Thruxton weekend “make or break” for Sam Tordoff

Sam Tordoff says he feels the Thruxton weekend will be “make or break” as he seeks to keep in touch in the fight for the 2019 BTCC title.

Tordoff went into the new campaign hoping to challenge for top honours at the wheel of his Cobra Sport AmD-run Honda Civic Type R and was the man to beat during the official pre-season test at Brands Hatch.

The opening meeting however saw Tordoff fail to score after a race one retirement left him on the back foot, whilst the former series runner-up endured another challenging weekend at Donington to leave him with just six points to his name.

A total of 64 down on current leader Ash Sutton, Tordoff admitted that a big score this weekend in Hampshire was vital to keep his title hopes alive, with a lack of ballast set to work in his favour through qualifying and the opening race.

“There is no doubt that it’s been a frustrating start to the season for me as we have a quick car but I just haven’t been able to secure the kind of results we should be getting,” he said. “I said ahead of Donington that that was where my season would start and unfortunately it didn’t, so it’s vital that this weekend I get some strong results and put some big points on the board.

“As far as I’m concerned, Thruxton is make or break when it comes to fighting for the title as we can’t afford to lose more ground. We know that the Honda will be a strong package and I’ll also benefit from the fact that I’m not carrying any ballast – unlike a number of the other quick cars.

“We had a good test last month and we’re all putting in the hard work. Hopefully the results this weekend will reflect that.”