BTCC 2011 news.

[Rob]

14/Jan/2011
Gow: BTCC hitting new peak

British Touring Car Championship boss Alan Gow believes the series is set for a new high thanks to its new NGTC technical regulations.

Speaking on the central stage at the star-studded Autosport International Show, Gow said the Dunlop-backed championship was perfectly positioned to grow even further in stature.

"It is a bigger draw than it has been this century," said Series Director Gow. "It is getting bigger all the time, we have a fantastic array of new cars coming out, we have great TV package with ITV. Everything is in place to grow the championship again."

And he said the NGTC regulations, which will lead to even more appealing cars yet dramatically reduce teams’ budgets, will add even greater momentum to the championship’s continued rise in popularity – some 325,000 people watched trackside at BTCC events in 2010, putting attendances on a par with Premiership football matches.

"There’s a very basic explanation behind it – it will be cheaper, faster and better looking,” he added. "How we have achieved that... basically you don't have to go through an expensive homologation process.

"The championship going forward will be cheaper to compete in, better for spectators to look at and the cars will be nicer to drive and faster."

Already three new teams have been attracted to the BTCC thanks to the NGTC regulations – Dynojet and Speedworks will graduate from the Ginetta G50 series each with a Toyota Avensis while Rob Austin Racing will enter a pair of Audi A4s. All four machines will be built to NGTC specification and Gow hinted that at least one more such car is expected to appear in the first season of the new regulations. He also said he was delighted with the pace of the BTCC’s NGTC prototype – on display on the show’s central stage – in testing so far.

"We are not trying to make a race car out of a production car – it is a proper race car underneath," he continued. "There is no reason why it should not have been quicker and this is just a beginning of development – there will be five cars on the grid to full NGTC spec – and the cars will get quicker and quicker all the time."

http://www.btcc.net/html/generalnews_detail.php?id=2233

[Rob]

well it all kicks off April 3rd, at Brands, may go, but Snetterton again in August. Motorbase are switching from BMWs to Fords this year.

[Rob]

Two-car attack from Pirtek
Andrew Jordan will head a two-car Pirtek Racing team in 2011’s Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship.

Jordan announced this evening he will again race the squad's Vauxhall Vectra having achieved his first two wins in the BTCC in the car last season. As in 2010, it will again be powered by TOCA’s unbranded NGTC-spec turbocharged engine.

Racing alongside Jordan will be relative newcomer Jeff Smith – he confirmed some time ago he would race a Vectra for the Eurotech company that prepares the cars but his entry will now also fall under the Pirtek banner.

For Jordan, aged 21 from Lichfield and son of Eurotech boss Mike, 2011 will be his fourth season in the BTCC. He said: “It’s great to be back in the BTCC with Pirtek Racing; we had such a strong debut last year and we have been busy building on those foundations in readiness of the forthcoming season.

“We now have a bigger team behind us, we have greatly increased our staffing levels and our biggest focus is to develop and improve the Vectra for an even stronger season this year. Fundamentally the Vectra is a great chassis… Swindon, the engine builder, has also been focusing on improving the engine's performance during the winter. As a team we are confident that we will be able to once again fight for victories in the BTCC and our aim is to win the Independent Drivers title.”

Pirtek UK’s business development director Alistair Wiggins added: “The BTCC is a fiercely competitive series and we were pleased with our overall development and performance last year where we took the fight to more established teams with bigger budgets on numerous occasions. The Pirtek brand received great exposure from being part of the BTCC, which is why we have returned for a second season.

“This year the team will field two cars and, with double the technical feedback, increased development on the car, as well as increased exposure, Pirtek Racing will be looking to equal, if not better their success in 2011.”

[Rob]

Wrathall feels BTCC's power
Newcomer Frank Wrathall says he’s instantly felt the ‘pulling power’ of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship.

Wrathall only recently announced his plans to join the UK’s premier motor racing championship but his new status as a BTCC driver earned him a spot on the central stage at last week’s star-studded Autosport International Show.

On the Saturday he joined the btcc.net fans’ favourite driver of 2010, Shaun Hollamby, for a 15-minute appearance before a large public crowd.

Just yards away was BTCC organiser TOCA’s prototype machine built to the championship’s new Next Generation Touring Car technical regulations – Wrathall will race a similar car, based on Toyota’s Avensis model, in his debut season for his own Dynojet team.

The 24-year-old Lancastrian, who will be joining the BTCC grid off the back of his Ginetta G50 title win last year, said: “I’ve never come close to a stage appearance like that – the interest in my racing activity since we announced our plans to join the BTCC has been astronomical and then came the opportunity to appear at the show, again through the BTCC’s ‘PR machine’. It feels awesome and is a great start for a young driver looking to impress in his first season in the BTCC.

“It’s also great practice for what lies ahead – the BTCC is all about public entertainment and at every event there will be many requests from fans and media in the paddock and pit lane autograph sessions. I’m really looking forward to it.”

[Rob]

Big new sponsor for STR
The newly-named Special Tuning Racing team has confirmed Houseman Dry Lining will title-sponsor its 2011 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship campaign.

The Lancashire outfit – formerly known as Special Tuning UK – recently announced it now has the capacity to potentially run as many as four SEAT Leons in this year’s BTCC. This afternoon, with negotiations with drivers on-going, it confirmed Houseman’s logos would take a prominent place on each of its cars during the forthcoming season (see artist’s impression).

Houseman is an international specialist in business interiors and facades and its colours will be familiar to many BTCC fans – they have appeared on a variety of cars in recent seasons.

John Boardman, STR Team Principal, commented: “We felt in order to move the team to the next level in terms of on track performance and make the team more attractive to corporate partners, we needed to launch a new brand. The transition from Special Tuning UK to Special Tuning Racing is now complete.

"We are extremely proud to have Houseman Dry Lining on board for the coming year. The team is committed to a very competitive season throughout 2011 and a title sponsor coming on board adds weight to our dedicated campaign.”

Houseman managing director Rob Houseman added: "We are very excited about our deal with STR. We have been a sponsor within the BTCC paddock for numerous seasons across several categories and considered our options very carefully as to where we wanted to be in 2011. STR are poised to be ultra competitive this year and we feel that their dedication to performance, combined with our commercial input, provides the key ingredients for a successful partnership.

“We have had offers from other competitive teams but STR offered us a fabulous package. We are looking forward to working closely with them throughout the coming season and would welcome a chance to extend our investment into a multi-year deal if both parties achieve their objectives.”

[Rob]

New look for cars
The Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship will become the first race series in the UK to shed drivers’ numbers from car doors – thereby creating more space for teams to be ever-more creative with sponsor liveries.

Instead high-visibility fleuro-yellow race numbers will be placed on the rear side windows, above the driver’s surname, as well as to the front and rear windscreens.

An example of the new look – approved by UK motor sport’s governing body, the Motor Sports Association, on a trial basis for this year – was seen at last week’s Autosport International Show when Shaun Hollamby took the wraps off his 2011-spec AmD Milltek Racing VW Golf (see photo).
http://i51.tinypic.com/ohntcz.jpg
Also moved from the front doors are the logos of championship title sponsor Dunlop (to the front and rear registration plate panels) and media partners Auto Express and evo (to the foot of each rear door or adjacent sill).

BTCC Series Director Alan Gow explained: “This is something our teams requested unanimously so as to add even greater value for those companies investing in their BTCC programmes and it made perfect sense to us.

"As well, it provides marshals, spectators and TV audiences alike with clearer and better identification of the cars… quite obviously the numbers stand out more distinctly than before and are now also on the front and rear screens.

"The BTCC would like to thank the MSA for its forward-thinking and, if the trial is successful, it’s something that could really benefit more of the sport in the future.”

Returns for sponsors on the BTCC grid are astronomical – it is the UK’s premier motor racing championship with trackside crowds averaging 32,500 (2010’s biggest was 42,000) plus more than six hours of live free-to-air television coverage across Britain on ITV4 from every one of its ten events. In addition, the ITV network carries highlights of the action (ITV1 & ITV4) while live coverage of events also extends to the itv.com website which catalogues each race for later viewing.

[Tifosi]

looking forward to it already. Wonder if Gio may come back. Hope so :-)

[Rob]

looking forward to it already. Wonder if Gio may come back. Hope so :-)

would eb good, but think he has found drive driving the new Ferrari P4/5 competizione. But think that is for Nurburgring 24hr only. Not sure. Would be great to have him bavk in BTCC, needs top quility drivers like him. Not saying the ones we have are not, but Plato didnt have that much of a tough challenge, really, last year.

[Rob]

Avensis NGTC racer undergoes wind tunnel test

The BTCC’s Toyota Avensis-based ‘Next Generation Touring Car’ has moved a step closer to its competition debut following extensive wind tunnel testing at the UK’s leading aerodynamic analysis facility, MIRA.
http://i54.tinypic.com/5e7nfm.jpg
Built by GPR Motorsport, the Avensis racer will make its competition bow in the opening rounds of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship at Brands Hatch on 3 April.

The NGTC Avensis was joined in the MIRA wind tunnel by a road-going model, on which TOCA technical staff had installed a rear wing to help establish a baseline for the car’s aerodynamics. “We needed to fix a position for the rear wing, based on the aerodynamics of the road car, which gave the levels of downforce we were looking for,” said the championship’s technical director, Peter Riches.

“I am pleased to say that this was quickly achieved, and it means that we now have a base line for all cars built to the NGTC regulations and have saved a lot of development time and potential expense for the teams.”

