WSR concluded a challenging mixed-weather Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship trip across the border to Knockhill, Scotland, with a trio of top-six finishes.
Drivers Charles Rainford and Daryl De Leon showed fighting spirit all the way aboard their BMW 330i M Sport cars in the final race of the weekend, securing more valuable points in the Independents Trophy with fifth and sixth places respectively.
Lewis Gilbert’s first BTCC outing on home soil was another learning curve for the 22-year-old, but the Ayrshire driver ended the weekend with an 18th-place finish after two retirements earlier in the day.
Rainford, sporting a special one-off livery for Knockhill, started the wet opener from sixth place but had to pit to remove a loose rear bumper after receiving a black flag with an orange disc at two-thirds distance, dropping him down the order.
A further spin after contact limited him to 21st at the flag, but a sensational charge through the field on the soft-compound tyre in race two brought the Horsham racer to sixth once again.
Another strong drive in the third race showcased the BMW's speed as Rainford secured a well-earned top-five result and his best of the day.
In race three, De Leon was also on the move after a frustrating second race, leaping 11 places to finish just behind Rainford in sixth.
The 20-year-old Anglo-Filipino, the reigning Jack Sears Trophy champion, had been in the mix for a solid top-six result in the opening bout before contact sent him through the gravel trap, relegating him to 11th.
Race two was a similar story as contact with Dan Cammish (NAPA Racing UK) saw De Leon off at Clark Corner, eventually resulting in a 17th-place result.
Competing with the support of the local crowd, Gilbert impressed in Saturday’s Qualifying Race, but did not finish Sunday’s opener after contact under braking for Clark.
Another incident in the second race of the day curtailed his chances of a points-scoring result. A learning weekend concluded with a deserved finish, after an early spin.
Charles Rainford: “We had amazing pace in Race One, but unfortunately, I had contact at the rear, which caused me to get a mechanical black flag, and then I had more contact after the Safety Car, which wasn’t ideal. I used that frustration in Race Two to get from 21st to sixth, and then I did the maximum I could in Race Three with a bit of damage. Overall, it had been a good day, with some nice points. We’ve been really good at Donington earlier in the year so hopefully we can repeat that pace next time out.”
Daryl De Leon: “It was a tough race day at Knockhill. We had some good pace in Race One, but with contact we lost three or four places. Then, in Race Two, I ended up in the barriers. Thankfully I managed to continue and finish 17th. In the final race, I was on the medium tyre and worked my way up to sixth from 17th with a lot of overtakes. Although the racing hadn’t gone our way this time, the atmosphere in Scotland has been amazing.”
Lewis Gilbert: “This weekend has been a good learning curve for me in the BTCC, especially in front of my home crowd - which was incredible. I was really happy with my pace in the final race, which was quite similar to the race winner on the same tyres. The first two races were a bit disappointing due to the issues, but we made a good step towards the end of the day, and I am already looking forward to getting back out there at Donington.”
Dick Bennetts, Team Principal: “It has been a good and bad day, but we can take the positives with all three cars reaching the finish in more or less one piece. Daryl had a strong final race, moving from 17th to sixth, and Charles was very impressive in the second race. For Lewis, it’s been another learning curve, and his pace was matching the leaders in Race Three, which is a big positive. The speed he has shown in the car with his limited experience has been incredible. Roll on Donington…”
