Daniel Lloyd rounded out his 2022 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship programme in fine style with a third win of the season, allowing him to secure a top ten finish in the end of year standings.
The Huddersfield racer went into the weekend hoping to end his year on a high, and showed encouraging pace in free practice at the wheel of his EXCELR8 Motorsport-run Hyundai to set the third best time.
That meant confidence was high going into qualifying around the famous Brands Hatch Grand Prix layout, but a challenging session saw Daniel struggling for rear end grip on the challenging GP loop – leaving him to start the opening race from twelfth on the grid.
Shuffled back to 15th on the opening laps of race one, Daniel battled his way back up to 13th place by the finish and then continued his move forwards in race two to cross the line in eleventh spot.
A penalty for George Gamble for a start infringement then promoted Daniel into the top ten, with a further boost coming when the reverse grid draw then saw him placed on pole position for the final race of the year – where he would be cheered on by guests from sponsor Technology Desking.
Having struggled with the handling of the car through the first two races, the team worked to make changes to the Hyundai for race three, with Daniel getting away well off the line to lead the way into Paddock Hill Bend for the first time.
With much of the focus on the fight for championship in the pack behind, Daniel knuckled down and fought hard throughout to keep the Honda of Josh Cook at bay, leading the race from start-to-finish for his third victory of the year.
That allowed Daniel to end the campaign tenth in the championship standings with a new personal best points score, with work now set to begin on putting together a deal to return to the grid for a third successive season in 2023.
“What an amazing way to finish the season, and well done to Tom Ingram on winning the title as he really deserved it this year with the way he has driven,” he said. “It’s a mega feeling for me to end the year with a win as I’ve had my fair share of bad luck and this time luck was finally on my side.
“Even though I was quick in practice, I’d been struggling a bit with the car all weekend and we had some big decisions to make about which way to go with it for race three. I knew that the colder temperatures and the fact we were in clear air was going to have an impact and we made the right call.
“I was really up for it and I love to be out front and soak up the pressure as that is when I feel I’m at my best. I nearly dropped it a few times when I was pushing to stay out front, but I’m proud of how I drove and I was buzzing to get the win.
“I’ve done this on and off for ten years now and before this season, I’d only scored one win. To get three this season is great and there aren’t many people who are able to say that.
“A huge thank you to my sponsors – particularly 247 Blinds and Abracs – for their support as I literally wouldn’t have been able to do it without their support. There are a busy few weeks ahead trying to get the ball rolling for next year, and hopefully I’ll be back to try and improve on what I’ve achieved this season.”
