The latest round of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship would prove to be a challenging one for Mike Bushell.
The reigning Clio cup champion had an injury which hampered him all weekend, and then his weekend was ended early with a mechanical issue.
It means that Mike has ended the first half of his debut season in the series, on a bit of a low but he is up for the challenge of the second half of the season, and will no doubt roar back into contention.
Mike qualified 21st on the grid at the wheel of his Ford Focus, but his hopes of making progress in the opening race were hit at the end of lap one when he turned into the hairpin and was greeted by searing pain through his right shoulder; a legacy of the high-speed accident he suffered at Thruxton earlier in the year.
Despite trying to battle on, Mike was ultimately forced into the pits to retire before seeking medical attention in the hope of taking part in race two.
With his shoulder strapped up, Mike was able to take his place on the grid and an impressive performance saw him come from the back of the field through to 19th – leaving him well placed to push for points in the final race of the weekend.
Unfortunately, an issue with the engine on the Focus was discovered when the car returned to the paddock and with the team unable to resolve the problem at the circuit, Mike was left with no option but to watch on from the sidelines with his aim being to return to form when the season resumes at Snetterton in August.
Speaking after the weekend, Mike said: “If I didn’t have bad luck, I don’t think I’d have any. The second race of the weekend went quite well and I enjoyed that one considering the discomfort I was in after race one – where it’s no exaggeration to say I was in total agony. From the moment my shoulder popped on lap one, the pain was horrendous but luckily a visit to the medical centre meant I was able to head out for race two.
“Missing race three was difficult as I honestly felt we could have pushed forwards into the points, but it’s one of those things that we couldn’t do anything about, and it was just a tough way to end what has been a difficult opening half of the season.
“I honestly thought this was going to be the weekend when things changed but it wasn’t to be. Our bad luck is hard to stomach but it only makes me more determined that when we get to Snetterton after the break, we’ll come out fighting and show what we can do.”
Team boss Shaun Hollamby said he was pleased with the way the team had performed on its first weekend as a two-car outfit, and promised there was plenty more to come through the remainder of the season.
“For Mike, it was another tough weekend and we just need to put the first half of the season behind us and make sure we return to form in the races that are still to come. Considering the pain he was in, he drove well in the second race but there was an internal issue with the engine that we discovered before race three and the advice we were given was not to risk it in the race.
“Overall, this is the first weekend where we have run two cars and I’m really proud of the whole team and the way they have performed. While it would have been nice to get both cars through the three races, we live to fight another day and are looking forward to getting back on track after the summer.”
Images courtesy of www.psp-images.co.uk