Two privateer teams – Dynojet and Speedworks – have so far committed to running an Avensis, and it is hoped their example will be followed by others looking to take advantage of the reduced costs of development associated with the new car.

Toyota models have a long and successful history in the BTCC: three championship titles fell to Corolla drivers Win Percy and Chris Hodgetts in the 1980s while the Carina racked up numerous race victories in the ’90s.

http://www.btcc.net/html/generalnews_detail.php?id=2237

[Rob]

Testing begins for Pirtek duo
Andrew Jordanwas happy with his Pirtek Racing team Vauxhall Vectra on its first day of running in 2011…

Jordan and new team-mate Jeff Smith were both in action on the Brands Hatch Indy circuit yesterday as their team’s preparations for this year’s Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship got under way.

Brands Hatch Indy will host 2011’s opening BTCC round on Sunday 3 April. It is also where Jordan achieved the second of his two maiden wins in 2010 in the final race of last season.

Both drivers enjoyed trouble-free runs (although Smith experienced a minor 'whoopise' – pictured) and are due back on track again today (Wednesday).

As in 2010, the Eurotech outfit that fettles the Pirtek cars has opted to run BTCC organiser TOCA’s unbranded engine built to the championship’s new turbocharged Next Generation Touring Car (NGTC) technical regulations.

Jordan, aged 21 from Lichfield, told btcc.net: “The TOCA engine has had more development on it over the winter and everything feels really good straight out of the blocks. Already our lap times are looking good compared to what we achieved around here last year and that’s before we’ve even got started on chassis tweaks."

Elsewhere, the BTCC’s NGTC prototype – based on Toyota’s Avensis model – was also on track at Brands yesterday, with GT racer Matt Griffin putting it through a series of component durability tests.

[Rob]

WSR committed to BTCC
West Surrey Racing has this morning re-affirmed its commitment to the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, hinting that it could run as many as three BMWs in 2011’s series.

Bennetts’ famous squad, which won the BTCC title outright in 2009, has been a part of the grid every year since first entering in 1996 and is recognised as one of the pit lane’s ‘grandee’ teams.

An official WSR statement confirmed the team’s plans to continue with Super 2000-specification versions of BMW’s 320si model which it has used since 2007. The statement read: “WSR will run two or potentially three BMW 320si using two-litre normally aspirated engines which are currently being updated. The team expects that these updates, together with further chassis enhancements, will make the BMWs even more competitive.”

And team principal Bennetts commented: “We are really looking forward to running the BMWs in the BTCC again this year as they are a very good race car and, with the updates being done for 2011, I know we should be in with a chance. We will be aiming for regular podiums.

"Robert Collard had a lot of bad luck last year and, when we analysed the season, we should have finished a lot higher. We’ve had the most reliable cars on the grid for a few years now and will be looking to get points in the bag early on whilst some of the others may be finding their feet with the new NGTC technical regulations.”

He added: “We’re close on signing two drivers and will be announcing some new sponsors in the near future. The third seat is still up for grabs and we’re working hard on filling it. With the BTCC’s superb ITV package now broadcast in HD (High Definition) it will provide even better exposure for sponsors.”

http://www.btcc.net/html/generalnews_detail.php?id=2242&month=0&year=2011&form=&searchterm=

[Rob]

Jordan tops Silverstone test
Andrew Jordan thrashed the opposition to set the fastest time in official Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship testing during the series’ annual Media Day event at Silverstone today.

Jordan’s Pirtek Racing Vauxhall Vectra set a best time of 59.982s around the Northants venue’s short National circuit.

That was a staggering quarter of a second ahead of the next fastest driver, James Nash in team-mate Tony Gilham’s 888 Racing with Collins Contractors Vectra.

Both cars are fitted with TOCA’s unbranded NGTC-spec turbo engine.

But Jordan, trying to mask a big smile, refused to get too carried away by his form ahead of the BTCC’s opening round of the season at Brands Hatch, Kent in ten days (Sunday 3 April).

The 21-year-old from Lichfield told btcc.net: “I don’t think everybody has shown their true pace today, but hopefully we can continue this good strong run into Brands Hatch when the real stuff starts.

“We won’t read too much into today’s times, but it’s certainly nice and I would never turn it down.

“I think Brands Hatch will be a very hard race weekend, but we’ve shown a lot of promise and all the hard work over the winter has paid off. Hopefully we can transform that into productive races.”

Third and fourth fastest today were the implacable rivals, Honda Racing Team's Matt Neal and Silverline Chevrolet’s Jason Plato, the reigning Champion. While the RML team that runs the Chevrolet is sticking with an S2000-spec engine, Team Dynamics, which prepares the Civics, has switched to an NGTC-spec Honda motor for 2011. It was noticeable that Plato set the fastest of all in the lap’s second much twistier sector…

Mat Jackson set the fifth fastest lap time in Airwaves Racing’s 2010 Ford Focus. As at Snetterton last week, he was just fractionally ahead of Tom Chilton – sixth in Team Aon’s newer ‘Global’ Focus.

Paul O’Neill, the focus of attention for the many hundreds of fans who attended Silverstone today to get their first glimpse in 2011 of their BTCC heroes, was ninth fastest in his GoMobileUK.com with tech-speed Chevrolet Cruze – the very same car that Plato drove to last year’s drivers’ title.

But it was a tough day for several runners as they continued preparations for the BTCC’s forthcoming opening round.

Electrical problems with his Special Tuning Racing SEAT Leon limited Tom Boardman to just seven ‘slow’ laps and poor Tom Onslow-Cole never took part in the test as AmD Milltek Racing.com’s VW Golf suffered a terminal mechanical failure during a morning installation lap.

The Speedworks team and driver Tony Hughes were also in difficulties as their NGTC-spec Toyota Avensis managed just a couple of laps in their first test ahead of their debut BTCC season.

[Rob]

Record entry list for BTCC

The Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship today confirmed a record entry list ahead of its 2011 season with the highest number of different makes and car models entered for the series in the two decades it has run as an all two-litre formula.

Ten makes of car representing Audi, BMW, Chevrolet, Ford, Honda, Proton, SEAT, Toyota, Vauxhall and Volkswagen will all feature on this year’s flourishing grid. Out of those, 13 different models will be gearing up for action including: Audi A4, BMW 320si, Chevrolet Cruze, Chevrolet Lacetti, Ford Focus, ‘Global’ Ford Focus, Honda Civic, Honda Integra, Proton Gen-2, SEAT Leon, Toyota Avensis, Vauxhall Vectra and VW Golf.

This beats the previous record (nine makes and 11 models in 1993) seen in the BTCC’s two-litre era that began in 1991. In total, 27 entries have been received for the 2011 season, the first event of which is staged at the Brands Hatch circuit in Kent in ten days’ time on Sunday 3 April. From there the title race will head off on a high-speed, action packed, six-month tour of the UK, with ten race events in total at nine different motor sport venues culminating with Finals Day, this year being staged at British Formula 1 Grand Prix venue of Silverstone, Northants – host of today’s Media Day season launch – on Sunday 16 October.

Notably, the Audi, Proton and Toyota entries are all for cars built to the BTCC’s dynamic new Next Generation Touring Car technical regulations which provide dramatically reduced costs and have led directly to four new teams alone joining the BTCC for 2011.

Official ‘factory’ teams from Chevrolet and Honda also star on the entry list, while Toyota GB are funding an engine development programme for customer teams running its Avensis to the new NGTC regulations. Further underlining the BTCC’s importance to manufacturers as an ideal sporting arena in which to showcase products, the Ford Motor Company has chosen the championship to debut the competition version of its new 2011 Focus model, in the hands of the independent Team Aon squad.

Of the 27 entries, 17 drivers contested 2010’s BTCC. They include the top five in last year’s championship including the implacable rivals, reigning Champion Jason Plato and Matt Neal, the latter’s team-mate Gordon Shedden, Tom Onslow-Cole – who has made a shock move to the tiny AmD-run VW Golf team – and Independent Champion Tom Chilton. Of the new faces, two are reigning champions stepping up from the hotly-contested Ginetta GT Supercup and Renault Clio Cup categories that support the BTCC on race weekends; Frank Wrathall and Dave Newsham. A full entry list can be viewed below…

In 2011, the BTCC will once again receive unrivalled levels of television coverage – both live and highlights – across the ITV network. Its ITV4 and new ITV4 HD channel will be broadcasting ‘all-day live’ at the ten BTCC events with highlights on both ITV1 and ITV4 in the days following. In addition, the Goodyear-Dunlop group will continue as the championship’s title sponsor through its high performance Dunlop brand. It will be at Dunlop’s Tyre Fort headquarters in Birmingham that every one of the 5,000 or so tyres supplied to teams in this year’s BTCC will be manufactured.

For the British public, the BTCC will also continue to offer unrivalled value-for-money entertainment when compared to other premier sports with free admission for children at every event and tickets for adults costing from as little as £23. Admission includes meeting the BTCC’s star drivers during pit lane autograph sessions plus, at most events, open access to the paddock.

BTCC Series Director Alan Gow commented: “I’m very, very proud about the way our 2011 season is taking shape. The fact our entry list includes ten different makes and 13 different models of cars – a record for the BTCC in the two-litre era – in what still remains a challenging financial period is, quite frankly, incredible. The BTCC is (by far) the most watched form of national motor racing in the UK – and for us to continue to reach new heights is terrific news for British motor sport as a whole. Full credit must go to all of our teams, drivers and sponsors for their incredible commitment.

