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With the Production BMW season already over, I couldn't resist the lure of the Silverstone GP circuit with the Toyo Tyres Racing Saloons series. And with 36 Production BMW cars entered, it was pretty much like a normal race weekend.

Qualifying was pants. Keen to make the most of my tyres while they were at their best, I tried to get up to speed quickly and promptly threw it off at Priory on lap 2. Managed to straighten up and head straight across the gravel trap onto the National straight. Still needed to snatch 2nd and power out the other side though. The kitty litter is a lot more effective at slowing BMWs than F1 cars it seems! Thereafter, I couldn't get my head together and the massive wheel wobble was distracting.

I got lucky to qualify 3rd of the PBMWs. Even luckier to be at the front of group B and pole position for the first race on Saturday. It was a nice feeling, leading the pack around the GP circuit on the green flag lap.

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Liam • Race Reports

"A sixth Production BMW win of the season went the way of Rob Smith, confirming his title in the last of three races for the German tin-tops at Oulton. He had already won the first, while reigning Clio Cup winner Ben Winrow returned to his rear-wheel drive Caterham roots by winning race two. Smith fended off a race-long challenge from former champion Liam Crilly while Winrow struggled to match their pace in third, hampered by a late-race vibration that caused him to drop back." -- Autosport, 13-Aug-2009

Liam • Press Cuttings

The final two championship rounds are already upon us. Oulton Park is quite possibly my favourite UK circuit and we'll be using the full International layout for the first time. The parkland setting looks glorious in the August sunshine but I wouldn't have minded at least one wet race this year!

Sharing a pit garage with Mike Dugdale, who is keen to get out early for qualifying, means that I ended up first in the queue at the end of the pitlane. Rob Smith, the new champion, is behind me. The last time this happened, he followed me around Castle Combe and pipped me to pole by less than a tenth. As the session gets underway I nail it from the off and try to shake Rob off for some isolated laps. The loud clunking from the rear end is a little unnerving for the first few corners before I realise that I've left my son's pushchair in the boot! Putting that to one side and knowing that my tyres will be at their best on lap 2 or 3, getting up to speed quickly is important. I can't lose Rob but nor does he come past me, despite appearing to be a little quicker. Ultimately he goes a tenth quicker to clinch another pole but second is good enough for me and guarantees a front row start in both races.

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Liam • Announcements, Race Reports

"BMW experts Liam Crilly and Tony Smith shared the Production BMW Championship spoils at Cadwell Park last Saturday, each taking their first victories of the season.
A slow getaway from race-one polesitter Rob Smith allowed fast-starting Crilly to immediately snatch the lead. Despite Smith's best efforts, he was unable to find a way through and had to follow the former champion for the full nine laps. 'We worked hard for this', said the victor. 'It's the result we've been looking for.'
Determined to echo his race-one performance, Crilly made another good start in race two, this time tussling with a different Smith. Tony Smith succeeded where Rob had failed and got the better of his rival, forcing Crilly to play second fiddle." -- Autosport, 02-Jul-2009

Liam • Press Cuttings

"The Production BMW Championship fielded three races with reigning champion Liam Crilly bagging his first win of the season to take race one from a hard-trying Rob Smith. Tony Smith was another maiden winner as he claimed race two from Crilly whose pursuit was interrupted when he spun at the Gooseneck and bounced off the tyre wall. Undaunted, he recovered for second and set the fastest lap of the race." -- Motorsport News, 01-Jul-2009

Liam • Press Cuttings

A foggy morning in the Lincolnshire Wolds meant that qualifying was effectively abandoned, as we ran for three laps behind the safety car in order to fulfil the MSA's requirements. After much speculation, the grids were announced to be set by championship positions. Good news for me, as my solid results all year would put me in second position for race one and pole position in race two.

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Liam • Race Reports

Our one and only weekend double-header meeting of the year brings us to Norfolk. Snettertin is not a favourite circuit of mine but I've had some good results here.

Qualifying reminds me why I don't get on here when despite feeling comfortable with the car I only manage to secure 6th position on the grid.

Race one gets off to a better start when I get up to 5th off the line and then pass Tim Wilson for 4th. I then start putting Tony Smith under pressure for 3rd and get a good run on him on the exit of Coram and get alongside him on the run down to the Russell chicane. In my pursuit of third place, I don't notice the yellow flags waving at the chicane and wonder why Tony doesn't relinquish the place to me. He's wondering why I'm trying to overtake under yellow flags! Consequently, we pass through the chicane side by side which spits me out very wide onto the grass and stones on the outside.

