The driver in question - Rob Austin - team principal and driver at Rob Austin Racing.
For the rest of the 2012 season, this is the place to find out how Rob is progressing with the NGTC Audi A4.
DONINGTON PARK - 14/15th APRIL:
A disappointing weekend for Rob Austin Racing, when an engine failure abruptly ended their weekend. Here's what Rob had to say...
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| Rob Austin on track at Donington Park. Picture Credit: Craig Jones |
Sadly not. The two failures were very similar with the exception that the second engine was very much down on power from the word go. The engines are now back with the engine builder and we will work with them to resolve the issues.
You'll be focussing now on Thruxton in two weeks - what will be your expectations?
I am a very bad loser -I can't stand it! So after a blow like that, my attitude is very much, 'Get back up and shift up a gear!' It's made me so determined. I want to dominate at Thruxton and I can't wait to get there.
At Brands we were being sensible and trying to play the long game for the championship, but now ewe have nothing to lose! It's all or nothing! The car is capable of wining anyway, but I believe Thruxton will be a particularly strong circuit for it with regards to tyre wear - and I'm pretty handy around there as well! I'm going there with the intention of winning all three races, and the fact is it is feasible! Sure we will need some luck to get all three, but it's not unrealistic and it's not like it's happened before - so why shouldn't that be my aim?
How are you finding running with the NGTC regulations, having already had a year's experience with them?
It's not what we thought it would be. They are not cheaper to build or run and we also didn't expect to have to develop the formula for them. Triple Eight and Dynamics have had a relatively easy run at it. But what it does do is give you a chance. We don't have anything like their budgets but we have been clever with what we had - the money and the experience and information we gained last year. The end result is that we were bitterly disappointed with both qualifying sessions so far this year BUT, when you step back and look at it, we have achieved what few would be capable of full stop - yet along on our budget.
For example at Donington, we only did six laps before the engine went out. We were nowhere near full pace and in fact, we had set the fastest first sector of anyone moment before the engine went later that lap, so we were gutted to be eighth because we knew we could have achieved SO much more. But look who out qualified us; cars built by Triple Eight, Dynamics, WSR and AON. These are some of the best teams in the country, all with five or more times the budget! I don't see any shame in being able to put them under pressure, and it's a great feeling to know that you're capable of being ahead of most of them.
Are you any closer in getting the second Audi out on track?
Apart from stealing the engine out of it at the weekend, the second Audi is built and ready to go. It just needs a driver with a budget. I would love to be able to put Turkington or O'Neill in it, but sadly, I am struggling like hell for my own budget, yet alone theirs. Chris Swanwick is working very hard on his budget as well, and I hope he will be able to come on board after Thruxton. I enjoyed having him around last season - he has a bit of a reputation, but he's a good lad and has good potential in him with the right guidance. We are talking to other drivers though and no deals have been done yet. But sadly, it all comes down to money - I hate money!
THRUXTON CIRCUIT - 28/29th APRIL:
After a disastrous outing at Donington two weeks ago, Thruxton proved to be another hurdle for the Rob Austin Racing Team. Here's what Rob Austin had to say...
A disappointing qualifying session for the team - how bad was the damage sustained in the incident?
Well, we were on the back foot from the word go really. We struggled to resolve our engine issues from Donington and in fact the engine builder (Lehmann) blew two up on the dyno and was struggling to map it on the Cosworth system that we have to use. In the end, we got hold of Tommy Field who is a specialist with the Cosworth stuff and managed to resolve the issue ourselves. Sadly by then, Lehmann only had time to make the best of the two blown engines and send us that - even then we only got our damaged engine just in time for qualifying.
Testing at Thruxton is hard to come by anyway, and it's also a bit of an oddball circuit with regards to set-up. Essentially, by the time we had gone in and out a few times, doing our installation laps and fine tuning the map (normally done on the shakedown), we had very little of the session to do a time.
So with no testing, no set up work, no power, difficult conditions and a tonne of pressure - I binned it!
Did you find that it knocked your confidence going into the first race of the day?
No, not at all. I've had far bigger shunts and I'm sure it won't be my last. It has been nine years since I dropped a car on my own like that, if I can go another nine years, I'll be doing better than most.
It did put us even more on the back foot though, and it's very upsetting when you're low on budget and you have all worked so bloody hard to get there, only to create a shed load more work once you're there. All credit to my boys though, once again they did a sterling job! You can't begin to believe how good my work force are - yes I know every driver says this, but my guys are on another level! We're doing the work that Triple Eight, Dynamics etc. do but with half the people, and okay, Thruxton is a terrible example of what we are capable of, but generally we can match them! And give us just the smallest bit of luck and we will beat them - the potentials there!
