Photo: PSP Images

Boardman takes first podium at Thruxton

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Tom Boardman picked up Special Tuning Racing’s first podium position in their second year of the BTCC at Thruxton.

Benefitting from the race three reverse grid pole position, Boardman slotted into third at the start and held off the Triple Eight Vauxhall Vectra of James Nash to retain the final podium spot behind Jason Plato’s Chevrolet and Mat Jackson’s Motorbase Ford.

“Starting alongside a Chevy that’s got launch control!”, joked Boardman.

“Jackson got a really good start as well…but he didn’t have much legs on me at all, a few more laps and if he’d a little mistake and we could have had him, definitely.”

The team have had a troubled start to the year with a few mechanical issues with their new engine, which is built to the Next Generation Touring Car (NGTC) regulations, and are looking forward to the break before Rounds 10-12 at Oulton Park to iron them out.

“The problem is the first few meetings are so close together, and there’s not much testing you can do,” said Boardman to TouringCarTimes.

“We’ve got most of the problems sorted now, I hope. We had a little problem with the turbo, but we got that sorted for race three, and that (race) shows what we can do. Now when we go to Oulton and sort every problem out, cross my fingers, and then hopefully we’ll be on the podium again.”

Special Tuning Racing will add a second car to the grid at Oulton Park with Dave Newsham.

“We’re going to Donington with him a week before Oulton and yeah we’ll go from there, he’s going to be good tough team-mate,” said Boardman.

“I’m really open, we’ll tell him what he wants to know, I just want him to do as well as I can do.”

Newsham’s looking forward to the challenge with his new team, switching across from Geoff Steel Racing, who’ve just returned to the BTCC with Motorbase’s old BMWs.

“Learning the car at the same time as the team just doesn’t work,” said Newsham.

“I’m after results as quickly as I can, and these guys (Special Tuning Racing) really know what they’re doing and I can’t wait to get testing and be on the grid at Oulton Park”

“It’s a shame to miss Thruxton though, as I really like this circuit.”