Dan Cammish:
“On the whole, the weekend went well. Qualifying was strong, though there was a tinge of disappointment to have a lap taken away that would have been P3. Ultimately, on race day, I don’t think we had the pace to keep it up, so I might have found myself in more pain had I tried to hang up there.
“Three sixths across the day have been hard fought and well earned. We’ve made some changes to the car, but we’ve just not had those last couple of tenths to really put us into the fight and help us move forward. If anything, we’ve just kind of hung on to our position rather than moved forward, but I’m on the board. I’ve scored some points – six, six, six – a bit of a devilish weekend for me!
“I’ve always said I’d be happy if I’ve got the best out of myself and today, I have, 100%. We’ll just have to regroup a bit. Pre-season testing at Croft went well and I’d like to think we can go back there and find that little bit of speed that we were missing.”
Napa Racing UK driver Dan Cammish chalked up his 100th British Touring Car Championship start at the weekend (June 11/12) and, by scoring points in all three races at Oulton Park, helped Motorbase Performance move to the top of the Manufacturers Championship.
Coming off the back of a disappointing outing at Thruxton last time out, the reigning Porsche Carrera Cup GB champion was hoping for a solid weekend to get his campaign back on track. Still learning how to extract the most from his Ford Focus ST, the Yorkshireman was able to easily set top ten times during the two free practice sessions but was unable to pull together the perfect lap in qualifying, despite setting the second fastest time on combined sectors.
Starting race one from seventh on the grid for his 100th BTCC contest, Dan held his position in the opening laps but moved into sixth when Adam Morgan retired, necessitating a Safety Car. When action resumed, he looked to hold firm before Gordon Shedden managed to get past in the closing stages. However, those positions would be reversed when Sheddon was handed a penalty for his part in Morgan’s retirement.
Starting the second race fifth, Dan looked set for another strong finish. Holding position off the line he was comfortably sitting in the lead pack until lap 10 of the planned 15, when Sheddon was able to pass exiting the Island Hairpin, relegating him to sixth.
It was a frenetic start to the final race. From his seventh-place grid spot, Dan did well to avoid first lap dramas, causing the Safety Car to be deployed. A late charge from Morgan tested the NAPA Racing UK driver in the final two laps but he skilfully placed his Ford Focus ST to hold firm and finish in seventh, which would become sixth after Ricky Collard was handed a penalty.
After the disappointment of Thruxton, Dan was happy to leave Cheshire with three solid finishes and 31 points to add to his tally, getting his championship back on track. He will next be in action in two weeks’ time when the BTCC heads to his local circuit of Croft in North Yorkshire, for rounds 13, 14, and 15 of the season.
BTCC Drivers' Championship, after 12 rounds
1. Josh Cook - 169 points
2. Tom Ingram - 154 points
3. Ash Sutton - 151 points
3. Colin Turkington - 140 points
13. Dan Cammish - 72 points
BTCC Manufacturers' Championship, after 12 rounds
1. Motorbase Performance / Ford - 301 points
2. BMW - 300 points
3. EXCELR8 Motorsport / Hyundai - 280 points
4. Team Dynamics / Honda - 232 points
BTCC Teams' Championship, after 12 rounds
1. Bristol Street Motors with EXCELR8 TradePriceCars.com - 223 points
2. NAPA Racing UK - 223 points
3. Rich Energy BTC Racing - 198 points
4. Team BMW - 190 points