The Pirtek Racing team had an exciting day’s racing at the Brands Hatch circuit as the team’s driver Andrew Jordan drove well to take home two points finishes from three races in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship. Throughout the day Jordan contended with both the persistent rain as well as an ongoing engine issue to take a 15th place finish in the first race, a superb sixth in the second and a well fought fifth in the third and final race of the day.
During Saturday morning’s first practice session Pirtek Racing finished in second place giving the team a sense of optimism for the afternoon’s qualifying session. On his first run in the 30 minute session, Jordan found himself once again second on the timesheets. During a subsequent outing Jordan was setting green quickest sectors before he ran wide at the final corner of the circuit into the gravel and ended his session, leaving him in eighth place for the first race the following day.
Sunday’s first race took place in extremely wet conditions leaving Jordan with the challenge to move through the mid-pack and spray at the start of the race. As the cars jostled for position Jordan and the rest of the field went through the first corner with no dramas, however no sooner had the race began than the Turbo powered NGTC engine in the Pirtek Racing Vectra began a race long misfire.
After fighting hard to maintain his position in the treacherous conditions, the engine issue deteriorated and Jordan was forced to pit on the penultimate lap, rejoining the circuit to be classified 15th at the flag.
Race two also took place in sodden conditions, albeit with the showers easing slightly as the cars lined up on the grid. From 16th Jordan made a good getaway, kept it clean through the melee of the first corner and moved up to 10th by the end of the first lap. On the second lap the safety car was deployed whilst the three cars were removed to safety - the first of four safety car interventions in the second race.
Jordan once again struggled with an intermittent engine issue during the race but continued to battle hard to move up through the field, passing several cars, ending the race as one of the quickest cars on track in sixth place.
Jordan started the final race of the day from the second row of the grid in third place, but a drying track created chaos for the teams as they determined race tyre choices whilst on the grid. Pirtek Racing were the highest placed car to opt for the gamble of dry tyres on the front and wet tyres on the rear, with those around him going for full wet weather tyres. Jordan lost places on the first lap of the race as he struggled with a lack of heat and grip and by lap eight he was running down in ninth place.
As the track began to dry, those on the mix of tyres began to mount a challenge on the front runners and Jordan proceeded to pass two cars in succession before following Matt Neal passed Tom Boardman. On lap 14 Jordan made a bold overtake on the Chevrolet of James Nash and was up to fifth place. On the penultimate corner of the last lap Jordan went up the inside of Rob Collard into Stirling fighting for fourth place, but he was at the disadvantage of the outside line in Clearways leaving Collard the space to retake the place. Jordan finished the race in an eventual fifth.
After the final race Jordan added, “Aside from the first race we have come away with two solid results and once again showed ourselves as one of the front runners when the car is running well. All weekend the car has been hooked-up and looking at the data we could have achieved a third place grid slot in qualifying on the last lap. Aside from the engine issues in the races, the car felt really good.
“I really enjoyed the battles in race three, I’d worn my rear tyres a bit more than Matt (Neal) so I couldn’t quite keep the same pace as him, but I think with a few in more laps in the race we could have made the podium too. I’m looking forward to Oulton Park, the break between the races will give us chance to look at the engine and hopefully we should be right up there fighting at the front.”
The Pirtek Racing team now lies in eighth place with a total of 30 points in the Team’s Championship whilst Jordan is 11th with 30 points in the Drivers Championship table. The next round of the BTCC will take place at Oulton Park in Cheshire on the 5th/6th June.
