Sunshine.co.uk Out Of Luck At Donington
Going into Round 9 of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Sunshine.co.uk with Tech Speed Motorsport were on a high after strong results at both Silverstone and Knockhill but lady luck wasn’t on their side at the re-opened Donington Park circuit.
Incidents in race one and race three forced O’Neill to retire and a twelfth in race two meant that he would fail to score for the first time this season. Despite this O’Neill will head into the season finale at Brands Hatch inside the top 10 overall and fifth in the Independents championship.
“Qualifying was great but we had a problem with the car which we chased all weekend but were unable to resolve,” he said. “We need to look into it back at the workshop and solve the problem for Brands Hatch, but this has been a tough one for us. As a team, we always do our best but unfortunately this weekend, it wasn’t good enough.”
John George finished all three races but failed to score points | Photo Credit: Chris Brown
“However, as we have shown all season, this team is one of the best in the paddock so we’ll put the weekend behind us, forget what happened and come out fighting for a good end to the year on Finals Day.”
O’Neill’s team-mate, John George, started the first race of the day from 16th on the grid but capitalised on the multi-car accident at Goddards and picked his way through the damaged cars to come home just outside the points in 12th. George would finish the weekend with a 16th and another 12th place finish.
“Things started well in practice but I didn’t get the best from the car in qualifying so was lower than I should have been on the grid,” he said. “I have to admit that my start in race one was terrible but then there was carnage and we were able to make up places. Races two and three were better although things got a bit spread out, but this weekend just makes me more determined to have a good run at Brands Hatch and end the year with another top ten finish.”
Despite not scoring, George will take away a positive from finishing all three races without any major problems.
Sunshine.co.uk MD Chris Brown was equally disappointed with the weekend but was delighted with the fans support for the team.
He said, “Away from the track, I want to also say thank-you to the fans who have expressed support for Paul and the team in the two weeks between Knockhill and Donington Park. It’s hugely appreciated, and after a tough weekend here, the whole team will be looking to repay that backing at Brands Hatch.”
Photo Credit: Chris Brown (www.speedsnaps.co.uk)
James Mappin
