Rob Austin will contest the second round of the British Touring Car Championship this weekend after he confirmed that his Audi has been reconstructed.
Having run competitively at Brands Hatch on the opening day of the season, Austin was collected by a rotating Dave Newsham in the final race of the day on the exit of Paddock Hill bend and was sent spearing into a tyre barrier, wrecking the rear of his car.
Austin had feared in the immediate aftermath that he might be unable to compete at Donington but closer examination to his machine, nicknamed ‘Shreman’, revealed that the cage and sub-frame were intact, reducing the repair time.
And efforts to make it to the grid were aided by his fans, who purchased ‘save Sherman’ T-shirts to help cover the cost of the repairs.
Speaking to btcc.net, Austin said: “There’ve been a few tears along the way, during the rebuild of the car when a few setbacks left everyone wondering if we’d make it and then at the end when we knew it was going to happen.
“It has been amazing to see it unfold and to be a part of it, what my boys have achieved. We don’t have anywhere near like the number of people of the works teams, yet they’ve still managed it. When I think back to how the car looked when I first got out after the crash… it’s just incredible.”
Looking ahead to this weekend, Austin was confident that he could be at the sharp end of the grid once more.
“I believe we’re in great shape for Donington,” said Austin. “Our 2013 developments worked very well at Brands and, in theory, we’ll be able to make more use of them this weekend. On paper Donington’s a better layout for the Audi and it provides more overtaking opportunities – and I love overtaking people. After getting close to our first win at Brands Hatch, victory is all I’m interested in.”
AWESOME