Moffat displays great racecraft in difficult Thruxton Weekend
Laser Tools Racing ace Aiden Moffat bagged more points for his Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship campaign at Thruxton, Hampshire, on Sunday after a difficult weekend.
Carrying 33 kilos of success ballast in his Laser Tools Racing Mercedes-Benz A-Class, Aiden was compromised for pace in qualifying and a tyre issue that put him on to the grass at the end of the vital qualifying session was another blow. The heavy Mercedes would line up 21st, Aiden feeling the car lacked straight-line speed.
Aiden rocketed away from the line in the opening race, using all of his racecraft and renowned car control to gain places wherever and however he could, however, with the cars so evenly matched, Aiden’s lack of outright pace meant that overtaking was tough and he brought the car home in 18th place, frustrated by his progress.
Aiden commented: “On one hand, I am disappointed because it seemed hard to overtake with a lack of straight-line speed. On the other, that result means we have no success ballast now for race two and I am looking forward to gaining places and moving forward.”
From 18th on the grid, Aiden again struggled for sheer pace in the second 16-lap round, but he never let his motivation drop as he battled up to 15th place and secured more points for the championship.
From 14th on the grid for the final race, Aiden was determined to end his weekend on a positive note and was involved in a fierce multi-car battle for 10th place. Late in the race, as his Mercedes-Benz A-Class lined up to attack at the Chicane, Aiden was clipped from behind by a late-braking rival, which pushed bodywork on to his right rear tyre and made for a spectacular, smoking Mercedes for the last few laps. That affected Aiden’s pace a little and he hustled the car home in 13th place.
“It has been a frustrating weekend, really,” explained Aiden. “I feel that I have driven really well, I have been consistent and smooth and the car has had a good balance, but we have lacked straight-line speed. That meant that we struggled in qualifying and that puts you in the pack for the first race and then it seemed harder to overtake this year. I am not sure why, because normally you can slipstream easily here and gain places, but every driver has remarked on how hard it has been to pass this season. It’s really weird! On a positive note, the car has good balance and I feel that my driving is improving all the time, so we will analyse why the pace was lacking and bounce back for Oulton Park. We have been on the podium this season, and we like being there! We will bounce back.”
Aiden now lies 13th in the BTCC Drivers’ Championship and fourth in the BTCC Independent Drivers’ Championship.
The next stop for the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship is at Oulton Park, Hampshire, on May 19/20 with qualifying live on itv.com on Saturday May 19 and a full day of race action live and exclusive on ITV4 on Sunday May 20th.
