Pace and points for Morgan in Silverstone stunner

Adam Morgan guided his Carlube Triple R Racing Mac Tools Mercedes-Benz A-Class to three top six finishes at Silverstone at the weekend in the ultra-competitive Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship, a podium in race two being the highlight of the weekend.
 
Adam and engineer Steve Farrell worked hard on set-up during free practice and had a car with which they were confident going into qualifying on Saturday afternoon. With a short lap, just 1.6 miles, and a lap time of under a minute, the session was expected to be a frantic one with tiny margins between each car and the need to gain a clear lap essential.
 
Adam had the Mercedes hooked up for eighth fastest time, to start on the fourth row of the grid, the Carlube Triple R Racing Mac Tools Mercedes just three-tenths of a second away from pole. 
 
Adam was in feisty mood for race one, battling the Nilpure backed Mercedes-Benz A-Class into sixth place as the evenly-matched pack argued over the lead. Adam was part of a gaggle of cars arguing within the top six, nipping past Jake Hill’s Honda Civic, which in turn fended off the traffic behind allowing Adam to escape. 
 
“That was a good start to the day,” reflected The Morganator. “The car had good pace. I wasn’t as quick as the top three but I was quicker than just about everybody else, so I was able to fend them off and build a bit of a gap, I was happy with that. It is a gain of two places from where I qualified so we are heading in the right direction.”
 
Ribchester-based Adam started sixth (with 30 kilos of success ballast on board) on the grid for race two and benefitted from a skirmish at Becketts on the opening lap when Ash Sutton (Infiniti Q50) clattered into Rory Butcher’s Ford Focus, allowing Morgan to nip up the inside and gain a place. A lap later, Sutton made a mistake coming out of Luffield allowing Adam a chance to strike, taking to the grass on the outside of the track in his efforts! Bravely, he kept his foot in and assumed fourth place after a frantic battle. Adam chased after the leading trio, catching when their battle slowed them down, but when race leader Tom Ingram (Toyota Corolla) suffered a puncture late-race, Adam was ideally placed to nip by and secure third place and secure another independents teams win.
 
“We made a late decision to do a spring change at the front,” explained Adam. “Steve (Farrell) and I were at loggerheads making the decision but we did it and we only just got out of the pit lane in time, so I have to say ‘thanks’ to the team: everyone did a great job. It proved to be the best call of the weekend because the car was so much better in the places where I had been struggling, namely Becketts and Luffield. I found loads of time there so race two was mega and a podium is a great result again. I’m really happy with that – I’m almost lost for words!”

 
The reverse grid, race three was a restarted race after Butcher had a massive accident at Becketts, from which he was thankfully OK. Adam started the original race seventh (with 48 kilos of success ballast on the car) and was up to sixth when the race was stopped, meaning he was one row higher up the grid for the re-start. That was a short, sharp 12-lap dash which produced one of the best races of the season, with Adam battling up to third on the opening lap, ahead of Josh Cook’s Honda Civic, only to catch some oil, put down by Michael Crees’s Honda Civic on the final formation lap. Adam went wide at Brooklands and lost the place back to Josh, caught oil elsewhere and yo-yoed for a couple of laps before a pattern emerged. Adam battled home in fifth place, an excellent result in a success ballast laden car, only a late-race power steering gremlin dropping him behind Dan Cammish’s Honda Civic on the last lap.
 
“That was proper bruising, elbows-out touring car racing!” remarked Adam after the race. “My race was pretty good and Silverstone always gives good racing but race three was bonkers! I finished fifth which was really good with the weight that I had gained for the podium in race two. I was strong all weekend, I was where I wanted to be in qualifying and I’ve been in the top seven or eight all weekend against manufacturer teams. Everyone says the Carlube Triple R Racing Mac Tools Mercedes-Benz A-Class is strong at Thruxton and we wanted to prove it can be strong elsewhere so three top sixes make a great weekend for sure.”
 

The sister Carlube Triple R Racing Mac Tools Mercedes-Benz A-Class of Jack Butel continued its astonishing run of finishes for the rookie driver in every race, as Jack recovered from a qualifying clash with James Gornall (Audi S3) that put the Jerseyman at the rear of the grid. The BTCC rookie battle up to 20^th from 27^th in the opener, before a brace of 17^th place finishes completed his weekend.
 
Ciceley Motorsport’s Commercial Director Norman Burgess said: “What a weekend! Great racing as a whole and fantastic results for Ciceley Motorsport and the Carlube Triple R Racing Mac Tools team. A podium is a great feeling but perhaps the best result is seeing how strong the car was every time it hit the track, which underlines the hard work Adam, chief engineer Steve Farrell and the boys have put in to make the car as competitive as it is. All of our sponsors received plenty of coverage this weekend thanks to some great racing and Adam being in the thick of it, such a strong weekend lifts everyone’s spirits again heading to Croft in two weeks’ time.”
 
The results put Adam eighth in the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship and fourth in the Independents’ Trophy. Carlube Triple R Racing Mac Tools lies fourth in the Independent Teams’ Trophy.