James Nash concluded his first season in the World Touring Car Championship with a brace of 12th place finishes around the streets of Macau.
Having qualified 16th, the Milton Keynes racer survived the traditional Lisboa incident at the start of the first race to run 14th before moving up to 12th as drivers ahead of him encountered problems.
Heading into the final race of the campaign, Nash was determined to end his campaign on a high and was inside the top ten when the Safety Car was deployed due to an accident for Alex MacDowall on the exit of Mandarin.
With the race distance increased to 11 laps, Nash held hopes of running strongly but damage at Lisboa after an accident ahead of him damaged the oil sump and Nash fell back down the order to 12th.
“After finishing race one in twelfth place, I was determined to pick up some points in the second race,” explained Nash. “It was looking promising until Michelisz and Oriola got under each other’s feet and broke up the kerb, leaving debris scattered over the track, unfortunately coming into the corner I caught the kerb which broke the oil pump leading to an engine cut.
“The cabin started to fill with smoke but I limped on to the finish line, albeit with a massive headache. It was an unfortunate occurrence as I knew I was getting faster with every lap until the damage. “
Looking back over the 2012 campaign, Nash has had some highs and lows and is looking forward to returning to the WTCC in 2013.
“It’s the end of a very challenging season with some highs and some lows, but I have been lucky enough to have a great team of people around me who have supported me throughout the season and done a first class job with the car every time. This season has been fantastic and I can’t wait to get back on the world stage next year,” concluded Nash, who finished 20th overall in the drivers’ standings.