LLOYD SCORES TCR UK DOUBLE IN RACE 2 AT SILVERSTONE
Daniel Lloyd cemented his advantage atop the TCR UK Touring Car Championship standings after cutting through from the fifth row of the grid to lead home a WestCoast Racing 1-2 finish in the reverse-grid contest at Silverstone.
Team mate Andreas Bӓckman had initially lost out to the Laser Tools Racing-run Alfa Romeo Giulietta of Aiden Moffat on the outside of Becketts with around a third of the race gone, but a late mechanical problem saw the latter pull off in the dying embers of the race.
Pyro Motorsport’s Ollie Taylor completed the podium for the second successive race after following the pairing of Lloyd and Moffat through the field, with Howard Fuller rounding out his first competitive action in three seasons with a solid fourth place finish in the SWR Honda Civic TCR.
Front-row starter Olli Kangas completed his preparations for the start of the TCR Scandinavia series with fifth on the road, with another competitive showing from Jessica Bӓckman behind earning her sixth place.
Darelle Wilson re-asserted himself after an incident in Race one, putting in a fine move on Lewis Kent’s Hyundai i30 N into Becketts en route to seventh.
Stewart Lines (Maximum Motorsport) doubled up in the DSG Trophy stakes in eighth, using his reverse-grid pole position to stay clear of Carl Swift’s fellow CUPRA TCR, though the pairing were split on the road by Finlay Crocker’s Honda Civic Type R FK7. A turbo issue plagued Lewis Kent’s season-opener and he again struggled, rounding out the field in eleventh.
Derek Palmer Jnr suffered from another frustrating mechanical malady in the second Alfa Romeo, pitting to retire in the closing stages after demonstrating good pace to keep up with the leaders despite being a lap down.
The championship has celebrated an action-packed opening round with all six of the manufacturers represented on the grid enjoying a strong showing.
Lloyd will carry a 25-point lead into the second meeting of the season on the reverse layout at Knockhill [12-13 May], with the Volkswagen Golf GTI racer keen to extend his one-off appearance at Silverstone into a full-season assault on the UK’s first TCR title.
Daniel Lloyd (1st) said, “It was an amazing start, probably one of the best first laps I’ve ever done. Sometimes you just know when you’re on it, and I’ve been like that all weekend. I’ve just had one focus right from the start, I was a hundred per cent confident and knew what I wanted to do and it paid off.
“I owe a massive thanks to WestCoast Racing; they’ve done an awesome job. This opportunity was a late deal, we’re really pushing to carry on but I’m over the moon with this weekend. I’d also like to say well done to my team mate Andreas – it’s his first time in the series and he’s done a fantastic job, I’m pleased for him as well.”
Andreas Bӓckman (2nd) said, “It was a really good race. It was very difficult to pass Aiden but then his car broke down so it was free for me to go into second place.
“Sometimes the racing between us was a little bit close, but that’s the point of Touring Car racing. I’m very happy with this race, and also the one before. Thank you to everybody at WestCoast Racing for preparing such great cars for this weekend.”
Ollie Taylor (3rd) said, “It’s a really good way to start the year. I thought it could have been better, I made a really good start and was ahead of Moffat and Lloyd but Dan snuck a move down the inside at Brooklands and after that, unfortunately, I didn’t quite have the pace to stay with them.
“It’s a shame that Aiden had an issue towards the end there, but two podiums is a brilliant way to begin the season.”
