Dan Cammish was ‘mega happy’ to finish on the podium in the opening British Touring Car Championship race at Knockhill, even though the Honda driver had started from pole position.
Cammish lost the lead to Subaru’s Ash Sutton on the 12th lap of the race, having carved his way through the pack from eighth on the grid.
With Knockhill tending to suit the rear-wheel drive cars – and Sutton having proven himself to be a strong wet weather racer – Cammish admits that he was not disappointed to have lost out to the reigning champion.
“I’m mega happy, as I think pretty much everyone presumes it’s a rear wheel drive circuit,” said Cammish to TouringCars.Net. “I don’t think anyone expected me to lead into the first corner, so the fact that we did that was quite an achievement.
“I think we all presumed I’d be lucky to hang on to third by the first corner, and yet we did, so the first few laps were great.
“I used the advantage that the front-wheel drive has, which is that the tyres come up to temperature a bit quicker, and I managed to get a gap. I knew that once they stabilised we were always going to be vulnerable in the hairpin.”
When Sutton got past the BMW of Colin Turkington on lap ten, Cammish knew it was only a matter of time before the Subaru of Sutton was challenging him for the lead.
“I don’t think anyone in the paddock was surprised that it was Ash. All year he’s been so good in the wet. I watched him at Snetterton in the wet when he passed me and then disappeared and caught [Jack] Goff.
“When I saw him halfway through the race behind Turkington I knew that my days were numbered.”
Cammish has set himself realistic expectations for the second race, now that he has to carry 57 kg of success ballast in his Civic.
“After the restart it was great to keep [Andrew] Jordan behind, because it wasn’t easy, but it’s happy days with third. It’s some good points and it gives us a good chance in the next one.
“The weather looks set for the day – it’s pretty much one puddle at the hairpin which is really hurting the front-wheel drive cars.
“At times it feels a bit like a knife to a gunfight, but you’ve just got to take it and do what you can.
“We have our advantages and they have theirs, and we’re at a circuit where theirs show a bit more than ours. If I can stay in the top ten then I’ll be very happy.”