As an example, I am still at work now, and two of my boys are still in the workshop. As I type this it's Monday after a race weekend, we didn't get home till gone midnight last night after a hard weekend and it's currently 21:58PM - and this is normal.
You did unfortunately have to retire in race one. Was this to do with the damage from qualifying?
No, one of the Hondas slid into me at the first corner and it broke a track rod on the steering, nothing much I could do about that really, just one of those things.
How did you find the driving conditions that you encountered throughout the day - are you a driver that enjoys driving in the wet?
Normally I love driving in the wet and I love Thruxton in the wet! In fact, the last time I drove Thruxton in the wet, I topped the times in British Formula Three. In the Audi this weekend, I didn't have so much fun, though... After all that I've already mentioned, race two was our first proper run and the car wasn't right - it's never fun when you have to carry on with an ill-handling car. We made it much better for race three, but still needed another stab at it to get it somewhere near.
Once you're testing in a race situation like that and you can't come in to make a chance, two races become the equivalent of fifteen minutes of testing progress wise. At most circuits this wouldn't be such a big issue, but as I've said Thruxton is a bit of an odd ball and we haven't done any wet running with the new car either - so we were miles off.
What will you be doing with the team between now and Oulton Park in six weeks time to improve the car?
Firstly we have to fix it, so while our local body shop fit a new rear quarter panel and John - our fabricator - remakes the boot floor, chassis and rear bumper, the engines will be sorted, and then, while all that's happening, we will also be preparing further updates to go on the car (sadly I can't tell you what they are). Then we will put hem all back together and go testing, hopefully with both cars, for a couple of days prior to Oulton Park. In between all of that we are also looking after the Ferrari Replicas that we built for the movie "Rush" and they are quite busy this month - as well as running our 1976 Formula One car at Monaco next weekend!
It's six weeks between rounds - but there won't be any down time for us, I can assure you.
OULTON PARK - 9/10th JUNE:
Six weeks after Thruxton, the BTCC returned at Oulton Park last weekend. After suffering from serious damage at Thruxton, Rob Austin took the decision to step aside for the weekend in order to fully prepare for Croft. Single seater racer Will Bratt, made his saloon car debut with RAR in the number 14 Audi A4. Here are Rob's views of the weekend....
Single seater star Will Bratt stepped into the second Audi A4 for this weekend at Oulton Park. Will you be looking to run two RAR Audi's for the remainder of the season?
That is what we hope to do, yes. Oulton was a toe in the water of saloon car racing for Will, and if he sticks with it, then it will be a big change of direction in his career. I think he enjoyed himself through. He was clearly quick, which I expected, but he took the very different type of racing like a duck to water as well. Personally, I think he could have a bright future in the BTCC - the single seater route requires huge amounts of financial backing to turn it into a living - whilst with the BTCC, he is in a fortunate position where he has to support to make a start. And because it offers genuine value for sponsors, he could use that and build on publicity which comes with the good results, which someone with his skill set will inevitably get - and potentially turn into a full time job. At least that's how I see it. I hope to have a decision very quickly on Croft, anyway.
Despite a setback in qualifying and a few on track incidents, Will did bring home some good results from Oulton, including an eighth place finish in his debut race. Were you happy with Will's performance this weekend from a team principal perspective?
Yes, very! I really think he did a fantastic job! I don't want to sound like I'm picking on him, because was as gutted for him as for the team, but if it wasn't for that one very small error in race two which cost him so dearly, the results could have been truly spectacular! I know the Audi is one of the quickest cars on the grid - and Will is a quick driver. We had him out on new boots for that second race and the pace was instant. It's easy to say now, but I truly believe there was a podium on the card in race two and all he did was just touch the tyre stack on the apex of the chicane and found the weak point in the NGTC steering. TOCA are now updating that part, but the damage is done.
Damage to your car scuppered your chances of racing at Oulton Park. Will you be back in the #13 in two weeks time at Croft?
That is that plan, yes. It was very frustrating, but basically, when we got back from Thruxton, we stripped the car and cut out all the damaged panels and ordered new ones. Unfortunately, the parcel shelf isn't a common part that Audi supply. I think in the real world, if you have damaged that part then you don't need a replacement because the car is written off, but it's vital to tie the whole rear end together. We could have cobbled something together, but it would have needed completely cutting apart again when the correct part arrived and doing again properly. Our budget is too tight for things like that, and after the engine dramas we have had, our championship was over before it had begun anyway, so we chose to save money and get it ready for Croft instead.
