“I’m racing better than ever,” says Rob Collard
A rejuvenated Rob Collard says he’s racing as well as he’s ever raced, after a first half of 2014 where he has re-established himself at the sharp end of the BTCC grid.
The West Surrey Racing stalwart has tasted the podium champagne in a third of this season’s encounters, and proved an able challenger to team-mate and current series leader Colin Turkington.
Like his team boss and new engineer Dick Bennetts, Collard believes the success achieved by the BMW 125i is down to hard work on the chassis rather than any inherent advantage under the current rule set.
Speaking to TouringCarTimes in the mid-season break, Collard pinpointed an improved balance in the car as the main reason for his personal improvements.
He said: “Last year was frustrating for me with the new car. We thought it was going to be really good, but I could not get it to do what I wanted it to do. It was a real challenge.
“We worked really hard over the winter and managed to get a much better balance in the car. Because we have the balance, I have got the confidence to push harder. Last year, I couldn’t.
“The BTCC is so competitive, and if you’re 0.5s off, you look like a wally at the back of the grid. I was struggling with qualifying last year, and I got involved in a lot of silly incidents.
“I feel this year I am racing as well as I have ever raced. Colin got to grips with it quicker than I did, but now I am pushing him hard and making him push harder.
“He’s better than me in some areas and I am better in some areas. Between us, we are both pushing hard, and it also pushes the engineers as well. It is all coming together.”
Collard said the team have been “severely compromised” by the new first gear the series bosses have forced them to run, and was less than impressed by the brickbats which have defined the last two race weekends.
He said: “I’m amazed at how quick people have been to criticise. When it was the 3-Series it wasn’t this bad. I don’t believe it is just down to the car suiting the new rules.
“You have established drivers moaning, which is a shame. Jason [Plato] is always moaning unless his car is faster than the others, and then he’s happy.
“The front-wheel drives have had it their own way for the last three or four years, and their boost was an advantage.
“We were a bit down on power, which made us work so hard on the chassis.”
With the season set to restart in little over a week, Collard is setting his stall out to advance further from his current fifth place in the standings.
He said: “It would be lovely to get some more race wins. I’ve had so many second places in my career, it’s unbelievable!
“I am sure the wins will come, and if I can get in the top three in the championship I would be delighted.
“At the start of the year I was wondering if I would get in the top 10. But I am consistently at the front, and have been on the podium in five of the last nine races.”
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