Bobby Thompson overhauls Michael Crees for Jack Sears Trophy lead

Bobby Thompson insisted he was pleased to recover from a tough qualifying session at Silverstone to secure the lead of the Jack Sears Trophy standings during the sixth meeting of the BTCC season.

The Trade Price Cars Racing driver headed into the weekend sitting second in the standings, but was 44 points behind BTC Racing’s Michael Crees.

Thompson qualified in 19th spot at the wheel of his Audi S3 and kicked off race day with 18th place in the opening race. Results of 13th and twelfth in the final races not only allowed Bobby to secure a pair of overall points finishes, but also saw him move to the head of the JST standings.

“At the end of the day on Saturday, I was sat in my motorhome eating chocolate and having a moan about how things had gone, so it’s nice to get to the end of race day with a trophy and some champagne instead!

“We picked people off in the first two races and made some minor changes to the car, and in the final race, we didn’t suffer the drop off in the tyres that we have suffered before – no more than you would expect naturally anyway – and we had a lot more traction.

“I think we’ve found something positive there with the car and that’s down to the hard work from the team as they have worked hard again this weekend. It’s great to have won the Jack Sears Trophy for a second time and to now be leading the standings is a big bonus. We just have to push hard now to try and make sure we stay out front.”

Thompson’s move to the head of the Jack Sears Trophy standings came after a weekend to forget for previous leader Crees, who failed to finish any of the three races – with a spin into the gravel in race one being followed by engine related woes in races two and three.

“After the highs of last weekend at Thruxton, this was a weekend to forget,” he said. “We had mechanical problems in qualifying which upset the balance of the car, and meant that we were way down and out of position in P23. We changed the set-up for race one, and the car felt really good before we were taken out.
 
“Starting from the back of the grid in race two, we had a good start getting up to 17th and then the engine blew. The lads all did a mega job to get me back out onto the grid for race three, and we had another good start before the red flag. Unfortunately, we had another engine fault, with an oil leak and it was game over.
 
“After what happened in race three though, I just feel really happy that Butcher is ok after his crash. That’s what really matters.”