Rob Austin is aiming to finish the 2013 British Touring Car Championship on a high as the series heads back to Brands Hatch and the Grand Prix circuit, the same circuit where WIX Racing made their debut in 2012.
The win for Austin and ‘Sherman’ at Rockingham was one of only two privateer entries to win a race in the 2013 campaign to date and with the main drivers’ Championship to be decided this weekend, the WIX Racing driver will show the title contenders the respect they deserve.
“As for the drivers involved in the fight for the title this weekend at Brands Hatch I fully intend showing them the respect they deserve,” Austin said. “Sure they might drive a bit differently with what’s at stake and if you show your nose they are probably going to give you more room than normal – they can’t afford to risk a collision. But it’s a two-way street. I’d also give them the room as I’d never want to ruin someone’s championship.”
At the opening round of the season on the Brands Hatch Indy circuit, Austin secured the first lead lap point after his charge up the order from seventh on the grid.
He admits that the set up used on the Indy circuit doesn’t translate into a quick time around the undulating Grand Prix loop.
“The GP circuit is totally different,” continues the Evesham racer. “It won’t be a simple case of putting on a Brands Indy or even a Knockhill set-up and it working just because the GP section has got similar sorts of undulations. Knockhill is actually quite smooth compared to the GP loop at Brands which has a few bumps and kerbs which can unsettle the car. But I’m very confident we will be back towards the front there.”
With three races of the 2013 campaign left, Austin finds himself 10th in the Championship having achieved a number of his 2013 aims and ambitions, and helped build some momentum ahead of the 2014 campaign.
“We’re tenth in the standings at the moment and finishing in the top ten is one of my goals for the season – we’ve already achieved the others this year, including of course the first win and first pole position,” Austin continues.
“Above all it would just be awesome to finish such an encouraging season on a high and be able to take that momentum with us into the long winter break. I’m already looking forward tremendously to 2014’s BTCC.”
Austin is also hopeful of being able to mix it with the current pace setters at all the events in the 2014 calendar, having shown his and Sherman’s ability to run at the front in 2013.
“It’s worth bearing in mind that three of those teams have been in the BTCC since the mid-Nineties and all have enjoyed all the resources of full manufacturer support – in fact two still do – while the other is a customer of the current manufacturers.
“That’s taking nothing away from them – they are the benchmark – but after the huge strides we’ve made this year I believe we will be able to mix it with them regularly at every event in 2014,” Austin concludes.