A new era in the British Touring Car Championship has officially started, with all 29 cars at last weekend’s opening event at Donington showcasing hybrid power for the very first time. This makes the BTCC the first touring car series on the planet to make the move to hybrid, keeping us at the very forefront of touring car racing as well as staying relevant with the fans, sponsors and car manufacturers.
The hybrid power unit did what it said on the tin, adding a completely new dimension to the racing and provided drivers and teams with new opportunities and challenges as we all strive to make best use of the 15 seconds of extra power per lap.
My hybrid power unit worked seamlessly all weekend but unfortunately I hit issues elsewhere, when my driveshaft snapped while leaving the pit lane during qualifying. My Toyota Gazoo Racing squad were heroic in their efforts to replace the component mid-session and I was actually ready to leave the pit lane just as the chequered flag signalled the end of qualifying. Not having a flying lap time on the timing board was a massive set back which forced me to start at the back of grid for Race 1.
Our weekend goals had to be re-evaluated and our minds were now focussed on getting into the top twelve by Race 2, which would give us a shot at the reverse grid draw. However, starting further down the order always comes with added risk and I was caught up in a silly incident on lap 2. The safety car was deployed suddenly and everyone was caught off guard. This caused a concertina effect, but I was tucked up behind Ollie Jackson and when he unexpectedly braked I hit his rear bumper. The collision cracked a pipe on my intercooler and I had to retire to the pits. Thankfully Ollie’s Ford Focus had no damage and was able to continue. I was absolutely gutted and so were the team, we had made such great progress and now we were back to square one.
I had no choice but to live with the disappointment and decided not to change my assertive approach for the next two races. Thankfully everything went according to plan and I cut through the field, passing 16 cars to finish tenth overall in Race 2 and then a solid seventh place in Race 3, securing some valuable championship points.
It’s crazy to think we ended up with two top ten finishes despite starting at the tail end of the grid twice. It left us with a feeling of what could have been but even more so it provided us with a massive confidence booster for the remainder of the season. Despite the setbacks we kept our cool and proved that we not only have front-running pace, but we have the strength to turn a tough weekend around.
My Toyota Corolla had been on rails all weekend and as a whole I feel in such a strong position compared to 12 months ago when I first jumped aboard the Corolla. I’m very excited to get back behind the wheel in two weeks’ time for Round 2 at Brands Hatch!