Still learning the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship ropes, Mark Blundell headed to Donington Park for the first time since the 1993 European Grand Prix. However, he was to endure a tough weekend both on the Saturday and Sunday.
In qualifying, Mark fell off the circuit for the second Saturday in a row and he languished in twenty-ninth place as his fastest time was deleted for causing a red flag.
In a race long battle with the MG6 GT of Sam Osborne, Mark finished race one in twenty-third. But that wasn’t to be the only time the Trade Price Cars Racing driver got acquainted with the Excelr8 Motorsport rookie.
Following the MG6 closely on the run to the final chicane in the second race, Sam’s early braking caught out the motorsport veteran and they both made contact and slid along the grass into the gravel trap. Mark retired on the spot capping off a disappointing race.
To not cause any more headaches for himself and the team. Mark stayed out of trouble for the final race and took twenty-second at the flag. A battle with the Subaru Levorg GT of Senna Proctor a highlight and a chance to brush up further on his tin-top knowledge.
Despite a tough weekend, Mark remained positive and he looks forward to continuing his BTCC journey, “It’s been a tough weekend and a real mixed bag for me on track.
“I’ve picked up another two finishes and it’s just a shame about what happened in the second race.
“The big positive to take away from this weekend is that we are starting to get a better understanding of what we need to do to the car to get it better suited to me and my driving style.
“That is something for us to work with as we move forwards and hopefully we can make some progress when we get to Thruxton.”
