Engine problems during testing prefaced a series of dramas that unfolded for Dan last weekend at Snetterton. It took a late engine change to give Dan the pace he needed, ready with only minutes to go before qualifying for him to gather up the pieces and qualify in a respectable 8th position.
Race 1 should have been about knuckling down and picking off the front runners, but his strategy was thrown into disarray when Spike Goddard made an ill-considered late-braking overtake which took both him and Dan out on lap one. Both Dan and Goddard rejoined, but at the back of the pack, and despite Dan’s increasing pace and superb charging skills he could only manage to get back where he’d started, finishing 8th.
Race 2 on the Sunday morning was dry, and Dan started from 8th on the grid, swapping places in the early laps with Layac before pulling away. A textbook performance then ensued where Dan picked off the opposition cleanly and with style to finish in a remarkable 4th position.
Race 3 brought Dan his best grid position, starting in 6th place, but the potential for a likely podium was once again marred by a copycat manoeuvre of race one from Goddard -again on the first lap. This time the last-ditch dive caused both Dan and Goddard to spin out, and both were sidelined for the whole race. Goddard was later fined and docked 3 points for unsafe driving.
Dan remarked “I'm very disappointed about this weekend, we have been working very hard towards it but we've not been able to capitalise on it, due to circumstances beyond our control, but again we showed that we have the pace to run at the front. So now we have to look forwards to Brands GP on the 18th/19th June instead, probably my favourite circuit that brought me my best results last year!
Despite a frustrating weekend Dan still lies in 5th position overall for the Formula Ford Championship crown, and he’s the leading JTR driver.
Dan is next out at in the Aston Martin GT4 Cup race at Snetterton on 28th May partnering Karsten Le Blanc, and then again at Brands Hatch on the 18th / 19th June for the next rounds of the Formula Ford Championship.