LOTUS ELISE CHAMPIONSHIP

MECHANICAL PROBLEMS SET-IN

Matt Turner struggled through two difficult races at Brands Hatch over the Bank Holiday weekend, after mechanical failure interrupted his charge in the Autobytel Lotus Elise Championship.

Race One
The American former Le Mans racer could not find appropriate settings for the sports car and struggled throughout the qualifying session. The race also brought problems for Turner who was battling to make the car work properly, although he did pick off a number of his rivals to finish on the fringes of the top ten. "I was really upset. I thought I would struggle after the way the car had been in practice, but didn't realise it would be that bad. I was on the back of the leading pack but I thought I should be in the middle of it," he said.

Race Two
Monday's second encounter promised more. Turner fired off from 11th on the grid in his Corus Hotels backed car, and battled his way into the top seven before he felt something strange from the rear of the car, "I thought I was going to have to stop," he explained. "The handling went awry and I didn't know why." One of the rear tyres was leaking air and Turner was on borrowed time. Nevertheless, he kept pushing and maintained his position inside the top seven until a further problem struck.

"I was changing from third to fourth when the gearbox got stuck. From that point on there was nothing I could do - I was just struggling to get any transmission. Then to cap it all, the tyre failed on the final lap and I had to crawl to the line."

Despite these problems, Matt is now looking ahead to the next race of the championship at the famous Nurburgring in Germany. "The European races are always something special and the Nurburgring is a great name in motor sport. To win there would be something special indeed and I will be pushing like crazy, but my job is also to help my Corus Hotels team-mate Ed Horner with some set-up work. It will be an interesting run in to the season, that is for sure!"