Morgan frustrated as Croft jinx strikes again.

Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship multiple race winner Adam Morgan, was left frustrated once more at his bogey circuit of Croft, North Yorkshire, at the weekend as his three races bagged a ninth-place finish as his best result.
 
After encouraging showings at both of the most recent rounds of Britain’s premier motor racing championship, at Thruxton and Silverstone, the Carlube Triple R Racing Mac Tools driver headed to Croft in buoyant mood even with a history of bad luck at the former aerodrome circuit. A new set-up on Saturday during free practice helped to wring extra pace out of the car, meaning Adam was eager to blast out onto the circuit for qualifying.
 
Sadly, an unwanted rain shower before the 30-minute session derailed the Ciceley Motorsport team’s plans and the car wasn’t as sharp as it had been on a dry road, despite the circuit drying out towards the end.
 
Adam started 12th for the opening 15-lap race, run on a dry but cold circuit, and tried to make progress early in the race but soon found himself trapped in traffic, his aim being to bring the car home unscathed and then work forward for the rest of the weekend. Adam battled his way up to ninth place, but then struggled to make further progress around the fast-North Yorkshire circuit.
 
“We’d gone for a set-up that was perhaps a bit too racy,” explained Adam. “I should have gone a bit safer on the rear end, the car felt a bit loose in places. That meant that I couldn’t quite hang on to everyone. P9 was OK, though.”
 
Adam started race two from ninth and made a good start, gaining places on the opening lap as his Carlube Triple R Racing Mac Tools Mercedes-Benz A-Class wriggled through the traffic on the opening lap. However, at the end of the lap, Adam’s race became affected by a concertina effect at the Hairpin. “Bobby Thompson (Audi S3) tried to go round the outside and we clattered wheels,” he explained, “and then the wheel arch came loose and the bumper cracked and was rubbing on the front right tyre all race. I was only just able to get to the end as the tyre was down to the canvas, so I was fighting a sinking ship, really! It was a horrible race…”
 

That resulted in Adam finishing in 13^th spot, frustratingly missing out on the reverse grid draw, meaning he started the final race of the day in 13^th place. After an early safety car period after a sizeable accident for Thompson, Adam found good pace in the car on the resumption of the race. The car showed good speed over the final laps, but Adam struggled to find a way past a very defensive Aidan Moffat (Infiniti Q50) who made life very difficult for Adam’s front-wheel drive Mercedes-Benz A-Class, playing to the strengths of his rear-wheel drive Infiniti to keep The Morganator at bay.
 
“That was really disappointing,” reflected Adam. “He was so defensive that I just couldn’t find a way by anywhere so, although we had good speed at the end, I just couldn’t do much with it because I was stuck in traffic again.
 
“The positives are that, on a dry track, the car felt really good and was quick, but it was a bit of an average weekend really and part of that was because of the rain before qualifying which derailed us. Had it not been for that, I think we would have been higher up the grid and had a different race one which therefore improves the whole run of race day for you. I was hoping to break my duck this weekend here, but the duck won again…!”
 
The sister Carlube Triple R Racing Mac Tools Mercedes-Benz A-Class of Jersey’s Jack Butel suffered its first non-finish of the season when a steering issue put the BTCC rookie out of the opening race, but Jack regrouped strongly to bag a 17^th place as his better result of the day as he continued his learning curve in the tough BTCC competition.
 
Ciceley Motorsport’s Commercial Director Norman Burgess said: “There is just something about Croft that doesn’t like us! It’s the only track in the UK where Adam hasn’t had a podium. Every year we come here thinking we will rid ourselves of bad luck, but something always strikes us! The weather didn’t help in qualifying, but when you consider Adam had to do most of race two with a worn tyre and got stuck behind a rear-wheel drive car in race three at a circuit regarded as a favouring rear-wheel drive machinery, he drove as hard as he could to salvage points for the team. We have seen plenty of people having their fortunes change this weekend, and that is part of the three-race format, but Adam never gave up and will bounce back at Snetterton eager for more success for Carlube Triple R Racing Mac Tools.
 
“Jack was unlucky with his steering issue in the opening race, but he fought back, kept out of trouble, continued to learn and do a really solid job over the other two races.”
 
The weekend’s results put Adam ninth in the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship, with Carlube Triple R Racing Mac Tools eighth in the Teams’ Championship. Adam lies fourth in the Independent Drivers’ Trophy, with the team fourth in the Independent Teams’ competition.