Airwaves Racing’s Mat Jackson and Fabrizio Giovanardi have been ‘sent to the headmaster’s office’ says Team Principal David Bartrum after their contact in race one and two of the British Touring Car Championship at Rcokingham.
Jackson and Giovanardi were battling for position in both of Sunday’s first two races, with the duo making contact whilst running in the top ten.
Team Principal David Bartrum says that he has given both drivers a talking to following the incidents, but admits that despite the rubbing he is happy to see them both running inside the top ten for the first time this season.
“Our rule in Motorbase is that you can race, but you race fairly together and play nicely,”said Bartrum to TouringCars.Net. “Perhaps someone’s crossed over the line today and we’ve had to go to the headmaster’s office to have a little sort out, but all will be fine now.
“They’re there to race. They’re there to do a job for the team and to get advertisement for the sponsors and to get noticed, so from that point of view I would hope that certain people are very happy!
“They normally get on OK. You get rivalries when you’ve got two top drivers, there’s no doubt about that. We’re very fortunate to have the pair of them and especially now they’re on song it’s even nicer, but sometimes you just have to give the relationship a little tune.”
“I want good, clean battling. They’ve just got to be nice to each other and respectful to my bits of metal because when they hit each other it’s not their wallets that get affected, it’s mine So from that point of view they understand and they’ll be fine. They’re professionals at the end of the day.”
Giovanardi expressed his disappointment at how his car dropped off in the second race of the day after his battle with Jackson. The Italian was hit from behind by his team-mate whilst running in fifth, but ultimately went on to finish just outside the top ten in 11th after his tyres dropped off.
“It was disappointing because we made my car really fast in the beginning and then the drop off was really huge,” explained Giovanardi to TouringCars.Net. “Later on I was just trying to defend but I was so slow that there was no chance. But I’m happy because now we understand why things [with the car] have happened.
“We’re definitely fast, which is why I’m happy. It’s the first time in seven races that I’m happy to drive a car that I understand.”