Gentlemen, Start Your Engines!

MicksGarage.com were announced today as title sponsors for the 2015 Irish Touring Car Championship. The Dublin based online car parts & accessories suppliers will be on board for a season that is sure to excite spectators & competitors alike. The new partnership will bring Ireland's premier tin-top racing series to new levels. Class Chief Brian Sexton is expecting to see a lot more from the championship as a result of this new sponsorship deal.

“It’s great to have MicksGarage.com on board with us this year, they’re a really good fit for us as a class. It’s not just financial backing that they bring to the party, we’ll be opened up to a new audience we’ve never seen before, and that will hopefully bring more people down to watch! With MicksGarage.com joining us, and the addition of some great new cars on our grid, we should be flying higher than ever before!” 

Speaking on behalf of MicksGarage.com, Rob King said: 

“We’re delighted to be sponsoring the Irish Touring Car Championship and are really looking forward to the year ahead. We’ve had a couple of extremely productive meetings with the Championship organisers already and have a whole range of exciting ideas in the pipeline to help promote the class, broaden its appeal and bring ITCC to a new audience. We’d like to take this opportunity to wish all the teams and competitors the very best of luck for the year ahead”

The first official test day of 2015 took place last Sunday at Mondello Park where a huge turn out of competitors and spectators looked extremely promising for the year ahead. The ITCC class will be boosted by an influx of Seat Leon Supercup cars, supported by Murray Motorosport. The Seat's are an exciting addition to the class and as many as10 of them are expected by the end of the year.

You can keep up to date with all the latest news from the ITCC right here on The Filter, on the ITCC website or watch the races live online on Mondello.TV

Rounds 1 & 2 are to be held in Mondello Park on Sunday 15th of March.

Photo's courtesy of http://www.brianwalshphotos.com/

Tim Holmes Design: 2015 F1 Concept Livery

Halifax based Motorsport media company Tim Holmes Design have come up with a series of livery concepts for the 2015 F1 season. We reckon  a lot of them are cooler than the current designs.What do you think?

Williams

Audi

Caterham

Mclaren

Ferrari

Force India

HAAS

Lotus

Marussia

Mclaren

Mclaren

Mercedes

RedBull

Sauber

Torro Rosso

Williams

Being a big BTCC fan Tim also decided to see what some of the current crop of Touring Car liveries would look like on F1 cars. MicksGarage supported team BMR are there too! :)

Smith flies to top 6 trio

Chrome Edition Restart Racing’s Árón Smith secured his best race weekend results of the season at Silverstone last weekend with a trio of top six placing’s that included second in the final race of the day.

 
Coming into the weekend, Smith was feeling confident behind the wheel of his MicksGarage.com supported Volkswagen Passat CC which immediately showed when proceedings kicked off on Saturday morning as the Irishman set the fourth fastest time in free practice one. A slight setup adjustment for free practice two yielded the same result but Smith felt his earlier setup was just that little bit easier on both car and driver.
 
Saturday afternoon’s qualifying got underway after a brief delay to facilitate an on track clear up from the previous support race. When Árón did manage to get himself some clear track, he posted what would eventually become the fifth fastest time of the session, placing him fifth on the grid for Sunday’s opening encounter, a season best qualifying position.
 
Choosing the Dunlop Sport Maxx soft tyre option for race one looked set to be a master stroke for Smith as he started from row three on the grid. Unfortunately however as the lights went out, Smith appeared to struggle off the line and was forced to tuck himself in behind teammate Alain Menu. Now locked in battle with the Swiss former Champion, Árón began to feel the advances of Mercedes driver Adam Morgan. Despite Morgan trying to muscle his way through on a number of occasions, Smith managed to retain his sixth place as Morgan began to fall away as a result of his advances. Now closing the gap back up to teammate Menu, it was too little too late to find a way past as the chequered flag fell.

