DRIVER Dan Cammish says Halfords Yuasa Racing can expect to be at the front next weekend at Thruxton, after he secured two second-place finishes in round six of the British Touring Car Championship.
In the latest round of the championship at Snetterton, Cammish finished second in qualifying, before repeating the feat in the opening two races, though team-mate Matt Neal was only able to finish as high as 11th in race three.
Cammish, who currently sits fifth on 166 points in the Drivers’ Championship, was delighted with the consistent pace maintained over the weekend, and believes Thruxton can be another happy hunting ground for the Droitwich-based team.
“We were fast all weekend. Our pace during the test converted into a great qualifying performance, and a great race one and two,” he said.
“In the second I really punched above the weight of the success ballast to take second place.
“It was a shame race three didn’t go to plan but I struggled with some brake problems which we hadn’t seen before.
“I’m looking forward to going back to Thruxton. We know we go well there and I’m sure we will be at the front.”
The Honda pair started strongly in qualifying, with Cammish finishing just two thousandths of a second behind leader Tom Ingram with a best lap time of 1:54.739, while Neal enjoyed a productive session to finish as the eighth-fastest rider with a fastest lap of 1:55.443.
The meeting was a unique one, as drivers were required to use different compound tyres in each of the three races, with Cammish’s decision to use soft tyres proving effective.
After making an excellent start, Cammish held second position and kept in close proximity to Ingram for the entirety of the race, a line-up that did not change as the pair crossed the line.
Neal was not quite as fortunate, and was forced into an early retirement after clashing with another car following the first lap.
With both Honda drivers lining up at opposite ends of the grid for race two, Cammish picked up where he left off and finished second for a third race in succession, despite falling back into fourth at the start of the race.
Meanwhile, Neal progressed to 13th from a 30th place start, to at least stand him in better stead for the final race.
While Cammish’s afternoon finished with disappointment after crossing the line in 15th, Neal’s 11th-place finish was his best of the day, to earn crucial points in the Teams’ Championship for Halfords Yuasa Racing.
Neal accepted it was always likely to be a difficult weekend after falling to the back of the grid following the opening race, but is positive ahead of round seven.
“We took a gamble on the hard tyre in race one, which proved a good move but then I was speared off the track,” he said.
“When you are coming from the back it’s a lottery and I lost out to other people’s problems.
“The positive is that the car was good and strong all through.
“Thruxton has always been a bit of a happy hunting ground for us, so we are looking forward to going back there.”
