STOCKTON EAGER TO PUT ON A SHOW AT TRACK WHERE IT ALL STARTED
Chris Stockton believes he can produce his best results
of the season so far when the Dunlop MSA British Touring car
Championship races at his local circuit of Oulton Park in
Cheshire on 24 June.
Stockton, from nearby Malpas, competes in a fully race-tuned
Lexus for his own BTC Racing team. The 38-year-old, formerly
a top-level National Hunt jockey and married to British three-day
event team member Polly Stockton, is chomping at the bit to
show what he can do in his home event.
He said: “Oulton is where I learnt how to drive racing
cars and where I had my first win. And I have to say that
if you’re going to learn then Oulton is a great place
to do it because it has everything: fast and narrow sections,
blind brows, off-camber corners, trees and shadows that can
mean it’s still damp in places first thing in the morning.
It’s a massive challenge – a real driver’s
circuit.
“Nothing against the crowds, but I wouldn’t mind
a bit of drizzle on race day. The rain can be a great leveller
and at the moment we’re not quite on the pace of the
very top teams. But I always enjoy driving in the rain and
a wet track would enable us to get in among the big hitters.”
Stockton is eager to build on the breakthrough points finish
he achieved in the most recent rounds, when he took a tenth-place
finish at Croft. He crossed the line to a huge cheer from
his crew on the pit wall.
He said: “Tenth place at Croft last time out was great
for everyone in the team and I could have been sixth had a
certain driver in an orange BMW not helped me off the track.
We have put everything into our team and have come on so much
since we first took the step up into the BTCC at the end of
last season. To score a point at this level for a team the
size of ours is a big deal and we’re getting stronger
all the time.
“At Oulton we should take another step forward in performance
with the car – we will be switching to a new brake pad
supplier which should gain us up to ten metres in some corners.
That brings us closer to the pack at the front and that’s
when you can start to gauge any deficiencies.”
For obvious reasons, Stockton wants to do well at his home
circuit. He will arrive there fresh from a visit to Germany
to watch Polly compete in an international event and she will
be at Oulton to cheer him on. Stockton added: “We’re
really proud to be going to our local circuit with our team
competing in the BTCC – it’s the pinnacle of British
motor sport and one of the best-known series anywhere in the
world.
“We’ll have almost a hundred corporate guests
from the region coming to this one. It’s going to be
busier for me, that’s for sure, although my main role
as ever will be concentrating on my driving and working with
the engineers, going through the telemetry to improve the
car. Saying all that, there’s nothing like a bit of
local track knowledge to help you on your way…”
Ticket & Timetable Information
The track action at Oulton on 24 June begins at midday with
the first of three BTCC rounds. However, the public is advised
to get there early for the popular Pit Lane Walkabout session
when the crowds are invited into the pit lane to meet the
drivers for autographs and giveaways. In addition there will
be another six races on the Sunday bill, featuring the supporting
BMW, Porsche, SEAT and Renault championships.
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