Cammish and Turks in control
TITLE favourites Dan Cammish and Colin Turkington claimed a win apiece at Brands Hatch in the British Touring Car Championship.
Last season the pair duelled it out for honours, with BMW man Turkington taking the crown – and now they are at it again, having between them won four of the six races so far.
“It was very tough coming back here,” said Cammish on his return to the venue where his title hopes ended last season.
“I won’t lie, I shed a few tears then. For the team to bounce back and for me mentally to recover, I’m really pleased and so proud of everyone involved. What a car they’ve given me.”
Honda star Cammish (above) won the opener at the Kent circuit after longtime leader Rory Butcher suffered a late puncture to his Ford Focus.
In the second bout Turkington got the jump on Cammish off the line before taking command.
“The BMW 3 series was just beautiful in that race,” said Turkington. “It was tough because when you’re leading you can’t afford any mistakes – the guys get a sniff and then they’re right on you.”
In the final race Tom Oliphant took a maiden win.
Cheshire’s Oulton Park hosts the next BTCC tripleheader in two weeks’ time.
ADULT CHAT LINE
CHESS fanatic Kurt Maflin is looking to become king of the Crucible.
The 36-year-old Lewishamborn Norwegian is a surprise name in the quarter-finals of the Betfred World Championship – and snooker’s Viking now wants to plunder a first world title.
Maflin is a late bloomer who overcame a horrific car accident 10 years ago that left a collarbone snapped and plates and screws in the shoulder of his cueing arm.
His shock wins over four-time champion John Higgins and last year’s semi-finalist David Gilbert are moving Maflin up the list of famous Norwegians. There was brief notoriety when giving the cue-ball the middle finger (below) after falling out of position on a 147 attempt against Gilbert. But his victories have earned him recognition from his long-time hero Magnus Carlsen, the world chess champion.
Carlsen said: “I saw that Kurt beat
John Higgins and I was very impressed by his performance. I would like to pass on my congratulations and wish him all the best at the Crucible.”
Maflin, who moved to Norway 16 years ago and is married to former top women’s player Anita
Rizzuti, said: “The person I would most love to meet is Magnus Carlsen. It feels fantastic to know he has seen what I am doing at the Crucible and is wishing me all the best. Though I grew up in south London, I do feel more Norwegian now. I even dream in Norwegian. It’s a great country with fantastic people.”
The career-threatening accident happened in Norway in 2010 when Maflin skidded on ice and crashed into an oncoming car.
He said: “It was a head-on collision and I blacked out. The first thing I heard was children screaming from the other car and I feared it was going to be very bad. Thankfully neither the driver nor the children had a scratch on them. I didn’t even know I had broken my collarbone until I told another driver it was sore. He told me it was snapped in two.
“I had a big tournament that week and, though the doctor told me that I needed an operation immediately, I played. It was so painful all I could do was roll balls in, yet somehow I won my first game. It was a bit stupid.
“Then I had the surgery and I have an eight-inch plate in my shoulder with eight screws. It took a while to get fit again, but I haven’t had to change my action.”