Westhoughton-based racer Tony Lynch will hope to secure his first podium finish of the Monster Energy MSA British Rallycross Championship season when the series heads to Scotland this weekend for the second round of the year at Knockhill.
The Lucas Oil Team Geriatric driver goes into the event sitting fourth in the Swift Sport Rallycross Championship standings after a mixed start to the season at Lydden Hill, where he showed his usual impressive speed at the wheel of his Suzuki Swift only to miss out on a podium finish after a crucial mistake in the final.
Last season’s corresponding event at Knockhill saw Tony secure a third place finish and he will now hope to at least repeat that result to kick-start his championship campaign.
“I showed my speed at Lydden Hill but the final didn’t go to plan,” he said. “I hold my hands up to making a mistake and there will be no repeat of that this weekend.
“The field is very tight this season as the times showed in the opening round so I know what I need to do at Knockhill. It’s all about staying mistake free and being quick from the start so I can qualify at the front and go for victory.”
For the first time this weekend, the Swift field will make use of the Knockhill Joker Lap, with each driver forced to take a ‘detour’ on one lap of each race onto an alternative route – adding another dimension to a circuit that is regarded as one of the more challenging on the calendar.
“Knockhill is probably the hardest venue we go to,” Tony says. “The car goes very light when you go over the rise at turn one and then the car is unbalanced when you have to hit the brakes to turn onto the loose part of the lap.
“The Joker Lap, which means we’ll have to run right along the bottom straight and round the hairpin rather than cutting up the escape road we normally use, will add another dimension to the race and it will make strategy important. I’ve just got to push on and try to lead from the front and I’m hoping we can come away from the meeting with a first victory of the year.”
