Simon Belcher returns to the scene of his biggest motor racing accident, Thruxton in Hampshire, next weekend for the third event of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship season – and the Swindon driver is targeting a much better outcome at his ‘home’ venue 12 months on.Always relishing the chance to compete at his local track, the Handy Motorsport racer hopes to continue making good progress at the fastest circuit on the BTCC calendar after a strong start to 2015 which has already delivered a career-best top 15 finish.
While Thruxton is always a big event for the Webb Garden Power Equipment and KÄRCHER-backed driver, with plenty of hometown support travelling down the A346 from neighbouring Wiltshire, this year will have more significance than ever before following last season’s dramatic events.
Midway through the third of the weekend’s races, while in the thick of a key battle, Belcher’s Toyota Avensis suddenly left the track at more than 120mph when the front suspension failed. Spearing across the grass on the outside of the circuit, the car catapulted over the barriers before coming to rest in a cluster of trees.
Fortunately emerging unscathed, unlike his battered Avensis, Belcher’s excursion certainly grabbed plenty of headlines but he’s hoping to be a feature at Thruxton next weekend, 9th/10th May, for all the right reasons.
“Last season’s visit to Thruxton certainly didn’t end the way we intended – we definitely made an impact but not the kind we wanted!”, said the 41-year-old, “We’ve made big improvements since then so I’m looking forward to being back there and seeing where we are compared to last year. I’m confident we should be able to build on what we’ve achieved so far this season.”
So far this year Belcher has made good strides and after securing a career-best top 15 outright points finish at Brands Hatch in round three, last time out at Donington Park the second year BTCC racer was just 0.4 seconds away from matching that result.
In the Independents Trophy battle, Belcher is 13th in the standings while Handy Motorsport holds eighth position in the Independents Team Trophy. In rounds seven, eight and nine just over a week from now, consistency and competitiveness are the goals to keep the season progressing strongly.
“Thruxton is obviously a very unique challenge, it’s the fastest circuit on the calendar – there really is nowhere else like it”, he added, “You’ve got to have maximum commitment there but finding a good set-up is crucial to look after the tyres, Thruxton is so hard on them. I’m definitely aiming for the top 15 again but we want consistency too. Hopefully we can achieve both next weekend.”
Free practice and qualifying for the third event of the BTCC season will take place at Thruxton next Saturday, 9th May, with all three races scheduled for Sunday, 10th May – round seven will begin at approximately 12.10, round eight will follow at 14.30 and round nine is expected to commence at 17.15. All three contests will be screened live on ITV4 with online streaming at www.itv.com/btcc
