A SIDECAR PODIUM IN AUSTRIA AND A HOST OF TOP TEN FINISHES IN BTCC SAW A SUCCESSFUL WEEKEND FOR RICH ENERGY TEAMS
Last weekend saw the RICH Energy-backed duo of Tim Reeves and Kevin Rousseau continue their assault on the IDM Sidecar Championship as they followed in the recent wheel tracks of the MotoGP paddock at the Red Bull Ring in Austria. The Anglo/French pairing made effective use of the track time with a strong qualifying position and after some exceptional racing and despite narrowly missing the win, the pair were happy a battling second place. Reeves and Rousseau now move on to Hengelo next weekend.
Back in the UK, the Adrian Flux with Power Maxed Racing duo of Jason Plato and Daniel Lloyd were in action as the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship returned to Thruxton for Round 6 of the hotly contested series. The pair qualified better than recent weeks with Lloyd in P8 and the veteran Plato in P11. An exciting Race 1 saw Plato in a desperate last lap battle with Ingram and Turkington, calling on all his experience at the final chicane to keep the pair at bay for P9, just behind teammate, Lloyd who incurred a 5 second penalty during the race.
In Race 2 the PMR pair were inseparable for almost the entire race as the wily Plato did his best to keep the young charger behind him. At the flag, the pair were separated by just 0.3 seconds after 16 laps of the ultra-fast former airfield circuit. Race three, the final race of the weekend, was a difficult race for everyone to find their rhythm as three safety car periods interrupted proceedings and eventually Plato crossed the line in P8, another solid top ten finish for the Vauxhall Astra and Lloyd P11. A better weekend for the team and plenty to work on for the next round before the next round at Croft in North Yorkshire, 18-19 September.
This weekend as well as the sidecar pair, the RICH Energy OMG Racing team will be in action at Snetterton in Norfolk along with the supported riders and teams, Lewis Jones and the True Heroes Racing team while over in World SBK, Aruba.it Ducati-bound Alvaro Bautista continues his challenging work with Honda at Magny-Cours, France.