Jordan clambers through the chicane (Photo Credit: btcc.net)
Andrew Jordan set the Pirtek Racing team up for a storming weekend at Thruxton after a stunning qualifying lap put the racer on pole position for the seventh round of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship at the Hampshire circuit.
Jordan set a pole lap time eight tenths of a second quicker than second placed Jason Plato and more than a second quicker than the rest of the field. It was an impressive effort from the 23 year-old: “Qualifying was really good. I was on slicks and it was still greasy, but we were under last year's pole time, which surprised me. I was pleased to get our first proper BTCC pole.”
Race day in fact proved challenging after standing water caused Jordan to slide and make contact with Jason Plato, sending his Honda Civic spinning into the barrier at the first corner. The collision caused significant damage to the rear suspension and the front of the Civic.
Jordan said: “I hit some standing water and the car slid a bit. There was a slight touch with Plato at the first corner and that just sent me round and into the wall.”
The team worked hard to get the car ready for the second race which saw Jordan storm from the back of the grid to finish in tenth place narrowly missing out on a reverse pole for ninth position. Jordan and teammate Jeff Smith however, took crucial points for the team.
After the race one incident the handling was slightly impaired all day, and there were still signs in the final race of the day. With the track still slippery, tyre choice was important. Jordan climbed to fifth and teammate Smith crossed the line in ninth.
The team look towards setting similar qualifying pace at the next round of the BTCC at Oulton Park in six weeks time on Sunday June 10.