 Starting race two from sixth, Smith appeared to struggle once again off the line allowing Sam Tordoff to move ahead into sixth. However by the sixth lap Árón’s car appeared to come into itself and he moved past the MG Driver into sixth. Smith quickly followed the move up with a pass up the inside of Rob Collard at Becketts. Now on a charge in fifth, next on his shopping list was former teammate Mat Jackson. Looking for any way past the Ford Focus driver, it was clear that Jackson wasn’t going to make it easy with a number of very questionable defensive manoeuvres throughout the second half of the race. Smith’s progress was abruptly halted when the race was ended on lap 20 under red flags due to a comprehensive off for Rob Collard coming out of Copse.
 
With the top seven cars reversed for the final race of the weekend, Árón lined up in third place for what looked set to be a thrilling conclusion to the days action. As the warm up lap began, Sam Tordoff’s engine cried enough necessitating a delayed start to clear the pool of oil under his car. When racing did eventually get underway, Smith got a good start to maintain his third place starting position during the opening laps of the race. Quickly however the Safety Car had to be deployed to clear the stricken Audi of Robb Holland. When racing got back under way on lap six, Árón quickly lined up a move on Fabrizio Giovanardi coming into Copse to slot into second before setting about closing the extensive race lead held by Mat Jackson. With the pair now lapping at an equal pace, the gap remained the same right to the chequered flag where Árón crossed the line in second place, his third podium of the season for Team BMR.

 Árón Smith - #40 Chrome Edition Restart Racing Volkswagen Passat CC:
“It was a really good weekend – I was aiming for three top sixes and we achieved that so I’m happy. The last race was great – we’d had the pace all weekend to be at the front so it was really a case of being consistent, getting the points and cracking on with it. It’s great to be up at the front because you don’t get involved in scraps and you can show your true pace. Mat got the jump on us at the restart but from then on we matched him the whole way. With Alain on the podium in race two and all four of our cars in the top ten in race three, I don’t think there’s much more we could ask for! I love Brands Hatch GP, it should suit the car and we should be quick."

Árón Smith & Horizon launch signature watch range

Dublin, Ireland - Wednesday 20th August 2014: Multiple British Touring Car Championship race winner Árón Smith is delighted to announce the launch of his new Árón Smith Racing signature watch range in conjunction with Scottish sports watch makers, Horizon Watches.

The customised range that includes Árón's logo and signature has been developed to reflect Árón's relaxed, fit, fun and young attitude that he has become so well known for within the championship. For sale through Horizon's website www.horizonwatches.com at just £30.00, the watch is presented in a fully customised case featuring an image of Árón's debut podium for Team BMR at Oulton Park.

To celebrate the launch of this new range, please visit @DunlopBTCC on twitter andOfficial BTCC on Facebook for details of a series of competitions to be one of the first to get your hands on one of these new Árón Smith Racing special edition watches!

Árón Smith - #40 Chrome Edition Restart Racing Volkswagen Passat CC:
"I was delighted to welcome Horizon as one of our Brand Ambassador partners just before the season got under way. We always wanted to do something a bit unique and I'm so happy with what we've achieved. Launching my signature watch at Horizon's home circuit, Knockhill, is perfect and I'll be going out all guns blazing to put on a show for them."

Ben Connolly - Owner, Horizon Watches:
"We are extremely pleased about our partnership with Árón this season. We've been working away in the background for a while looking at doing something with the partnership that was unique and Árón's signature watch fits perfectly with what we wanted to achieve and with us as a brand."

"We're excited about the launch of Árón's signature watch and the remainder of what has been a pretty special season so far."

Smith set to remain at Team BMR for 2015

Dublin, Ireland – Wednesday 13^th August 2014: Fresh from taking a lights to flag victory in race three at Snetterton, Irishman Árón Smith believes that this is only the beginning of an exciting journey in the British Touring Car Championship for the Dublin based race winner as he’s just signed a new contract with Warren Scott’s Team BMR. The deal, which runs until the end of 2015, will see Smith remain at the wheel of his Restart Racing Volkswagen Passat CC.

