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Barrow-upon-Humber
racer Martyn Bell will hope to repeat his previous strong form at Knockhill as
the HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship heads to Scotland this weekend for the
eighth round of the year.
The
Arkas Racing with Sunshine.co.uk driver has scored points at the picturesque
circuit overlooking the Firth of Forth in both of his BTCC seasons to date,
finishing eighth and tenth in 2006 and then taking a ninth place finish last
year.
This
weekend will see Martyn tackling Knockhill for the first time in his Tech-Speed
run Vauxhall Astra Sport Hatch and he said he was hopeful of repeating his
strong performances of previous years to work his way into the top ten.
Should
Martyn achieve his goals, it would see him score his first overall points of
the season while he will also hope to improve on his 16th place in
the Independents’ standings.
“Everyone
knows how much I love Cadwell
Park, and Knockhill is
very similar with lots of undulations,” Martyn admitted ahead of the
weekend. “I have really good memories of the place and have scored points
in half of my BTCC races there, so I’d love to add to that record this
weekend. If I can stay out of trouble in the first two laps, there is a good
chance of getting into the top ten again this year.
“With
the extra things we have found out about the car, and the fact that the Astra
has been strong at Knockhill in the past, I’m hopeful that we can have a
good weekend. The circuits we have left this season, including Knockhill, are all
ones where I think we will run well.”
Martyn
added that he was particularly looking forward to racing in front of the
Scottish crowds, with Knockhill being one of the most well-supported events on
the BTCC calendar.
“Racing
in front of the Scottish fans is always fantastic as they are so
welcoming,” he said. “Maybe they see that I’m from ‘up
north’ and have decided to cheer me on, even though the trip to Knockhill
is one of the longest of the season for me! They are fantastic fans and almost
make it feel like a home race.”
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