Restrictor Penalty For Team Aon
Team Aon’s superb qualifying display has prompted TOCA to restrict the performance of it’s two Ford Focuses.
Ahead of tomorrow’s three races the team will have to fit smaller 35mm turbo inlet restrictors and reduce their boost pressure. A similar penalty was issued last time out at Snetterton but it seems to have done nothing to decrease the clear advantage in performance that the team have enjoyed over the course of the season.
Team Principal Mike Earle seemed upbeat, saying: “Tonight’s regulation amendment, will obviously severely hamper our two cars’ progress. However, given the disparity between our qualifying performance today and the rest of the field and bearing in mind the fact that we are still on a learning curve with the Calor powered car, I fully understand TOCA’s view point. We’ll take it on the chin and continue to do the best job we can and should these new restrictions impede our cars performance as severely as we believe they will, then hopefully TOCA will look at reversing some of their decisions.”
The two cars of Tom Onslow-Cole and Tom Chilton will start from the front row for the first of tomorrow’s three races but it will be interesting to see if the latest set of restrictions will hamper the team’s success on race day.
Photo Credit: Pete Mainey (www.psmmotorsportimages.co.uk)
Thomas Surgay
