Rob Collard has set his sights on claiming a clutch of strong results this weekend as the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship 2010 (BTCC) moves to Oulton Park.
The Hampshire-based driver has already stood on the podium this season but has also suffered more DNFs than he would have liked, meaning he wants to bring in a hefty haul of points in the three races at the Cheshire track to re-ignite his title challenge.
The WSR BMW driver is confident he has the equipment to do the job. The BMW 320si E90 performed strongly in the wet at the last round at Brands Hatch, and Collard believes that the warm dry conditions forecast for Oulton Park will allow him to show the full potential of the team’s hard work on perfecting its setup.
When he visited Oulton Park in 2009 Collard turned in one of the best performances seen in the BTCC in recent years. After being forced to retire in race two and starting dead last in 20th in race three as a result, he charged through the field in a superb display of race craft and finished fourth. In fact he almost claimed a podium place, having closed in Matt Neal in third and only just failing to snatch the position from his rival as they raced out of the final corner to the chequered flag.
This time round Collard is hoping not to have to work quite as hard and instead keep his BMW 320si E90 at the front of the pack throughout the weekend, starting with qualifying on Saturday. He believes a good starting slot for Sunday first race will allow him to use the rear-wheel drive traction of the BMW to the best possible effect in Oulton’s steep dips and uphill sections, and take advantage of its superior tyre management compared to the front-wheel drive machines.
Collard will also be starring on the world wide web at Oulton Park. He will be updating his new ‘CollardCam’ YouTube channel before and after he hits the track throughout the weekend, giving fans an insight into what a racing driver gets up to throughout a race weekend.
Fans can tune in at www.youtube.com/CollardCam and also get all the latest news, pictures and videos of Rob in action at The Official Rob Collard BTCC Fan Page on Facebook.
WSR BMW driver Rob Collard said:
“We’ve had a nice break in the calendar over the past few weeks but now it’s time to get back into action. I love going to Oulton Park and I’m hoping to have a good weekend there. After the last round at Brands Hatch I’m confident the car has got the speed to allow us to challenge at the front, and if the conditions are good at Oulton Park it will be a very strong package. Shakedown went very well and the car couldn’t be better prepared, it felt great. The team and I have now got a really good understanding and we’re all working well together to make sure we have the pace we need to fight for podiums.”
Source: The Inside Line Ltd