Last weekend, the British Touring Cars Championship (BTCC) roared back into action as the UK’s pinnacle of salon car racing ventured to the iconic Croft racing circuit.
Croft is a circuit like no other on the calendar as it has a mix of slow & high-speed corners that challenge both drivers and machinery. It is the perfect testing ground to see how the CUPRA is progressing in its debut season and it did not disappoint.
The Team HARD engineering team have been working tirelessly in this three week gap to improve certain areas of the car and their hard work was beginning to be seen throughout the practice sessions on Saturday. Aron was regularly running inside the top five throughout much of the test sessions, only to drop down as other cars went for new tyre runs. However, qualifying was marred by multiple red flags that halted progress and Aron had to abort his first qualifying run due to two red flags that limited the track time.
Race One provided the team with cause for celebration as Aron carved his way through the field passing eight cars on his way to his first points scoring finish of the weekend in 14th. The CUPRA, was one of the quickest cars on the track throughout the race as he fought against multiple race winners to finish in a very creditable points scoring position.
Aron, commented: “That race was exactly what I needed! I wanted to show everyone the progress that we are making with the CUPRA and to pass eight cars in a modern day BTCC race is a massive accomplishment. The car was doing exactly what I asked of it and I could attack from lap one. It’s always massively encouraging when you can pick off drivers one by one, especially those in cars that have multiple years of development and have won races to date this season.”
All eyes were on Aron in race two has he lined up in 14th with a car everyone knew could mix it with the best inside the top ten. Aron got an excellent start and was running in a comfortable 12th by the end of the opening lap but a robust move from another drive force Aron and others to pit with damage.
However, all was not last as this set Aron up for his best drive to date this season. Lining up in 22nd following the issues encountered in race two, the Briggs Equipment supported driver was on a mission from the start. He carved through the pack to pick up ten places to finish in a stunning 12th position at the end of the race. Arguably the most encouraging aspect were the lap times throughout the race as Aron was running faster than the leaders for the majority.
“Race three proved to everyone the progress that we have made with the car and I am over the moon. To move forward ten places and take a solid points finish is brilliant. The car & team performed unbelievably well and this weekend is exactly what I needed, I wanted to show everyone that this car is going places and it’s still in it’s infancy.”
With back to back race weekends, Aron & Team HARD are back to work already in preparation for next weekend’s visit to the UK’s home of motorsport at Silverstone. The iconic venue has seen Aron on the BTCC podium on five occasions from his last six visits to circuit. Tune in next weekend to ITV4 to see Aron battle it out in hopes to make a triumphant return to the podium.
Briggs Equipment’s Group Sales & Marketing Director, Leigh Edgley, commented: “Congratulations to Aron and the team for their performance at Croft. It was certainly a weekend of high drama that showcased exactly why the BTCC is such an exciting competition to be involved with.
“The quick turnaround will hopefully mean that Aron can carry this momentum into Silverstone and continue to show the potential that the CUPRA possesses. Everyone at Briggs is supporting Aron and we can’t wait for the action to start again this weekend.”