Looking forward to Croft, and given the results from the weekend, do you think the Rob Austin Racing team will be strong on the North Yorkshire circuit?
Last year we went very well here, we were still struggling against a supplier and still developing the NGTC package for TOCA, and indeed as we went quicker, we found some more weak points/design errors in the package, so the results were shoddy - but it was the first time we were able to show some genuine pace. We were the quickest car on the circuit at several points on Sunday ans each race we had finished would have been top ten, even starting from the back in race two and three. It's also a strong circuit for rear-wheel drive cars, so yes, we are looking forward to getting there.
CROFT CIRCUIT - 23/24th JUNE
You'll be focussing now on Thruxton in two weeks - what will be your expectations?
I am a very bad loser -I can't stand it! So after a blow like that, my attitude is very much, 'Get back up and shift up a gear!' It's made me so determined. I want to dominate at Thruxton and I can't wait to get there.
At Brands we were being sensible and trying to play the long game for the championship, but now ewe have nothing to lose! It's all or nothing! The car is capable of wining anyway, but I believe Thruxton will be a particularly strong circuit for it with regards to tyre wear - and I'm pretty handy around there as well! I'm going there with the intention of winning all three races, and the fact is it is feasible! Sure we will need some luck to get all three, but it's not unrealistic and it's not like it's happened before - so why shouldn't that be my aim?
How are you finding running with the NGTC regulations, having already had a year's experience with them?
It's not what we thought it would be. They are not cheaper to build or run and we also didn't expect to have to develop the formula for them. Triple Eight and Dynamics have had a relatively easy run at it. But what it does do is give you a chance. We don't have anything like their budgets but we have been clever with what we had - the money and the experience and information we gained last year. The end result is that we were bitterly disappointed with both qualifying sessions so far this year BUT, when you step back and look at it, we have achieved what few would be capable of full stop - yet along on our budget.
For example at Donington, we only did six laps before the engine went out. We were nowhere near full pace and in fact, we had set the fastest first sector of anyone moment before the engine went later that lap, so we were gutted to be eighth because we knew we could have achieved SO much more. But look who out qualified us; cars built by Triple Eight, Dynamics, WSR and AON. These are some of the best teams in the country, all with five or more times the budget! I don't see any shame in being able to put them under pressure, and it's a great feeling to know that you're capable of being ahead of most of them.
Are you any closer in getting the second Audi out on track?
Apart from stealing the engine out of it at the weekend, the second Audi is built and ready to go. It just needs a driver with a budget. I would love to be able to put Turkington or O'Neill in it, but sadly, I am struggling like hell for my own budget, yet alone theirs. Chris Swanwick is working very hard on his budget as well, and I hope he will be able to come on board after Thruxton. I enjoyed having him around last season - he has a bit of a reputation, but he's a good lad and has good potential in him with the right guidance. We are talking to other drivers though and no deals have been done yet. But sadly, it all comes down to money - I hate money!
THRUXTON CIRCUIT - 28/29th APRIL:
After a disastrous outing at Donington two weeks ago, Thruxton proved to be another hurdle for the Rob Austin Racing Team. Here's what Rob Austin had to say...
A disappointing qualifying session for the team - how bad was the damage sustained in the incident?
Well, we were on the back foot from the word go really. We struggled to resolve our engine issues from Donington and in fact the engine builder (Lehmann) blew two up on the dyno and was struggling to map it on the Cosworth system that we have to use. In the end, we got hold of Tommy Field who is a specialist with the Cosworth stuff and managed to resolve the issue ourselves. Sadly by then, Lehmann only had time to make the best of the two blown engines and send us that - even then we only got our damaged engine just in time for qualifying.
Testing at Thruxton is hard to come by anyway, and it's also a bit of an oddball circuit with regards to set-up. Essentially, by the time we had gone in and out a few times, doing our installation laps and fine tuning the map (normally done on the shakedown), we had very little of the session to do a time.
So with no testing, no set up work, no power, difficult conditions and a tonne of pressure - I binned it!
Did you find that it knocked your confidence going into the first race of the day?
No, not at all. I've had far bigger shunts and I'm sure it won't be my last. It has been nine years since I dropped a car on my own like that, if I can go another nine years, I'll be doing better than most.
It did put us even more on the back foot though, and it's very upsetting when you're low on budget and you have all worked so bloody hard to get there, only to create a shed load more work once you're there. All credit to my boys though, once again they did a sterling job! You can't begin to believe how good my work force are - yes I know every driver says this, but my guys are on another level! We're doing the work that Triple Eight, Dynamics etc. do but with half the people, and okay, Thruxton is a terrible example of what we are capable of, but generally we can match them! And give us just the smallest bit of luck and we will beat them - the potentials there!
