Davenport returns in famous BTCC Audi
DONINGTON PARK BARC JULY 21-22
Last weekend’s Britcar meeting featured not just a return to British Touring Car Championship machinery for a driver on the road to recovery, but one in a car that he almost got his hands on three years earlier.
Thirteen months ago, Luke Davenport began his rehabilitation following a horrific qualifying accident at Croft that left him in an induced coma. Through driver coaching and a recent Fun Cup outing, an opportunity to step back into the endurance racing spotlight came at Donington Park with the help of another name familiar to BTCC fans.
‘Sherman’ was the well-documented tag given to the Audi A4 that was often rapid in the hands of former owner Rob Austin. One of the championship’s earliest examples of Next Generation Touring Car machinery, the A4 was retired following the conclusion of a winless 2015 campaign.
Three years on and Sherman has taken on a different challenge with the assistance of Reflex Racing, turning to Britcar with new owner Robert Day and his son Alex.
“Rob Austin had a couple of Audi A4s known as ‘Sherman’ and ‘Panzer’,” says chief mechanic David Salmon. “They swapped depending on which driver was in it, so this car was raced by Rob for a couple of seasons, then brought out of retirement at the last round for Hunter Abbott to drive.
“This is that car. It’s completely the same specification it used to be in, complete with the same Swindon engine in the front.
“There’s only set-up changes, regulation changes from TOCA to Britcar, and a few added cooling systems to help reliability; other than that, she’s in touring car specification from 2015, before the changes to RML parts were put into place.
“The car will be running in Britcar all season with the owner’s son. Robert [Day] usually races with Alex, but he’s injured his back recently so Mr Davenport has stepped in as he’s been coaching.”
Coincidentally, it was this car that almost gifted Davenport his maiden BTCC opportunity that same season. Abbott was poised by the phone in preparation to become a dad during the 2015 Knockhill weekend and Davenport had been lined up as a stand in, but ultimately Davenport didn’t get that first shot at racing the A4.
“I nearly got to drive the Audi at Knockhill – Hunter Abbott’s car – so it’s quite weird to have another opportunity to get back in it!” says Davenport.
While Sherman lives on, attempting to prosper in its new endurance environment, Davenport is focusing on a career revival. A private test with Speedworks Motorsport in its LMP3 Cup Ligier reignited his spark for racing, and he remains poised for a full-time comeback.
“If the right opportunity comes along,
I’d still grab it, not retire,” says Davenport. “I had a fantastic test in Portimao with Speedworks in its Ligier, so I’m really hoping I can put together a programme next year, ideally in the Le Mans Cup.
We’ll see what arises, but I certainly want to do more selected sportscar events if
I can make that work for me.”
Since his accident, Davenport’s recovery has been steady but “rewarding” to date, and most recently he completed a return to racing at Spa-francorchamps.
He holds a soft spot for GT racing, and returning to the endurance scene with Alex Day was his latest venture. Results of eighth and seventh were a pleasant surprise against widely-varied Britcar competition, as were Davenport’s consistent race one lap times before he bettered those of Day in the second Sprint outing.
While the feel in the cockpit of a race car returned relatively naturally, he admits that revitalising his racecraft in the cut-throat on-track environment remains the toughest phase of the process.
“I’ve not done a huge amount of racing, but we’ve been busy and I’m really pleased,” adds Davenport. “I’ve started work with Mclaren and I’m still at Palmer Sports, so I’ve kept sharp over the winter.
“It’s great to be back out in a race car;
I had my first race in the Fun Cup 25 Hours of Spa-francorchamps and that certainly blew the cobwebs away. I’m really pleased to be back out and hopefully to be doing a lot more in the near future.
“I’ve had a few private clients in the Britcar paddock, which has introduced me to the series, so as a result we’ve ended up driving the Audi touring car this weekend, which was quite an exciting proposition.”