BTCC: Thruxton pole-man Cammish: It's been a story of self-belief

NAPA Racing's Dan Cammish admits his 2022 British Touring Car Championship campaign has 'been a story of self-belief' so far after powering to his first pole position in Ford colours in qualifying at Thruxton.

Cammish snatched pole position away from BTC Racing's Josh Cook by just 0.017s following what proved to be a tight session-long contest between the Ford and Honda duo.

His first pole since switching to Ford machinery this season marks an upturn in fortune for the 2019 BTCC runner-up, who currently sits 12th in the drivers' standings.

By his own admission, Cammish has struggled with the race pace of his Ford Focus, but believes he's now on an upwards trajectory after 'turning a corner' at Snetterton.

"This year has been tough," Cammish told Crash.net. "I’m not a big believer in bad luck, but sometimes there has been.

"The fire at Donington Park, of course that had nothing to do with me. But there’s also been times when you make your own luck and we just haven’t had the speed.

"Something changed at Snetterton and we’ve come here and worked on it again. I just feel like I’m starting to get there now.

“When it all aligned at the end [in qualifying], I thought we were going to be close. I feel like this year has been a story of having some self-belief. Because there’s been times when it’s been pretty low."

Having gradually chipped away at Cook's advantage and established himself in second position during qualifying prior to the climax of the session, Cammish admitted his final-run was very nearly abandoned.

"The last run wasn’t actually going to happen. I improved on the second run marginally by a tenth. I was sat there thinking that was a good lap. Can I find more?" Cammish continued.

"To find more around here isn’t always about being more technical. It’s about, can I hang on for one lap and take a very deep breath? Out the back, you are literally in a missile trying to hang on to it. When you’ve survived two-laps like that, is a third going to bite me?

"As Ash [Sutton] showed. He went off the track because we are so on a knife edge."

With an eye on clinching his first victory for Ford outfit, Cammish is also mindful of the team game that he may need to play with his title contending team mate Ash Sutton.

"I’m here to try and win the race. If that’s not possible, I’m here to get a podium. I want podiums and I want wins for this team," said Cammish.

"Ultimately, at some point if I need to help Ash then that’s a conversation we need to have. I’m a team player. It’s not just about this year, it’s about the future as well. Ash has got a good chance at it."