Sam Tordoff enjoyed his most successful weekend of the season during Rounds 13, 14 & 15 of the 2019 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship with a return to the rostrum at Oulton Park.
The Cobra Sport AmD AutoAid/RCIB Insurance driver showed his early promise with two top-five finishes, an Independent race win, and third-placed podium in the final race of the fifth BTCC meeting at the picturesque Cheshire circuit.
Strong off the mark during Saturday’s practice sessions, Tordoff carried his consistently proficient form into the afternoon qualifying session, securing a front-row start in P2.
Swamped off the line, Tordoff put up a valiant defence as he charged into the first corner. Batting to hold position, he slipped to fourth before a brave lunge through Island Bend from team-mate Rory Butcher dropped him back to fifth, which he held until he crossed the line.
After a strong start, an opening lap melee resulted in an early safety car appearance in race two. Allowing the lead pack to bunch-up, Tordoff came under immediate pressure from the charging pack as the encounter got back underway. The 30-year-old held off challenges for the 18-lap contest to claim his second fifth-place finish of the day and third Independent race win of the season.
Starting from seventh on the grid following race three’s reverse grid draw, Tordoff managed to avoid contact during an incident on lap three before finding himself under unrelenting pressure from BMW’s Tom Oliphant. An impressive defensive drive for the full distance was repaid with a P4 finish, which was later amended to P3 after the race winner was handed a twenty-second penalty.
“Two fifths and an Independent win is a great result and then getting a podium in race three was a really good way to end the day," said Tordoff. "We lucked into a few incidents out on track today but you have to be there to pick up the chances when they come along.
“We’re still lacking that little something extra. We’re asking for a little bit more, but that’s the extra bit between a win or not.
“It’s been a positive weekend. We’ve not quite been the fastest but we’ve scored some good points. It’s nice to have a consistent Saturday and Sunday at last and we can go into the summer break happy.
“Looking ahead we’ve got some strong tracks coming up for us. We’ll be looking to refine the car at the Snetterton test in a couple of weeks. We’ve learned a bit more [at Oulton Park] so we’ll be putting that into practice, too.”
Tordoff’s excellent weekend of results have helped to propel him up the order in the Championship standings, and he now sits fourth in the Independent Drivers' points. The Cobra Sport AmD AutoAid/RCIB Insurance squad also lies third in the overall Teams’ standings and second in the Independents as the BTCC heads into its annual summer break before reconvening at Snetterton on August 3/4.
