Harry hopes for happy ending at Brands

Harry Vaulkhard heads to Brands Hatch looking to score the podium finish that has so far eluded him this season. Competing for the fledgling Bamboo Engineering squad since the mid-season break, incident, bad luck and the odd mistake have so far denied Vaulkhard the chance to stand atop the podium, something particularly frustrating as the RML run Chevrolet’s have been regular visitors in 2009.

Competing in his second BTCC season, Vaulkhard has experienced a roller coaster year, from running at the front at Donington to major shunts at Croft and Snetterton, leading to a lot of work for his team.

Having confirmed he’ll return in 2010 with Bamboo Engineering and the Lacetti, the 23-year-old is now looking to end his season on a high at Brands Hatch.

“Everyone’s worked very hard this year and we all deserve to finish the season on a high”, said Vaulkhard. “I know that the car will be fast and I’ve been working with Warren (Hughes) on my preparation and the driving of the Grand Prix circuit, which I’m really excited about. It’s a fantastic circuit to drive and I’m sure it’ll make for some exciting racing on Sunday and hopefully I’ll be up there amongst it”.

“The season really kicked in for me at Donington I suppose. That weekend was a massive learning curve for me and the first time in my BTCC career that I had really been right on the pace at the front of the field all weekend, through free practice, qualifying and all three races. “

To many, Vaulkhard will be most remembered this season for his race stopping shunt in his home race at Croft, something the Newcastle driver readily admits came as a result of “a couple of mistakes in the closing stages of that race.”

Contact with Rob Collard bent the Lacetti’s tracking, before running side-by-side with Matt Neal through the Esses sent Vaulkhard on a trip through the infield, that would ultimately prove expensive.

“These guys race tough and I came out the worst” said the Bamboo Engineering driver. “I hadn’t realised the extent of the damage to my car and spun out later in the lap. I did feel sorry for Tom (Chilton) though who just arrived at the wrong time and destroyed my car, his didn’t look very good either. That was my weekend over in race one, that was gutting”.

At the next meeting a month later at Snetterton, following a switch from Tempus to Bamboo, Vaulkhard didn’t fair much better, as he again exited stage left in spectacular fashion.

“Once again it was probably my lack of experience that allowed me to get squeezed out to the outside of the track and the next thing I knew I was flying across the grass into the tyre wall. I really felt sorry for the guys in the team that weekend as they had just spent four weeks rebuilding that car.”

Now though attention is on a good end to 2009 in preparation for 2010, and with Vaulkhard’s birthday coming the weekend after Brands, the former Seat Cupra Champion will be hoping his birthday presents arrive early, in the form of a good points haul and a podium finish.