Cammish wins Oulton Park BTCC qualifying race

Dan Cammish will start the first of three British Touring Car Championship races at Oulton Park on Sunday from pole after securing the win in Saturday’s qualifying race.

The NAPA Racing UK driver topped his timed group ahead of the "Race To Pole" but finished second on the road in the 13-lap contest (extended from 10 after a safety car period) behind Aron Taylor-Smith – who’d also topped his group earlier – but the Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport driver was handed a five-second penalty for weaving before a safety car restart, dropping him down to fifth.

“It was a good race; I’m happy with my bit,” Cammish told RACER. “I thought we executed it really well. I got a great start, settled into second, put a load of pressure on to start with, I just couldn't quite find a way past in the opening lap before the boost kicked in.

“After that, it's difficult. I'm limited to sort my seven seconds, and it's two deployments, basically to their 20 and four deployments, so you can see where they can start to press it in places I can't, that you're kind of playing catch-up the rest of the lap.

“I thought we managed it well, ultimately the issue for Aron and the penalty was a shame for him, but we picked up the spoils and it was just a matter of keeping Cook at bay in the right places, which I think we did a very good job of. It was well managed.

In a frantic start to the race, Taylor-Smith immediately held off Cammish at the head of the field through the first few corners. Behind them Tom Chilton went into the barriers after receiving a hit from behind, although he was able to continue, while Gordon Shedden retired after contact with Daniel Rowbottom at Hislops chicane.

A lap later the race was neutralized after Nicolas Hamilton crashed at the Island hairpin, setting about a sequence of events that would prove pivotal to the race’s outcome.

In the BTCC regulations for this season, once the safety car lights go out, drivers can no longer weave. Taylor-Smith did just that, however, and while he was able to maintain his lead until the checkered flag, it would prove to be somewhat in vain as a penalty stripped him of the victory and with it pole for Race 1 on Sunday.

Despite the penalty, Taylor-Smith was hugely encouraged by his showing.

“From a Laser Tools Racing With MB Motorsport perspective, it's the strongest Saturday that this team has had,” Taylor-Smith told RACER. “hen you look at where the Corolla was 12 months ago, it wasn't capable of qualifying outright on pole and going from lights to flag. Yes, the penalty seems harsh. Do I feel I gained a five-second advantage from a rule that got introduced last year? No, I don't, but that is life, and rules are there for a reason. So it is what it is.

“I think what Laser Tools Racing With MB Motorsport have given me this weekend can still win outright tomorrow. So, for me, if you told me coming into today we will be lining up P5 for race one, I'd bite your hand off. I'm confident in what progress we've made from Snetterton to now, and we can keep rolling with that tomorrow, and I think we can put on a proper old show.”

Cammish, meanwhile, appeared to think the penalty was harsh, but was pleased to capitalize nonetheless.

“I watched him weave, and I said to the team, ‘He's weaving and the lights are out,’” he said. “And then I generally thought he would have stopped, and it would have been fine, but he just kept going, and it was the last bit, I think, that probably really sealed it, because he weaved in the last second and then did the old-fashioned bolt where you kind of dummy a weave, and then go, which has always been the art of a great restart.

“And as much as I’m quite vocally saying, ‘I don't know why we need this,’ that restart procedure has always been the art of a good [restart], a good racing driver knows how to perform that restart, now we're making it so rolling a line, and no advantage to gain, really. If it had been the old version… unfortunately the new rules are that we don't weave once the lights are out, so I did assume he would get a penalty when I was told he had, it was just the matter of making sure that I was in the right position.”

While unable to get past Taylor-Smith owning to his lesser amount of boost by virtue of his top-four championship position, Cammish faced pressure from another Toyota, the Speedworks Corolla Racing entry of Josh Cook, but held him off to remain in place to inherit Sunday’s Race 1 pole.

Cammish’s NAPA Racing UK teammate, the championship leader Ash Sutton, took third, while Tom Ingram was fourth ahead of Taylor Smith, with Cataclean Plato Racing’s Adam Morgan splitting the Power Maxed Racing Audis of Mikey Doble and Dester Patterson. The third S3 Saloon of Aiden Moffat, who had topped practice at the start of the day, was ninth with Chris Smiley completing the top 10 for Restart Racing.

Pole for the start of Sunday’s action puts Cammish in an enviable position on an Oulton Park track that is notoriously difficult to overtake on.

“I think there will be tweaks that we can make – everyone can – and then tomorrow is a new day,” he said. “It's a great opportunity. We know how difficult it can be around here in the train. We know how clear air can make a difference to all these cars, so I hope I can capitalize tomorrow and have a good start to the day.”

QUALIFYING RACE RESULTS

QUALIFYING TIMES

• Watch the BTCC races from Oulton Park on RACER Network and the RACER+ App. Visit this week's TV page for air times.