Lynch strengthens championship position with Lydden Hill podium

Wigan racer Tony Lynch has strengthened his position in the top three of the Supernational class standings after another strong weekend on track during the sixth round of the Toyo Tires MSA British Rallycross Championship at Lydden Hill.

Tony and his Lucas Oil Team Geriatric team made the trip to Kent looking to build on an impressive weekend at Mondello Park, where a first win of the campaign allowed him to move back into contention for the title.

Aware that a challenging weekend lay ahead against more powerful rivals in his class, Tony made a strong start to proceedings when he led the way in the opening qualifying heat.

A pair of second place finishes then followed, which meant that his Ford KA started the opening semi-final from the front row of the grid.

After a heated battle with the Lotus of Paige Bellerby, Tony wrapped up victory by more than six seconds, although the pace of rival Tristan Ovenden in the second semi-final showed the magnitude of Tony’s challenge in trying to take victory in the final.

Lining up on pole, Tony duly saw Ovenden take the lead on the opening lap but – as in his semi-final – he would come out on top of his battle with Bellerby’s Lotus to secure the runner-up slot and a strong 27 point haul from the weekend.

Once dropped scores are taken into account, Tony now lies third in the Supernational class standings with three rounds still to run; 15 points away from the championship lead.

“We knew Lydden Hill would be tough in the dry conditions, so it was all about trying to maximise our performance on track,” he said. “It’s also a circuit where tyre wear can be an issue when it’s so warm, so it was in the back of my mind that we had to be careful not to take too much out of the tyres if we wanted to try and challenge at the front.

“From the moment the first heat got underway, I knew we had a strong car despite the power deficit to the some of our rivals, and the fact we led the way through the heats meant we were in a good position for the semi-final.

“I really enjoyed the battle with Paige but going into the final, I knew that it would tough to beat Tristan as his car really has the edge when it comes to top end speed.

“We showed good pace compared to him and picked up some solid points that have allowed us to maintain a top three championship position and considering the problems we had at the start of the year, that is an achievement in itself.

“It’s down to the hard work of the boys in the team, and the support of our engine man Julian Godfrey, that we’ve been able to haul ourselves back into contention and the focus now we are inside the top three is to maintain it to the end of the season, and anything else will be a bonus.

“We go to Pembrey next full of confidence and hopefully we can be in the mix once again.”