As an example, I am still at work now, and two of my boys are still in the workshop. As I type this it's Monday after a race weekend, we didn't get home till gone midnight last night after a hard weekend and it's currently 21:58PM - and this is normal.
You did unfortunately have to retire in race one. Was this to do with the damage from qualifying?
No, one of the Hondas slid into me at the first corner and it broke a track rod on the steering, nothing much I could do about that really, just one of those things.
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| Austin fighting the conditions at Thruxton Photo Credit: Stephen Ashby @ashbyBTCC |
Normally I love driving in the wet and I love Thruxton in the wet! In fact, the last time I drove Thruxton in the wet, I topped the times in British Formula Three. In the Audi this weekend, I didn't have so much fun, though... After all that I've already mentioned, race two was our first proper run and the car wasn't right - it's never fun when you have to carry on with an ill-handling car. We made it much better for race three, but still needed another stab at it to get it somewhere near.
Once you're testing in a race situation like that and you can't come in to make a chance, two races become the equivalent of fifteen minutes of testing progress wise. At most circuits this wouldn't be such a big issue, but as I've said Thruxton is a bit of an odd ball and we haven't done any wet running with the new car either - so we were miles off.
What will you be doing with the team between now and Oulton Park in six weeks time to improve the car?
Firstly we have to fix it, so while our local body shop fit a new rear quarter panel and John - our fabricator - remakes the boot floor, chassis and rear bumper, the engines will be sorted, and then, while all that's happening, we will also be preparing further updates to go on the car (sadly I can't tell you what they are). Then we will put hem all back together and go testing, hopefully with both cars, for a couple of days prior to Oulton Park. In between all of that we are also looking after the Ferrari Replicas that we built for the movie "Rush" and they are quite busy this month - as well as running our 1976 Formula One car at Monaco next weekend!
It's six weeks between rounds - but there won't be any down time for us, I can assure you.
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| Photo Credit: Daniel Wiggins @wiggs1979 |
Six weeks after Thruxton, the BTCC returned at Oulton Park last weekend. After suffering from serious damage at Thruxton, Rob Austin took the decision to step aside for the weekend in order to fully prepare for Croft. Single seater racer Will Bratt, made his saloon car debut with RAR in the number 14 Audi A4. Here are Rob's views of the weekend....
Single seater star Will Bratt stepped into the second Audi A4 for this weekend at Oulton Park. Will you be looking to run two RAR Audi's for the remainder of the season?
That is what we hope to do, yes. Oulton was a toe in the water of saloon car racing for Will, and if he sticks with it, then it will be a big change of direction in his career. I think he enjoyed himself through. He was clearly quick, which I expected, but he took the very different type of racing like a duck to water as well. Personally, I think he could have a bright future in the BTCC - the single seater route requires huge amounts of financial backing to turn it into a living - whilst with the BTCC, he is in a fortunate position where he has to support to make a start. And because it offers genuine value for sponsors, he could use that and build on publicity which comes with the good results, which someone with his skill set will inevitably get - and potentially turn into a full time job. At least that's how I see it. I hope to have a decision very quickly on Croft, anyway.
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| Will Bratt joined the RAR team at Oulton Park - bringing results with him. Picture Credit: Marc Waller |
Yes, very! I really think he did a fantastic job! I don't want to sound like I'm picking on him, because was as gutted for him as for the team, but if it wasn't for that one very small error in race two which cost him so dearly, the results could have been truly spectacular! I know the Audi is one of the quickest cars on the grid - and Will is a quick driver. We had him out on new boots for that second race and the pace was instant. It's easy to say now, but I truly believe there was a podium on the card in race two and all he did was just touch the tyre stack on the apex of the chicane and found the weak point in the NGTC steering. TOCA are now updating that part, but the damage is done.
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| The #14 Audi in action at Oulton. Picture Credit: Marc Waller |
That is that plan, yes. It was very frustrating, but basically, when we got back from Thruxton, we stripped the car and cut out all the damaged panels and ordered new ones. Unfortunately, the parcel shelf isn't a common part that Audi supply. I think in the real world, if you have damaged that part then you don't need a replacement because the car is written off, but it's vital to tie the whole rear end together. We could have cobbled something together, but it would have needed completely cutting apart again when the correct part arrived and doing again properly. Our budget is too tight for things like that, and after the engine dramas we have had, our championship was over before it had begun anyway, so we chose to save money and get it ready for Croft instead.
