Three top 10 finishes, capped with fourth place, for Andrew Jordan and a career-best second place for Jeff Smith made it a strong weekend for Pirtek Racing at the Knockhill circuit in Scotland (26/27 August) during rounds 19, 20 and 21 of the 2012 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship.
However, the three-dimensional track was always going to be a tough one for the Pirtek Racing Honda Civics after many of the other cars on the grid were given a performance aid when the amended turbo boost levels were announced ahead of the race weekend.
After the free practice sessions on Saturday morning we said wed do well to qualify in the top six, which is unusual for us, said Andrew. Wed been top four at every meeting until Knockhill. The car felt pretty good, but we were down 7mph on the straights. However, rain arrived just before qualifying and Andrew thought that was good news. When it rained I thought wed be in good shape, but we really struggled, he reported. We were two-tenths off the other Hondas and they were down the order. Then I went off at Duffus Dip when trying too hard. Andrew was left in eleventh place on the grid.
We got a ninth place in the first race, he said. I just couldnt really go forward because of the lack of straight-line speed. In the second race we were seventh. We knew that Knockhill would be a case of damage limitation against Rob Collard points-wise in the Independents Trophy.
In the third race we took some points back from Collard, so that was good: it was what we really needed. I just got under Matt Neal off the last corner and crossed the line four-hundredths of a second behind him in fourth, said Andrew. However, the star of the final race was Jeff Smith in the other Pirtek Racing Honda. He started from second on the grid thanks to the reverse grid draw and raced superbly well to hold second place despite considerable pressure from Neal. Jeff did a great job to get his first podium, said Andrew.
With three events and nine races left to run, Andrew now lies fourth overall in the BTCC points and continues to lead the Independents Trophy by 34 points from Collard. The action resumes at Rockingham (Northants) on 23 September.
