encounter. James brought the third
and final Subaru Levorg home in 21st. Honda’s Gordon Shedden took the win.
There is just one event remaining this season with rounds 28, 29
and 30 of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship being held at Brands
Hatch Grand Prix circuit on the 1st and 2nd of October.
Sam Tordoff currently leads the standings from the Honda duo of
Shedden and Matt Neal. With a maximum of
67 points up for grabs, there are a further 5 drivers who can mathematically
still walk away with the 2016 championship title that includes Rob Collard, Mat
Jackson, Andrew Jordan and our very own Silverline Subaru BMR Racing drivers
Colin and Jason with just 58 points separating the top eight.
Warren
commented “The number 39 crew experienced another tough weekend at
Silverstone, the circuit really suits me as the racing lines are pretty much
the same as when riding a superbike here unlike the other circuits where the
car racing lines are so different.
“We managed a great qualifying result where we were the quickest
rear wheel drive car which gave me a confidence boost for the race day on
Sunday. Starting from P13 in race 1 was
an achievement for me, I was really looking forward to race with the front
runners only to be knocked off the circuit on turn one.
“Race 2 I had a puncture and then we didn’t manage to get the car
out for race 3 due to a mechanical issue so all in all quite a rough day!
“As usual I am immensely proud of the team who work tirelessly and
put every bit of effort in, also to James, Colin and Jason who work so incredibly
hard to achieve the results that they have done this year so far, especially at
Silverstone which was always going to be a very hard track for the Subaru’s to
compete.
“We now look forward to the season Finale at Brands Hatch to mark
the end of our development season with the Subaru Levorg before a very
comprehensive winter testing programme begins.”
James
commented “Silverstone
sadly was always going to be a circuit we would struggle at more than most.
Considering our lack of horse power the team did a fantastic job all weekend.
Yes a fastest lap in Race 2 was a very high positive from the weekend, but
being able to use it to fight through the field is a different story. To get
anywhere close in the races every lap has to be a qualifying lap, we are not
able to manage our tyres over a race run, which lead to our two punctures in
the first two races. We have such a good car through the corners, which is so
important. The straight bits, maybe I’ll try pushing my foot down harder on the
throttle next time, see if that help.”
Colin commented “I left
Silverstone hugely satisfied after three strong finishes despite having to
start the first race from the back of the grid. An unexpected good
haul of points at one of our toughest circuits means I go to the
final meeting 37 points from the top of the table and still a
contender for the championship.
“Making good progress early in the day and passing 19 other cars to finish 10th in race one was the perfect start and the key to my weekend. The grip on the circuit was unusually low, so we had to work hard to find a good setup, but thanks to my engineering team we did and I was able to keep progressing and take home another two fourth place finishes.
I now go into the finale still fighting for honours, albeit an outside bet. This is an incredible achievement for the whole team considering the tough start to the year and this being our first season with the Levorg. My focus is already on Brands and I will keep the pressure on to see how far up the championship leader board I can get.”
“Making good progress early in the day and passing 19 other cars to finish 10th in race one was the perfect start and the key to my weekend. The grip on the circuit was unusually low, so we had to work hard to find a good setup, but thanks to my engineering team we did and I was able to keep progressing and take home another two fourth place finishes.
I now go into the finale still fighting for honours, albeit an outside bet. This is an incredible achievement for the whole team considering the tough start to the year and this being our first season with the Levorg. My focus is already on Brands and I will keep the pressure on to see how far up the championship leader board I can get.”
Jason commented “Silverstone was always going to
be a tough one for everyone at Silverline Subaru BMR Racing as it is a circuit
which the lap time is heavily dependent on engine power and therefore straight line
speed. To be so far off in qualifying taking into account the skill of the
engineers, drivers and equipment at our disposal is beyond disappointing.
“Whilst we made progress in the races, this was mostly due to us
overtaking cars that were experiencing tyre degradation issues. We are just so
slow in a straight line it is almost impossible to mount an attack.
“My frustration hit a new high with a puncture on the last corner
of the last lap in race three whilst in 4th position.
“We have a car which is without doubt the class of the field in
the corners. We need more power from the engine to be able to compete in the
races.”
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