Looking forward to Croft, and given the results from the weekend, do you think the Rob Austin Racing team will be strong on the North Yorkshire circuit?
Last year we went very well here, we were still struggling against a supplier and still developing the NGTC package for TOCA, and indeed as we went quicker, we found some more weak points/design errors in the package, so the results were shoddy - but it was the first time we were able to show some genuine pace. We were the quickest car on the circuit at several points on Sunday ans each race we had finished would have been top ten, even starting from the back in race two and three. It's also a strong circuit for rear-wheel drive cars, so yes, we are looking forward to getting there.
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| Will Bratt concentrating ahead of a run in the Audi A4. Picture Credit: Marc Waller |
By far, the most successful weekend of the season for the Rob Austin Racing team at Croft. Will Bratt joined team principal Rob Austin behind the wheel for the weekend. Here's Rob's thoughts on the weekend...
Croft was certainly the team's best weekend of year so far. With three top ten finishes for yourself - including a third place podium in race two - how would you sum up this weekend?
A huge relief! We didn't have the speed we expected to have and didn't do anything special, but we didn't have the terrible luck we have been having. To come away with three solid results and a load of coverage means we give something back to our current sponsors who have stuck with us through tough times - they are all over the moon and love being apart of it. But it also allows us to go to potential new sponsors with something far more saleable, which will hopefully keep us going until the end of the season AND pay for the development of the car! We know where there is a minimum of 0.5 seconds a lap instantly and we believe there is another second elsewhere in the car, but it all costs money.
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| First of many: Rob Austin gets onto the podium for the first time this season at Croft. Picture Credit: Marc Waller. |
Will Bratt did another good job in the second RAR Audi, most notably starting from twenty-first on the grid for race one and finishing in tenth. Beside the on track incidents in races two and three, how do you think Will performed at Croft?
Will did another stunning job! He's nearly as good as me, ha ha ha, but he does seem to have absorbed my bad luck. We weren't happy with the cars in FP1 or FP2, and were struggling to get our heads around the set-up so we tried a different approach to the same problem on each car - mine worked, his made it worse. So he was unlucky in qualifying with that, and then drove really well in race one, but race two he picked up a slow puncture early on which resulted in a couple of excursions and eventually a pit stop, BUT he was matching my lap times lap after lap, down to 0.01 seconds and in turn was matching the Hondas. Race three behind the safety car I saw him in my mirrors only a couple of cars back and thought, "How the hell has he managed that?", but his car had an alternator failure so that put a stop to his progress. I should point out that I think that's the first time one of our cars has failed due to one of our parts failing! All the other failures really have been out of our hands.
So he actually didn't put a wheel wrong all weekend,. I'm very impressed with him and am really looking forward to working with him on a test day and hopefully for the remainder of this year and then who knows - maybe a two car championship assault in 2013...
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| Bratt impressed again at Croft in the #14 RAR Audi. Picture Credit: Marc Waller. |
There's a seven week break now until the next meeting at Snetterton. What will the team be doing between now and then to improve the car even further?
Ha ha, I can't tell you what we are doing, but as I have said earlier, it will be down to finances allowing. We have a list of parts and we would also like to do some testing, but right now, I am working on a budget as priority.
Do you think a win is on the cards for the Audi before the end of the season is out?
Without a doubt!
Finally, looking ahead to Snetterton, is this a track that suits the rear wheel drive Audi A4 - do you think the results from last weekend can be equalled there?
I'm not sure to be honest. We went well last season, although again still battling supplier issues, we did manage to get fastest lap. Although I don't consider that fair because we started from the pit lane, so had a clear road ahead of us and new tyres. In the pack, I'm sure we wouldn't have been so fast, but then the car is so different this year it's hard to compare. I will be shocked if we are not in a position to pick up three top tens with both cars - if we get the updates we want then we should be very quick.
SNETTERTON CIRCUIT: August 11/12th
Another disappointing weekend for the Rob Austin Racing outfit. Rob took some time out to explain just what happened at Snetterton...
Snetterton sadly, proved to be a race weekend to forget for RAR. What went wrong?
Yes, it's yet another one to forget, unfortunately. I honestly don't understand why we can't seem to string to weekends together, and even with hindsight, I think I would make the same decisions again. I don't feel like we are cutting corners or not doing a good job, if you know what I mean.
Anyway, Snetterton, we had good pace through the practice sessions, so we were looking forward to qualifying where we believed we could move up further up the top ten, we just wanted to try something first. So we went out on the tyres we had done the test sessions on for a few laps. All felt good, so we came in and put the new tyres on and that was when our weekend started to go downhill. I was on my first flyer and the engine lost all power - the turbo had given up.
