Polley’s title bid hit by engine woe at Rockingham

Clio 182 Championship contender Ryan Polley’s title hopes were hit in the Rockingham meeting when multiple problems meant two engine changes and him missing the first of the three races.

Polley was also forced to start race two from the back of the grid as the order was based on the fastest laps in the previous race.

“Friday was a bad day – I blew an engine in testing,” Polley explained. “The engine that went on Friday was the one I used last year; the spare I put in for saturday was the original that came with the car.

“I went out in qualifying and then did a head gasket and missed race one because of that. I was trying to work out what to do and then I found another engine that someone offered me, so I went and picked that up, put it in last [Saturday] night.”

From the back Polley was able to finish 10th in the second race and he then finished ninth in the final race.

Championship leader Patrick Fletcher, who entered the weekend eight points ahead of Polley, made hay at Rockingham with two wins and a second place.

MR2 racer Josh Brooks has admitted he is considering his racing future after being nudged out of the lead of the second race at Rockingham by Paul Cook. “I’ve got a lot of thinking to do,” Brooks said.