Jelley hopes to build on momentum after podium finish
STEPHEN Jelley and his Team BMW West Surrey Racing teammates to travel to Knockhill in Scotland this weekend as the British Touring Car Championship starts a busy run to the final rounds of the season.
The Leicester driver bounced back in style last time out, after a disappointing weekend at Brands Hatch.
Jelley claimed a podium place as well as finishing in the top seven in all three races at Oulton Park, Cheshire, vaulting himself back into the top ten in the drivers’ championship standings.
His performances in Cheshire not only boosted his own chances, but also helped BMW retain its position at the top of the manufacturers’ championship before the full-on end to the 2021 campaign, with six meetings and 18 races in just ten weeks, finishing at Brands Hatch’s Grand Prix circuit in October.
Jelley will have a short shakedown test session at Knockhill tomorrow before two practice sessions at 9.30am and 12.05pm on Saturday, with qualifying at 2.50p and shown live on itv.com/btcc.
Sunday’s race action will be broadcast throughout the day on ITV4, with the three 24-lap races scheduled for 11.45am, 2.40pm and 5.25pm respectively.
Jelley said: “I am looking forward to travelling up to Knockhill. I like driving around there, it’s a fun place to race, and I can’t wait to try the BMW 330i M Sport there either!
“I had some good experiences there in the 125i M Sport in previous years, so trying it in this fantastic machine will be a joy.
“I am feeling more and more confident with the car, and we know that it will perform well at a lot of different race tracks.
“It might not have pole position pace at each venue, but we know we can be consistent and keep scoring good points wherever we go. “If we can replicate what we did at Oulton Park, then we’ll be well in the mix when we come to the end of the season.”