Paul O?Neill had his maiden outing in the Touring Class category at the Kent circuit, Brands Hatch, over the Easter weekend. Driving in the Team Egg Sport Vauxhall Astra Coupe, an already established touring car, Paul needed to prove that he could mix it with the big names competing in the same class. After qualifying ninth for the Sprint Race, Paul gives us an insight into how his race went:

I had a really good start from back in ninth place and I gradually picked up a few places. As it was my first touring car race, it took a few laps before the nerves settled but then I got into a rhythm. After the safety car had gone in and the race had restarted, I was second from last after slipping back a few places but the car was working really well and this enabled me to pass a few drivers ahead of me. I had a fantastic tussle for second place with Dan Eaves and I was really going for it as I had so much confidence in the car. Unfortunately, I started to feel a vibration when entering Dingle Dell on the final lap, at which time I was right up behind the Peugeot of Dan Eaves. Next thing I know I went straight on at Clearways after suffering a puncture and ended up in the tyre wall. Contrary to the rumours I?ve heard, I did not lose consciousness or ask what lap I was on! I knew it was the final corner on the final lap and I was gutted but I was really happy with the cars performance and I knew I had to look forward to the Feature Race.

Paul qualified a respectable fourth place on the grid for the Feature Race and after the disappointment of his previous outing, he was even more determined to finish on the podium this time round. Sadly, things didn?t go his way:

I had a gear selection problem in the warm up lap before the rolling start which meant I couldn?t really capitalise on my fourth place qualifying position. As I changed up through the gears going down to Druids, I was tapped from behind and got spun round and sent crashing into the barrier which meant I was out of the race. It was unfortunate after all the hard work the Triple Eight Engineering staff had put into getting the car ready after the accident in the Sprint Race. It was a pretty heavy impact but again, I wasn?t hurt.

My race weekend was over but I was happy with my overall performance but also a little disappointed not to have scored points. Now I?m really looking forward to racing at Oulton Park which is my home track. I?ll continue to learn more tricks of the trade from my more experienced team-mates and the rest of the Triple Eight Engineering personnel. The car is going really well and I?m looking for a top six finish.

Hope to see you there!

All the best,

Paul O?Neill