 
Smith joined the all-new look Team BMR early in 2014 along side former champion Alain Menu, team owner Warren Scott and Jack Goff. By just round twelve, Árón earned the team their maiden victory in the final race in Oulton Park. Adding a second race victory in Snetterton to his 2014 tally, Smith has clearly marked himself out as a driver firmly in a position to be a championship challenger in 2015 with the Buntingford based squad.

 Árón Smith - #40 Chrome Edition Restart Racing Volkswagen Passat CC:
“I couldn’t be happier with the news, I feel completely at home in Team BMR. This has all come about very early but its put us in a great position for next season, everything we achieve before the end of this year is an added bonus. I truly believe that this is only the beginning of our journey together and to say I’m excited to see what we can achieve is an understatement.”

Warren Scott - Team Owner, Team BMR:
"I’m also delighted to have signed up Árón for next season as we want to continue to build on the continuity and momentum we’ve gained so far."
 
“Everyone has done a fantastic job, particularly the team behind the scenes. Árón sees the progress we’ve made and we see the development and potential in him – now our expectations have been raised a little and we want to go further together."
 
“Árón has been consistently fast this season and has also shown his mettle under extreme pressure, like with his win at Snetterton, and I have been very impressed. It’s a real sign of a champion and for me it’s a case of ‘when’ not ‘if’ with Árón."

 “As a team we’re not just here to make up the numbers. I’m not saying we’re going to win the title next year but ultimately that is what we’re here to do in the future. We’re collecting a lot of data and experience this year, which can only help us to improve again in 2015, and in the years to come we want to be serious title contenders."
 
“It is therefore fantastic to have already re-signed a race-winner for our team next season. Árón is completely focused on the job and alongside the team will continue to work hard for success.”

Smith wins again from pole in Snetterton

Chrome Edition Restart Racing’s Árón Smith was fresh with confidence after the championship’s six week summer break. Looking to return to the podium again after a disappointing weekend at Croft, the Oulton Park race winner was hoping that Snetterton would reward his efforts as it did in 2013.

Despite a mixed set of free practice sessions on Saturday morning, qualifying came together for the Irishman as the rain just held off for the session. Qualifying his MicksGarage.com supported machine in seventh, this put Smith in an ideal position to move into the podium mix early in the race.


                           

Glorious sunshine set the scene for round 16 of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship at noon. An eventful opening race to the weekend where Árón was initially running as high as fourth eventually resulted in a sixth place finish at the line.

Starting from the outside of row three for race two, the Safety Car was deployed for the first four laps just after the start as contact between Adam Morgan and Alain Menu left the Swiss driver’s Passat CC on the track and in need of recovery. When racing got back underway, Árón made the most of his restart to challenge Fabrizio Giovanardi for seventh position. Despite a clean and fair battle, Smith was unable to find a way past the Italian and brought his Restart Energy Drinks Volkswagen Passat CC across the line in eighth place.

However race three would be the highlight of Árón’s weekend. Benefitting from a reverse grid draw for the second time this season, Árón found himself on pole position for the final race of the weekend. Converting pole to a race victory in Oulton Park, Smith pulled up to the front of the grid looking typically cool and collected, knowing a clean start was going to be key in securing a repeat performance. With a brace of Motorbase Ford Focus’s around him, Smith did indeed make a good getaway but was under some heavy scrutiny from Giovanardi during the opening laps of the race. As the Motorbase pair started their own battle, Árón opened up a slender advantage in front but approaching the closing stages of the race, Mat Jackson was now starting to look for a way past the Team BMR driver. Smith, who looked very comfortable in his Passat all weekend, performed a master class in defending his lead while at the same time trying to conserve his tyres. A dive coming into the last corner on the penultimate lap was Jackson’s final attempt to take the lead before Árón managed to secure his advantage over the final lap to take the chequered flag and secure his third British Touring Car Championship career victory and the second for Warren Scott’s Team BMR.

