Scottish racer David Wagner impressed on his debut at the high-speed Thruxton circuit during Rounds Nine and Ten of the 2011 Protyre Formula Renault BARC Championship, the MGR Motorsport driver taking a seasons best finish in the opening race.
Wagner got to grips with the track quickly and after setting promising times in practice, he went on to meet his aim for the weekend and qualify in the top ten for the two races, setting the tenth and ninth best times. Race one saw Wagner fight through to his first top six finish of the year, before he looked set for another solid top ten finish in race two when his race was brought to a premature end when a fellow competitor spun into him.
Wagner commented: “Thruxton is a great track. It is so fast, especially through Goodwood where we are cornering at around 135mph. I really focussed on my qualifying this weekend and was quite satisfied with two positions in the top ten but it was very tight and if I had been two tenths faster I would have been inside the top five. You get quite an advantage by slipstreaming a car in front but I did not manage to pick up a tow at quite the right time.
“I made a strong start in the first race and was able to pick up a place. From then on, I just chased down those in front of me, and managed to move up to sixth. However, there was quite a bad crash on the pit straight and the race had to be stopped. I was very disappointed as I get stronger and stronger as the race goes on, but it is still my best result of the year.
“In race 2, I made another good start and moved up to eighth straight away. By lap four I was up with the boys running fifth and sixth and was looking for a way past when I was hit from the outside and pushed onto the grass. I lost a few places and ended up having to make my way back through the traffic. As I entered the Club chicane someone out-braked themselves and ended up spinning into me and ending my race. It was a disappointing end to a promising weekend but I guess that's racing.”
MGR Motorsport's team principal, Mark Godwin said: “David worked hard on his qualifying and started inside the top ten which was his aim. He again showed what an excellent racer he is, overtaking more experienced rivals to gain a great sixth position. Unfortunately in the second race, he was taken out through no fault of his own. I am sure he will make up for it at Silverstone.”
Next up for David is the final rounds of the season at Silverstone on October 15/16, where the series joins the prestigious British Touring Car Championship programme, with Wagner adding: “I am really looking forward to the final rounds at Silverstone in front of some big crowds and am very grateful to my sponsors Carrick Packaging, Nexus Packaging, Biosafe Solutions and Nexus Internet for their ongoing support.”
