|
Barrow-Upon-Humber racer Martyn Bell can now turn his attention to the
future after a tough end to his second season in the Dunlop MSA British
Touring Car Championship at Thruxton.
The ever-popular Team
AllAboutProperty.com driver was hoping to end the season on a high in what
should be his final outing with the BMW 320i E46 he has campaigned since
making his debut at the start of 2006, but a mechanical problem left him
unable to make the most of the straight-line speed of the rear-wheel drive
car at the quickest circuit on the calendar.
Things had started well in the
opening free practice session as Martyn settled back into the car following
the six-week break between the final two rounds of the season, but he was
then hit by a problem with the car in the second practice session that led to
him suffering a spin at one of the quickest parts of the circuit. With the
problem again surfacing in qualifying, he was forced to line up 23rd on the
grid for the final race day of the season.
Unfortunately, the mystery
problem couldn’t be cured for Sunday’s three races, but Martyn
continued undeterred – despite knowing that the car wouldn’t be
easy to drive and wouldn’t be lapping as quick as it could.
Forced to retire from the
opening race as a result, Martyn battled to a lonely 16th place in race two
after being caught up in someone else’s accident at the start but then
saw his season end in frustrating fashion when he was forced to bring the BMW
into the pits after seven laps with it becoming increasingly hard to drive.
“We had a problem with the
car from the second free practice session which affected us for the rest of
the weekend,” Martyn reflected once the weekend was over, “and it
was only when we got the car back to base that we were able to discover
exactly what it was. It’s turned out to be a problem with the diff that
made the car very difficult to drive and it’s a shame as we
weren’t able to go as quickly as we know we can do; that was shown in
the lap-times.
“However, we have to look
to the positives and we have finished the season in a solid position in the
Independents’ championship and picked up some top ten finishes along
the way – which is what we wanted to do at the start of the season. The
BMW is a good car and has served us well for the last two years, but it is
now available for anyone who wants to buy it and we have lots of irons in the
fire for next season. Throughout my career, the even numbered years have
always been better than the odd numbered ones, so if you wanted to be
superstitious, you could say we’ll be having a good one in 2008!”
Martyn also wishes to thank all
those who have continued to support him through his second season in the
BTCC, which ends with him tenth in the Independents’ Championship and
his team, made up of the same enthusiastic bunch of volunteers who have
backed him throughout his career, in eighth place in the Independents’
team standings.
“I want to say thank you
to my team, who have been fantastic again all season, and also thank the
sponsors who have backed us throughout the year,” he said. “Last
but not least, I also have to give a big thank you to the fans that have
supported us so much. It’s such a nice feeling to see people out there
waving banners with my name on and I have to admit that the close
relationship with the fans is one of the best things about being in the
BTCC.”
|
