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Steven Kane recorded Motorbase Performance
BMW’s best qualifying result this season in the HiQ MSA British Touring Car
Championship at Silverstone today (Saturday).
The Northern Irishman chalked up the sixth-quickest
time early in the session to place him on the third row of the grid. The
result is a Touring Car career best for Kane and a step forward in qualifying
performance for the Motorbase team, which while having displayed impressive
race pace has found good grid positions more difficult to come by.
With team principal David Bartrum having
targeted top-ten qualifying spots as vital to his team’s chances of success at
Silverstone he was delighted to see Kane up the pace on the track he knows
better than most.
While Kane was able to put his marker down
early and secure his top six starting slot, team-mate Rob Collard was less
fortunate and one of a number of stars to fall victim to a dramatic change in
track conditions that saw them unable to get the most from their cars.
Collard eventually placed 16th on the grid, just behind the Honda of
Gordon Shedden and BMW of Mat Jackson.
The topsy-turvy qualifying session will mean
the Motorbase Performance BMWs will face very different challenges in the opening
race tomorrow (Sunday). Steven Kane will once again look to use the
lightening starting power of the 320si to get off the mark quickly and move
into the hunt for a podium place. Rob Collard will have to use his
extensive race experience to help him pick his way through traffic and into a
points-scoring position.
With less than one second separating the top
dozen cars a fierce battle is likely to rage around the short, fast Silverstone
National circuit.
Motorbase Performance Team Principal David Bartrum
said:
“I am very, very happy with our performance
in that qualifying session. It was pretty evident there was an eight to
10-minute window at the start of the session in which to get a decent
time. We managed to get Steven out and he banged one in that put him
right up there, so we were obviously delighted with that. Unfortunately
we missed that crucial window with Rob and like many others out there he just
couldn’t get an improved time in the second half of the session. Overall
I’m really pleased and I think we’re in good shape to get a result in race
one.”
Motorbase Performance Team Driver Steven
Kane said:
“I’m glad we had the car sorted after
practice and got it to go so well in qualifying. I went out just at the
right time when the track was at its best, and I simply drove as hard as I
could and it paid off. I probably could have gone even quicker if the
conditions hadn’t changed so much, but I’m still happy with that and we’re well
placed for the race now.”
Motorbase Performance Team Driver Rob
Collard said:
“That was a really strange qualifying
session and I’m disappointed to say the least. Not getting out at the
start did not help my chances, but it’s frustrating to be so far down the field
when the car felt so good. I was going round next to Jackson and
Giovanardi and I thought we were all on a decent pace, so it was surprising to
come back in and see we were nowhere! By then my tyres had gone and the
track conditions had changed so it was impossible to improve much. The car
really does feel great though so I’m sure I’ll be able to challenge those ahead
of me in the first race.”
Motorbase
Performance Practice/Qualifying Times
First
Practice:
Rob
Collard 1.01.053 – P11
Steven
Kane 1.01.117 – P12
Second
Practice:
Steven
Kane 1.01.419 – P13
Rob
Collard 1.01.678 – P15
Qualifying:
Steven
Kane 1.01.000 – P6
Rob
Collard 1.01.389 – P16
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