It was a tough weekend for Tom and his Special Tuning Racing team in the penultimate round of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship at Brands Hatch last weekend. But, despite only a minimal points haul, the small family-run team continued to demonstrate their power to match the pace of the established runners.

With a superb get-away Tom was up to tenth off the line before being muscled out into the first corner. He fought back, quickly regaining the spot on the second lap. He then held position for the next eight laps before advancing two places as both Honda drivers retired with punctures. Running in eighth, he then put up a determined defence to retain the spot as he endured several laps of intense pressure from Rob Collard’s BMW. Fortunately for Tom, Collard came under attack himself from and this gave Tom some vital breathing space. But the pressure had taken its toll and having just started the final lap, coming out of Paddock Hill Bend, disaster struck as the SEAT suffered a left-front puncture and Tom was unable to finish the race.

Starting 23rd in race two, Tom got off to a phenomenal start, his searing pace seeing him overtake nine cars over the first lap. He then hustled Michael Caine in the Ford Focus for the next three laps before seizing 13th position over the start/finish line. With two retirements ahead, Tom then chased down 12th place. But with the BMW in front stronger at the back end of the race, Tom was unable to make a move and he had to make do with eleventh, narrowly missing out on the reverse grid draw for race three.

Starting the final race from 11th, Tom maintained position over the first lap before making a great move on current champion Jason Plato on the second, overtaking him on the back straight. Just one lap later he pulled the same move again, to go ninth and up behind Nick Foster’s BMW. Determined not to get stuck behind the BMW again, Tom made his move on the fifth lap. Up to seventh, with just three laps to go, Tom’s race was almost cut short yet again. Recovering from an off-track excursion, Andy Neate returned to the circuit, veering his Focus straight into Tom’s path. The move forced Tom to take swift evasive action to avoid a collision. In doing so he lost two places and he crossed the finish line in ninth.

Reflecting on the race, Tom said: “I had three laps to go when I saw Neate go off into the gravel ahead. I didn’t think anything of it, but then I saw him creeping along the gravel and he came back straight back on to the racing line!”

“I had to make a move on to the gravel to avoid him, but losing places having got past some of the top guys is really frustrating,”he continued. “It’s not to be again, but we’ll look to Silverstone and hopefully have some better luck there.”

“I had to make a move on to the gravel to avoid him, but losing places having got past some top guys is really frustrating,” he continued. “It’s not to be again, but we’ll look to Silverstone and hopefully have some better luck there.”

The team now head to Silverstone in two weeks’ time looking to continue this season’s great form and end the championship on a high.

Un-phased by his six-place penalty for an incident in the previous round at Knockhill, Tom got off to a flyer in from 23rd in race one. Steering clear of the confrontations ahead he stormed up the order, climbing a remarkable 15 places into eighth by the sixth lap.

Following the safety car deployment on lap seven, a titanic five-lap battle broke out at the restart with Nick Foster’s BMW. The pair ran side-by-side and swapped places through the Deene hairpin on lap 12, before Foster eventually got the upper hand. Both drivers then closed in and quickly dispatched of James Nash, elevating Tom to seventh. But with Tom’s tyres showing signs of wear, he was reeled in by Rob Austin’s Audi, losing the position on the final lap to finish in eighth at the chequered flag.

“That was a manic race,” said Tom. “But I focused on getting a good start, racing hard, keeping clean and getting as many places as possible. The last two laps I had no grip and Austin got past, but I can’t complain at that, a top-ten finish having started from the back of the grid is a great result.”   

Starting from eighth in the day’s second race, Tom got another cracking start and was up to sixth by the second lap. Having pulled out a gap, he looked on course for another solid points finish when a rear wheel bearing broke and his race came to an unexpected end.

Not finishing the second race meant he would start the last race from the back of the grid again. Determined to make early ground, he made a stunning start, gaining ten places over just one lap.

Over laps six and seven he got the better of championship leader Gordon Shedden and then Foster to take tenth. But with four laps left he was dragged into a frenetic scrap for the final points finish. Determined to hold the position, Tom had to defend resolutely as Foster  made a forceful move on the back of the SEAT, but he held on to finish in a fantastic tenth place.

After the race Tom said: “I was pleased with the finish. We’ve shown we’ve got the pace again, but it wasn’t where we wanted to be. The support after Knockhill has been amazing and I really wanted to be at the front fighting for another podium finish, so hopefully we can go on and do that at Brands Hatch.”

Tom was clearly ecstatic as he climbed from his STR SEAT Leon: “Fantastic!” he exclaimed. “We’ve had it tough recently, we’ve been in strong positions before and things haven’t gone our way, but today we fought deep and finally it’s all come good! It’s a huge win for us, the whole team and our sponsors deserve this!”

Having been hampered with engine issues in qualification, Tom was confident that progress would be made in the day’s three races. He didn’t disappoint.

Gaining a place on the first lap of race one as Alex MacDowall slid wide, Tom then made a great move on James Nash getting the better of him out of Clark’s corner and along Hislop’s straight. And on the very next lap he pulled off the move again on Andrew Jordan at the same spot. Promoted to eighth as a collision on lap seven brought out the safety car, Tom was immediately on the back of Rob Collard at the restart and certainly looked to have the pace on him. Unable to get past though, Collard ran wide and Nash got the overlap on Tom along the pit-straight passing Tom at the Duffus dip. Seeing that Jason Plato was struggling after a small off-road excursion on lap 22, Tom closed down the defending champion but with Plato defending resolutely he couldn’t make the pass. With Mat Jackson retiring on lap 24, Tom went on to finish the race in an impressive eighth place.

