Pemberton Tyres-backed racer Tony Lynch remains firmly in the mix for the 2011 Swift Sport Championship title despite a difficult outing in the Quaife MSA British Rallycross Championship’s annual night race event at the Blyton circuit in Lincolnshire (7 May).
Tony headed into the event leading the Suzuki standings following victory in the opening round of the season at Lydden Hill, and was keen to repeat the performance that saw him win under the Blyton lights last season.
After winning his opening heat, Tony’s luck took a turn for the worse in heat two after the Team Geriatric Suzuki was excluded for a jump start, which would then affect his position on the grid for the points scoring final.
A third place in the final heat meant a second row start for the final, but with heavy rain now falling, Tony got bogged down when the lights went out and dropped places off the line. Battling hard to regain the lost ground, Tony fought his way up to fifth place at the finish to add more vital points to his championship tally.
With Dave Bellerby finishing the final in third place, Tony has now slipped to second in the championship standings but is just a point behind the defending champion going into the third round of the year.
“Obviously we went to Blyton with every intention of fighting for victory again, but unfortunately it just didn’t go to plan,” Tony said. “There is always a weekend where things don’t go your way and Blyton was it.
“It was disappointing to be excluded for the false start in the heats as it really affected my chances in the final. The first corner at Blyton is very tight and you need to try and get to the front of the field at the start, but it wasn’t going to be easy from the second row. In the rain, I just got bogged down off the line and from then on, it was a case of getting the best result we could and scoring points for the championship.
“While it’s disappointing that we couldn’t get another win, we’re only a point away from the championship lead, so we’ve just got to put this weekend behind us and look forward to the rest of the year.”
Tony’s next outing in the Swift Sport Championship is at Mondello Park on 12 June.
