Extreme luck at Castle Combe for Bäckman duo

While Dan Lloyd continued to dominate the front of the TCR UK field at Castle Combe, his WestCoast Racing team-mates, Swedish brother-and-sister duo Andreas and Jessica Bäckman, experienced contrasting fortunes.

Andreas was delighted with his podium place with third in race one, and even happier when he thought he had repeated the feat in race two, before Carl Swift’s time penalty for abusing track limits was rescinded, dropping the Swede back down to fourth.

“Definitely a very good day – I was not expecting to be third in race two because there were some very good drivers in front of me,” Andreas said.

Highlight of Bäckman’s second race was a frantic battle in the early stages with the identical Volkswagen Golf of his sister Jessica, which was settled with a brave lunge at the chicane in which the female Bäckman left her sibling just enough room.

“I tried very hard not to push her too much,” Andreas said. “The guys in front were quite slow so I had to go through or I was simply going to go backwards. I hope we can still sit at the same table tonight!”

Jessica Bäckman arrived at Castle Combe on a high after scoring an emotional second place in the previous round at Brands Hatch, but endured a torrid time at the Wiltshire track.

Race one effectively lasted only as far as the first corner when she made contact with the Cupra of Stewart Lines and Finlay Crocker’s Honda, the WestCoast Volkswagen going off into the outside tyre wall.

While able to continue the car lost two laps in the pits and Jessica received two points on her licence for her part in the accident.

In race two Jessica initially fought a hard battle with her brother Andreas before being forced to give way, and she then came under pressure from Lines. The Cupra ran into the VW on the entry to Camp corner, both cars flying off the circuit and into the tyre barrier at high speed.

Jessica emerged from her car with no injuries other than a sore back and speaking afterwards her frustration was clear.

“It’s been a very hard day – in the first race I tried to avoid a crash but locked up into the barrier, and in the second race I got hit off the track,” she said.

“Here I had the speed and a good qualifying, but I couldn’t get the results, so it would be good to come back with the results at Oulton Park.”