                            

Árón Smith - #40 Restart Racing Volkswagen Passat CC:
“I have never won in the dry in the BTCC so this win was a sweet one and I now feel I can conquer it all! Both Motorbase cars kept me honest and I tried to keep as much distance between us as possible. The team made it happen. I had a bit of an off earlier in the week testing and they turned it around and into a race winner - no other team could have done that.”

Words by John Smyth, MicksGarage Marketing Guru!

Father's Day Supercar Competition

Back in June we launched our Fathers Day Supercar driving competition through JOE.ie and our Facebook page. We had loads of entries and understandably so, the prize was awesome! The winner would get the chance to tear around Mondello Park, Ireland's premier racetrack with Arón Smith, professional British Touring Car driver in a selection of high performance machinery including a Porsche 911 and full-on Lola racing car.

We picked a winner from the virtual hat of randomness and Declan Reamonn from Wexford came up trumps! The date was set for July 18th and we all waited impatiently!

 

The 18th arrived quickly enough and myself, Rob our cameraman and our tame racing driver, Aron met up with Declan and his wife Gina in the Johnstown inn in Naas (which is highly recommended by the way) for quick bite to eat before heading over to Mondello.
Dec had sprung the news just half an hour previously that he would be handing over his prize to his wife, who was an even bigger petrol-head than himself! The nerves had clearly set in but both were buzzing with excitement which was great to see.

When we got to Mondello the 3 gleaming cars Gina would be driving were all lined up and ready to go. We headed up to the suites above pitlane for a one-on-one briefing session with Aron but something was going on because both Gina & Declan were getting briefed.

Sure enough, 2 crash helmets appeared..... Turns out a space in Mondello's schedule had free'd up and they were going to get both Gina and Declan out on track! Fair play guys, you're absolute legends!! :)

First up was the Mazda 3 training car, completely stripped and decked out with bucket seats, racing harnesses and a full roll cage. What the little hatchback lacks in outright power, it more than makes up for in handling. 

 Grin-Factor: Off the scale!

Next up was the Boxster and the 911. With more than 3 times the power of the Mazda, the Porsche's really got the adrenalin pumping and there were some shaky hands and sweaty palms when the pair stepped out after their laps!

The times tumbled under the expert guidance of their instructor, culminating in a highly respectable 1:12.6, a full 10 seconds quicker than the 1st lap!
After the Porsche's it was time for the pro to take over! We strapped Dec into the passenger seat of the race prepared MX5, The revs rose and Aron dumped the clutch leaving 2 thick black lines of rubber down pitlane as he headed out on track for some Hot Laps. Watching from the sidelines it was clear he wasn't messing about, he was trying pretty hard! The pasty face and nervous laughter from Declan certainly backed that up when the pair returned to the pits!

The last car we had lined up for the guys was in a different league altogether in terms of performance. The Lola (above) is a proper racing car. It has a 300bhp race prepared engine, 6 speed sequential gearbox, racing brakes, slick tyres and bodywork that produces downforce....in short it's bloody fast! Couple that with a world class driver and you're in for something a bit special.

As the Lola accelerated out of pitlane the difference in speed was immediately apparent and in just a few hundred yards they were up to 6th gear and really shifting. I got a couple of laps in the car myself and apart from the outright speed and Aron's car control it's the way that the Lola pulls just as hard in 6th as it does in 2nd or 3rd that really impresses. To put it in perspective, the Lola lapped the track a full 15 seconds faster than the 911 and 911's aren't slow!

I think I can safely speak for everyone and say a fantastic day was had by all!  Huge thanks go to our competition winners Declan and Gina, a sounder couple you are unlikely to meet! Mondello Park who went above and beyond to put on an experience that won't be forgotten in a hurry, Aron Smith for frightening the living daylights out of us and JOE.ie for spreading the word. Fingers crossed we'll be back with another competition in the near future! Watch this space

Challenging Croft for Smith and Team BMR

Coming off the back of an impressive lights to flag victory in race three at Oulton Park, confidence was at an all time high in Árón Smith’s side of the Team BMR garage coming to Croft. The Yorkshire venue had been the base for the majority of the team’s pre-season testing and as a result the aim was very much to return to the podium before the championship’s summer break.

