Daniel Lloyd insists he isn’t taking his TCR UK success for granted and is working ‘harder than ever before’ after securing a sixth straight victory in the category at Brands Hatch.
For the third meeting in a row the WestCoast Racing driver scythed through from the fifth row in the reverse-grid race to claim the spoils, finishing seven tenths of a second clear of team-mate Jessica Backman at the chequered flag.
It means the former TCR International Series racer holds nearly a century of points in hand over his rivals in the standings heading to Castle Combe.
The victory was far from easy, however, with Carl Swift putting up a robust defence in the CUPRA from pole position, and fears of a puncture on the Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR in the closing stages keeping Lloyd alert.
“That wasn’t easy by any means, but it was good fun,” he admitted afterwards.
“I don’t know what happened to Carl [Swift] at the end, but I’m gutted for him, he put up a mega fight. I thought I’d gotten him with a late move at Graham Hill Bend but he managed to get the cutback so I had to settle and do it all again.
“I had to push a lot harder at the start of that one, so at the end I had all sorts of noises happening inside the car, every lap I was worried about a puncture but we managed to get away with it.”
He also paid tribute to the level of competition in the series, highlighting his duel with Swift as evidence that he needs to stay at his best to keep his lightning run of form intact.
“That fight with Carl shows a lot about the championship – it is competitive. It’s not just leading, which I’ve shown I can do, but getting through the traffic cleanly. I’m not taking it for granted, working hard every time – everyone keeps saying it looks easy, but I’m working harder than I ever have done, so I’m really pleased.
“A big thanks to WestCoast Racing, they repaired the car in fifteen minutes and did a mega job, and congratulations to my team-mate Jessica [Backman] on her first podium, she did a great job.”