The AmDTuning.com team showed solid pace throughout the weekend as the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship headed north to Oulton Park for the fourth round of the season.
The West Thurrock-based team made the journey to Cheshire with a new face at the wheel of its turbo-powered Volkswagen Golf, having agreed a deal with Doncaster-based racer Aaron Mason that saw him making his BTCC debut.
The current Volkswagen Racing Cup points leader was deputising for AmDTuning.com regular James Kaye, who was unable to compete due to clashing business commitments, with the opening practice session of the weekend being Aarons first chance to sample the Super 2000-spec Golf.
Having used the two practice sessions to get comfortable in the car, Aaron produced an impressive performance in his first BTCC qualifying session to secure third on the grid amongst the Jack Sears Trophy runners, just under a second away from the pace on one of the trickiest circuits on the calendar.
A strong run in the opening race saw Aaron match the pace of his Jack Sears Trophy rivals as he took the flag third in class, and he looked set to at least repeat that result in race two as he again ran at an impressive pace in the early laps.
However, a small error resulting in an engine over-rev forced Aaron to retire with engine failure shortly before the mid-way point, with the team also forced to then miss the final race of the weekend.
Its a shame the weekend ended as it did, but Im pleased with how quickly I was able to adapt to the car and how quickly I was on the pace, Aaron said. We made a few adjustments to the car to get it more to my liking and by the time we got to qualifying, I felt I was really up to speed. In the first race, the car didnt feel quite as good but the guys made some changes for race two and it felt a lot better in the laps we did. I think we were showing strong pace before the engine let go.
I really enjoyed the weekend and working with the team, and I think I put in a good performance. It would be nice to get out again and give it another go later in the year if the chance arose.
Although disappointed to come away from the weekend without securing the three finishes that were the aim before the meeting, team boss Shaun Hollamby said he was impressed by the way in which his rookie driver had settled in.
I thought that Aaron would be quick in the car, he said,and I wouldnt have put him in it if I thought otherwise. He did a brilliant job when you consider he was thrown in at the deep end and there was a lot for him to get used to in a short amount of time.
He took a sensible approach when he got in the car and built up his speed rather than trying to overdrive it straightaway, and the pace he showed in qualifying and the two races was solid compared to the other S2000 cars on the grid. Its just a shame that he made a small mistake and snatched the wrong gear, which damaged the engine. Thats just down to experience with the car, and unfortunately it ended the weekend early. Without that, I think he could have challenged for some silverware in the final race.
"This weekend we have shown that we can provide a car that is quick, even if the driver has no prior experience and is a rookie at this level. James will be back in the car for Croft, and our aim there is to pick up some trophies and add to our win tally.
