MATTY AIMS TO BOUNCE BACK AT OULTON PARK
Matty heads to Cheshire this weekend aiming to bounce back from a disappointing weekend at Brands Hatch back in May, as the Porsche Carrera Cup GB returns to action at Oulton Park.
The 26-year-old was left to rue the most minor error at the Kent circuit as he lost a third-place finish in race one thanks to a 10-second penalty for being outside his grid slot at the start of the race.
The mistake not only cost him a healthy haul of points and an extension of his early-season championship lead but also relegated him to a mid-pack start in the day’s second race.
A strong drive in the rain saw him move up to fifth place by the end of the 34 laps to salvage something from the weekend and head into rounds five and six just four points adrift from the lead of the standings.
Located in near the small village of Little Budworth, Oulton Park is built into the natural contours of the Cheshire countryside with its stunning scenery making it one of the most picturesque circuits in the UK.
Active for more than 60 years the track has gathered a reputation as one of the toughest tests for both car and driver.
The track is characterised by rapidly changing gradients, blind crests, and several tight corners.
Using the 2.260 mile Island layout, the lap begins with a short run into the right hand Old Hall corner before a downhill run into the sweeping left-hander of Cascades.
Taking a right-hand hairpin at Island bend, the layout saves half a mile of the full circuit length by omitting the banked Shell Oils hairpin.
After cresting the highest point of the track at the aptly named Hill Top, cars head down towards a right-left chicane at Hislops’ and through Knickerbrook corner before heading up Clay Hill.
The sweeping right-hander of Druids feeds drivers down a short straight to a near 90 degree right at Lodge corner before a blast through the dramatic compression of Deer Leap completes the lap.
Matty’s last visit to this weekend’s venue came in the 2020 season where consistency was key as he came home to take a pair of fourth-placed finishes to maintain his charge towards rookie title honours.
This weekend’s timetable sees the main focus of the meeting directed towards Saturday, with qualifying providing the first on-track action of the day at 09:05.
Race one then follows at 14:15 with an 18 lap duration before the weekend draws to a close on Sunday afternoon, with race two scheduled to start at 13:35.
Saturday’s action can be followed via official live timing at www.tsl-timing.com while race two will be televised live as part of the British Touring Car Championship coverage on ITV1.