SIMPSON’S POLE AND WIN: NO SURPRISE?

There was an element of surprise when Matt Simpson took his career-first BTCC pole position at Oulton Park, but there shouldn’t have been.

The former hot rod driver undoubtedly has some of the best equipment on the grid in the form of his Eurotech Racing-operated Honda Civic Type R, fitted with the new Honda powerplant. He also arrived at the circuit with no success ballast, so the ingredients were perfect.

But it was perhaps the two-tenths margin over the rest of the pack that raised a few eyebrows. “I really enjoy the circuit,” said Simpson. “I like tracks that reward bravery, and I was in a very good place coming here. This is a credit to the lads who work at the team – they’ve given me a superb car – and I’ve worked hard on myself away from the circuit. I’ve done a lot of work on my mental strength, and I’ve worked out that I deserve to be here, rather than question whether I’m good enough or not. There’s been so much going on away from the race track itself, and all of that has helped me to get to the place where I am now.”

Cynics were asking which corner it would be when Simpson would throw it away in race one but, after 15 error-free laps from the pole-winner, they were the ones with egg on their faces.

“I was so relaxed going into the race,” said Simpson. “On Saturday night I had the best night’s sleep I’ve had in a long time. It’s about belief.”

It was, and he controlled the race beautifully, even coping with disappearing brakes over the closing stages to fend off Tom Chiton’s Ford for a superb win.

There were some worrying signs in the race though, with smoke emanating from the front-left of the car, where the oil-catch tank is situated. The team played it down, but investigations after the race revealed that the motor was about to die a death.

That ultimately ruled him out of the remaining races and robbed Simpson of what would have been pole in race two. It was a bitter pill to swallow, but the impression had already been made. It was a truly memorable weekend for him.