A maiden Goodyear Touring Car Trophy / TCR UK win for Jac Constable ensured he became the sixth different winner in eight races this season. For the Power Maxed Car Care Racing team, it represents the second time their team has tasted victory this season and launches Constable into the top half of the standings. An experienced racer in his own right, Constable managed his early race pace to scythe past teammate Alex Morgan at half race distance. He would pick up a power steering issue soon afterwards, but held his ground for a memorable victory.
It was a hot and humid Oulton Park that greeted the teams for their lunchtime racing action. TCR Europe race winner and Guest for this round, Alex Morgan, had taken pole position and as the lights went out looked to be the story of the race. Quickly breaking away from the field behind, he pulled out over a second to the chasing Constable.
The start itself had been slightly delayed after a technical drama for fellow guest Mark Smith saw him slowly complete the formation lap, pulling into the pits before taking his grid spot. The VW Golf TCR would re-emerge but remained a lap down.
Alex Morgan was not prepared to hang around, pulling a two second gap by the end of lap 4, while further back, a poor start for Alex Kite in the Opel Astra TCR saw him shuffled to the back of the pack. The real action though proved to be the battle for sixth as Dan Kirby looked to find a way past the Bronze-coloured Winfield Cupra, eventually pulling off the move into the Brittens Hairpin.
Winfield proved the master of defence yet again as, after letting Dan Kirby into sixth, was not prepared to lose another position to the other Power Maxed Car Care Racing driver, defending for his life from former rally driver William Butler. That rally expertise proved vital for Butler who was frequently spotted using all of the track (and more) in order to gain an advantage, though Winfield remained strong, even as Jack Depper and Andy Wilmot joined the fight.
As the race approached half distance it was clear Morgan was not going to have it all his own way. His two second gap was soon gone as Constable set the fastest lap.
By Lap 8, Constable had had enough of staring at the back of the #11’s rear wing, diving into the Hislops hairpin and quickly establishing a gap to the 34-year-old. Morgan was clearly not comfortable either, dropping quickly into the clutches of the battling Max Hart and Bradley Kent. Carrying an extra 30kg, the Cupra did not have the second half race pace, instead proving a foil to the championship battle going on behind.
Constable would eventually cross the line 9.1 seconds clear of his teammate who hung for second place ahead of Bradley Kent, who had made his way past Hart at Druids with two laps remaining. Hart held off points leader Lewis Kent as Kirby came home to finish a distant sixth.
Behind them, Winfield claimed seventh after Butler spun at Brittens Hairpin with only a lap to go. The pair had been dicing all race long and it would be a disappointing end for Butler who had proven his race craft in that Cupra TCR SEQ.
Instead, it was Wilmot who won the battle of the VW Cup legends, crossing the line ahead of Jack Depper, finishing ninth on debut. Meanwhile, Danny Krywyj completed the top ten as the race’s sole TCT class driver Darron Lewis, was forced to pit early on after filling his bumper with grass.
Race winner Jac Constable said;
“It’s immense considering we also had a power steering issue halfway through the race, so I am a little overheated as I’ve been wrestling that car. It was a lovely clean move though for the win, I’m happy about that.
“[At the start] I was having a little tussle with Max [Hart], making sure he wasn’t going to do anything silly. Other than that it was very straight forward. From then, the power steering issues emerged as soon as I passed Alex. The car is good, it’s as simple as that, so we shouldn’t have to change a lot ahead of the second race.”
You can watch all the sessions live over on the Goodyear Touring Car Trophy and TCR UK YouTube and Facebook pages. Keep up with our social media for further championship updates and driver interviews from our Oulton Park stars. Race two starts at 16:00 UK time on Saturday 17th July 2021.
Results can be found on TSL Timing
