Tom Oliphant pleased to battle back into contention

Tom Oliphant said he was pleased to have battled his way back into contention in the BTCC standings after securing his first win of the season at Brands Hatch.

The WSR driver had endured his fair share of misfortune in the opening rounds but that meant he headed to the short Indy circuit running without any additional weight in his BMW 330i M Sport.

Oliphant took full advantage to qualify fourth on the grid and then made the most of a demon start in race one to vault into the lead on the run to Paddock Hill Bend for the first time. Once out front, he would lead all the way to the flag for a second career win.

Despite now carrying full success ballast, Oliphant remained out front for most of race two despite huge pressure from Tom Ingram’s Hyundai, with Ingram only able to get ahead at the start of the final lap.

Ash Sutton would also get ahead on the run to the line to steal second, but a third place finish ensured more solid points on the board, with 15th in the reverse grid finale meaning Oliphant had now moved up to sixth in the standings.

“I’ve had some woeful luck in the opening two rounds and I look back at those and think we should have had 25-30 more points on the board,” he said. “These results are just what I needed, and this weekend is hopefully the one that will kickstart my championship challenge.

“I was pleased with how strong we were on Saturday and once I managed to get into the lead, I was able to just control things from the front. I wasn’t sure what to expect from race two, but that drive is probably what I’m most proud of as we had full weight but I was able to keep lighter cars behind.

“It was tough and I was keeping it tight and taking front-wheel drive lines to keep Tom behind and had it not been for a ballsy move from him, I’d have won that one too.

“Race three was more difficult when we were back in the pack but we scored more points and I can now look ahead with confidence to some circuits where the car will be strong.”