Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher heads to Rockingham Speedway this coming weekend for the seventh Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship meeting of the season, looking to fuel its championship challenge campaign as the series’ title battle heats up.
The Motorbase-run outfit aims to bounce back from a tough Snetterton meeting last month and close the gap to the Championship leaders as the BTCC enters the final three meetings of 2018. Rockingham has been a happy hunting ground for the team in the past, with the Kent-based squad celebrating many victories and podiums on the Northamptonshire circuit in recent years, including its maiden pole position here in 2015.
Tom Chilton leads the charge for the two-car squad, and is hopeful for a return to the rostrum after engine troubles all but ruled him out of the running in Norfolk. Carrying 21kg of ballast into qualifying, the 33-year-old is confident that the Ford Focus RS will be back challenging for podiums on the oval circuit as he looks to improve on his current 8th place championship position.
Team-mate James Cole took his first ever BTCC pole position and race win at Rockingham last year, and the Liverpudlian is keen to replicate this performance and rack-up the points this weekend to help propel Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher up in the Teams Standings.
Team Manager Oly Collins commented: “It’s a shame this might be the last time of visiting Rockingham for us. It’s been a great part of the BTCC for so long and is an outstanding facility. Hopefully we can help the circuit sign off in style for ourselves and the fans.
“It’s been a happy hunting ground historically for us at times as well as both our drivers. We’ve had wins and podiums here in the past. James took his maiden BTCC pole and win here last year and has every opportunity of repeating that again in our Focus. Tom has already shown this season that he has the pace to win.
“We’ve been strong in qualifying all season and maybe not quite had the luck on race day. We need to add to our podiums from earlier in the year and keep scoring the solid points this weekend.”
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