BRITCAR newcomer Christie Doran admits she is praying for a break after heartbreaking late drama cost her a class podium at Oulton Park.
Christie, from Falkirk, was fighting for third place in the opening 50-minute race as the clock showed just two minutes left when her Slidesports Race Engineering Golf slowed and the engine cut out.
The fault ended her race and her weekend.
She said: “If I didn’t have bad luck, I wouldn’t have any luck. It was a really frustrating way for the race to end.
“It had been a great weekend up to that point. Testing had gone very well. We had found lots of time and knew we were competitive. I went even quicker in warm-up, then matched that time in qualifying, where I was third in class but only by four hundredths of a second.”
Christie, 23, was full of confidence as she lined up alongside Ferraris, Mercedes, Ginettas and TCR cars in the multi-class field, but her major battles would be with the Smart For Four of Rob Baker and Lucas Nanetti and a Lotus Elise, driven by Andy Napier.
They enjoyed a 20-lap battle that ebbed and flowed and it looked like Christie had cemented third place in class as the clock ticked down but then the final drama struck. Christie added: “I just lost power. I tried resetting it but nothing happened. I was on the start-finish straight so I was desperate to get the Golf on to the grass and the marshals were excellent in pushing the car to safety.
“The team did everything they could to get me back out, but it was not to be. That sort of sums up the season. We made the move from the VAG Trophy to the Britcar Endurance Championship and I am loving the classes and longer races.
“But we have had a real challenge with the budget. We had to miss the round at Silvertsone. Now we have only managed one race here. We will keep working on it but it has been very tough.
“We will try to take positives from Oulton. I was on the pace, my race craft was good and my fitness was really good. The team did a great job, so now we move on. The fight-back starts here.” By Alister Johnstone
