Handy Motorsport pleased by unexpected pole

Handy Motorsport team boss Simon Belcher admitted his delight at seeing driver Rob Austin secure an unexpected first pole position of the season at Donington Park.

Austin, looking to kick-start his campaign after an exclusion at Brands Hatch robbed him of three solid points scoring finishes, was on the pace throughout free practice at the wheel of his Toyota Avensis, and then produced a strong showing in qualifying to sit second to Team BMR’s Ash Sutton.

When Sutton was then thrown out of the qualifying results for a technical infringement, it meant Austin was promoted into a second career pole and a first for his team.

It was a result that left team boss Belcher understandably pleased.

“We were quick in FP1 and FP2 so we knew we had a fast car,” he said. “Traffic was proving to be an issue in qualifying and when were down in 18th spot, I really thought we were in trouble.

“Luckily the red flag allowed us to get Rob out in the pack and he was able to show what he could do. To get as close to Ash as he did was a mega performance and when the Subaru was then excluded for overboosting, it was a well deserved pole position.

“Rob has a lot of confidence in the car and as someone who has driven myself, I know how important that can be. Having taken everything ‘in house’ over the winter, its good for us to show we can perform at this level away on our own, and fingers crossed we can convert it into some strong results in the races.”