“The increasing participation by new teams and the involvement of motor manufacturers – whether as official factory teams or ‘behind the scenes’ – is a ringing endorsement of the championship’s appeal. As is the presence of an increasing number of major high street brands who, more and more, are choosing to market their products in front of our millions of TV and trackside audiences as either championship or team sponsors. The BTCC’s ‘bang for buck’ rivals and perhaps tops anything that any other major sport can offer in this country.

“It is important to be mindful that 2011 is both the beginning of a new era and of a transitional period - with the previous breed of Super 2000 cars and the newer NGTC (turbo) machinery being able to fight on an equal footing for the next two seasons, it will make for a fascinating fight.

“Much of all this success is, of course, down to ITV’s and Dunlop’s continued support of and enthusiasm for the championship as well as the huge media exposure the championship receives elsewhere. Similarly, nor should the contribution of all our other partners be underestimated. ITV’s commitment in particular is extraordinary – having raised its levels of live coverage in recent years, we will now be joining other high-profile sports with coverage in High-Definition which will only add even further to the spectacle. The BTCC continues to evolve, excite and deliver; it’s going to be a truly memorable season, starting at Brands Hatch on 3 April.”


ENTRY LIST: 2011 DUNLOP MSA BRITISH TOURING CAR CHAMPIONSHIP

No. Driver (NAT), Hometown, County, Team/Car
1. Jason Plato (GBR), Oxford, Silverline Chevrolet/Chevrolet Cruze
2. Matt Neal (GBR), Droitwich Spa, Worcs, Honda Racing Team/Honda Civic
5. Tom Chilton (GBR) Reigate, Surrey & Poole, Dorset, Team Aon/‘Global’ Ford Focus
7. Mat Jackson (GBR), Henley-in-Arden, Warks, Airwaves Racing/Ford Focus
8. Robert Collard (GBR), Hook, Hants, WSR/BMW 320si
11. Frank Wrathall (GBR), Preston, Lancs, Dynojet/Toyota Avensis
12. David Pinkney (GBR), Harpenden, Herts, Rob Austin Racing/Audi A4
13. TBA, Rob Austin Racing/Audi A4
14. James Nash (GBR), Newport Pagnell, Bucks, 888 Racing with Collins Contractors/Vauxhall Vectra
17. Dave Newsham (GBR), Inverness, Scotland, Geoff Steel Racing/BMW 320si
18. Nick Foster (GBR), Odiham, Hampshire, WSR/BMW 320si
20. Alex MacDowall (GBR), Carlisle, Cumbria, Silverline Chevrolet/Chevrolet Cruze
22. Tom Boardman (GBR), Preston, Lancs, Special Tuning Racing/SEAT Leon
28. John George (GBR), Par, Cornwall & Guernsey, GoMobileUK.com with tech-Speed/Chevrolet Cruze
29. Paul O’Neill (GBR), Widnes, Cheshire, GoMobileUK.com with tech-Speed/Chevrolet Cruze
34. Tony Gilham (GBR), Dartford, Kent, 888 Racing with Collins Contractors/Vauxhall Vectra
42. Daniel Welch (GBR), Fleet, Hampshire, Welch Automotive/Proton Gen-2**
43. Lea Wood (GBR), Hereford, Central Group Racing/Honda Integra*
44. Andy Neate (GBR), Aylesbury, Bucks, Team Aon/‘Global’ Ford Focus
50. Tony Hughes (GBR), Knutsford, Cheshire, Speedworks Motorsport/Toyota Avensis
52. Gordon Shedden (GBR), Dalgety Bay, Fife, Honda Racing Team/Honda Civic
55. Jeff Smith (GBR), Wellingborough, Northants, Pirtek Racing/Vauxhall Vectra
66. Liam Griffin (GBR), Essendon, Herts, Airwaves Racing/Ford Focus
77. Andrew Jordan (GBR), Lichfield, Staffs, Pirtek Racing/Vauxhall Vectra
78. Chris James (GBR), Luton, Beds, Team ES Racing.com/Chevrolet Lacetti
99. Tom Onslow Cole (GBR), New Malden, Surrey, AmD Milltek Racing.com
TBA. TBA, TBA, Team Aon/‘Global’ Ford Focus

Key
- Cars numbers 1, 2, 20 & 52 eligible for Manufacturer and Constructor championships
- Cars numbers 5, 44 & TBA eligible for Constructor championship
- All cars except numbers 1, 2, 20 & 52 eligible for Independent championships
- Cars numbers 1, 8, 17, 18, 20, 28, 29 & 78 all full S2000-spec
- Cars numbers 2, 5, 7, 14, 22, 34, 44, 52, 55, 66, 77, 99 & TBA all S2000/NGTC-engine
- Cars numbers 11, 12, 13, 42 & 50 all full NGTC-spec

* Entry from Oulton Park
** Entry from Snetterton
TBA To be Advised

http://www.btcc.net/html/generalnews_detail.php?id=2294&month=0&year=2011&form=&searchterm=

[Rob]

Jackson eyeing silverware

Mat Jackson believes everything is in place for him to win titles this year as the Airwaves Racing team heads to Brands Hatch – its home circuit – for this weekend’s opening round of the 2011 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship season.

Jackson, championship runner-up outright in 2008, feels he has the necessary tools to challenge for what is British motor sport’s most coveted piece of silverware. Furthermore, in one motor sport publication this week he has been dubbed the fastest driver on the grid by former champion and ITV commentator Tim Harvey.

Last year, of course, the 29-year-old from Warwickshire drove for the Airwaves team when it ran BMWs before switching to turbocharged Ford Focus STs during the winter. Notably, in Jackson’s hands, the 2010-spec car has twice emerged ahead of Tom Chilton in rival squad Team Aon’s newer ‘Global’ Focus in pre-season testing.

“Everybody here at Airwaves Racing is behind us to challenge for the championship,” said Jackson. “It’s certainly the right step going to the Ford Focus, but a championship comes down to more than just being quick – you have to be consistent, too.

“The title is a long way ahead, but that is certainly the goal. It’s going to be interesting at Brands Hatch and it is about time we got the show on the road. I’ve got to thank everyone at Airwaves Racing for getting this car ready.”

David Bartrum, boss of the Wrotham-based Motorbase outfit that prepares the Airwaves Fords, is optimistic about his team’s potential for the new season. But he's also wary of how the Chevrolet Cruzes with their tried-and-tested naturally aspirated S2000-spec engines will perform in race trim.

Bartrum commented: “We’re very much looking forward to the start of the new season. We’ve done more testing and we’re more prepared than ever before. I think we’re in a decent position and I’m happier now than I’ve been at the start of any season in the past.

“The Focus is very nimble and it’s certainly faster than the BMWs were. I think the car is quite a strong overall package and, while we have yet to find out what it’s like in race form, I’m fairly confident that we’ll be strong.

“You just don’t know whether the other teams have shown their full hand. We’re slightly concerned about the pace of the Chevrolets, as I’m not sure the factory Silverline team or tech-speed have shown their full potential.”

[Rob]

Plato: I want ten wins :Hmm

Jason Plato says he wants two race wins in Brands Hatch’s opening Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship round this weekend and ten in all during the 2011 season.

The Oxford racer is going for this third BTCC drivers’ title – his second in a row – in 2011 in his Silverline Chevrolet Cruze. Notably at Brands last October he clinched the 2010 crown by achieving pole position and two race wins in a car that was laden with the maximum success ballast of 45kgs.

Ominously, he says his 2011 Cruze is even better and he also knows that one more win will see him surpass Andy Rouse’s long-standing record of 60 race victories in the BTCC.

Plato told btcc.net: “I’ll be disappointed if we’re not super competitive this weekend. Brands Indy suits our car and I certainly got a better feeling from the new car in the recent test we did there. We were able to lap consistently around lap record pace."

He added: “I want to win back-to-back titles and win it well – like we did last year when we won it very well. My season record for wins is nine so it’d be nice to win ten this year. If I’m going to beat Andy’s record then it’d be nice to really push the thing up the road.”

Plato believes it will be vital to take full advantage in the season’s opening rounds so as to build up as big a points haul as possible. His Cruze will continue competing with a tried and tested normally aspirated engine while many of his main rivals, including Honda duo Matt Neal and Gordon Shedden, will still be learning about the new turbo motors that are powering their Civics in 2011.

The Chevrolet ace said: “We need to start very strong and build up a buffer. It’s fair to assume that because of the limited running that the opposition has done they are not going to be as well sorted chassis-wise as we are and, consequently, not as kind on their tyres.

“They are going to have extra torque and power to deal with so we have to capitalise early on because we are up against some great teams and drivers and when they do sort their cars they will become a force to be reckoned with. It’s going to be a really good fight and an interesting season with all the different configurations of cars and engines.”

http://www.btcc.net/html/generalnews_detail.php?id=2312&month=0&year=2011&form=&searchterm=

[Rob]

i want i want i want ;-):lol

anyone think he could do it???? i hoping Paul o'neill can get up there again this year and challenge alot more. Especially as this year he to has the Cruze.

[Julie B]

Looking forward to a fantastic season :lol

[Tifosi]

:-bounce

[Rob]

Two litres, two decades

The British Touring Car Championship’s much celebrated two-litre era is 20 years old today (1 April).

It was on Silverstone’s National circuit that the championship’s first race for the new-look regulations took place on Sunday 1 April.

The race was won by BMW driver Will Hoy ahead of the Vauxhall Cavaliers of Jeff Allam and John Cleland. But this was far more than just a race… it was a highly significant turning point for touring car racing globally.