We took positives though, and were still looking forward to a good race day. If I had made the last couple of corners of the lap I was on, we were on for a top seven grid slot and traditionally our quickest times on new tyres are lap two or three, so I think we could have challenged for a really good spot, but it still wasn't to be. Still, fourteenth in tyres that had done two race distances was a positive.
For race one, the goal was to stay out of trouble and set ourselves up for a challenge at the front in race two. I had a really good start and the first few corners (I believe I was up to eighth) and then got a whack from Collard. I know he has a reputation but he has always been very fair with me, this however, was unnecessary at that stage of the race, and I'm pretty disappointed with him for it.
Anyway, that bent my rear suspension and dislodged a connector somewhere which required a pit stop. Fortunately, we stayed on the lead lap and there was a safety car so we could make some places back in the last few laps. So thirteenth was okay from the back with a bent car which became even more bent after I got attacked by Chris James (god knows what he was trying to achieve)
Race two, even at this point I was still confident of a solid run. I was aiming at P6 to be guaranteed to gain from the reverse grid draw and felt very confident this was achievable. So when the drive shaft broke on the warm up lap that was the end of our day as far as I was concerned. This was due to the contact with Collard in race one but unfortunately when you're on a tiny budget you can't afford to change them as you would want to every time you get a hit.
Race three started okay from the back, I got up to tenth within three laps and was still gaining which I was pretty chuffed with considering Shedden only managed seventh from the back in the whole of race one and he had a safety car. Then I started losing power (cause yet to be determined) and fell into the clutches of Collard who seemed to have it in for me that day. It was my fault though, he was pushing me out wide and I stood my ground. I know better than to go wheel to wheel with an S2000 car with our NGTC suspension, it was inevitable that something would break. So day over :(
You'll know be focussing on Knockhill in just under two weeks time. How are you feeling heading into that weekend?
Quite honestly, I don't think we can afford to go. I never give up, but with my financial situation currently, I just don't see how I can make it happen in the time frame. I do have things in the pipeline though and I'm working in having two cars at Rockingham having had some development done and really putting on a good show in the final three rounds.
There was no Will Bratt in action this weekend. Will he be making a return to the championship before the end of the season?
I really hope so. Will is a really good driver and I really enjoyed having him as a team mate. He showed the car well and it also helps share the cost of things so takes a little weight off my shoulders.
You made your track debut with Team HARD in the Volkswagen Cup during the seven week break. Despite mechanical niggles taking over - how did you find the experience?
To be honest I didn't really get to experience it, I only got three laps in qualifying and even it was quite well down on power. I felt bad for Tony really. Clearly, I know that feeling when nothing's going right no matter what you do and him and his boys had a weekend of that with the car I was supposed to be driving. Still, he has a good group of lads there and I enjoyed having a beer with them. I would like to have a proper go at the VW Cup though, it looks like fun.
And finally, with Dave Newsham taking his first BTCC win at the weekend, how close do you think the Audi is from taking it's first trip into the winner's circle?
I like Dave, I think he drove a great race and it was thoroughly deserved, so well done to him. In fact, I think the HiQ moment for Snetterton is going to be a tough one to call; Dan Welch qualified really well and had a great first race, and Lea Wood had a solid weekend and so thoroughly deserved that second place in race three - I was gutted it all went wrong for him.
I do, however, think we have more pace than any of them when something's not wrong... I just need to stop things from going wrong! I'm sure we are cursed - to have this much potential in a car and only getting the results we have had this season is madness! But we are leaning all the time and I have some things in the pipeline which, if they come off, we should be properly funded and then we have everything we need to take on the big boys consistently!
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| Onwards and upwards:The Rob Austin Racing outfit will be looking for their first win before the season is out. Picture Credit: Marc Waller. |
Another disappointing weekend for the Rob Austin Racing outfit. Rob took some time out to explain just what happened at Snetterton...
Snetterton sadly, proved to be a race weekend to forget for RAR. What went wrong?
Yes, it's yet another one to forget, unfortunately. I honestly don't understand why we can't seem to string to weekends together, and even with hindsight, I think I would make the same decisions again. I don't feel like we are cutting corners or not doing a good job, if you know what I mean.
Anyway, Snetterton, we had good pace through the practice sessions, so we were looking forward to qualifying where we believed we could move up further up the top ten, we just wanted to try something first. So we went out on the tyres we had done the test sessions on for a few laps. All felt good, so we came in and put the new tyres on and that was when our weekend started to go downhill. I was on my first flyer and the engine lost all power - the turbo had given up.
