TOURING CARS: Season best result for Hughes (From Northwich Guardian)

Speedworks Motorsport driver Tony Hughes matches season-best result

2:06pm Sunday 5th June 2011 in Motorsport By Andrew Simpson

KNUTSFORD driver Tony Hughes matched his best result of the season to date in Sunday’s Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship opener at Oulton Park.

He crossed the line in 16th position behind the wheel of Speedworks Motorsport’s Toyota Avensis in an action-packed race at the Little Budworth circuit.

“I’m happy,” he declared afterwards.

“I made up a few places at the start before I was tagged [by Team ES Racing’s Chris James] at Knickerbrook and lost time.

“After that I pushed hard before deciding that the best thing to do was make sure I got to the finish.”

It was a strategy that paid off.

Hughes, competing for the first time in the rain on his debut season in the series, opted for a full set of wet tyres as weather conditions worsened in the minutes before the race started.

“We made that decision early,” said team principal Christian Dick.

“As the track dried later in the race it left Tony with a dilemma of whether to continue pushing or look after the rubber and he chose the latter.”

At the front, pole-sitter Gorden Shedden (Honda Racing Team) led from lights to flag ahead of reigning champion Jason Plato (Silverline Chevrolet).

Plato’s teammate Alex MacDowell finished third ahead of James Nash (888 with Collins Contractors).

BMW 320si pair Rob Collard and Nick Foster (both WSR) completed the top six.

Hughes starts race two, due to start at 2.30pm, from the grid’s eighth row as a reward for his performance.