Since its inception in 1958 through to 1990, the UK’s premier saloon car championship was split into ‘classes’ according to cars’ engine capacities. All the cars competed on track at the same time but, regardless of overall finishing positions, identical points were awarded in each class – this often leading, some argued unfairly, to drivers in some of the lower-powered categories emerging as overall champion.

But in 1991 all that changed – with growing TV interest, officials of the new TOCA organisation that had taken control of the series realised the importance of simplifying the regulations for the watching public. They announced cars powered by two-litre engines only would be eligible to compete.

The decision was a masterstroke and the same winning formula continues to be used today with all cars running 2000cc engines – only in 2011 there’s the option of using units that meet either the championship’s normally-aspirated (Super 2000) or turbocharged (Next Generation Touring Car) regulations.

A look back over the past two decades shows Vauxhall as having won most two-litre BTCCs titles with seven in total (1995, 2001-02-03-04, 2007-08) followed by BMW on four (1991-92-93, 2009). In terms of makes, the greatest number of race wins is also currently held by Vauxhall. Of the drivers, reigning Champion Jason Plato, since making his debut in 1997, has racked up an astonishing 60 wins to equal the legendary Andy Rouse’s long-standing record.

“It’s been an incredible 20 years and it’s been my pleasure to have been at the helm for most of them… although there have, inevitably, been some ‘moments’ down the line,” commented BTCC Series Director Alan Gow – the no-nonsense Australian who back in the early Nineties convinced the sport’s UK governing body, the MSA, that TOCA should take over the running of the championship.

Gow added: “Virtually every major motor manufacturer has contested the BTCC since it went the two-litre route and I’d like to think that the BTCC has played a significant role in their UK sales success.

“Our two-litre regulations turned ‘touring cars’ into motor racing’s only other UK household ‘brand’, after Formula 1. No other motor racing championship in the UK comes anywhere near to the TV coverage, audience and spectator numbers of the BTCC… and, from where we came from 20 years ago, that’s something of which I am extremely proud.”

[Rob]

Top Tesco fuel to sponsor AmD

The AmD Milltek team has announced sponsorship from Tesco’s ‘Momentum 99’ premium performance fuel brand on the eve of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship's new 2011 season.

The deal is highly significant for what is one of the grid’s smallest teams which has already pulled off a shock by signing one of last year’s chief title protagonists, Tom Onslow-Cole, to race its VW Golf.

It also adds to the growing number of high street brands appearing on the BTCC grid.

Momentum 99 logos will feature prominently across the AmD Golf’s sunstrip and tailgate starting at this weekend's opening BTCC round at the team's home circuit of Brands Hatch.

Shaun Hollamby, boss of the West Thurrock-based outfit, said: “We are proud to be chosen to promote the Tesco Momentum 99 brand in the BTCC. Our tuning company AmD Tuning will be continuing to represent the premium fuel brand in the UK’s burgeoning road car performance tuning market.”

http://www.btcc.net/html/generalnews_detail.php?id=2321&month=0&year=2011&form=&searchterm=

[Tifosi]

Nice to see that Quali is on ITV.com now :-)

http://www.itv.com/touringcars/

[Rob]

Nice to see that Quali is on ITV.com now :-)

http://www.itv.com/touringcars/

forgot all about that was on ITV.com:-s

[Rob]

Plato reduced to tears

Jason Plato says he was reduced to tears by his Silverline Chevrolet team’s efforts to repair his mangled car after a violent crash looked to have ruled him out of the yesterday’s third Dunlop British Touring Car Championship race at Donington Park.

Plato’s Chevrolet Cruze was ‘written off’ after it had left the track and barrel rolled at the start of race two.

Even the reigning champion himself described the remains of his car as “£250,000 worth of scrap metal”.

But miraculously within two hours the RML crew that prepares the car had stripped and rebuilt it – enabling him to compete in race three. From a lowly starting position, he came through to cross the line in a highly emotional sixth and score five points that could be crucial come season’s end.

Plato said: “It was amazing. It looked an impossible task and the car looked like a Transformer. But the lads were just amazing – you could see the passion in everybody.

“They’re the best racing team in the world, forget F1. That was teamwork. I had tears in my eyes, they had tears in their eyes and to see their commitment makes up for all the bad weekends we’ll ever have. There was real emotion out there today.”

It later transpired that two RML staff members – watching at Donington as spectators on a day off – also ran to their team’s aid to help the mechanics pull off their miracle repair job.

Team manager Rod Underwood added: “We had to give it our best shot. We didn’t think there was a hope of getting the car out at first, but somehow it all came together and we did it. I’m still not quite sure how – two hours to fully rebuild a car when most of it was broken…”

[Rob]

TO-C targets more top tens

Tom Onslow-Cole says his VW Golf is capable of plenty more top ten results after hustling it to a maiden points finish at Donington Park yesterday.

Onslow-Cole kept clear of the chaos to cross the line seventh in the second of the day’s three Dunlop British Touring Car Championship races – even seeing off the Silverline Chevrolet Cruze of Alex MacDowall.

In doing so he achieved the first outright points finish for both the tiny AmD Milltek Racing.com team and a VW-badged car in the BTCC's two-litre era. Notably, his fastest lap time was just over half a second off race-winner Andrew Jordan's best.

“It was a real rollercoaster of a weekend,” said Onslow-Cole. “We had some problems on Saturday, but then everything started to come together on race day. The first race was pretty unbelievable, but race two was really good. We did have some luck on our side, but we had the pace to run in seventh which shows that the work the team is doing is moving us in the right direction.”

From third on race three’s reversed grid, Onslow-Cole then even dared to lead briefly into the first bend only to be forced into retirement further round the lap with collision damage.

But the New Malden racer who, after finishing fourth in last year’s championship, had clearly taken a gamble by joining a smaller team for 2011 believes the Golf has what it takes to become a regular top ten menace.

He added: “Being knocked out of race three when I was running in the top three was a tough way to end the weekend, but we are only six races into a 30-race season and now we’ve scored our first points and found more speed in the car. I’m confident we can now build on this weekend.”

http://www.btcc.net/html/generalnews_detail.php?id=2366&month=0&year=2011&form=&searchterm=

[Rob]

Another 30hrs+ from ITV :-D

ITV’s bumper coverage of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship continues this May bank holiday weekend at Thruxton.

The network ITV4 and ITV HD channels will again be broadcasting live on race day (Sunday) from 11.00am-6.00pm so armchair enthusiasts can take in all the drama of the BTCC’s three headlining races as well as the majority of the support race action.

BTCC highlights will then follow next week on both ITV1 and ITV4 as well as their HD channels.

But of course the weekend begins on-line with the dedicated www.itv.com/touringcars web page providing live coverage of Saturday’s all-important qualifying session.

All added up, ITV’s Thruxton coverage will again surpass 30 hours…

Here’s a run-down of when to see ITV coverage of the BTCC from Thruxton this weekend.

Sat 30 April:
3.10pm-3.50pm, live qualifying coverage on www.itv.com/touringcars

Sun 1 May:
11.00am-6.00pm, live race day coverage on ITV4, ITV4 HD & www.itv.com

Tues 3 May:
1.30pm-3.00pm, BTCC highlights, ITV4 & ITV4 HD

Fri 6 May:
2.30am-3.50am, BTCC highlights, ITV1 & ITV1 HD

Fri 6 May:
1.30pm-3.00pm, BTCC highlights, ITV4 & ITV4 HD

Sat 7 May:
7.30pm-9.00pm, BTCC highlights, ITV4 & ITV4 HD

In addition to the above, fans can also view highlights of all races throughout the season by visiting ITV’s dedicated online BTCC page www.itv.com/touringcars which also provides news, podcasts and a regular blog by race commentator Ben Edwards.

[Rob]

Dunlop talks Thruxton tyres http://www.btcc.net/html/generalnews_detail.php?id=2383&month=0&year=2011&form=&searchterm=

Dunlop’s behind-the-scenes activity with teams is never busier than at Thruxton – a circuit notoriously hard on tyres and which this weekend hosts round three of 2011's Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship.

Each year, Dunlop brings a ‘one off’ tyre to Thruxton designed to help cope with the Hampshire circuit’s punishing combination of aggressive kerbs, an abrasive track surface and long, fast corners which place unique demands on tyres.

This weekend will be no different with the majority of teams continuing to run the company’s bespoke Thruxton tyre, while the likes of Dynojet and Rob Austin Racing will be supplied with a larger 18-inch version to suit their NGTC-spec Toyota and Audi respectively. Each tyre of course is developed, constructed and transported out of Dunlop’s Tyre Fort headquarters in Birmingham that also services numerous other high profile race championships around the world, on both two and four wheels.

Going into the weekend, Dunlop’s BTCC Manager Michael Butler answered several key questions about how the company approaches Thruxton and what technical work goes on behind the scenes with the championship's teams.

Q: Why is Thruxton such a tough circuit on tyres?
A: “Thruxton is the fastest circuit on the calendar. However, compared to most fast circuits that have long straights, Thruxton is one long sequence of curves that constantly puts tyres under a heavy load. Even the start finish ‘straight’ is curved!

“In addition, the circuit has a very abrasive surface and our Thruxton tyre has a compound that has been proven to cope with this.

“Thirdly, the kerbs at the Chicane and the Complex are very aggressive and our revised construction is designed to tackle the challenge of a tyre impacting with these kerbs at high speed.”

