The Hampshire-based Welch Motorsport team emerged from a troubled weekend at its home circuit, Thruxton, with Andy Wilmot completing three race distances and breaking into the top 20 in the latest instalment of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (9-10 May).
Conditions were overcast and blustery as the first BTCC free practice session of the weekend got underway on Saturday (9 May) morning and the two Welch Motorsport Proton Gen-2s of Wilmot and Daniel Welch were among the first cars to take to the ultra-fast Thruxton circuit.
The teammates completed several flying laps during the opening half of the 40-minute session, although times were not representative.
Drivers sought to get as much track time as possible on the harder, more durable hard compound Dunlop tyre during the remainder of free practice, with high degradation a core concern for Sunday’s races.
The sun made the odd appearance to lift temperatures and stabilise track conditions prior to FP2, therefore it was reasonable to expect more representative times on a completely dry circuit during Saturday afternoon.
Wilmot was one of the first to post a time and circulated the 2.35-mile Thruxton circuit five times during the first half of the session, when the red flags flew in response to an incident for his teammate.
Welch set a 1m20.163s to initially threaten the top ten in FP2 and steadily upped his pace until a suspension failure fired him off stage left and into the barriers as he rode the kerbs at Club chicane.
A lengthy red flag stoppage followed and gearbox troubles curtailed Wilmot’s running in the truncated session, denying the Dartford-domiciled driver an opportunity to further acclimatise to Thruxton’s high-speed demands ahead of his first ever competitive outing at the circuit.
Welch Motorsport’s mechanics and engineers were up against it to identify the source of the problem during the short interval between FP2 and qualifying and were subsequently unable to repair the front-left subframe damage on Welch’s car, therefore the Fleet resident was sidelined for the rest of the weekend.
Sadly, Wilmot never had an opportunity to complete a hot lap in a dramatic and closely-fought qualifying session, but happily circulated the Hampshire circuit until an engine malfunction resigned him to the final row of the grid.
In a selfless gesture that’s typical of the team’s spirit, Welch kindly donated his power unit to Wilmot so the 34-year old could take the start of Sunday’s races and there was a monumental effort to right the #12 Proton, which took the Welch Motorsport crew late into Saturday night.
Troubled starts to Rounds 7 and 8 the following day (Sunday 10 May) meant Wilmot was some way behind the main pack, but the Kent racer used the wheel time to simply clock up miles, grow his confidence and understand what the rough-and-tumble of the BTCC is about.
Delighted to have two race distances under his belt, Wilmot took the start of Round 9 on Sunday afternoon with the aim of finishing the race.
Despite being hindered by an electronic glitch, he passed Stewart Lines’ Toyota Avensis prior to engaging in a prolonged battle with Derek Palmer Junior’s Infiniti Support Our Paras Racing Q50 that was only punctuated by a Safety Car intervention.
Thrilled to have hit his first target by breaching the top 20 places in what is perhaps Britain’s most competitive motor racing championship, on one of the most demanding race circuits in the country and at the end of another trying weekend for the Welch Motorsport team, Wilmot was rightly satisfied with the outcome.
“It’s such a relief to have three race distances under my belt and I’m feeling really positive looking ahead to the rest of the season,” said Wilmot. “To finish the weekend with a smile is perfect and I feel my confidence is growing as I’m spending more time in the car. We had our fair share of problems in all three races, but I’ve learnt a lot about the car, the team and the BTCC and my season started today.
“My first concern was getting three finishes. I never pressed on in the first two races and it wasn’t a case of overtaking and getting stuck in this time around, as I just wanted to learn so I can move forward. I had a great tussle with Derek Palmer’s Infiniti; electrical issues lost me time and stopped me progressing further, but it’s one baby step at a time and I move on to Oulton Park with a positive mindset.”