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Tough weekend at Rockingham is part of the journey

Added Thursday 22 September 2011

Sometimes the hardest outing for a sportsman is the event that takes place just after his most impressive performance yet.  Going into Rockingham, Struan was still buzzing from his recent podium finishes at Snetterton and Knockhill.  Hopes were high for the Jersey teenager and his Hillspeed team were all set for a repeat of the performance from the last couple of race weekends.  Rockingham had drawn impressive crowds and was celebrating its 10th anniversary in style by hosting all the fantastic BTCC action.

Struan arrived at Rockingham on Thursday evening ahead of free practice on Friday. The Hillspeed team attended a test here in August this year so that Struan could learn yet another new circuit, so he maintained a positive outlook going into the weekend proper. In free practice Struan ended up some 1.2 seconds off the pace and with a lot of hard work to complete before qualifying if he was to put himself  high up the grid.  Fortunately he managed to recover from this set back to qualify 8th, just 0.3 seconds off pole-sitter Charlie Robertson.  Everything was shaping up for a third successive winning weekend.

Race one was a tough outing, with Struan dropping to 11th place and battling to catch up with the group in front of him.  After gaining a few places on the opening lap, his focus was clear, but just as the race was taking a more positive turn he was hit from behind by Declan Jones and the severe damage to the rear left corner of his Ginetta G40 was sufficient to force him to retire from the race.

Race two was another day, and a better start for Struan saw him hold his position down to turn one.  However, at turn two disaster struck again and Struan ended up with a deranged bonnet. A collision in front of him had left him with no other option other than to make contact with a car in front.  Struan managed to continue and pressed on to catch the pack ahead. Towards the end of the race, he tried to pass another driver and the two of them came together at the apex of turn 3. As a result of the contact, the driver spun through the gravel as Struan carried on and crossed the line in 12th position.  However, after the race the Ginetta Junior Championship body imposed a three second penalty to Struan’s race time due to the incident- dropping him to a disappointing 14th place in the amended results.

Hillspeed Team Principal Richard Ollerenshaw is optimistic that this weekend was a blip in an otherwise promising upwards curve in Struan’s race performance:

“It wasn’t a great weekend for Struan…we can’t argue with the penalty applied at all and Struan accepts it.  He showed at Knockhill just what he’s  capable of so hopefully that sort of performance will be forthcoming again at Brands Hatch in a couple of weeks.”

As is the case for most dedicated sportsmen and women nowadays, Struan works with a sports psychologist to ensure his mind is trained along with his body.  At this point in the season, and before a big outing like Brands Hatch, mental strength really comes into play.  Turning this experience into a positive plan of action for a way forward will be crucial.  Struan is developing as a racing driver, and he’s determined to use every opportunity to improve his performance each weekend.  Perhaps that’s the mark of true potential in a sportsman.