Q: What support do you offer the teams to optimise their tyre performance?
A: “At all BTCC rounds we have a group of highly qualified tyre engineers who monitor the pressure and temperature of each tyre whenever the car comes into the pits during practice, qualifying and after the race. Measuring the temperature across the tread face of the tyre can highlight if teams are running a set-up that is too aggressive to provide optimum performance over a full race distance.

“In addition, our unique Radio Frequency ID chips in the tyres allow us to monitor the usage of each tyre and to assist the teams in managing their allocation of tyres over the weekend.

Q: What guidelines do you issue to teams?
“With this special tyre, it is critically important to run specific vehicle camber settings and tyre pressures to optimise its performance. Last year, the winning teams followed these settings and had strong tyre performance throughout the weekend. We will share this advice and guidance from last year’s success with all the teams.”

Q: Do you also advise on specific tyre pressures for Thruxton?
“Tyre pressures vary from car to car and are also dependent on set-up and driving style. Our analysis of tyre temperatures and pressures from qualifying and practice will allow us to guide the teams on what pressures they should run in the race. When tyre pressures are low at the start of the race we also advise avoiding the kerbs until the tyres are up to full operating pressure and temperature.”

Dunlop talk about ‘Race to Road’ technology. Is the Thruxton challenge relevant for road tyres as well?
“Tyres, whether for the race track or the road, are complex items formed of many components. Maintenance and inspection are critical. We recommend that all motorists inspect their tyres regularly, check pressures, avoid kerbing their tyres and have their geometry checked – just like we do with our BTCC teams in maximising their tyre life and performance.”

[Rob]

O'Neill: Turbo limit will help Cruze

By Kevin Turner Thursday, April 28th 2011, 11:00 GMT

Paul O'Neill believes the punishing nature of the Thruxton circuit and the reduction in boost for the turbo-charged cars will allow his normally aspirated Chevrolet Cruze to run at the front of the British Touring Car Championship round this weekend.

O'Neill's Tech-Speed Cruze had a difficult run at Donington Park and has a best 2011 finish of third, in the reversed grid race at the Brands Hatch opener.

He thinks the turbos, which have been handed a 0.1 bar boost reduction since dominating at Donington, will be quick over one lap at the high-speed Hampshire circuit, but may hit problems during the races.

"Despite the change in boost, the turbo cars will still be quick over a single lap in qualifying and we have to aim to get into the top six on the grid and go from there," he said.

"Thruxton is mainly one long corner so there is going to be a lot of pressure on the front left tyre and it could cause problems for the turbo cars when they are on the power. I'll be happy to pick them off and work my way to the front.

"At the minimum, we have to target a podium finish on race day and a win could possibly be on the cards; Thruxton is our best chance yet."

Tech-Speed chief Marvin Humphries added: "We need to see what impact the change in boost has on the turbo cars but Thruxton is a circuit that should suit the Chevrolet. However, we have to wait and see what happens when we hit the track for first practice."

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/90968

[Rob]

Neal critical of boost reduction

By Kevin Turner Thursday, April 28th 2011, 11:15 GMT

Matt Neal has criticised the turbo-boost reduction ahead of the BTCC round at Thruxton this weekend, as he believes it will hurt his chances of victory.

Neal has taken two wins so far this season, the Honda Racing squad's first with Neil Brown-prepared turbos powering its Civics.

Turbos dominated at the last round at Donington Park and series boss Alan Gow has reduced all the turbo cars' maximum boost limit by 0.1 bar ahead of round three.

Neal does not believe the move is fair.

"It seems to me like it is a rule that has singled us out to penalise us more than anyone else," he said. "I just can't understand it.

"It appears that we have been held back because we had been doing such good job so far this season, which isn't fair.

"Thruxton is always tough on tyres and that means it is going to be a journey into the unknown. We are going there with one arm tied behind our back because of the rule changes and there is a lot of work to do on the set-up."

Neal's team-mate Gordon Shedden also believes the power cut will hurt the Hondas at the high-speed circuit.

"I am confused about how they have come to this decision to peg back the turbo cars but we have just go to get on with our jobs and perform to our maximum," he said.

"We are going to be handicapped because of this, but we will be giving it everything we have got."

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/90970

[Rob]

Massive rise in ITV audience

ITV has revealed that the number of people watching its coverage of this year’s Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship is up by a staggering 34.6 per cent on average over 2010.

Official figures from the Broadcasters Audience Research Board (BARB) show Brands Hatch’s opening event of 2011 (3 April) attracted 21 per cent more viewers than the Kent circuit’s corresponding round from the previous season.

Donington Park’s (17 April) ITV audience was then 27 per cent greater than that which followed the action at the Leicestershire circuit last year.

There then followed a massive 56 per cent increase in viewers for 2011’s third round at Thruxton (1 May) when compared to the numbers of those who watched coverage of the Hampshire circuit’s BTCC fixture 12 months earlier.

All ten BTCC race events in 2011 receive comprehensive live TV coverage on free-to-air channels ITV4 and ITV4 HD. Each broadcast runs for a minimum of six and a half hours and includes all three BTCC races on the day as well as much of the action from the supporting categories.

Niall Sloane, Controller of Sport for ITV, commented: “We are delighted by these figures. An increase of this sort of popularity in any sport on mainstream TV is terrific and very much a testament to the BTCC’s fantastic on track action, dramatic storylines, rivalries and levels of professionalism which make for compelling viewing. The BTCC quite rightly remains at the forefront of our motor sport coverage and we very much look forward to continuing our coverage of this great championship into future years.”

BTCC Series Director Alan Gow said: “In the world of television I'm told that these are extraordinary increases, particularly as they are 'like for like'. These figures make for more fantastic news for all our teams, drivers, circuits and sponsors. They also yet again further underline the superior levels of TV coverage enjoyed by the BTCC over any other form of motor sport in the UK, as well as the great entertainment the championship provides for households up and down the land.”

[Tifosi]

http://www.btcc.net/html/generalnews_detail.php?id=2448


Onslow-Cole joins Aon

Tom Onslow-Cole will re-join Team Aon for the remainder of the 2011 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship season it was announced this morning.
Onslow-Cole will drive the squad’s third ‘Global’ Ford Focus car alongside Tom Chilton and Andy Neate – he won four times for it in 2010 and came close to winning the outright drivers’ title.
The announcement comes less than 24 hours after the New Malden racer parted ways with VW Golf squad AmD Milltek Racing.com following yesterday’s second race at Oulton Park.
It could be a timely move – both Aon cars were nearer the front-running pace at Oulton with Neate in particular achieving best-ever qualifying and race results of third and fifth respectively.
Onslow-Cole said: “I’d like to thank Tom (Chilton) for securing my return to Team Aon this season. We have been in regular touch and I know that he has been particularly persuasive in me rejoining the team. I’m looking forward to racing with Tom again this year and helping him and Andy develop the new car to its true potential this season.
“I have some great memories from the 2010 season with Team Aon and I look forward to building on those in the new Global Ford Focus this year. I’m very excited about the opportunities that lie ahead.”
Team Principal Mike Earle added: “Tom was a fantastic asset to the team last season and he makes a very welcome return. The new Focus has already proven itself with a podium in its first ever race weekend at Brands Hatch, but there is still a lot of work to do in developing the car further.
“We know from previous experience that Tom will provide a great deal of feedback and help us move forward as a team and we look forward to seeing all three cars move further up the standings as the season goes on.”

[Rob]

TO-C feeling right at home
Tom Onslow-Cole says he felt at home right away during his first run in Team Aon’s new Ford today.

The New Malden racer got his first go in the outfit’s ‘Global’ Focus during a damp lunchbreak at Brands Hatch, Kent.

Starting at Croft this weekend he’ll join Tom Chilton and Andy Neate in the Aon line-up for the remainder of this year’s Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship. Last year he won four times for Aon in its 2010 Focus and came close to winning the drivers’ title outright.

Today though was his first opportunity since leaving the AmD Milltek racing.com team at Oulton Park a fortnight ago to sample the Arena Motorsport-developed ‘Global’ Focus, the successor to 2010’s model.

Onslow-Cole told btcc.net: “The car felt quite homely straightaway. Finding all the buttons and switches all came very naturally which sometimes isn’t the case with new cars.

“From the vibe in the pit garage the team seem pretty happy to see me back as well – obviously we went through a lot of emotions together in 2010. Tom Chilton also came down to Brands today and I have to say a big thanks to him – he’s been very supportive of my move back to Team Aon.”

Ironically, it was at Croft two years that Onslow-Cole had his first drive for Team Aon but in somewhat different circumstances.

“I got the call while I was still in bed in my hotel on the Saturday morning – I was meant to be driving the doctor's car that day! At least this time I’ve had a bit more notice!” he joked.

Onslow-Cole also believes the AmD Milltek team now has the foundations to turn its VW Golf into a regular front-running car in the BTCC.

He added: “It was a bit of a wrench leaving AmD as they’re a cracking team and have all the ingredients to thrive in the future. The fact that so many people have been in touch with the team wanting to drive the Golf shows how seriously people are now taking them.

“Shaun (Hollamby, team principal) and I remain good pals but the Aon deal was too good to turn down. I need to say a big thank you to him for putting me out there for the first part of the season and keeping my name in the frame…”

[Rob]

BTCC pegs turbos back again

By Kevin Turner Thursday, June 16th 2011, 15:30 GMT


British Touring Car organiser TOCA has introduced another turbo boost reduction ahead of this weekend's Croft round.

TOCA reduced the amount of boost allowed for the turbo machines by 0.1 bar ahead of round three at Thruxton. But with the turbo Hondas setting the pace at Thruxton and Oulton Park, it has now introduced another 0.05 bar boost reduction.