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Liam • Race Reports

Just the one race at the Wiltshire circuit this year but it's no less popular, with 49 cars heading out to qualilfy. I'm pleased to get a clear lap in early on, which I'm then unable to better, but I'm pleased to be able to keep Rob Smith behind me. Back in the paddock I discover that I held pole position until the very last lap when Rob pipped me to it by 16-hundredths of a second! I've very rarely secured pole positions in the past and I'm gutted to have missed out by such a small margin. However, I'm very pleased to have good pace and it promises a good result.

Despite a decent start I'm unable to do anything about Rob off the line and settle into second place. I can keep in touch with him but there's no opportunity to make a pass. Meantime, behind me, Tim Wilson is keeping me honest. A mistake at Quarry corner at half distance allows him to stick his nose up the inside into the Esses and demote me back to third. I do my best to contain my frustration and hang on as best I can. As our tyres start to go off towards the end of the race I get a sniff of a pass into Quarry but get the braking all wrong and give Tim a slight tap on his rear bumper. A less gentlemanly driver would have kept his foot in and forced his way past but that's not my style and I let Tim recover.

Finishing third is tainted with disappointment but it's a good result and I'm further rewarded by being presented with the "driver of the day" award. The good news is that I retain my second position in the championship standings but I've allowed Rob Smith to extend his lead.

Liam • Race Reports

We were supposed to be racing at Donington Park this weekend but that got cancelled when work started (and then stopped) on the F1 improvements. Instead, MSVR and the various series organisers managed to move the meeting to Silverstone over the course of the preceeding weekend!

I don't much like the Silverstone National circuit but I'm just happy to be racing at all. I've never gone well here. Today we have two races but just one qualifying session. So that will set the grid for race one, the results of which will set the grid for race two. And it's another popular meeting with 43 cars out to qualify which makes it extremely difficult to find a clear lap. Yet again, my best is only good enough for 7th on the grid which is a tough place to start from if I'm to score some decent points today.

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Liam • Race Reports

It's the start of my sixth season in the Production BMW Championship and it's more popular than ever. With 51 cars entered, qualifying is split across two sessions with each driver then racing in two of the three races. I struggle to find enough space for a clear lap in qualifying, eventually putting in my fastest time on the last lap of the session. It's a little disappointing to only post the 7th fastest time which will start me 2nd and then 7th in my two races. I won't explain the qualifying-grid system here!

Race one gets off to a very good start as I get off the line ahead of polesitter Tim Wilson until a mistake on cold tyres at Graham Hill bend allows Tim to come back past me. As Tim stretches out a lead, I'm comfortably holding position from Richard Thomas. However, my comfortable second position soon becomes anything but, as Tony Smith gets past Richard and then starts to close me down. There's nothing I can do to hold him off but once he's past I realise where I'm losing time and manage to hang on to Tony until the end of the race. A disappointing result to finish 2 places behind where I started but a podium finish is a good way to start the season.

Sitting 7th on the grid for race two, my chances of repeating a podium finish are looking slim. But another good start sees me up to 4th place on the opening lap and this time my new-found speed allows me to keep in touch with the leaders. This time I'm able to pull away from Tony Smith behind me which serves to annoy me further about my race-one performance. As the race enters the final few laps, the engine of third place man and long-term rival, Alan Wileman, expires dramatically right in front of me. This gifts me third place at the expense of a windscreen which gets cracked by a lump of disintegrating engine. That's a price I'm more than willing to pay for a second trip to the podium!

So after a shaky start, I head home with a couple of trophies and holding third place in the championship.

Liam • Race Reports

"Battles raged throughout the capacity field during a frantic Production BMW race. Despite always having his mirrors full, Liam Crilly kept his nerve to clinch a well-deserved win. Dean Spurr headed the pursuing pack, while Robin Welsh beat Tony Smith to third by a whisker." -- Autosport, 24-Jul-2008

Liam • Press Cuttings

"Liam Crilly's defence of his lead was copy book as both Dean Spurr and Robin Welsh can testify while Tony Smith completed the lead quartet." -- Motorsport News, 23-Jul-2008

Liam • Press Cuttings