SPEAKER_00 0:00

Well Ash uh for the second time third time whatever this weekend um congratulations your 300th uh race and you leave Donington Park with the bragging rights, you're leading the championship.

SPEAKER_01 0:11

I don't know if that's a good thing, guys, to brand one second of T T V that's gonna be painful, that's for sure, especially when it's a qualifying race. But yeah, I mean what a day to turn around when you look 24 hours ago we sat in a gravel trap and we've turned it around and yeah, phenomenal race one. Obviously, uh race one's very hard to come through with the obviously everyone's still got 20 seconds, I was on the medium, not the soft. So to get to where we did was awesome, and then obviously into race two to get the win and then somehow convert that last one into a win was was just as good. But yeah, car's been on fire. We got a one-two for Napa Race in the UK, first one of the year, first one for the forward focus uh full focus titanium. So, yeah, it's just been an absolute mega day.

SPEAKER_00 0:51

The forward focus, the only real difference is of course the back end. How much of a difference is that making the aero particularly?

SPEAKER_01 0:57

Yeah, it just we've we're open on this as we always have been. Um it's just slipper in a straight line. We're trying we've been trying to compete with the high and die, and I feel like we've now got something we might be able to do something with.

SPEAKER_00 1:07

Um Tom Ingram copied you, didn't he, coming from the back to get on the podium. Is that an indicator that this is gonna go down to a two-horse race again?

SPEAKER_01 1:16

I don't know if it's gonna go down to a two-horse race. I mean the Audis look phenomenal. Um I mean the BMs have been strong as well. It's it's early doors before we can claim anything like that. Um never in doubt was uh he was always gonna come through, especially then soft tire, some people have got a limit amount, a limited amount of TTB. Never for a second doubt is how long or if he was gonna get there, it's just how long it took. So luckily it was long enough that it didn't affect my race. Um but yeah, it's always always gonna be down to at least us two.

SPEAKER_00 1:44

Despite the the strong performance this weekend, we spoke at the media day about how the new qualifying format was gonna shake things up, new cars coming in, new drivers coming in, and it and it does feel that just round the corner is a lot more close racing.

SPEAKER_01 1:57

Oh, I think brands is when we really see the format take control. Um like I said, limited amount of T T B going into brands, and then obviously brands qualifying and then brands race to pole, whatever we're calling it, um you're gonna see the effect and it's gonna be huge. Um so let's see how that plans out. That will then spice things up, no doubt, and it'll also make the Sunday very, very entertaining. Absolutely. Very strong start to the season. Well done, Ash. Cheers, thank you.