
AndrewWatson displayed fantastic pace to secure P7 in qualifying before battling back from a misfortunate mechanical fault to secure valuable championships points in round four of the British Touring Car Championship at Thruxton Circuit.
The weekend got underway with Andrew finishing P14 and P12 in free practice one and two respectively, as the Northern Irishman prepared for an intense high-speed qualifying session around the Hampshire circuit.
Qualifying would see Andrew secure a brilliant P7 on the grid for the opening race of the weekend on Sunday morning, his best qualifying result of the year to date.
Before the green flag had dropped for race one, Andrew encountered a driveshaft problem with the car on his way to the grid, leading to a pit-lane start, putting a halt to what looked set to be a promising race one.
Andrew would put in a stellar shift behind the wheel to charge back through the field to cross the line in P18, giving him every chance at salvaging some points from the misfortunate start to the weekend.
Race Two saw Andrew once again utilise the impressive speed of the car to gain multiple positions, taking the chequered flag in P16 as he looked to close out the weekend with a points finish in the final race of the day.
Another impressive drive from Andrew would be seen throughout race three as he muscled his way into a thoroughly deserved P13 finish and with it, 3 championship points added to his tally.
Reflecting on the eventful weekend, Andrew said:
“Obviously it wasn’t the results we’d hoped for, especially after such a strong showing in qualifying. I think we’ve definitely proved in my rookie season what I can do.
“As soon as I came out of the pit lane, I knew there was an issue, so we nursed the car round to the grid and the team found a problem on the driveshaft. Everybody did such an amazing job to get us back out there, with about five minutes to finish the job.
“An incredible job by the team, and I was able to get back out and gain ten spots, which gave us a chance for the rest of the day. From there, we battled through nicely and scored some good points, overall and for the Jack Sears.
“It’s a shame, because we should have delivered more today, but mechanical problems happen and it’s nobody’s fault. Lots learned, and plenty of positives to take to Oulton Park next.”
Leaving Thruxton behind, Andrew currently sits P20 in the drivers' standings and P4 in the Jack Sears Trophy with 157 points respectively.
Andrew's attention now turns to the undulating and technical Oulton Park on the 17-18 June.
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