Airwaves Racing’s Fabrizio Giovanardi says he was “really lucky” not to have a bad crash in the final British Touring Car Championship race at Croft, after reigning champion Andrew Jordan spun him out of the lead.
The Italian former double champion was leading the final race of the day, having started from second on the grid, when Jordan made contact at Barcroft on the opening lap of the race. Giovanardi was pitched into a high-speed spin and in the process lost the front bumper on his car.
The 47-year-old was forced to retire from the race, having earlier finished in 12th and 9th in the opening two races of the day respectively.
“Without the crash with Jordan in the final race, it could have been a completely different weekend for us,” said Giovanardi. “With Mat [Jackson] in third, possibly I could have taken the win for Motorbase but the accident with Jordan reversed that reality.”
Jordan claims he was surprised by the lack of speed Giovanardi carried through Barcroft on the approach to the Sunny In and Sunny Out complex of corners.
“Fabrizio completely caught me by surprise on the first lap with how much he slowed for the Jim Clark Esses,” explained Jordan.
Giovanardi criticised Jordan’s claim that the Italian was simply too slow through the fast right-hand kink.
“He [Jordan] tried to say that I had a problem in the first lap, but even if that was true – you still have to brake,” added the experienced touring car racer. “If you see someone in the middle of the track in front of you, you don’t just drive through them.
“He hit me at about 120mph and I was very lucky it was not a really bad crash. If I’d had a problem, I would have moved to the side of the track.”
Team Manager Oly Collins expressed his disappointment to lose the team’s clean sheet of finishing all races so far this season – retirement for Giovanardi and the third Motorbase car of Jack Clarke in race three at Croft being the only non-finishes of the season for the team.
“Race three is a case of what could have been for Fabrizio but for Andy Jordan’s desperate move on lap one,” exclaimed Collins. “Mat showed his class as he so often does on race day and Jack had his most competitive weekend so far.
“I was disappointed for the guys to lose our 100% finishing record as we were the only team who could boast that this year, which we’re all proud of but it was through nothing the team could have done. We have to work on our qualifying as that let us down this weekend.”
Amazing how Jorden can get away with barely any punishment after crap like this.