BTCC boss Alan Gow said: "We've reduced the boost as part of an ongoing review of the equivalency and will continue to look at it."

The suspended 0.05 bar reduction introduced prior to Oulton remains, meaning the turbo machines could be made to run 0.1 bar lower at Croft than they have done so far this season.

AUTOSPORT understands a comprehensive review of the turbo-normally aspirated equivalency will take place during the summer break between Croft and August's Snetterton round.

www.autosport.com

[Rob]

:Hmm will it be enough to stop Plato moaning??

Snetterton. I be there again :-D:clap

[Rob]

Hollamby retires from driving

By Kevin Turner Monday, June 20th 2011, 08:28 GMT

Shaun Hollamby has retired from British Touring Car racing after making a one-off return to the series at Croft last weekend.

The AmD Milltek team boss contested the BTCC last year and stepped in to replace Tom Onslow-Cole, who has returned to the Arena Motorsport Ford Focus team, in his squad's VW for Croft.

After three solid runs, in which he scored a best finish of 13th, Hollamby has decided to leave the driving to someone else.

"That's me done with the driving now," he said. "I'm pleased with the job I did, but I think we'll do better with a younger driver.

"For the team it's best to have a driver come in and there are some good guys out there."

Hollamby confirmed he was speaking to several drivers about a deal for the rest of the season, and now has seven weeks before the next round at Snetterton to finalise a signing.

www.autosport.com

[Rob]

Byford for AmD Golf
AmD Milltek Racing.com has named Martin Byford as its new driver for the remainder of the 2011 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship season.

Byford, from Colchester, will make his BTCC debut in the outfit’s VW Golf at his home circuit of Snetterton in just over four weeks’ time (6-7 August) with sponsorship from personal backer Eurocell as well as team partners AmD, Milltek and Tesco Momentum 99.

The 39-year-old has an excellent reputation in the BTCC’s supporting categories. He was a front-runner in the Renault Clio Cup as long ago as 2002 and won the crown in 2007. He was also a title protagonist in the SEAT Cupra series.

Byford told btcc.net: “Firstly, a big thanks to all those sponsors for putting their faith in me. It’s the opportunity I was looking for some years ago when I was scrapping in Clios and SEATs. When the chance to drive his Golf came up I put everything into making it work – it’s been well documented he had a lot of enquiries so to be ‘the chosen one’ is good for the confidence!”

The Essex racer believes he’ll fit in well with the BTCC’s bumper-to-bumper action after a decade of competition in saloons. He also arrives with good technical know-how having won the British Formula 3 class B title back in 1995. He also proved more than a match for Tom Onslow-Cole when, after several years out, he returned to race in the Clio Cup in 2006. It was Onslow-Cole of course who raced the Golf during the first half of this season before leaving to join Team Aon.

Byford added: “I wouldn’t be having a go if I didn’t think I could muck in with the rest of them. I’d certainly like to think I can hold my own in a pack, but of course this is perhaps the hardest pack imaginable! More than any other championship, you simply do not underestimate the competition when you come into the BTCC. I’m not going to spend too much time analysing things beforehand – I’m just going to arrive at Snetterton and get on with it.

“I’ll be looking to get the same sort of results with the Golf that Tom did. Sure he’s got a lot more BTCC experience than me, but I don’t see any reason why I shouldn’t be targeting what he achieved with it.”

AmD team principal Shaun Hollamby, who raced the car as a one-off at Croft last month, added: “I’m really pleased with our choice. We had massive interest from potential replacements for Tom and then it really came down to a shortlist of four. Martin ticked all the boxes for me – he’s no nonsense and just a thoroughly decent and easy bloke to work with which is exactly what we want in our team.

“His CV speaks for itself and bear in mind I had the Golf up to 12th place in one of the races at Croft and he’s much better than I am! Seriously, he perhaps should have got his chance in the BTCC a few years ago. We’re delighted he’s making his debut with us.”

Finally, Byford is looking forward to being one of the star BTCC drivers during the specially organised pit lane walkabout autograph sessions for the public on race day mornings.

He said: “I suppose I’ve had a taster of the BTCC crowds and public interest from Clios and SEATs but this is going to be ten or probably even 20 times that by comparison. I’ve always been amazed at just how many people get into the pit lane so I’d imagine it’s going to be a very busy 45 minutes! Being the new boy and given the following the team and the car have attracted I hope we get a lot of people coming to see us to say ‘hi’ and to grab a poster…”

[Rob]

08/Jul/2011 Neal reflects on 20 years :-E

It’ll be 20 years ago this weekend that one Matt Neal made his debut in the British Touring Car Championship.

He’s since experienced just about every conceivable high and low possible in the sport and of course gone on to enjoy massive success in what is one of the world’s most competitive and best-loved race series.

A staggering 450 races have produced the following accolades:
- Two outright BTCC drivers’ crowns (2005 & 2006)
- Six independent drivers’ titles
- 41 careers victories
- 112 podium results
- 13 pole positions
- 39 fastest race laps
- 2305 points scored
- £250,000 for a race win

It all started at the British Formula 1 Grand Prix at Silverstone in July 1991. Alex MacDowall and Andrew Jordan would have been just six months and two and a bit years old respectively! At the time Neal was dominating the national production saloon car scene in a Nissan prepared by his family-run Team Dynamics outfit. But for GP weekend he was finally to get his BTCC break, at the wheel of a Godfrey Hall Motorsport BMW M3. His team-mate was no other than 1988 champion, ‘Fearless’ Frank Sytner.

Neal, though, says he was too caught up ‘in the moment’ to be daunted by his team-mate’s ‘hard man’ reputation. The 44-year-old from Worcestershire told btcc.net: “All I remember about that race in ’91 was a massive crowd and I was the only driver under 30 on the grid – back then you did all the junior formulae before you got to the BTCC. The cars were also mega to drive. Coming from production-based cars, these things were really direct and intimidating.”

Come the winter that year, Neal made the one decision he says will perhaps stand as the one regret he has when looking back on his tumultuous career.

He added: “Ray Mallock called me and said ‘I’m doing BTCC next year with a couple of Vauxhalls – would you like to drive one?’ Thing is, we at Dynamics had chatted to Vic Lee about one of his BMWs and they were winning the championship. I was young and didn’t know that much about Ray so turned it down and of course RML did a fabulous job. Had I said yes my career could have taken off immediately instead of scrapping for the next eight years.”

Of course, had Neal said yes to Mallock we would likely have never witnessed some of the giant-killing performances he was to turn in during the Nineties in Dynamics-run cars including BMWs, Ford Mondeos and, towards the end of the decade, Nissan Primeras. Independent titles were achieved in 1993, 1995, 1999 and 2000 and he quickly took on the mantle of ‘People’s Champion’. His comeback in ’95 is worth mentioning in particular for it came after a horrific crash in a Mazda at Silverstone in ’94 that left him badly injured.

That may have been one of his darkest days, but the best by far was yet to come for Neal. Famously, as has been well documented ever since, Neal won a cheque for £250,000 for taking victory at Donington Park in ’99 after Alan Gow had promised to make the pay-out to any privateer who could topple the all-conquering manufacturer team’s drivers in a race.

“That remains the biggest moment of them all. But I also remember it was a huge anti-climax. I thought it might change my life but it changed nothing! It was just like another statistic.

“Winning that money wasn’t the big thing at all. What was far more important and satisfying was that after eight years we’d done it. It had been the first time we’d ever got our hands on the quicker tyres that the factory cars had always used and it just went to show we were able to cut it at the sharp end.

“Looking back, if you were an independent in the Nineties you really didn’t stand a chance. There was a tyre war on back then between different makes of tyre manufacturers and the factory teams got the proper stuff. The best we could hope as privateers was to get within two seconds of them.

“There were times when that led to me questioning my own ability. Your confidence takes a knock. Donington ’99 proved to everyone we were good enough. I’d actually been offered the seat alongside Rickard Rydell in the second Volvo for 1999. I really thought about it lots but then had a good test in the Nissan pre-season. I also tested the Volvo at Jerez and told TWR ‘no’. Then the first race of the season I smashed 250 grand and I still get people coming up and telling me they were there.

“The difference between then and now is that in the Nineties it was unfair. What TOCA has done with equality with engines, tyres, everything… the cars now are much more even and that makes it far more attractive for teams to come in, be competitive and give their sponsors a good time.”

Neal would win the Independents’ twice more, in 2005 and 2006, but that almost paled into insignificance compared to the other trophy he lifted – that of the BTCC Drivers’ Champion. Armed with Dynamics’ mighty Honda Integra he brilliantly overcame other greats such as Yvan Muller, Fabrizio Giovanardi, Colin Turkington and Jason Plato to win the drivers’ crown. Notably, it was the first time since 1991 that an independent team had toppled the manufacturer teams – at the time Vauxhall and SEAT – and won the championship outright.

The 2006 season saw a fierce and bitter rivalry with Jason Plato begin to develop – their cars memorably clashing at Snetterton’s final bend. But in his two decades in the BTCC it is Italian maestro Giovanardi who Neal regards as the hardest driver he has ever faced.

“I really found out about Fabrizio when I joined him at Vauxhall for 2008,” said Neal. “Steve Soper was the one I always looked up to – he was the ultimate professional – but Fabrizio is pretty crazy. He’s won so much for a reason. He’s headless and he’s very good and doesn’t lie down. He’ll come across with this cool Italian persona but he is in fact a very fiery and very determined personality. If you give him any stick you’ll get twice as much back. He’s also a very amusing bloke to be around.”

