Shaun Hollamby was proud of his display in the AmD Milltek Racing.com VW Golf, but has stressed that his return to the BTCC was strictly a one-off appearance and hopes to have a new driver in place for the second half of the season.
The 45 year old took over the hot seat for this weekend's meeting at Croft after Tom Onslow-Cole left the team to drive the third Team Aon Ford Focus, and admitted he enjoyed the experience.
Hollamby qualified 21st and was going well in the slippery conditions in race one before a collision with the recovering James Nash dropped him to 17th. Hollamby also encountered trouble in race two when he slid off the track at Clervaux, shortly after Frank Wrathall had done the same.
His strongest showing came in the third race where he battled with the midfield pack which included reigning champion Jason Plato, and Hollamby admitted it was among the best races of his BTCC career.
“Race three was the first proper race I feel I've had in the BTCC as I was able to fight with people on track and I wasn't just running around towards the back,” he said. “Earlier in the day, Nash fired me off in the first race and then in race two, I went off in sympathy when Frank Wrathall had a problem and was suddenly slow in front of me. I think some of the boys tried to push me around on track today but I wasn't having any of it and even though I didn't manage to get into the points like I hoped to, I feel I can go away from Croft with my head held high.”
But Hollamby confirmed that his time as a driver in the BTCC has now come to an end, and will continue the search for a younger replacement during the summer break.
“Now the weekend is at an end, that is my time behind the wheel done. I'm happy with how the weekend has gone and I feel I've done myself justice, but now it's time for us to look at the options and choose a younger driver to put in the car for the remainder of the season.”
Rhea Beauchamp stepped in as Team Manager for the Croft weekend and felt that Hollamby had everything to be proud of.
“Shaun has done brilliantly this weekend, especially when you consider the pressure he was under getting back behind the wheel at short notice,” she said. “The whole team has worked hard and three solid finishes are a good result for them and for the sponsors who continue to support the team. I've thoroughly enjoyed being part of the AmD Milltek Racing.com team for the weekend and I think Shaun has gone out on a high.”
