‘Frustrating’ weekend for Tempus at Oulton

Tempus Sport and Harry Vaulkhard had a difficult weekend last time out at Oulton Park, where the team recorded no top ten finishes for the first time in 2009. The weekend had started in a promising fashion, with Vaulkhard comfortably lapping in the top ten inside free practice and qualifying in 11th for the first race of the day.

Vaulkhard started the first race of the day looking to progress into the points, but contact with Paul O’Neill at the Knickerbrook chicane put paid to his aspirations. With damage to the rear dampers, Vaulkhard was left with no choice but to retire and the prospect of starting the second race of the day at the very back of the grid.

With the Chevrolet Lacetti repaired in time for Round 11, Vaulkhard again suffered bad luck in the race and was unable to finish any higher than 15th due to a slow puncture in the left-rear tyre. Race three saw him starting from fifteenth on the grid and at a searing hot Oulton Park circuit he could only manage 12th position by the chequered flag, in a race that saw few incidents.

Team director Richard Coleman summarised the weekend: “This was a frustrating weekend for us. We had good pace during the practice sessions but lost out in qualifying with Harry pushing too hard. Being put out of the first race put us right at the back of the field for the next race and it’s a difficult place to pass at Oulton so progress was always going to be difficult. In the last race Harry was doing a similar pace to some of the frontrunners so we know we could have done well if it wasn’t for the incident in race one.”

A circumspect Vaulkhard added: “Hopefully, that was our worst weekend of the year. I’ll put my hand up and admit I over-drove in qualifying, but then I was turned around in race one, which was unfortunate, but one of those things in racing. In the second race the car didn’t feel so good and we had a slow puncture. In race three the car felt really good, and it’s dead frustrating having a quick car when you’re so far back that you know you won’t get a good result no matter how hard you drive. I can’t wait for Croft and the next race.”

Tempus Sport will tackle Vaulkhard’s hoem circuit, Croft, on the 13/14 June.