BMW Pirtek Racing’s Andrew Jordan was left to wonder what might have been after missing out on a third win of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship season at Snetterton.
Andrew went into the weekend looking to try and challenge towards the front of the grid at the wheel of his West Surrey Racing-run BMW 125i M Sport, which had been fully repaired following his involvement in the multi-car qualifying incident that occurred at Croft prior to the summer break.
Qualifying around the longest circuit on the calendar saw Andrew post the eighth quickest time, and a solid drive in the opening race of the weekend saw him stay out of trouble to finish just off the podium in fourth place.
Andrew ran third in the early stages of race two before eventually taking the chequered flag in sixth, which resulted in him lining up third on the grid for the final race of the weekend when the reverse grid draw took place.
A fine start saw Andrew jump up to second place off the line and he then went round the outside of leader James Cole at Palmer to take the lead.
From there, Andrew controlled the race from the front until his car suddenly slowed with a suspected electrical issue on the penultimate lap – dropping him to the back of the field before it eventually restarted and allowed him to continue to the chequered flag.
However, the end result was a 21st place finish that means he comes away from the weekend sitting seventh in the championship standings.
“It’s hard to know what to say after a race like that to be honest,” he said. “Going into race day, the aim was to make sure that we maximised the points that were available to us given where we were on the grid.
“Fourth and sixth in the opening two races might not have been the most spectacular results, but they were good solid points in the championship and set us up well for the final race of the weekend and from third on the grid, I knew we could push for the win.
“I made a mega move on James to get into the lead and from then onwards, I was controlling the race at the front. The laps were consistent and I had no concerns; it was a done deal and our third win of the year.
“There was no warning and then the car suddenly slowed. I’m absolutely gutted that we’ve lost a certain victory, but we can’t change what has happened and have to put it behind us and focus on the races to come.”
Pirtek is Europe’s number one provider of hydraulic solutions and mobile hose replacement, with over 170 centres supported by over 700 mobile service workshops throughout Europe; offering solutions to a number of business sectors, including the automotive industry.
Select a country