For all his success, Neal shows no signs of slowing down – indeed, the desire to win burns as deep as ever as demonstrated by his results so far this season. Five wins from 15 races in Dynamics’ Honda Civic (for the second successive year enjoying factory support from Honda UK) mean he leads the championship at the mid-season point and many believe he can go on and clinch his third BTCC crown.

When asked to re-cap his career, he replied: “It has gone quick. It’s a lifetime – some of the drivers I’m up against now were hardly born! When I was at Vauxhall, Andrew Jordan was also there and I told him then if, for some reason, it all had to finish then I’d be happy because I’d had a really good crack at it. I have had 20 great years out of it. I’ve had a ball…”

[Rob]

GSR to run turbo BMW
Geoff Steel Racing is in the final stages of fitting a turbocharged NGTC-spec engine to its second BMW 320si chassis.

The Lincolnshire-based outfit contested the opening two rounds of the 2011 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship with reigning Renault Clio Cup GB champion Dave Newsham behind the wheel of its naturally aspirated BMW. However, the team has worked on developing a turbocharged version of the car to take them through the 2012 season.

And Geoff Steel team manager, Martyn Bell told btcc.net: “Development of the turbocharged BMW is well underway and we’re still on schedule. When we took delivery of the ex-Motorbase cars we had a plan and we’ve only deviated from that by missing three rounds of the championship.

“We had hoped to run a naturally aspirated BMW throughout the season until the NGTC-engined car was ready. We’ve been working closely with series organiser TOCA and the advice and support we’ve received has been brilliant. It has been like trying to fit a square peg in a round hole, but we almost have the NGTC engine fitted and I think we’re about two-weeks from taking the car out on track.

GSR plans to run its non-turbo BMW for the next three rounds, starting with Snetterton on 6-7 August. It then hopes to switch to the NGTC-engined car for the final two meetings of the year at Brands Hatch and Silverstone.

However, Bell is not yet in a position to reveal who will drive for the team during the five remaining rounds of the season, saying: “We’re not ready to name our driver because we’re still in strong negotiations with two candidates, but we’d like to hear from other people who are interested until a deal is done.”

[Rob]

only couple more weeks till Snetterton, been long break. Be booking tickets soon :-D

[Rob]

Jordan tips Collard

Andrew Jordan has tipped Robert Collard for a pair of wins in Snetterton’s Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship round this weekend (6-7 August).

Jordan believes the venue’s new, much twistier ‘300’ track will take its toll on front-wheel-drive cars’ tyres and significantly favour the rear-wheel-drive WSR BMWs of Collard and Nick Foster. The warning comes after Collard and Foster enjoyed much improved results in the most recent two rounds at Oulton Park and Croft.

Jordan, from Lichfield, Staffordshire told btcc.net: “I’d be surprised if Collard doesn’t win a race or two this weekend. Over a race distance the tyre wear around there will kill us, I’m sure.

“Anyone in a front-wheel-drive car is going to have major concerns, particularly those of us with turbo engines – the new Coram corner which just goes on forever is going to kill the left-front which is always the first to go on a clockwise circuit. On one-off qualifying laps we might be OK but over a race distance… you watch, Collard will be right up there.”

Jordan is currently fourth in the championship in his Pirtek Racing Vauxhall Vectra, 29 points off leader Matt Neal in his factory Honda Civic. He’s also second in the independent driver standings, 15 points behind Airwaves Ford Focus driver Mat Jackson who is Neal’s nearest challenger in the outright table.

Jordan added: “I think Matt Neal will be very hard to beat at Snetterton. Just look what he did at Croft – two wins even with the maximum 45kgs of success ballast in his car – whereas his team-mate (Gordon) Shedden seemed to struggle to keep his tyres together. Matt seems to be doing something different and it’s working for him.

“Realistically, I’d love to finish the season in the top three and win the Independents Trophy. Jackson is therefore the driver we need to be taking points off.

“Out of the front-wheel-drive teams we seem to be better on our tyres than most so I’m feeling fairly confident for Snetterton, although it’ll be important to qualify on the first few rows as there are now some very tight and twisty hairpins which could cause a bit of mayhem mid-field – obviously I want to be clear of that when it kicks off.”

Meanwhile Jordan and the Eurotech outfit that runs his BTCC Vectra have all just returned from a gruelling trip to Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium where they ran a GT3 Mercedes SLS in the annual 24-hour race for team boss Mike Jordan (Andrew’s father)! A fine second in class and seventh overall was the result but Jordan Jnr said: “That was hard work – we had no sleep from 7.00am Saturday until 8.00pm Sunday. We all kept each other awake and, believe me, you didn’t want to fall asleep. There were a few photos taken…”

[Rob]

looking forward to this weekend. Ticket on its way. :-D Cannt wait to have good walk around the new track layout. Be down at the esses again, always good spot for action.

[Rob]

the latest BTCC news letter...
http://files.e2ma.net/2973/assets/docs/fans_btcc_newsletter_issue06_aug_11_.pdf

[Rob]

Nash predicts hectic action

James Nash predicts plenty of ‘cut-throat’ action during the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship's round on Snetterton’s new 300 circuit this weekend.

Newport Pagnell racer Nash, currently fifth in the BTCC standings, reckons the revised configuration, now including a twisting infield section, will lead to high drama during Sunday’s three races.

He told btcc.net: “A lot of the new corners look like they’ll require a late turn-in and therefore a late apex meaning a lot of drivers behind will be looking to stick their nose up the inside into the corner.

“That in turn will require the drivers in front to go on the defensive so there could be quite a bit of tripping up over one another. It could get quite cut throat in there.”

Nash will be hoping it’s third time lucky at Snetterton – in 2009, his first season in the BTCC, he won on the road only to be excluded and last year led in his Triple Eight Vectra (now title sponsored by Collins Contractors) for a lap before agonisingly spinning off the track.

Today he’s at Oulton Park, Cheshire shaking down an Aston Martin race car for a pal. “I feel a bit out of sync for a BTCC weekend – I won’t get to Norfolk until about 8.00pm tonight. Hopefully the M6 will be kind to me,” he added.

“But we had quite a good test at Donington Park recently. It was a bit wet-dry so not 100 per cent conclusive but hopefully we’ve found something. If not we’ll go back to our base set-up, which we know works having gone back to it at Croft where we were much stronger again. I want to be the top Vectra driver this weekend which means beating Andrew Jordan who is very quick but the main aim is to qualify inside the top six and leave still comfortably in the top six in the championship. I have a good feeling about things.”

Nash has been something of a jet-setter during the summer break with a business trip to China and then a holiday in Spain which didn’t quite go to plan. “I missed the flight going out there,” he confessed. “We got to the airport in plenty of time but went for a walk round and then looked up at the departure screens… it was 6.15am and it left at 6.20am. I didn’t get to Spain until about 8.00pm that night. The worst thing was having to spend the whole day sitting in Stansted airport…”

[Rob]

Plato driving to new limits

Jason Plato says he faces the biggest battle of his Dunlop MSA British Touring Car career if he’s to retain his crown.

After several retirements, including a 120mph roll in his Chevrolet Cruze, 2010 title-winner Plato is down in sixth in the standings and some 40 points – equivalent almost to three race wins – behind current leader Matt Neal.

He and his RML-run Silverline Chevrolet squad know therefore the importance of achieving a major points haul in this weekend’s three races at the Snetterton circuit in Norfolk – a track at which Plato has won an unrivalled eight times.

Oxford racer Plato, who earlier this season set a new BTCC wins record with his 64th victory in the series, told btcc.net: “I came back from 56 points in 2009 and missed the title to Colin Turkington by five points. But even though it’s only 40 points this time around I’d say it’s much harder – the biggest ask of my career since I started in the BTCC in 1997.

“Matt is a seasoned pro and his team, Dynamics, know how to win titles. Plus of course their Honda has the turbo engine – our car can out-do them in the corners but can’t get on terms with them down straights."

Plato reckons his only realistic chance to stage a tight flight comeback is to qualify ahead of the turbo runners on the grid – that could mean something quite special for trackside fans and viewers watching live coverage of qualifying on www.itv.com/touringcars on Saturday afternoon...

He added: “From now on it’s pole position or bust – that’s my only chance because if I start behind the turbos then they’ll leave me down the straights.

“Qualifying has always been about screwing yourself up for that one-off, special ‘banzai’ lap but here I am, at 43, taking even bigger risks than I did when I was in my twenties.

“I’m still finding new limits within myself as I had to the last time out at Croft when I bagged the pole. I am over the limit in some places.

“Add in that at Snetterton there’s a new twisty stadium section and we’ve got 26 cars on track this weekend, it will be very easy to trip up over traffic… it’s going to be a case of shut your eyes in some places.”

Notably, Plato’s team has not tested its Cruze during the mid-season break whereas Neal and team-mate Gordon Shedden in their Civics and second-placed Mat Jackson in his Airwaves Racing Ford Focus have enjoyed more running.

Plato said: “We’ve still done our homework for Snetterton. I was here recently driving the track in my Porsche and taking photos to see where all the kerbs and bumps are – I could drive it in my sleep now. And the engineers at RML are, in my view, the best in the business.

“Our biggest compromise will be spending much more time working on our qualifying set-up during practice – because of the importance of getting in front of the turbo cars on the grid – and of course that means sacrificing time we’d normally spend working on our race pace. All is not lost but we’re having to take more risks.”

www.btcc.net

[Rob]

England footie star joins ES

Former England footballer Paul Merson will join Chris James’s Team ES Racing.com squad at Rockingham’s Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship round this weekend (17-18 Sept).

