BLANCHARD FIGHTS BACK FOR STRONG RESULT AT KNOCKHILL
14 April 2008
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While he left the Knockhill circuit with a bag of Championship points, it wasn’t all smooth sailing for the Jaylec/ AMSF International Rising Star as he fought hard to rectify a mistake that threatened to derail his UK title aspirations.
Having qualified sixth, Blanchard was keen to improve on his qualifying effort and work his way to the front of the field after some car set up changes, however trouble getting off the line left him trailing at the rear of the field before the first corner of the opening race.
“I stalled off the line which was extremely disappointing, the straight is on a slight hill so that may have had something to do with it but I was fuming, you just can’t afford to do that at this level,” explained Blanchard.
However, what would have left many a driver rattled seemed to spur Blanchard on as he systematically picked off his counterparts one by one to eventually finish fifth and set a new lap record in the process.
Easily the drive of the day, Blanchard highlighted just why he won the Australian Formula Ford Championship in 2007, finding a way to make something out of nothing and take some points from the opening race.
“I just put my head down and tried to salvage something from the situation, I basically threw caution to the wind and tried to pass at every opportunity and to set a lap record and salvage some points was a great result.”
Track and weather conditions again wreaked havoc, this time Scotland turning on hail during the final laps of the opening race to make things difficult for drivers as they battled through tough conditions on slick tyres following a snow affected race two weeks ago at Oulton Park in England.
“I’ve seen it all in the first couple of weekends racing over here, the opening race it hailed, then we had dry conditions in race two and a third race where half the track was wet and the other half dry.”
Blanchard rounded out the weekend with a pair of podium finishes, driving his Jaylec Mygale to third and second in the remaining races leaving him in second position on the Championship points table behind Jamun Racing team mate Wayne Boyd.
With test days at Croft on Tuesday and Wednesday this week before racing there on 26-27 April, Blanchard hopes to become well and truly accustomed to the North Yorkshire circuit in an effort to wrestle the Championship lead back from Boyd.
Provisional results
British Formula Ford round 4 (of 25)
Knockhill 12/4/2008. 15 laps / 19.07 miles
1, Wayne Boyd, GB/Templepatrick, Jamun/Mygale, 15m15.110s
2, Linton Stuteley, GB/Hitchin, Getem/Mygale, +2.842s
3, Westley Barber, GB/Saffron Walden, Comtec, +4.756s
4, Marco Sorensen, DK/Sudbury, Fluid/Van Diemen, +5.753s
5, Tim Blanchard, AUS/Victoria, Jamun/Mygale, +6.586s
Fastest lap: Blanchard 51.289s / 89.23mph Rec
Round 5 / Knockhill 13/4/2008. 21 laps / 26.70 miles
1, Wayne Boyd, GB/Templepatrick, Jamun/Mygale, 18m08.239s
2, Linton Stuteley, GB/Hitchin, Getem/Mygale, +5.750s
3, Tim Blanchard, AUS/Victoria, Jamun/Mygale, +8.229s
Round 6 / Knockhill 13/4/2008. 17 laps / 21.61 miles
1, Wayne Boyd, GB/Templepatrick, Jamun/Mygale, 18m28.277s
2, Tim Blanchard, AUS/Victoria, Jamun/Mygale, +0.619s
3, Victor Correa, BRA/Sao Paulo, Jamun/Mygale, +1.854s
Provisional championship placings
Overall 1 Boyd 173 points; 2 Blanchard 157; 3 Stuteley 122; 4 Brown 115; 5 Sorensen 109; 6 Correa 99; 7 Barber 87; 8 Campfield 76; 9 Matt Hamilton 75; 10 Chris Maliepaard 54
all
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