Daniel Lloyd experienced an emotional rollercoaster on Saturday in Oschersleben. After taking over the lead from pole setter Andreas Bäckman, he lost it again to the Hyundai i30 driver a few laps before the end of the race, only to later inherit the win when the top two drivers in the initial result were penalised.
Brutal Fish Racing Team’s Lloyd initially crossed the line in third position but was declared race winner at the end of the day in Oschersleben when Target Competition’s Bäckman was disqualified after his car exceeded the maximum width of 1950 mm and M Racing’s Nelson Panciatici was handed a 30-second time penalty for pushing Jessica Bäckman into a spin.
“Yesterday was a strange day with mixed emotions,” said Lloyd to TouringCars.Net. “Without a doubt, the Hyundai is having the pace around here. After my good job in qualifying I knew, I had to get a good start which I did and got into the lead which was perfect.
“It was just a case of holding onto the lead and I had to push so hard to stay in front. That especially affected my tyres towards the end.
“In addition, I broke my splitter which didn’t help either. Overall, that is why I struggled in the last three laps, eventually losing the lead.
“[I was disappointed] until we heard the news and found out what was happening. I am over the moon to win! It’s not the fairytale win that I would have hoped for my first win. But I still take it.”
Lloyd pointed out that he prefers to win on track, nevertheless he was able to enjoy his first race win as well as the first win for the team.
“Technical infringements happen. It’s happened to me before as well. You’ve got to take it when it’s there. It’s also a big achievement for the team. The team has only been running for two years and I also want to say massive thank you to Martin Ryba for the opportunity”, explained the 27-year-old.
“We had a good pace. The Honda is a fantastic car, even if it’s not the fastest on the straight. The difference can clearly be seen in the speed trap.”