Adam Morgan added to his points tally in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship at Oulton Park, Cheshire, yesterday highlighted by a stirring drive in the final race.
Adam’s Mac Tools with Ciceley Motorsport Mercedes-Benz A-Class, supported by Pall-Ex, headed to the Cheshire circuit laden with 75 kilos of success ballast as the championship leader, and that was always going to hurt Adam on the hilly circuit. With plenty of inclines and the stop-start Island Bend hairpin, Adam inevitably struggled with the weight in qualifying but was running a different Oulton Park set-up which definitely helped. Adam suffered the problems of the narrow Oulton Park track in the opener, as he found it very hard to overtake without risking damage, allied to the very hot temperatures that meant that he had to drop back from the car ahead on occasions to let the engine cool down. Adam eventually netted 18th place, out of the points, but losing all the success ballast for race two. From 17th on the grid for race two, Adam battled up to 11th place, helped by some opportunistic moves gaining places whenever he could. He said: “That was a hard race because it really is narrow here and you don’t want to be taking risks all the time.
“I was able to gain places and was third quickest without the weight, so that is positive.”
Adam started the reverse grid third race from 11th on the grid but a huge start-line crash led to a stoppage and a shortened restart. Adam was in determined mood and battled his way up to fifth, passing Tom Chilton’s Ford Focus with a bold pass and keeping title rival Tom Ingram (Toyota Avensis) at bay.
He said: “To go from 11th to fifth on a track where it is hard to overtake is really good, so I am very pleased with that.
“I’m second equal in the championship now, but because there are two of us tied on points, we carry the weight for the lower place, so I will have 57 kilos for Croft, not 66.
“We are not at halfway yet in the championship so we will all work to ensure we score each time out” he added.
Ciceley Motorsport’s Commercial Manager Norman Burgess said: “Adam once again showed how much of a force he is in touring car racing…that was a champion's drive in the final race”.
He went on to add: “We had lots of sponsors and guests with us at Oulton Park and they were treated to some excellent racing and magnificent weather which all showcased the BTCC perfectly and underlined why this is the best championship to be in for action and reward. “
Adam now lies second equal in both the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship and the Independents’ Trophy. The next races of the season will be at Croft, North Yorkshire, on June 23/24 and all the action will be live and exclusive on ITV4 on race day.