             

After a solid morning Free Practice, Qualifying had been going to plan for Dublin based Driver Árón Smith. However as the session was drawing to a close, Smith had set the seventh best time which was then disallowed by the Stewards for breaching the controversial new for 2014 track limits rule. Smith set about improving on the time but cruelly the session was cut short with a red flag putting the MicksGarage.com supported driver in 11th for Sunday’s opening race.

Opting to save his Dunlop Soft Tyres for race three, Smith started race one like many others on the hard type option. A good start off the line put Smith into the mix at the first corner. However some customary pushing and bumping dropped him one place to 12^thwhere he remained for the early part of the race. As he closed in on Dave Newsham for 11^th, heavy contact from Fabrizio Giovanardi sent the Restart Energy driver wide and down the order to 15^th. Clearly carrying damage from the impact, Smith limped his car around the track for the remainder of the race to try and save his weekend and secure a decent starting position for race two. At the flag, Árón was rewarded with 23^rd for his efforts to get the car home.

 

Once again the Team BMR crew worked miracles on the car to repair what turned out to be quite a significant amount of damage from the contact with Giovanardi in race one. However a short turnaround window between races meant that only the most significant damage could be repaired in an effort to get the car out for race two. Hoping to reward their efforts, Smith did his best to carry his ailing Volkswagen Passat CC up the order from a starting position of 23^rd. By the end of the race, Árón crossed the finish line in 15^th place which would also become his starting position for the final race of the weekend.
 With a fully fighting fit Volkswagen Passat CC for the final race of the day, Smith was focused on making his way quickly up the order. An opening lap clash at the head of the field brought out the Safety Car for the first three laps before racing got back underway on lap four. By now Árón had promoted his MicksGarage.com supported Passat up to tenth and was keen to continue up the order. Going onto the final lap of the race, now hot on the heels of Adam Morgan for sixth, Smith ran ever so slightly wide at the last chicane dropping him back to ninth position where he would remain to the flag. Proof that the Team BMR Volkswagen was capable of so much more was found in the fact that Árón set the outright fastest lap of the race during race three.

Árón Smith - #40 Chrome Edition Restart Racing Volkswagen Passat CC:
“Well I think it’s fair to say that race one really made it difficult for any podium return this weekend. Having to carry some of that damage into race two really hurt any potential to make our way back up the order. Race three was much more representative of our true pace setting the outright fastest lap, which is a real shame as the team did a fantastic job again this weekend and that pace should have had us back on the podium. But we’ve got the mid-season break now to reflect on the first half of our season and we’ll be back at Snetterton ready to return to the podium!”


Words by John Smyth, MicksGarage Marketing Guru!

British Touring Car Championship 2014 Rounds 7, 8 & 9 from Thruxton

British Touring Car Championship 2014 Rounds 7, 8 & 9 from Thruxton

 

Smith finishes challenging Thruxton weekend with top ten result

Off the back of a consistent weekend at Donington Park that promoted Árón Smith to ninth in the drivers championship, the Irishman was looking forward to a stronger showing at the high-speed Thruxton Circuit for rounds seven, eight and nine of the 2014 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship.

However Smith’s weekend got off to a difficult start as he struggled with the balance of his Volkswagen Passat CC in Free Practice One. Cruelly Árón would end the session with heavy damage after running wide at the first corner – Allard, making contact with the barriers.

After a superb effort from the Team BMR crew lead by Alan Cole, Smith was able to make it out on track for the final five minutes of the afternoon’s qualifying session to complete three shakedown laps to check the car over and allow him to start from the back of the grid for race one.