Clearly having the pace on Nash at the start of race two, Tom pulled off a great move to out-drag him down the start/finish line at the end of lap one to take seventh, and by the next lap he was looming large in Plato’s rear-view mirrors. Tom got the upper hand on the pit-straight on lap nine to take sixth before the safety car was deployed for an incident two laps later. At the restart, he pulled out a gap on the chasing pack and with the leaders clashing ahead, he was right back in the mix by lap 20. Tom went on to finish in a brilliant sixth place, his second top ten of the day.

As a result of the top seven driver reverse grid, Tom started the third race in second behind Plato. Tucking in behind Plato he immediately piled on the pressure. On lap four, Tom moved inside down the straight. Plato took a tight line into the SEAT curves causing him to lose shape, but pursuing the racing line Tom exited with speed and closed in. Having to back off he touched the rear of Plato’s car and Plato ended up on the grass, triggering the safety car as Tom took the race lead. With the race about to restart, Tom slowed for the hairpin and then got the jump on Rob Collard. But in the final laps, the gap between him and Tom closed as the rear-wheeled BMW strengths came into play. Collard threw everything he could at Tom and there was contact at the hairpin as Collard locked up. Tom held on beautifully under the pressure bringing the SEAT Leon home in first place, his first ever outright win in the BTCC and his first independents’ victory this season.

Speaking after the race, Tom said: “Collard was coming at me hard at the end there, his car must have been better on its tyres, but I held my nerve and we’ve done it. I knew we had the potential to win races and we really showed it today.”

The team now head to Rockingham in two weeks’ time looking to build still further on the success of this weekend.

Failing to set a competitive time in qualifying due to engine failure, Tom started the race from last on the grid. Not to be deterred, he made immediate headway climbing to 14th by the end of the first lap and into an incredible tenth place by the end of lap three. On course for a points finish, his race was cruelly cut short just two laps later when the same engine problems that had plagued him in qualifying once again ended his day early. It was a huge blow for Tom as the damage forced him to withdraw from the remainder of the races.

“I was really buzzing, having got up to tenth, when the oil light came on and the engine cut out. That was our second engine, so it was a short weekend for me! We’d made great progress with our developments during the break, so I’m gutted this has happened again,” Tom said after the race.

However it wasn’t all bad for the Lancashire-based outfit as Tom’s team-mate Dave Newsham finished all three races in the top ten.

“It may not have been Tom’s day, but there were certainly a lot of positives to be taken from the weekend,” said team principal, John Boardman.

“Dave had a very impressive weekend scoring points in every race for the team. We showed great qualifying and race pace and we’re confident we’ve closed the gap on some of the bigger teams now.

“We can go into the next round at Knockhill in September confident that we’ve got a great car,” John continued.

Having qualified outside of the top ten, Tom had it all to do in race one. With varying track conditions, his decision to start the race on full wets following an earlier downpour, immediately paid off as he picked off four cars on the opening lap and a further place on the second.

An impressive 15-lap contest developed between Tom and Cumbrian driver Alex MacDowall, with great bumper-to-bumper action as Tom held the Chevrolet Cruze at bay. Even when the safety car was deployed on lap eight, the pair raced right up to the line.

With the safety car closing the gap, he got a good get-away at the restart. But with the track rapidly drying, his wet tyres were becoming increasingly worn and over the final laps, three pursuing cars all running slicks, seized position from Tom. He went on to finish in a solid tenth place, picking up a vital championship point.

Speaking after the first race, Tom said: “My drive in the first race was good, and if it hadn’t been for the safety car adding extra laps to a drying circuit, my tyres wouldn’t have gone off as much, and I would have finished a couple of places higher.”

With drier conditions for the second race, Tom was determined to put in an even stronger performance. He made another of his trademark fantastic starts, and by the third lap, had moved from tenth to eighth.

He was fortunate to still be on the track though, having skilfully avoided an incident in front of him as the Vauxhall Vectra ahead came to a standstill in the middle of the track, after a spin which almost wiped Tom out.

But Tom’s luck was to run out on lap four. Approaching the chicane, he hit a stray tyre barrier, spinning backwards off the circuit. The incident damaged the front wing, broke the car’s front suspension and resulted in a two-lap safety car intervention to retrieve the stricken SEAT.

“I was pressing very well in the second race, really pushing right up to the drivers ahead, which ultimately led to me clipping the tyres in the chicane and ending my race,” said Tom.

The Special Tuning Racing mechanics worked miracles to patch up Tom’s battered car and he was able to make it out for the third race, albeit starting from 23rd. Another strong start saw him move up the grid, although he was again forced to take another early slice of evasive action to avoid a collision ahead of him.

Benefiting from the skirmish he advanced into 19th place. But on lap ten, up to 16th, a gearbox issue abruptly brought Tom’s race to an end and he retired to the pits.

Speaking after the final race, team principal John Boardman said: “There were quite a few positives to take away from the weekend. Despite only having 24hrs notice of a further boost reduction to Tom’s turbo engine, we still had good speed. The team once again proved they can match the bigger teams and managed to have the car ready for the final race of the day despite the damage. We will now use the time we have off before the next round to work on the engine reflecting the new boost levels.”

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