Andy Priaulx: “I got the best out of the weekend”

Andy Priaulx said he felt he got the best out of the weekend on his return to the British Touring Car Championship, but feels his car’s disadvantage in straight-line speed needs to be addressed.

The triple world champion laid down a marker on Saturday by putting the West Surrey Racing BMW 125i on pole, and he then led for half of the first race before dropping back as his soft tyres wore out.

Nevertheless, a fast laptime secured him second on the grid for the second race, where the crowds were treated to a thrilling battle with Honda Racing Team’s Gordon Shedden for the win. Shedden won out in a near photo finish, with Priaulx finishing less than half a tenth behind.

The ballast-laden Priaulx then battled at the rear of the top 10 in the final race, taking eighth place and leaving Kent fourth in the championship, just three points behind joint leaders Matt Neal and Jack Goff.

Speaking to TouringCarTimes, Priaulx said: “I’ve had a pole position, have fought for two race wins, and had a brilliant second race. The third race I had a lot of ballast on board and it wasn’t ideal, but ultimately it’s not been a bad effort.

“I’ve got the best out of the weekend. I think we’ve got a big deficit in the engine, more than I realised to be honest. It’s not a small amount, and that’s disappointing.

“To see yourself slip back five or six car lengths on the straight is not right, so I need to work on that for the next race.

“I saw Aron Smith and he was like a missile – it was like two different categories. I think that’s got to be addressed because it’s too much.”

Talking about the second race fight with Shedden, Priaulx added: “It was exciting and I really felt like I had the chance to win. He was really starting to struggle with his tyres mid-race, and I was starting to come into my own.”

Thoughts now turn to Donington Park in two weeks, and Priaulx is clear on where he and the team need to improve.

“We need to look at the data and understand why we’re losing so much over the race distance, because we’re too weak,” he said.