Pembrey, Wales (UK) — Sunday 19 July 2015; Andy Scott took second place in the British Rallycross Championship round at Pembrey this weekend to keep himself and Albatec Racing in the title hunt. Fastest overall in timed practice, and with it a valuable additional championship point, Andy didn’t have the best of heats but still managed to secure a crucial front row position for the all-important final.
His main championship rival, four-time British champion Julian Godfrey starting from pole, got the perfect line into the first corner, and despite a stirring drive from the Dumfries racer, that included posting the fastest lap of the race, he was unable to capitalise on the Peugeot 208 RX Supercar’s 600bhp and find a way past.
Finishing runner-up for the second time this season, added to two victories earlier in the year, puts the Albatec Racing Team Principal second overall with two rounds remaining.
There was drama aplenty for rapid Finn Kristian Sohlberg on his British RX debut. Quickest overall on his very first competitive run around the 1.46 mile track in untimed practice, the former WRC driver showed all the flair of a seasoned rallycross contender with a stunning display of car control.
Lining up on pole for his first qualifying race, the 37 year-old was quickly challenging for the lead after a poor start, moving ahead on lap two, which he held to the flag. Overnight rain meant the track was still damp in places, and the subsequent faster heat relegated Kristian to fifth overall, amid a small but quality field.
Heat two pitched Kristian against the experienced Godfrey, and a sterling performance allowed the rallycross newcomer to chase down the race leader for the opening two laps, despite smoke from a cracked manifold seeping into his car. On lap three, with smoke now billowing around the interior making visibility impossible, Kristian had no alternative but to stop, where fire marshals attended to the stricken Konttorityö-backed car.
After a precautionary check-up by paramedics at the track for smoke inhalation, Kristian was transferred to the Prince Phillip Hospital, Llanelli, for further assessment but later released. Returning to the track with the intention of taking up his position alongside his team-mate in the final, discussion with his engineer and mechanics led to the decision not to take the start, as it was felt that the issue had not been completely resolved.
Double and reigning British RX150 champion Marc Scott also had an eventful day in Wales, that saw his joint lead at the head of the tables disappear after finishing fourth in the Final. A cracking performance in practice put the Lochmaben racer sixth quickest overall in his 1000cc buggy.
However a series of lowly heat results, by his standard, put him on the outside of the front row for the final. A good start to the race was brought to a finish with a spin that dropped him down the order, recovering to finish fourth.
Andy Scott, Albatec Racing Team Principal and driver :
“The heats didn’t really go particularly well, but nevertheless we managed to get a front row start for the final. I knew Julian being on pole would be difficult to beat, I tried to go round the outside at the first corner but he drove a perfect corner and had that line covered. I lost a bit of time on the first lap because of the dust, it was otherwise a good race, just not good enough.
“It’s really disappointing for Kristian, we had some issues with his car, without that I’m sure he’d have been challenging for the win in the final. The man’s got speed and amazing car control and he demonstrated that today in practice and the other heats. I hope we see him back in the British championship.
“It’s not been Marc’s day today either. He was obviously quick as he always is, made too many mistakes, and just couldn’t string together consistent heats and final. But we’ll all come back fighting for the next round at Lydden Hill.”
Kristian Sohlberg :
“I’ve really enjoyed the day, obviously the championship is full of good drivers, and it’s been a really good learning day, and that’s what I need to do, to drive different tracks. I know the speed was there today, I was fast in all the practices but the mechanical problems we had, including the fire, didn’t help! Just before the final I decided not to start as the car didn’t sound right, so it was my call not to risk any damage to the engine or the car.
“I’m disappointed of course as I wanted to put on a good show for the spectators. I’ve really enjoyed working with Albatec, it feels like home, I have good engineers and mechanics and they’ve been spot on, it’s really important to build a team around you. I’ve been really happy with the car, OK we had some technical issues but that’s motorsport. I’m very happy to be part of the Albatec team and I hope we can build on this for Turkey and have some really good results together.”
Marc Scott :
“From start to finish it’s been a pretty terrible day to be honest. The first heat was a mixture of spins, small mistakes, which cost me valuable time and positions and it was the same throughout the day. The morale of the day is there isn’t any room for error, if you make a mistake you’re going to get penalised and you’re going to lose places.
“I think it’s been a mixture of things, the track conditions, playing catch-up in the heats, and a bit of red mist. I was just trying too hard to get back to the position I want to be in. The speed was there, the lap times have been there all day I just haven’t managed to string them together four in a row to get a good race time. But I feel more determined than ever to turn it all around at Lydden Hill.”
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