Disappointment for Austin but best yet for Bratt

There were mixed emotions in the Rob Austin Racing camp after the Oulton Park weekend, with a double top-six finish in the final race tempered by the loss of a potential first win in the BTCC.

Team boss Rob Austin had raced forward all day in his Audi A4, finishing 13th in race one from 18th on the grid, and making up another five places to finish eighth in race two.

Austin flew off the line to lead the reverse grid race, and was resisting intense pressure from Jeff Smith’s Pirtek Racing Honda Civic.

But that battle ended badly for Austin, as Smith hit the Audi in the rear a number of times on the exit of Lodge, forcing it back down the order.

Smith was later fined £500 and given three penalty points on his racing licence for the move.

A frustrated Austin said: “I’m not naming names but unfortunately I’ve been barged off the track by someone whose driving is seriously lacking in a few departments – first he turned into me trying a move that was never going to come off and that seriously put my car’s steering out.

“He still couldn’t get past so clearly decided the only way past was to ram me. I’d half expected it from him but was still disappointed when it came particularly as we were maybe on course for that first win in the BTCC.

“But to have both our cars in the top six is still a very positive note to end the day – we’ve overtaken a lot of people today and, I hope, put on a great show for the fans and TV viewers.”

By contrast, Bratt secured his best ever finish of sixth, and is hoping the new TOCA-branded engine he is getting for Croft will improve his performance yet further.

“Given the qualifying it was really good – it was a proper save. But we still want to do better than sixth,” said Bratt to TouringCar Times.

“We have been improving the performance all weekend, but we are lacking a bit of straight-line grunt. We are having the engine changed, so hopefully that will sort that out.”

Asked about his season so far, Bratt said: “I have had quite a few successes in single-seaters with race wins and championships. At the moment, my touring car experience is being held back a little bit by the frustration, so I want to get the car right and start getting some good results for myself. “