Daniel Lloyd’s strong chances of claiming a podium spot at Silverstone last weekend were cruelly dashed after contact ruled him out of the running during the penultimate meeting of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Championship at Silverstone (September 15/16).
An incredibly tight qualifying session – that separated the top 24 cars by less than half a second – saw Lloyd take P16 for race 1, just 3 tenths off pole position.
After opting to run the less-favourable hard option tyre for race one, Lloyd’s determined drive saw the #26 Civic Type R hold position for the opening race, and against the odds, he eventually crossed the line in 16th.
Running back on the preferred prime tyre and ballast-free, Lloyd made an excellent start in the second race and had managed to work his way up to 9th by lap 10. After closing in on Chilton’s Focus to take 8thplace spot, Lloyd’s Honda took a heavy shunt from behind, knocking him off into the gravel. A sterling recovery from the 26-year-old saw him salvage 19th at the flag, but the Yorkshireman was left ruing what might have been had his pace been left unchecked.
A scrappy race 3 was littered with on-track incidents on the short circuit, and despite his best-efforts, Lloyd did well to avoid contact in the final contest to bring the #26 Civic home in 15th.
“Another tough day at the office;” said Lloyd. “We made the decision to get the hard tyre out of the way in race one and actually outperformed most of the grid by not dropping back.
“I felt really confident going into race 2. I made a great start and was quickly making my way through the grid, but then I just got whacked from behind. It’s so frustrating. With the pace we had, I feel sure that we could have been on for a podium. Up until I was taken off, we were right there with Ingram, and he went on to win. That just killed the rest of the weekend for us really. It feels like yet another missed opportunity which is a shame.
“On the plus side, we had fantastic support at the weekend with a lot of our backers and sponsors there with us. It was gutting not to have been able to get the result for them, but I know that they had a great day anyway. I do also want to say a big thanks to the team for giving me a car with great pace once again.”
Lloyd and the BTC Norlin Racing team head to Brands Hatch next for the season finale of the 2018 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship on the world-famous GP circuit on September 29/30.
