Cameron Twynham began the 2014 EuroFormula Open season with his first podium finish at the Nurburgring. The BRDC Rising Star made his debut in the series with Team West-Tec, and held off the strong challenge of his Thai team-mate Tanart Sathienthirakul during race two to secure third position.
A clutch issue affected his Saturday race when running third that saw him drop down to sixth, but the Brit came out of the race with confidence, especially after he had topped both the wet and dry practice sessions. He then qualified in fourth position on the grid before making a good start to run in the top three.
“Though we finished practice on top, starting fourth was actually an advantage,” admitted Twynham. “Due to rubber building up, there was much more inside grip than on the racing line, which enabled us to make a great start.
“After gaining a position at the start I was consistently holding pace until my clutch began to slip in third. This progressively got worse, hampering my acceleration in every gear. However, we only used one set of tyres, [which gave] us two new sets for Sunday, and our pace was strong on scrubbed rubber, so we had reason to be buoyant.”
In EuroFormula Open, it all resets itself on Sunday, with a fresh qualifying session for race two, and Twynham improved on his Saturday effort to start race two from third position, despite suffering from traffic that prevented him challenging for pole.
He made a good start but was forced to avoid other drivers at the first turn that saw him drop from second to sixth place. Before the end of the first lap he would pass another of his team-mates in the form of Nicholas Pohler for fifth, and would inherit third after Igor Urien was handed a penalty for a jump start, and after Alex Palou was forced into retirement with a mechanical issue.
“After passing Pohler, it was tough to make up places,” said Twynham. “We ended up third, despite dicing alongside Tanart with severely worn tyres. I’m delighted that we achieved our podium goal, and happy with the overall pace. However, we need to make some adjustments with the car in order to preserve new tyres over a race distance.
“This weekend has given me a tremendous confidence boost, although we are still working hard to improve in qualifying and race trim. Every round is important, but this was crucial in understanding where we stood compared to our rivals. Considering we’ve tested much less, we’re in a very good position going forward.
“I’d like to thank my ever-loyal sponsors for their incredible support this weekend, and my fans on social media who have demonstrated their faith in me once again.”
