Knockhill in Scotland is a favourite track of Tom’s and he’s had some great results in previous races there. However, this weekend’s event proved to be a disappointing and frustrating affair……
Tom has always entertained at Knockhill and showed how competitive he could be, setting the 3rd fastest time in Saturday’s free practice sessions. Qualifying brought the first disappointment though when on his second flying lap Tom collided with newcomer Alan Taylor at the first corner and had to sit out the rest of the session. Amazingly his first flying lap was good enough to put him 7th on the grid, but it would have been a lot better.
The first race started well enough with Tom holding his 7th place and challenging hard with his VX Racing Vectra looking the quickest of the pack of cars in front. Trying to find a way past Tom Onslow-Cole’s BMW, Tom was pushing hard and managed to get the nose of his Vauxhall up the inside going into Carlube corner on the 7th lap. The move didn’t come off, Onslow-Cole closed the door on Tom and with little choice of evasive action, he hit the stack of tyres on the apex and damaged the front of the Vectra. A holed radiator prevented Tom from continuing and he had to retire from the race.
With about an hour between the first and second races it was touch and go whether the VX Racing team were going to be able to repair Tom’s car in time. They did manage to get him onto the grid, but had no time to check the set-up or make any changes. Making a good start from his 13th place on the grid, Tom was up to 11th by the end of the first lap and on the third lap he was the fastest car on the circuit. Things were looking good, Tom was up to 10th by lap 7 and pulling away from Mat Jackson’s BMW behind. Then the frustrating pattern of the weekend re-appeared. This time a broken exhaust which, although Tom could continue racing, affected the performance of his Vectra enough to stop his progress and allow Jackson to close back up and eventually get past Tom who had to settle for an 11th place finish.
The final race’s reverse grid didn’t help Tom either as only the top 8 were reversed. Starting 11th, he made a good start and immediately started challenging the pack in front. Tom was all over Gavin Smith’s SEAT through the corners, but the Irishman had a clear advantage up the straight making any chance of overtaking very difficult to achieve. Lap after lap Tom tried to take advantage and it wasn’t until the 20th lap that he managed it, out-braking the SEAT driver into the hairpin. Shortly after this Tom’s race was over. A rare mistake at the chicane sent him through the gravel trap, damaging the front of the Vectra and forcing another premature retirement.
It had been a nightmare weekend for Tom, clearly upset as he recalled the events later that day;
“It all started to go wrong in qualifying I suppose. I was really confident in the car and knew that a lap time good enough for the front row was possible. The collision with Taylor wasn’t really my fault, but I guess with hindsight, I could have given up that lap and would have had another opportunity later in the session. I just didn’t expect him to come out of the pits so slowly. The car’s lack of performance in the second race wasn’t down to me either, but it was a direct result of the team not having time to set up and check the car as they were rebuilding it from the damage I caused when I hit the tyres in the first race. That incident and my off in the final race were absolutely down to me. I hold my hands up and admit the mistakes. I was always trying to recover ground after the qualifying incident and it’s really hard. I’m very disappointed and this is a low point of the season for sure.”
There is now a six week break in the BTCC until the final rounds at Thruxton on the 14th October. Tom was very quick there earlier in the year and will be looking to end his season on a high, helping to seal the Manufacturer’s Championship for Vauxhall.
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