The BTCC welcomed a new name to the top step of the podium during the latest round of the 2013 championship at Snetterton, as Sam Tordoff claimed a maiden win in just the sixth round of his rookie season.
The visit to the 300 circuit in Norfolk became the breakthrough weekend for the former UK Renault Clio Cup and Porsche Carrera Cup GB race winner, as he claimed his first BTCC pole position in Saturday’s qualifying session with a record-breaking lap before going on to dominate race one of the following day for a maiden triumph.
Tordoff beat his experienced double BTCC title-winning team-mate Jason Plato as the pair claimed a second 1-2 finish of the season for the MG KX Momentum Racing team, the 24-year-old revelling at the track which continued to be kind to him as in previous years in the TOCA support championships.
“We were confident”, said Tordoff following his maiden win. “We had a great test over the summer break and we turned up this weekend in a car just as good as it ended then.
“The car is quick round here, I like this place – I’ve done well around here in the past – and it was just a case of putting it all together. I knew if I could just get the start then we could be just about there, and as it happened it was a nice easy win.”
The remainder of Tordoff’s Snetterton weekend was ruined by a brake problem that pitched him off the road no less than three times in the second encounter, but it set up a fine recovery drive in the day’s third and final race from 17th as he charged up to fifth place by the chequered flag.
“Suffering in race two with the brakes put us on the back foot for race three, but we bounced back with all the lessons we had learned over the two-day test recently. I am confident we have an edge on soft tyres now, and fighting up to sixth rescued something. We can go forward from here.”
With a monkey now thoroughly off his back and a race win to his name after Snetterton, Tordoff has expanded his goals to picking up more victories throughout the final four rounds of the season, lying sixth in the championship and just 24 points behind team-mate Plato.
“Winning in the latter part of the season was my target”, he concluded. “I have done that now, and the next plan is to win consistently. I am over the moon about it.”
