Leggate misses Knockhill

Fiona Leggate has opted to sit out Knockhill’s Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship rounds this Sunday (3 September) to concentrate instead on the season’s final two meetings.

In a statement, Leggate’s Thurlby Motors Boston Bowl with Tech-Speed squad said her bio-ethanol-powered Vauxhall Astra Coupé will re-appear in Brands Hatch’s and Silverstone’s BTCC fixtures on 24 September and 15 October respectively.

Leggate’s father Malcolm, of Boston Bowl Racing, said: “We decided to withdraw to keep some money in the budget for the last two race meetings at Brands and Silverstone. We’ve had some extra expenses for our small budget, and sitting out Knockhill means we can really concentrate on the last two race meetings. We were lucky to run two half seasons on one engine – it shows that the bio-ethanol fuel does not affect the reliability!”

Steve Bunkhall, project leader at Energy Efficient Motorsport that supports Leggate’s entry in the BTCC, added: “It’s a great shame but we understand the reasons. Fiona has shown herself this year to be a gutsy competitor – learning in front of the crowds is not easy with her level of experience against these guys. It’s a tough championship.

”We’ll be there to support her again at the last two race meetings and we are still collecting data for our fuel flow meter project, looking at how different fuels can compete together.”

The announcement comes as a blow to the Tech-Speed squad that prepares Leggate’s car – team principal Marvin Humphries reckoned some strong performances would have been possible from his driver. He said: “We’re disappointed not to do the races; the car’s ready to go and we were looking forward to a good result – the car works well on these tight circuits.”

Thurlby Motors, which owns the Astra Coupe racing car, is promoting its Thurlby 888 Astra CDTi at the British Touring Car race meetings, a limited edition 200BHP diesel with sports suspension, dynamic body kit, 335mm disc brakes and upgraded interior. The lucky winner of the season-long competition will be presented with one of the cars at the final race meeting at Silverstone on 15 October.

Source: www.btcc.net / FionaLeggate.co.uk