Despite Saturday’s misfortunes, Smith was looking determined going into race one and with the car’s known dry weather speed, was optimistic about making his way up the order. A strong start to the race promoted the MicksGarage.com supported driver to 25th by end of the opening lap. Continuing to work his way up the order, Árón had now managed to get up to 16th position by lap 13 before he ran slightly wide onto the grass coming out of the fast Church corner filling his radiator with grass, forcing him to pit to clear the blockage. Despite this however, Smith took the chequered flag in 22nd position, which would also be his starting position for race two.

Once again, Smith was fast out of the blocks in race two and avoiding any opening lap dramas, found himself in 19th place as he started lap two. Continuing to work his way up the order, Smith was just behind Nick Foster and Rob Austin in 16th coming into Church before contact between the pair just ahead resulted in both of them running off the track. Árón made his way past the incident before the race was then ended with a red flag and Smith was eventually classified 14th in the final result.

With Rob Austin starting under appeal after his race two exclusion, Árón Smith started the final race of the weekend in 15th and was keen to finish his weekend with a strong result. Once again Smith got a good start and by lap six was up to 11th as the safety car was deployed to clear the stricken Proton of Ollie Jackson. With the pack nicely bunched up, this gave Árón another chance to continue up the order when the race got back under way on lap ten. Passing Sam Tordoff, Adam Morgan was next on his shopping list as the Safety car was again deployed, this time to aid the recovery of Simon Belcher. As the race got back under way, Smith drifted his Passat past Morgan at Goodwood to move into ninth. In the closing stages of the race, Smith benefited from a tussle between Matt Neal and Rob Collard to move up to seventh before taking the chequered flag.

Speaking after the race, an upbeat Árón reflected on a challenging weekend: “This weekend certainly didn’t get off to an ideal start. However the team did an amazing job to get the car out in qualifying, as there was quite a lot of damage from free practice. Race one was obviously disappointing as we had got up to a really good position but race two and especially race three were much better. We’ve got a nice break now to chill out and look forward to Oulton Park!”

BTCC Truxton Timetable

The BTCC is back again this weekend, and we're looking forward to seeing our man Aron Smith battle it out on the Thruxton circuit. He impressed last time out during Saturday practice and with the Thruxton track said to be 'suited to the passat' we reckon this could be his weekend!

Here's the timetable (courtesy of BTTC Crazy) of events for both Saturday & Sunday, another action packed weekend of racing. As always ITV4 have full coverage on Sunday kicking off at 11:00 and continuing for almost 8 hours finishing at 18:30! You can also catch Saturday Qualifying on their website - make sure to tune in, should be another cracker!

Source: BTCCCrazy

Words by John Smyth, MicksGarage Marketing Guru!

BTCC Free Friday Competition

Ok, so this is a bit embarrassing...... we totally forgot to pick a winner from last week's BTCC themed Free Friday competition! So....er...Sorry about that! The more cynical of you will no doubt assume this was done on purpose but I can assure you it's just because I just have a memory like a sieve!

Anyway...

It was a fairly quiet day on Facebook what with the bank holiday wk end but a good few of you still managed to guess all 5 images correctly.

Here are the correct answers:

 Labatts RS500

 Rob Austin Audi A4

 BMW M3's

John Cleland Vauxhall Cavalier

Aron Smith

....And our randomly selected winner this week is.....

Alan Quinn! Alan, email rob@micksgarage.com with your address and we'll post out a prize!

VIDEO: BTCC 2014: Donington park. Rounds 4, 5 & 6

BTCC 2014: Donington park. Rounds 4, 5 & 6

BTCC At Donington Park - Timetable

The BTCC returns once again for round 4, 5 & 6 this weekend at Donington Park. The weather looks like it will be a mixed bag of tricks, with perfect dry conditions for qualifying on Saturday, but the chance of some rain on Sunday will guarantee some unexpected results.

