BKR celebrate impressive maiden win

Team BKR was left to celebrate a maiden victory in the BTCC after an impressive drive from Aron Smith saw him secure a first win for the VW outfit at Rockingham.

Smith was forced to fight back from a disastrous qualifying session that saw him down in 21st place on the grid, but recovered well to score points in the opening two races of the weekend.

The reverse grid draw put him into P1 on the grid for race three where a measured drive, despite multiple safety car periods, saw him rewarded with a first win of the campaign after seeing off the challenge of Gordon Shedden – making him the record-breaking twelfth winner of the year.

It was also the first victory this season for a car running solely on GPRM spec parts; something that the team hadn’t thought would be possible at this stage of the campaign.

“Coming into the season, we thought we could sneak some results under the radar in round one or two, which we did with podiums at Brands and Donington,” team boss Nico Ferrari said, “but we knew it was going to get tougher as the season wore on and others got to grips with the RML parts.

“To be honest, they did that quicker than we expected and we have been struggling, but maybe today showed there is still life in the GPRM kit. It was tough after qualifying to be down in 21st with all the help we’d had from BMR, but Aron is good at lifting the whole team when they are down and provided the boost we needed going into race day.

“He did a brilliant job and although the Safety Car was a nightmare in race three, he showed his talent in an old car on sold suspension against people who we know are quicker. He is driving that VW as quick as it will possibly go, and if we can get him into the right car on the RML kit next year, I honestly feel he could be one to watch considering how quick he is with what we have now.”

Smith himself said he felt the win was one of the sweetest of his BTCC career to date, with the result helping BKR move back into the top ten in the teams championship.

“We knew it would be hard to get a win against the RML teams, so to actually achieve it is unbelievable; especially after qualifying,” he said. “It’s a win that feels sweeter than normal because we thought there was no chance of doing it from where we were on the grid, and it’s one of the best wins I think I’ve had as a result.

“It wasn’t easy because when you get a gap out front, you work to maintain the tyres and then suddenly the Safety Car comes out and you have to do it all again. It’s tough to have someone like Gordon behind and there was a sigh of relief when I saw Colin as with him as it meant he couldn’t attack me with all guns blazing.

“I’m so pleased we’ve got this result, and it’s great for all the team to have a win under our belt.”