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Dramatic weekend for Robertshaw
NORTH-East touring car team Robertshaw Racing suffered another dramatic weekend in the latest rounds of the HIQ MSA British Touring Car Championship at Donington Park.
Newcastle driver Harry Vaulkhard was the only one of the Boldon-based teams three drivers to finish in all three races on Sunday.
Qualifying on Saturday saw the team achieve their best results so far this season with the Chevrolet Lacetti's of Matt Allison and Vaulkhard lining up in ninth and tenth places respectively on the grid and the Honda Integra of Alan Taylor in 18th in the 25 car grid for the following days races.
But the teams joy was to quickly turn to despair as Allison suffered a large accident on only the second lap of the race damaging the car so badly he would not take any further part in the next two races.
Vaulkhard, meanwhile, struggled with straight line speed, but did finish the race in 12th place at the end of the 18 laps.
Whitley Bay's Alan Taylor had the most eventful race enduring four excursions off the circuit to come home in 18th place, admitting himself that he had been too aggressive in the early part of the race.
With rain beginning to fall at the start of the second race, the decision was taken to bring the Chevrolet of Vaulkhard into the pits to fit the car with wet tyres.
But as the track dried it proved to be the wrong decision as he struggled with the handling of his car, but nevertheless brought it home in 14th place at the finish.
That was more than the unfortunate Taylor could achieve as he found himself at the wrong place at the wrong time and collected someone else's accident at the first corner, causing such extensive damage to the front of his Honda that he too, would take no further part in the event.
This would leave the teams only surviving car of Vaulkhard to take to the grid for the third and final race of the day, but again he would struggle with wet tyres on drying track finishing in 11th place overall and fourth in the Independents Championship giving the team their best placed finish of the weekend.
Despite the days events team manager Joe Bradley remained optimistic.
"We were delighted with all of the drivers qualifying performances yesterday and were looking forward to some good top ten finishes today," he said. "But some bad luck and what turned out to be the wrong decision with tyre choices for Harry turned the day into a one to forget, although of course we are happy that Harry finished all three races.
"We can now look forward to Thruxton in two weeks time where we feel our cars will be suited to the fast sweeping layout."
12:02pm Tuesday 6th May 2008
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