It will be once again shown exclusively on ITV4 on Sunday, with a live stream of qualifying on Saturday on their website.

Here's the full schedule of events over the weekend:

Source: BTCC Crazy

Words by John Smyth, MicksGarage Marketing Guru!

VIDEO Preview: BTCC Heads to Donington Park

The BTCC returns to Donington Park over the Easter Weekend (19/20 April) for Round 2 of this years championship. We'll have have full race reports and the inside track from Aron Smith and Team BMR both before and after the race - watch this space! Don't miss all the live action...here's just a little teaser for you to enjoy courtesy of Nisus Motorsport Video 

Want to follow Aron & the team's progress on social media? Here's how:
Árón Smith: Facebook
Árón Smith: Twitter #Aron40
Team BMR: Facebook
Team BMR Twitter
BMR Grid Girls: Facebook
BMR Grid Girls: Twitter

Positive start to the season for Árón Smith and Team BMR

Despite the results sheets showing a different outlook, Árón Smith left the opening round of the 2014 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship full of confidence in his new car and full of praise for his new Team BMR.

Saturday’s free practice sessions showed early signs that Warren Scott’s new team under the Engineering guidance of Geoff Kingston had managed to work their magic over the winter on their Volkswagen Passat CC’s running comfortably inside the top ten in both sessions.

Qualifying seventh on the grid, a mere 0.17 seconds off pole position for Sunday’s opening race and just ahead of former double champion teammate Alain Menu, Smith safe in the knowledge his car had good race pace was confident of putting in a good run during Sunday’s opening race.

A good start in race one allowed Árón to challenge for position from the outset. With a car that looked fast, Smith was quickly challenging for sixth position against Mat Jackson for several corners before contact between the pair resulted in Árón loosing a place to Rob Austin exiting the corner. While trying to find a way back past Austin, the flying BMW of Colin Turkington eventually caught Smith in the closing stages of the race gaining the place on lap 21. As the chequered flag fell, Árón brought his MicksGarage.com supported Passat across the line in seventh position.

Again starting race two from seventh, Smith got a good start but had to perform plenty of avoiding action exiting the first corner with Matt Neal’s Civic and Rob Collard’s BMW sliding wildly down Paddock Hill. The Safety Car had to be deployed at the end of the opening lap to recover the stricken Chevrolet of Chris Stockton. When the race got back under way on lap four, Árón quickly dispatched former champion Fabrizio Giovanardi to move into ninth. Showing the straight-line pace of the car, Smith got a superb run on BTCC Rookie Tom Ingram to move into eighth coming into Paddock Hill bend and followed this up with a similar move on Adam Morgan on the run up to Druids to move into seventh where he would remain to the flag.

Starting down in 18th for the final race of the weekend as a result of an adjusted race two result combined with a five place grid penalty carrying over from race one, Árón was hoping for some lady luck and the strong pace of the car to get him to the head of the field as early as possible. However Smith’s poor run of luck in the races would strike again as an issue with the splitter could not be repaired despite a fantastic effort by the Team BMR crew forcing him to retire his Chrome Edition Volkswagen Passat CC to the pitlane.

Speaking on Sunday evening, a surprisingly enthusiastic Smith reflected on his ‘first day back at school’: “For sure from a results point of view, this weekend hasn’t really been what we had hoped for. But the first weekend of this championship with 30 cars, seven champions and plenty of people out with a point to prove was always going to be tough. But the positives from this weekend are that we’ve got such a fast car, which gave no trouble this weekend. This team is fantastic despite being so new which leaves me fully confidant that we will be right on it in Donington!”

Árón Smith and Chrome Edition Restart Racing move to Donington Park in Leicestershire for rounds four, five and six of the 2014 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship. Stay up to date with Árón Smith Racing on:

Web: www.aronsmith.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/@aronsmith_
Facebook: www.facebook.com/aronsmithracing
Instagram: www.instagram.com/aronsmith_
YouTube: www.youtube.com/aronsmithracing