Despite scoring just a single podium finish with Rob Collard during the reverse grid encounter of last weekends British Touring Car Championship meeting at Snetterton, Team JCT600 with GardX continue their stay at the top of each championship with just four meetings left to run.
Collard, who wrestled the lead of the Drivers standings from team-mate Sam Tordoff by virtue of his second place finish in race three, now sits three points clear of the Yorkshireman, with Tordoff in turn having a three point advantage over Matt Neal in third.
Both cars claimed a brace of points finishes apiece during the weekend at Snetterton, and with Tordoff being forced to retire with a propshaft issue after the formation lap in the third contest the margins could arguably have been greater still.
The HiQ Teams Championship sees the BMW 125i M-Sport duo maintain a 29 point deficit to Halfords Yuasa Racing behind, whilst West Surrey Racing hold a slightly healthier 36 markers over the defending champions Honda in the Manufacturer stakes.
The weekend itself started in disappointing fashion for both Tordoff and Collard, as the pair qualified 10th and 18th with 75 and 68 kilograms of success ballast respectively on board their cars. Meanwhile, Jack Goff in the sister Team IHG Rewards Club BMW could manage just 16th, and with the BMW arguably the weapon of choice at the 2.99 mile venue it was down to all three to reclaim lost ground on Sunday.
Both did just that during race one, with Tordoff improving to 7th whilst Collard made up two places to 16th at the chequered flag, before the latter stormed through the field in trademark fashion to 4th in race two, demonstrating why the 47-year old sits atop the Dunlop ‘Forever Forward’ honors for drivers with the most overtakes over the course of the season.
After disappointment for Tordoff in race three, Collard duly took the lead of the final encounter from 5th on the starting grid, before a robust Gordon Shedden edged past in the closing stages with a lighter Honda Civic Type-R to claim the honors.
Despite the disappointment of missing out on his third win of the season, Collard viewed the weekend in the wider context of the championship picture and declared it another success.
“If you’d told me after qualifying 18th that I’d be leading the championship at the end of today, I wouldn’t have believed you,” he admitted.
“But the BMW has been fast and consistent all day and as soon as the 66kg of ballast came out at the end of Race One, I was able to make a lot of progress and come all the way from 16th to fourth in Race Two,”
“It’s a bit unfortunate not to win Race Three having led it for so long, but Gordon Shedden put a move on me that I wasn’t expecting and I just couldn’t defend it. Still, second place with 48kg on board is a good result and I’ve taken back the points lead.”
Tordoff echoed his team-mates comments and pointed towards the next meeting, which takes place at Knockhill over the weekend of 13th-14th August, where the BMW is traditionally a force to be reckoned with.
“Today’s gone pretty well, all things considered.” he agreed.
“With maximum ballast on board and on the soft tyre, I’d call seventh a good result. It was a bit more difficult to make the progress I’d hoped for in Race Two, but eighth gave me pole on the reversed grid, so I was looking good for a podium at the very least in Race Three.”
“Unfortunately, I had an issue on the formation lap so it wasn’t possible to take the start. But prior to today, I’d completed every racing lap this season so was probably due a bit of bad luck. Next it’s Knockhill, which is usually very good for the BMW. I’m only three points off the championship lead so everything’s still to play for.”