We took positives though, and were still looking forward to a good race day. If I had made the last couple of corners of the lap I was on, we were on for a top seven grid slot and traditionally our quickest times on new tyres are lap two or three, so I think we could have challenged for a really good spot, but it still wasn't to be. Still, fourteenth in tyres that had done two race distances was a positive.
For race one, the goal was to stay out of trouble and set ourselves up for a challenge at the front in race two. I had a really good start and the first few corners (I believe I was up to eighth) and then got a whack from Collard. I know he has a reputation but he has always been very fair with me, this however, was unnecessary at that stage of the race, and I'm pretty disappointed with him for it.
Anyway, that bent my rear suspension and dislodged a connector somewhere which required a pit stop. Fortunately, we stayed on the lead lap and there was a safety car so we could make some places back in the last few laps. So thirteenth was okay from the back with a bent car which became even more bent after I got attacked by Chris James (god knows what he was trying to achieve)
Race two, even at this point I was still confident of a solid run. I was aiming at P6 to be guaranteed to gain from the reverse grid draw and felt very confident this was achievable. So when the drive shaft broke on the warm up lap that was the end of our day as far as I was concerned. This was due to the contact with Collard in race one but unfortunately when you're on a tiny budget you can't afford to change them as you would want to every time you get a hit.
Race three started okay from the back, I got up to tenth within three laps and was still gaining which I was pretty chuffed with considering Shedden only managed seventh from the back in the whole of race one and he had a safety car. Then I started losing power (cause yet to be determined) and fell into the clutches of Collard who seemed to have it in for me that day. It was my fault though, he was pushing me out wide and I stood my ground. I know better than to go wheel to wheel with an S2000 car with our NGTC suspension, it was inevitable that something would break. So day over :(
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| Gutted; Snetterton didn't quite go according to plan for the RAR crew. Picture Credit: Marc Waller. |
Quite honestly, I don't think we can afford to go. I never give up, but with my financial situation currently, I just don't see how I can make it happen in the time frame. I do have things in the pipeline though and I'm working in having two cars at Rockingham having had some development done and really putting on a good show in the final three rounds.
There was no Will Bratt in action this weekend. Will he be making a return to the championship before the end of the season?
I really hope so. Will is a really good driver and I really enjoyed having him as a team mate. He showed the car well and it also helps share the cost of things so takes a little weight off my shoulders.
You made your track debut with Team HARD in the Volkswagen Cup during the seven week break. Despite mechanical niggles taking over - how did you find the experience?
To be honest I didn't really get to experience it, I only got three laps in qualifying and even it was quite well down on power. I felt bad for Tony really. Clearly, I know that feeling when nothing's going right no matter what you do and him and his boys had a weekend of that with the car I was supposed to be driving. Still, he has a good group of lads there and I enjoyed having a beer with them. I would like to have a proper go at the VW Cup though, it looks like fun.
And finally, with Dave Newsham taking his first BTCC win at the weekend, how close do you think the Audi is from taking it's first trip into the winner's circle?
I like Dave, I think he drove a great race and it was thoroughly deserved, so well done to him. In fact, I think the HiQ moment for Snetterton is going to be a tough one to call; Dan Welch qualified really well and had a great first race, and Lea Wood had a solid weekend and so thoroughly deserved that second place in race three - I was gutted it all went wrong for him.
I do, however, think we have more pace than any of them when something's not wrong... I just need to stop things from going wrong! I'm sure we are cursed - to have this much potential in a car and only getting the results we have had this season is madness! But we are leaning all the time and I have some things in the pipeline which, if they come off, we should be properly funded and then we have everything we need to take on the big boys consistently!
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| Rob was one of a handful of drivers to take part in the "BTCC Olympics" on Saturday in the Snetterton paddock. Picture Credit: Marc Waller. |
ROCKINGHAM MOTOR SPEEDWAY: 22nd/23rd SEPTEMBER:
Having missed Knockhill due to funding issues, the Rob Austin Racing outlet was back in force at Rockingham all thanks to the power of the fans. Here's what Rob thought of the weekend...
You returned at Rockingham along with Will Bratt thanks to the power of the fans. Have you been pleased with their input in getting you back on track?
Our fans are amazing and their support financially is a big help out, but after the response we had at Rockingham and seeing how happy it made them to see their pictures on the car - and that our competition winner Jen just couldn't stop smiling all weekend - and in general, how much people wanted to be a part of something that we are all working towards really opened my eyes!
