Four Podiums for Thompson in Sentul
Added: 19th August 2009
Gary Thompson added four more podium finishes in a hectic weekend of racing in the Formula BMW Pacific series at Sentul, Indonesia.
Three thirds and a second place finish was the return for Thompson but it could have been even better had he not been knocked out of the lead of race three, an incident that led to a US$300 for his rival.
Thompson has retained the lead in the FBMW Pacific Rookie Cup and now lies 12 points behind in the race for overall title honours.
Thompson started fourth for the first two races of the weekend, rounds seven and eight in the series, having struggled to find a clear lap in the busy qualifying session and that shaped the pattern of his weekend.
He managed to fight his way onto the podium in both races on Saturday, thanks to several impressive overtaking manoeuvres, particularly after slipping to fifth in race one. He battled back to fourth and took third with a demon move after a late race safety car period.
The grid for Sunday’s two races was based on the finishing positions of Saturday’s races so Gary started third for the third race of the weekend on Sunday morning and managed to fight his way into the lead in the early stages.
Leading comfortably, he was hit from behind by another driver at turn one on lap five and slipped to second, a few seconds behind.
Race four was a quieter affair, Gary starting third and finishing in that position for a full house of podiums.
Afterwards he reflected on a weekend that produced a solid points return.
“That was a hard weekend and it could have been better but I guess we have to be happy with four podiums,” said the 17-year-old from Donabate.
“Race three was disappointing when another guy used me as a brake at turn one while I was leading. At least I was able to recover to finish second.
“Okay, we lost the lead of the championship but we’re still right in the hunt and we raced well, had good pace throughout and kept the head.
“Qualifying was a bit of a nightmare with traffic and with four races on the weekend, one iffy session can have huge implications for the championship.
“Still, there are lots of positives to take from the weekend and we’re looking forward to the next round of the championship at the Singapore Grand Prix next month.”
Next Round: September 27th, Singapore Grand Prix
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-ENDS-
For further information contact Declan Quigley: +353 87 6848586
www.garythompsonracing.com
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