CoolDrive

Tim Blanchard closes the championship gap

 

Tim Blanchard has again proven his racing prowess at Brands Hatch at the weekend, pulling off a podium finish in the opening race after a less than ideal qualifying result that left the AMSF International Rising Star searching for an improved car set up.

Blanchard’s Jamun Racing team has struggled with setting up his Jaylec Mygale to suit the Brands Hatch circuit, with the reigning Australian Champion facing the same problems at the world renowned track earlier in the year; however the young Victorian was able to salvage a podium result, crossing in second position.

“We can’t quite put our finger on what it is at Brands Hatch but I just haven’t been able to qualify well there, so to move through the field and claim second was a top effort,” said Blanchard.

In a rare occasion this season Blanchard raced in dry track conditions, however believed a fluctuating ambient and track temperature played a part in his qualifying results.

“It was quite strange, I expect to qualify much higher than I did; when it was warmer during practice the car worked quite well and we were really only half a tenth of the fastest lap times.

“But as the temperature dropped the car really didn’t handle the track very well, and we struggled with oversteer and handling in the second race.”

After claiming a podium result in the first race, Blanchard qualified tenth on the grid for the final race of the weekend, again making up positions to finish seventh.

“All in all I have to be happy with my racing this weekend, we didn’t qualify well which is not a regular occurrence for us, but I managed a podium and also made some minor ground on Wayne Boyd who is leading the Championship while further extending my lead on Chris Maliepard in third.

“There are two racing weekends left in the Championship to be staged at Silverstone and Donnington and then I get another crack at Brands Hatch for the Formula Ford festival.”

Comfortably sitting in second place on the Championship table, Blanchard has started to receive interest from F3 teams in Europe as he looks to that category for 2009.

“Who knows what will happen, I would love to race F3 but there is quite a gap in the budget at the moment so I will have to wait and see.

“If not I might end up back in Australia in the V8 Fujitsu series but I want to finish the season strongly over here and we will sit down re-assess after that,” he said.

Blanchard’s UK Formula Ford campaign continues at Silverstone on 17 August.

Current Championship Points
1. Wayne Boyd 536 points
2. Tim Blanchard 482
3. Chris Maliepaard 370

Article taken from www.timblanchard.com.au.