Trio of Top tens
The Airwaves Racing Focuses enjoyed mixed results at Donington, including three top 10 finishes...
The BTCC circus headed to Donington Park for the latest rounds of the championship, where the weather was less than inviting! But despite the torrential conditions, the Airwaves Racing Focuses put on a strong display in all three races.
The first race saw all cars struggle to find grip in the challenging conditions. The Airwaves cars looked set for a weekend of mixed results, with Mat Jackson battling hard in the middle of the field to earn a hard-fought 14th place, and Fabrizio Giovanardi managing to climb four places to bring the No.7 car home in P7.
The second race was just as wet, and unsurprisingly, saw the safety car called upon for several laps. Fabrizio’s performance mirrored that of the first
race, finishing P12 as he struggled to find grip on the slippery circuit. However, some set-up changes to Mat’s car during the break meant that his No.6 car came to life during the second race of the day. After some very entertaining scraps through the field, he eventually bought the Focus home in seventh position.
The track then dried out a fair amount before the third and final race of the day, meaning the entire grid opted for the softer compound Dunlop tyre. An opening lap melee gave Mat the opportunity to sneak through, while those in front were busy crashing into each other – something he took full advantage of – stealing fourth place prior to the first safety car period. Fabrizio also made good use of the situation sliding his way through to P8.
Mat went on to challenge the MG and Hondas for a spot on the podium, but finally finished a respectable fourth. Unfortunately, Fabrizio didn’t enjoy the same success and struggled with stability issues, causing him to drop back through the field – a post-race 30-second time penalty for exceeding track limits added to the Italian’s woes during the weekend’s final moments.
Jack Clarke also had some close battles and continues to show promise in the third Motorbase Focus.
With all cars showing potential, but a few issues still to address, the team have their work cut out, but are quietly confident the next round at Thruxton will reap greater rewards.