Priaulx hopes for BMW improvements
Date published : 16 Jul 2010 - 14:32:11
Andy Priaulx's hopes of a home victory this weekend in the World Touring Car Championship will rest on any improvements that can be made to his BMW.
Heading into rounds 11 and 12 of the 22-race calendar at Brands Hatch, Priaulx lies third in the standings, 47 points adrift of championship leader Yvan Muller and 32 behind reigning champion Gabriele Tarquini.
"It's nice to come home, and it's always a good race for me," said Priaulx, speaking to Press Association Sport. "Although I'm in the mix, lying third in the championship, we've been on the wrong edge of the performance envelope since the start of the year.It means I'm going to have to do something pretty special if I want to win."
With three wins under his belt this year, it has been a remarkable performance so far from Priaulx given his BMW 320si is now five years old.
Although happy to be on home soil, Priaulx knows the Kent circuit is not one ideally suited to his car, and that he faces an uphill battle to claim a win in either race.
He said: "We do have something up our sleeve and if that comes off then I think we're going to be in with a chance, but it's going to be a tough race."
Priaulx's problem is qualifying as his old car means a lower grid slot to start the opening race of the weekend, instantly putting him on the backfoot.
"I'm between eighth and 12th in qualifying, sometimes a little better, sometimes a little worse," added the three-times world champion, who still has high hopes of adding a fourth crown.
"Aggressively I've managed to scrape myself into the top eight in race one and that has allowed me to win race two in two of the last four events.
"Our race pace is good. It's just a question of qualifying a little better and then we can still be in with a chance of winning the championship. I still feel I can win it. We're the challengers, but optimistic challengers, and if I can win race one more often then I can win the championship."
