Tony Gilham has paid tribute to the whole of Team HARD after a weekend of highs and lows at Brands Hatch.

The stand out performance for the Northfleet based team came in the final race on Sunday as Jack Goff brought his RCIB Insurance Racing Vauxhall Insignia home in second place.

Goff challenged 2012 champion Gordon Shedden all the way as the pair went toe to toe around the Grand Prix circuit of the Kent track, leaving Gilham pleased with his driver:

“It was an amazing weekend, a massive journey, a season of highs and lows and so nice to finish it on such a high. Jack has shown pace all year.”

“From day one I have always said that Jack’s the quickest driver we’ve got in the team and he’s proved that. He was all over Gordon and could have taken a race win, but in the end he eased off over the last three laps to settle for second place.”

“He’s shown what he can do and shown what the Insignia is capable of which is important as well. We know it’s a good car and we spent a lot of time developing it as much as we could and as much as we could afford to.”

“We have got big plans moving forward and Jack is a big part of those plans. We believe in the lad as he has got very good sponsors and supporters around him and he really fits well in the team.”

Gilham went on to explain that Goff may well have gone for the win, had it not been for the atrocious weather conditions:

“If it had not been for the fact that Gordon was in a Championship battle, we might have suggested that he was weaving about a bit and trying to put Jack on the grass which was a little bit dangerous, but Gordon was chasing race wins and the Championship.”

“It would have been nice for Jack to get the race win and he showed it was possible, he had the pace and was quicker than Gordon, but in the end he played it a little bit safe and brought it home second, but importantly picked up the independent win, so it was a stunning show from Jack.”

“All he needs is a little rub of the green and he’ll be up fighting for the Championship next year.”

Another driver to impress over the weekend was Crayford’s KSN sponsored Tom Barley who came into drive the Insignia for the first time in a Touring car race and Gilham was pleased for the 26 year old:

“He did a solid job for us over the weekend. We’re so proud of Tom and I’ve said all along that he’s the complete package.”

“If you want to make it, you’ve got to be as good off the track as you are on it.”

“Seat time is what Tom needs in the touring car, but he had very limited track time with what went on over the weekend in free practice and qualifying.”

“It was a great effort in race one finishing P16, just one place outside the points and in race two he was unfortunate as he ended up in the gravel after a bit of contact.”

“It was another solid drive in race three. He was getting quicker and quicker as the weekend went on and in no doubt he will be itching to get back out there.”

“We’re so proud of Tom and he’s done so well for us this year. I believe in him and it’s the work that goes into it with him that I admire.”

Gilham is now looking towards next season with plans already underway to look at racing more cars in 2014:

“Next year starts now and we’ve got a lot of planning to do as we’ve got big ambitions and we won’t be happy until we’ve won the Championship.”

“Whether that’s a year, two years or three years down the line, we’re chasing it from now.”

“We have got a lot of work to do and the boys have worked fantastically all year. There’s been quite a few changes of staff as the year has gone on.”

“Some people chose to leave the team at various stages throughout the year, but we’ve always bounced back stronger, whether it be a driver or member or staff, we’ve always replaced them with someone bigger, better and we’ve always looked to move forward.”

“We are talking to some really strong people for next year, that’s drivers and staff, so it’s exciting times for us.”

“We are out testing on Thursday with two drivers we’re going to announce this week, so it’s another busy week for us. We’ve got a lot of work to do, but it’s all worth it.”

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