Jordan and Pirtek Racing on the BTCC podium

Uncategorised,Racing

Andrew Jordan and Pirtek Racing powered back to the head of the action in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship with three great races at Donington Park (18/19 April), culminating in a second place in the final race of the day.

Two fourth places and then a second place, after leading the final race, marked a major turning point in Andrew’s season in the works MG6 GT run by Triple Eight Racing. The weekend has catapulted him into fourth place in the overall driver championship points, just 12 point away the early leader.

He qualified fifth fastest overall, but Andrew was pushing to the absolute limit – and even beyond – to get competitive times as they worked to optimise the handling of the MG. That work continued into race day and Andrew was pleased to have made real progress on the set-up of the car.

Immediately as race one started he was in contention despite a scare on the grid when an oil pipe had to be replaced in double quick time. A fourth place in the opening race got the day off to an excellent start. For race two, Andrew opted to run the soft tyres, knowing that his pace would fall away as the race developed. He also had a major lump of success ballast to exacerbate the problems. However, he ran a fighting second early on and defended his position for many laps until forced to drop back to fourth as the tyres degraded.

He started fourth on the grid for the final race and was right in contention during a frenetic BTCC race. Mid-race, he forged the Pirtek MG into the lead but was then shoved wide at Coppice as the Honda Civic of Matt Neal made heavy contact with the back of the MG. Despite the clear frustration of being bundled out of the lead, Andrew was delighted to finish second and show that the MG package has really come good.

Andrew said: “It’s a cracking result to score my first podium of the year in the MG. I’m so happy for the team, and though I think we could have had a win, it’s just one of those things and that’s the BTCC. It means we’re going to Thruxton on a high and I’m going to be trying to break my record and get a fourth consecutive pole position. We’ve really made some positive progress over the weekend – Brands Hatch was really tough but I feel like I’ve clicked with the team and we’ll be on a roll from now on.”

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.