AmD Tuning’s Sam Tordoff says his 2019 British Touring Car Championship campaign must start at Thruxton after an “absolutely dreadful” opening two rounds in which he has scored just six points out of six races.
The 2016 runner-up set the pace in pre-season testing, but has failed to capitalise on raw speed so far after a DNF in race one at Brands Hatch wrecked his weekend.
He had been running strongly in third position during the opening Donington Park race, before clipping the grass on the entry to the final chicane and dropping down the order. Contact in race two and a disappointing race three meant he came away from the Leicestershire with only six points.
Tordoff told TouringCars.Net that he can’t afford to slip further back in the points as the championship is “running away,” but is encouraged by the pace of team-mate Rory Butcher which highlights the speed of the FK2 Honda Civic.
“We keep saying it but it really does have to start here, because it’s running away from us and it’s been absolutely dreadful,” said Tordoff.
“The car is fast and the team is doing a good job, and Rory [Butcher] is scoring good points, so from that perspective it’s all good, I just need to do the same from my side of the garage.
“The boys have hard a hard time of it and they need something to show for their efforts.”
Tordoff was also buoyed by the feeling he got from the car during the Thruxton test between the Brands Hatch and Donington Park rounds.
Moreover, he made the most of a damp start to opening practice at Thruxton as rain is expected for tomorrow.
“It was really good – the Honda has always been good here,” he said.
“It felt good at the test and it felt good this morning. We did quite a bit of wet running just to get our eye in because we think it’s going to be wet on Sunday, or maybe even today.
“We’ve done that now so hopefully it should be plain sailing from here.
“Clearly the pace is there, and we’ve always been fast. We just need to keep chipping away and our time will come.”
The next session of the British Touring Car Championship at Thruxton is scheduled to get underway at 12:20 BST for another 40-minute practice session.