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Third Row Start For Onslow-Cole |
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Sunday, 03 June 2007 |
Tom Onslow-Cole will start from the third row of the grid for the first of three Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship races at Croft tomorrow. The 20 year-old Team RAC driver posted the sixth quickest time around the 2.127mile North Yorkshire track in his West Surrey Racing-prepared BMW 320si but admitted to overdriving as he bids for his maiden BTCC race win.
“As always, it’s a little bit frustrating that I haven’t quite nailed qualifying so far this year, said Tom. “Testing went really well earlier and I think looking at the data after the session, I simply overdrove it, I got a little bit too excited I think. This is the hardest I’ve pushed in the car though, I’ve got the confidence with it now and I think maybe I just pushed a little bit too much so it’s just a case of backing myself off.
“To finish on the podium in the first race would be good, but I’m still
hunting down that first win. I’ve already had a second place and
anything higher than that is my aim, so only first will do. It does
still look possible this weekend, if I can improve in the first race
and get on the podium then a win is definitely a possibility. The
second place I had came from eighth on the grid and this is BTCC where
anything can happen.
“The car was great, but obviously when you push too hard, that
translates into the car not handling as I would have expected, but it’s
literally driver input, it’s only a slight thing, but it’s a little bit
everywhere and that knocks you down the grid a lot over a whole lap,
especially at Croft which is a long lap.”
Today’s qualifying gives the grid for tomorrow’s first 15 lap race,
which is scheduled to start at 12.00. The finishing positions from
that race, will give the grid for race two, which will take place at
14.35 and the third round grid is decided by the finishing order of the
second race but with the leading positions reversed. The number of
positions to be reversed becomes known only after race two when a
random number between six and ten will be drawn to decide the order for
the race which starts at 16.50.
Qualifying for Race One
1. Gordon Shedden Honda Civic 1:26.243
2. Colin Turkington BMW 320si 1:26.293
3. Darren Turner SEAT Leon 1:26.332
4. Matt Neal Honda Civic 1:26.634
5. Fabrizio Giovanardi Vauxhall Vectra 1:26.832
6. TOM ONSLOW-COLE BMW 320si 1:26.867
Championship positions after 9 rounds:
1. Jason PLATO, 107 points
2. Fabrizio GIOVANARDI, 98
3. Tom CHILTON, 68
4. Matt NEAL, 66
5. Colin TURKINGTON, 44
6. Darren TURNER, 40
7. Mike JORDAN, 38
8. Mat JACKSON, 35
9. Tom ONSLOW-COLE, 34
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