After a weekend of highs and lows at Oulton Park, Andrew Jordan and Pirtek Racing will switch focus to the Croft circuit in North Yorkshire next weekend (23/24 June) for rounds 13, 14 and 15 of the 2012 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship.
The three races at the challenging track will take the BTCC season to the mid-point and the start of another break in racing. Due to live TV scheduling, the BTCC will have a summer recess of seven weeks after Croft until the season resumes at Snetterton in mid-August, so the teams and drivers will be eager to end the first half of the year on a high.
At Oulton Park Andrew demonstrated that the Pirtek Racing Honda Civic is a very strong package, with two fighting second places before being shunted out of the final race of the weekend. That accident, which was not of Andrew’s making, has left the team with a lot of work to do in order to have the car back in prime condition in time for Croft. Meanwhile, Jeff Smith will again handle the other Civic from Pirtek Racing and will bid for top six finishes.
For Andrew, Croft is a track that has featured strongly in his racing career and it was the scene of his first overall BTCC victory so it holds a special place in his heart. The track, which was originally laid out in the 1950s with the help of Grand Prix legend Jim Clark, offers a series of challenges: from the high-speed sweeps of the Jim Clark Esses to the technical complex at the end of each lap.
Andrew will head to Croft holding fifth place overall in the driver standings and in the lead of the Independents’ Trophy. Pirtek Racing is a very close second in the Independent Teams’ Trophy. “I got my first BTCC win at Croft and it’s a circuit I like,” said Andrew. “I think our car will be good there.”
After qualifying on Saturday 23 June at 15.05, the first of three BTCC races will be at 12.00 on Sunday, with race two at 14.35 and race three at 17.10. All three races will be broadcast on ITV4 in a programme starting at 11.30. Qualifying will be broadcast live at itv.com and live results from the weekend will be available at tsl-timing.com
