James Nash secured his first top ten finish of the season in round six of the 2012 World Touring Car Championship on the streets of Marrakech, having lined up on Pole Position.
For Nash, the sixth place finish also marked the best finish for Ford in the World Championship. Team-mate Tom Chilton set the previous best in the opening round when he crossed the line in seventh.
Round six was a complete contrast to round five. Nash was spun around on the opening lap of round five and saw his race end in the wall with front end damage.
“I’m pleased to come away with Championship points after what has been a wild weekend one way or another,” said Nash. “From an early incident in qualifying that could have effectively finished our weekend to then being taken out on the opening lap of race one it really did seem that all was against us.”
The team got the #14 Ford Focus repaired in the ten minute repair time window and this allowed Nash to take up his position at the head of the field. He held his position until lap five, when the Chevrolet of Yvan Muller came calling.
Nash added: “I went into race two and sat there on pole position not having completed a single racing lap so l knew before the race started that it was going to be tough. Getting a good start obviously helped and I did manage to keep the Chevrolet’s at bay for 5 laps, but wow, they’ve got some pace and more!”
‘The Ford Focus and the engine felt good and once again my mechanics really made it count in the ten minute window for repairs between races. Their effort today was a real achievement considering the state the car was in after the race one crash and I am very grateful.”
The 2011 BTCC Independents Champion fought valiantly to remain up at the front but Nash was forced wide by the ROAL Motorsport BMW of Tom Coronel and that allowed fellow BMW driver Stefano D’Aste through as well.
Nash was able to hold on to sixth position until the end and secured his first points in the World Touring Car Championship, a fine reward for the effort of the Team Aon mechanics.
“It’s great to have got some points,” Nash concluded. “Between my team-mate Tom Chilton who finished the opening race 7th and myself we’ve put 13 points on the board, but more importantly I’ve learned more about the car and taken another step forward in its development.”
Next up for Nash and Team Aon is a trip to Slovakia and the Slovakia Ring over the 28/29 April.