Merson, who played for England and Premier League side Arsenal during the Eighties and Nineties, has accepted an invitation from James to be a guest of his team at both Rockingham and Brands Hatch (1-2 Oct).

Bedford-based James told btcc.net: “Paul’s a massive motor sport enthusiast and it made sense to get him involved. He’s a friend of my business, but it took me a while to put two and two together!”

He continued: “Of course, it’s my home race this weekend at Rockingham and I’m really excited about it. Paul will meet with and sign autographs for fans and he’ll be in the paddock in Team ES Racing kit with my grid girl.

“In all seriousness, while motor sport and football fans don’t always cross over, I think it’s a massive coup for us to get somebody as high-profile as Paul involved. We’ve had a lot of ups and down this season, but I think the outlook is good and I’m hoping he’ll be a bit of a lucky mascot for us…”

[Rob]

Chilton all pumped up

Knockhill race winner Tom Chilton expects Team Aon’s turbocharged 'Global' Ford Focus to excel again in Rockingham’s Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship round this weekend (17-18 Sept).

Reigate racer Chilton drove the car to a maiden pole position and race victory at the tight and twisty Fife track, following that up with fourth and sixth place results to achieve by far his biggest points haul of the season so far.

He’s now up to seventh in the outright standings and a similar performance at Rockingham could see him move into the top six. Furthermore Chilton’s Knockhill form has brought him back into contention for the Independents Trophy which he won in 2010.

Indeed the 26-year old is confident of mixing it with the main title protagonists at Rockingham which, like Knockhill, has several slow-to-medium-speed bends that place a premium on traction.

Chilton said: “I’m really excited because Knockhill was an extremely good weekend for us and Rockingham is a pretty similar track. Like Knockhill it’s very tight and twisty so we should have another good weekend.

“We were strong in the wet at Knockhill, too, so whatever the weather this weekend we know we have a car that will be quick. I’m feeling very positive heading into this weekend.”

[Rob]

Sideways Collard has a plan

The ever-spectacular Robert Collard is hunting more Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship podium results at Rockingham this weekend (17-18 Sept).

Collard’s breathtaking sideways style in his rear-wheel-drive WSR BMW has been a highlight of races this season and at Knockhill 11 days ago enabled him to achieve his fifth podium to date in 2011.

But it still wasn’t quite what he so desperately craves – his first win in the BTCC since 2009.

The Hampshire racer, who took a second place finish last season at Rockingham, told btcc.net: “It’ll all be down to the BMW’s race pace again.

“The car felt great during the shakedown today and it was very strong around Rockingham last year when got a second place. But times have moved on and we just can’t match the turbo cars in qualifying trim – we’ll probably be some way back on the grid.

“However, the tweaks to the technical regulations concerning the turbocharged cars should make a difference over a race distance. I think we’ll be able to come through the pack in the closing stages of the races as tyre wear becomes a factor for the turbos.

“In theory, from mid-way on you should see us making up ground. We’ll be all over the turbo cars in the infield section, but they’ll have the legs on the 1km pits straight. The BMW is phenomenally good on the brakes, too, so we’ll have opportunities to overtake into Turn Two and the infield hairpin.”

Collard, currently eighth in the outright standings and not yet out of the running for the Independents Trophy, also reckons an uncertain weather forecast could work to his advantage.

He added: “Of the last four meetings, we’ve excelled in the three that have been held in wet or changeable conditions so we’ll be pretty happy if the weather’s unpredictable again this weekend.”

www.btcc.net

[Rob]

Bye bye, Integra...

Honda’s Integra model, the car to beat in its heyday, will take a final bow in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship during this weekend’s (15-16 Oct) 2011 season finale at Silverstone.

Lea Wood’s tiny Central Group Racing team has continued to race on with the BTC-spec machine which made its debut in the series back in 2005.

And what a debut… the car, entered under the Team Halfords banner by Team Dynamics, won its first race in the hands of Matt Neal who achieved a second victory the same day at Donington Park.

It was no fluke, either, as Neal raced the low-line coupe to the BTCC title that year and followed it up in 2006 with a second crown. Dynamics’ decision to go with a car, not widely available in European showrooms, had proved a masterstroke and enabled it to become the first privateer team for 14 years to conquer the might of the manufacturer squads (namely Vauxhall and SEAT) and win the BTCC outright.

Its day of days perhaps came at Thruxton in 2005 when its slippery shape and unrivalled ability to nurse its tyres on the calendar’s most notoriously abrasive circuit enabled an on-form Dan Eaves to become the first driver in history to win all three races in a day since the BTCC moved to a triple-header format in 2004. It’s a feat that has been repeated only once since.

Still the car to beat, the Integra also enabled new privateer Mike Jordan, running in John Guest and Pirtek colours for his own Eurotech squad, to become the oldest race winner in BTCC history at Mondello Park in 2006! In two seasons the car won a staggering 27 times out of 60 races.

But the BTC-spec era was heading for a gradual close with most of the field switching to the newer S2000 cars for 2007. The Integra, though, still remained a potent weapon with Eurotech (Jordan and his son Andrew) and the Sunshine.co.uk-backed tech-speed outfit (particularly with Paul O’Neill) enjoying outright podium results with the car during the next few seasons.

More recently, of course, teams have begun preparing to enter the BTCC’s new era of Next Generation Touring Car machinery. That means it’s time for the last BTC-spec car on the grid, Wood’s Integra, to be retired.

The Hereford driver hopes to invest in a 'Next Gen' car, but for the time being will remember the Integra with great fondness – indeed, in tricky damp but drying conditions at Oulton Park earlier this season it lived up to the adage “a great car is always a great car” when it caught and passed Neal’s factory Honda Racing Team Civic as Wood and his team celebrated an emotional first outright top ten points finish.

Wood told btcc.net: “We desperately want to stay in the BTCC so fully understand it’s time to move on but, for a small team like ours, the Integra has been fantastic – even with the extra weight we have to carry with a BTC-spec car and the fact it’s not undergone any major development since the end of 2006 it’s still able to hold its own against some of the much newer machinery out there.

“It’s easy to see why this was the class of the field when it first came out. Many of the fans we meet during the autograph session still have a fascination with the Integra and, if it’s damp at Silverstone as it was at Oulton, then who knows what she might be able to do on her last appearance?”

[Rob]

Cannt wait for this weekends finale, 3 drivers all got chance to win the BTCC crown.

Who is everyone backing?? I like see Flash win, but as much as he annoys me, cannt ever count Plato out.

[Rob]

Turbo BMW makes track debut

Former Champion Colin Turkington is today (Thurs) giving the Geoff Steel Racing team’s turbocharged BMW a first test ahead of its race debut in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship’s season finale this weekend (15-16 October) at Silverstone.

Northern Irishman Turkington, who won the BTCC in 2009 in a BMW driving for WSR, is bedding in the car at Donington Park in Leicestershire. Dartford’s Tony Gilham, who joined the GSR outfit two rounds ago at Rockingham, will race it this weekend at Silverstone in Northants.

The car is the first BMW to be fitted with a turbo engine built to the BTCC’s new Next Generation Touring Car regulations and its performance compared to WSR's normally-aspirated cars this weekend will surely be of much interest.

GSR team manager Martyn Bell told btcc.net: “So far so good. Colin’s expertise in BMWs made him the perfect driver to call on to offer advice and set-up tips. Tony can’t wait to get in it!”

[Rob]

Honda to sponsor finale

Fans attending this Sunday’s (16 October) Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship title-decider at Silverstone will see a Honda Civic spectacularly lap the track on just two wheels…

Stunt driver extraordinaire Terry Grant will guide the car, in full Honda Racing Team livery, around the 1.2 mile National circuit – the wrong way (and far closer to a 45-degree angle than even Honda Racing Team ace Matt Neal, pictured, achieved at Knockhill)! Grant is scheduled to begin the delicate balancing act from Brooklands corner just before the first of the day’s three BTCC races, at around 11.10am. Having negotiated the Wellington Straight and then Becketts and Copse corners he will eventually hone into view for many thousands of open-mouthed spectators in the grandstands overlooking the start-finish line area and Woodcote-Luffield-Brooklands complex.

The spectacle is all part of Honda’s sponsorship of the event – in addition it will also make its huge ‘World Skills’ structure available for public to try their hand at a number of manual tests (Honda backed this year’s high-profile World Skills final in London). Furthermore, Honda’s all-new 2012 Civic model – that will be raced by the Honda Racing Team in next year’s BTCC – will be on display next to the Wellington Straight grandstand.

Honda UK has also invited along a staggering 600 guests – including company and team partners, dealerships and workforce. All will be hoping to see one of the Honda Racing Team’s drivers, Matt Neal or Gordon Shedden, lift the 2011 BTCC crown. Honda/Dynamics and the Honda Racing Team are already almost certain to achieve the BTCC’s Manufacturers/Constructors and HiQ Teams Championship trophies for a second successive season…

Fans can currently see the third of the Honda Racing Team’s short on-line movies about life within the squad during the 2011 BTCC season. Click on this link to view it http:/www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEw5hyOo0Vo

[Tifosi]

Cannt wait for this weekends finale, 3 drivers all got chance to win the BTCC crown.

Who is everyone backing?? I like see Flash win, but as much as he annoys me, cannt ever count Plato out.

As long as that hypocritical 2 faced Honda driver doesn't win i'll be happy Rob :-D

(... and I don't mean Flash :-))