So the objective has changed, it's still about the budget, it was the only reason we managed to get to Rockingham at all, but now for me it's more about giving people the opportunity to be a part of something and being able to offer as many of them as I can - and the opportunity to win some really special prizes.
I have put more tickets in to the prize fund and decided we will do a day after the season dedicated to passenger rides in the car, so our fans will have an opportunity to win a lap on that day as well.
Check out what our Silverstone winners thought of their weekend: http://www.robaustin.com/downloads/VIP%20Feedback.pdf
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| Austin on track at Rockingham Picture Credit: Marc Waller |
Rockingham brought some disappointment to the team in terms of results, but did you feel you were able to make progress with the Audi going into Silverstone?
Yeah, Rockingham was a shame. I messed up qualifying, but race one we were bloody quick - in fact there were laps where I was the quickest car on the circuit (even quicker than Plato) - but my progress in that race was halted by Matt Neal, who was clearly struggling with the handling of his car, and must have been desperate... Whatever was up for him, it resulted in him hitting me and spinning me out. I recovered to ninth, but it should have been a top five result.
Race two the heated screen packed up, so I couldn't see and went backwards. Race three I recovered to tenth, but we don't have the pace in the wet, as we haven't run the car in it before so we don't have the set up for it (bar Thruxton where we had many many other issues so couldn't work on it).
SILVERSTONE CIRCUIT: 6th/7th OCTOBER:
Despite a good start to the weekend, the penultimate round of this year's British Touring Car Championship ended in heartbreak for Rob Austin. He gives a very honest account of what happened here...
Despite a good start to the weekend, the penultimate round of this year's British Touring Car Championship ended in heartbreak for Rob Austin. He gives a very honest account of what happened here...
What were your expectations going into Silverstone?
I expected three top ten results. The car's been a solid top ten car all year when it's been running right, and we have made huge strides in reliability of late, so I was looking forward to a solid weekend and hoping for podiums.
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| Will Bratt taking to the #14 RAR Audi at Silverstone. Picture Credit: Marc Waller. |
A positive start to the weekend, albeit with the team having to work on Will's car after the second race due to damage. How did you feel with the results going into the final race?
The first race I was over the moon with, seventeenth to fifth without anywhere near the straight line speed of Plato or Jackson was mega! The second race I had hoped to move forwards again, as we had tweaked the set-up, but although we managed to get on to the battle for third right at the end, we just ran out of laps. But I can't complain at fifth.
A heartbreaking end to the day, saw both yourself and Dan Welch lose out on a possible podium finishing position. Has this made you even more determined to get onto the top step at Brands Hatch?
Gutted, embarrassed, sick with regret... I just don't know what I was thinking!
Gutted, embarrassed, sick with regret... I just don't know what I was thinking!
If you look at the lap times, Plato was only a tenth quicker than me, and I was the second quickest car in that race. Dan's best lap was half a tenth slower than mine. We could have potentially shared the podium and I ruined both our races. When I looked in my mirror just before I braked for Copse, he was on my rear quarter, but I thought I was just in front and safe, so I turned in. He had fully committed himself by then and couldn't do anything about it.
110% my fault, I feel terrible! I know how much work he puts into it and how much that result would have meant to him, because he's a mate and I understand it because I put the same blood, sweat and tears in to my car as do both of our teams. I took away a potentially brilliant result from him, his team, his Dad and from my team, supporter, fans as well....all with one stupid moment.
And to make matters worse, I misjudged it again later in the race and tapped him at Luffield, I then backed off to give him the space to collect the slide I had sent him into, but as I backed off, Smith behind me was already on the power and rammed me into Dan again and sent him all the way round.
This is a top line championship, and we are supposed to be top line drivers. Top line drivers shouldn't make mistakes like these and I deserved the disqualification.
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| Heartbreak: Rob Austin and Dan Welch together on track during the third race of the day. Picture Credit: Marc Waller. |
And finally, as we head into the final rounds of this year's championship, do you have any thoughts yet on 2013 and what Rob Austin Racing might want to be doing?
In my eyes, we have had a top ten car all season, and now we have developed it in to a reliable top ten car which, with a sensible budget behind it, I believe it has the potential to be developed in to a championship contender. I hope that potential sponsors will see what we have and support us to continue in the BTCC. It's where we want to be.
Visit www.robaustin.com to see how you can get your face on Rob's Audi for the final round of the championship in two weeks time at Brands Hatch - and be in with a shout of winning a hot lap!
Visit www.robaustin.com to see how you can get your face on Rob's Audi for the final round of the championship in two weeks time at Brands Hatch - and be in with a shout of winning a hot lap!
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