Abracs backed Daniel Lloyd has maintained his lead at the top of the TCR UK Championship standings, thanks to a front row start and podium during rounds 9 and 10 of the inaugural tin-top racing series at Cheshire’s Oulton Park circuit (August 4).

The 26-year-old had a huge task ahead of him heading into the weekend. With the maximum compensation weight of 60kg on-board the WestCoast Racing VW Golf GTI, Oulton Park’s undulating nature presented the toughest challenge yet for Lloyd and his Swedish crew.

After grappling to find the perfect set-up in the morning’s practice session, a superb flying lap in the late stages of the 30 minute qualifying session rewarded Lloyd with a front row start for the opening race, with the #23 Golf GTI lining up in P2.

Pipped off the line, Lloyd dropped back to P3 at the start of the first race, before a heavy shunt further back in the field brought out the red flag on the opening lap. After a 30 minute wait to repair the barriers, the shortened race was restarted. Lloyd held position well despite coming under increasing pressure throughout the 15-minute sprint to take P3 at the flag. Following the chequered flag, the Yorkshireman was promoted to P2 by virtue of a 5 second penalty for Derek Palmer Jr, for exceeding track limits.

“It was a really tough race;” commented Lloyd. “I didn’t get off to the best start but I was happy that I managed to get back into position and stay in the fight for the podium.

“The team told me over the radio that Palmer had two penalties so I didn’t want to push too hard and risk losing 2nd. I just tried to keep the gap to the rest of the field and bring the car home for the championship points.

“Going into the race I thought we would be looking at P2, so I’m happy with that result, especially on such a demanding track with all the weight we had to carry.”

With the reversed grid placing him in P9 for race 2, it was a case of damage limitation for Lloyd’s championship lead. After battling his way through the pack in the opening laps, the ABRACS-backed racer’s determination and race craft shone through and the #23 VW eventually crossed the line in 4th – securing another solid haul of points to keep his championship lead in-tact.

“That was an even tougher race!” explained Lloyd. “The 60kg of weight absolutely killed us here. It’s probably the worst track in the UK to come to with weight on-board. It’s just so tough on the brakes you lose all momentum coming back out of the corners, it’s a nightmare!

“It’s not been the best weekend for us results wise, but the team have given me a great car again. All things considered, P2 and P4 with the handicap is a good result here and we’ve come away still leading the Drivers’ and Teams’ Championship so we have to be happy with that.”

Full race results and timings from each session can be found online at: https://www.tsl-timing.com/event/183130