BTCC 2012 News (come on Rob - put Keira down for a minute and do your job :-P)

[Tifosi]

In a nutshell:


Plato to drive a Triple Eight car with an MG badge on it (http://www.jasonplato.com/)



(old news now but I was bored :-s )

[Sianellen]

He's been busy with Daytona, he can't do everything :-P

[epiclyaddicted]

Well, Plato's crew better fit a blue-tooth headset in that MG! ;-)

[Sianellen]

Well, Plato's crew better fit a blue-tooth headset in that MG! ;-)

hehe, I thought it was just his hat ;-) well the pretend excuse he gave.

[Sianellen]

@MattNealRacing The heart is in.....! Honda 2KC Civic race engine & front end! Looks aggressive already doesn't it

http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/s720x720/429943_210661612363346_147980061964835_412885_3846 86780_n.jpg

[Rob]

He's been busy with Daytona, he can't do everything :-P

grazie amica mio :-D

i have been bit busy over weekend with both lil lady and Daytona. Sorry Stu :lol :-??:oops:-P

[Rob]

Lea Wood aims for regular points with ex-Andrew Jordan Vauxhall Vectra
By Kevin Turner Monday, January 30th 2012, 12:55 GMT


British Touring Car racer Lea Wood is aiming for regular points finishes after acquiring the ex-Andrew Jordan Vauxhall Vectra for this season.

Wood drove Team Wood Racing's Honda Integra in selected races last year. The ageing and ballasted car struggled in the dry, but Wood was able to finish seventh in the wet first race at Oulton Park.

He will now campaign the Vectra taken to sixth in the standings by Jordan, who also won the second Donington Park race in the turbocharged Eurotech-run machine.

"Moving up to that car will hopefully mean we'll be a bit more competitive," said Wood. "We're aiming for regular top 10s."

Wood will run an upgraded version of the Swindon-built NGTC engine.

"There's an update for it, so the engine should be strong," he added.

The squad hopes to start testing the car in the next couple of weeks.

Eurotech confirmed at the end of last season it will run new NGTC-specification Honda Civics in 2012.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/97224

[Tifosi]

:thumb

[Tifosi]

Well, Plato's crew better fit a blue-tooth headset in that MG! ;-)

heheh.... "Hello Jason? This is Ben in the commentary box, can we have a word?......"

"Sorry mate, i'm just about to get done by the coppers for not wearing me bluetooth......... ah boll..."

[epiclyaddicted]

heheh.... "Hello Jason? This is Ben in the commentary box, can we have a word?......"

"Sorry mate, i'm just about to get done by the coppers for not wearing me bluetooth......... ah boll..."

:lol

[Rob]

heheh.... "Hello Jason? This is Ben in the commentary box, can we have a word?......"

"Sorry mate, i'm just about to get done by the coppers for not wearing me bluetooth......... ah boll..."

when was that??

[Sianellen]

when was that??

a couple of days ago hehe, naughty Jason

[Tifosi]

Chevrolet and RML have today announced that they will not be involved in the 2012 BTCC, but will instead focus their resources on retaining their WTCC crowns where it is clear that other manufacturers will be upping their commitment for the coming season.

Chevrolet UK Managing Director, Mark Terry, commented: “I would like to wish RML the very best for 2012, and thank our many fans for their support over the last two years.”

RML Managing Director, George Lendrum summarised the decision: “We understand Chevrolet’s decision to concentrate its motorsport programme on the WTCC in 2012. Despite the fact that we won't be involved in 2012, RML remain long term supporters of the BTCC and hope to be back in the future.”



Plato seems to have that effect on teams after a coupla seasons heheh

[Sianellen]

Plato seems to have that effect on teams after a coupla seasons heheh

It's a shame that they are leaving, I will miss the bright blue.

[Rob]

Moody new ITV commentator
Toby Moody has been confirmed as ITV Sport’s new Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship race commentator.

Moody will join former BTCC title-winner and expert pundit Tim Harvey in the commentary box for all ten events this season which will be broadcast live by ITV4. He replaces Ben Edwards who has moved to the BBC’s Formula 1 team.

Although he has been the lead commentator for Eurosport’s coverage of MotoGP for the past 15 years, Moody is first and foremost a ‘car nut’ and has followed the BTCC for more than two decades. He is also a keen competitor in hill climbing and until recently held a class record on the daunting, world-famous Shelsley Walsh course.

The 39-year-old from Worcester said: “I’ve got big boots to fill – Ben was a class act – but when the opportunity came up I had to go for it. The chance to commentate on a major sport with the BTCC’s following and for ITV Sport was too good to miss and I’m over the moon to have been offered the job.

“I loved watching the Ford RS500s in the late Eighties and one of my first work experiences was actually with Prodrive when they ran the factory BMW M3s in the BTCC in 1990. I also had an involvement with the Nissan team in 1993. My father, though, was the commentator at Shelsley and I fancied a go – the next thing I’d been handed the microphone and had never been so nervous in my life!

“Then along came the bike work for Eurosport in 1996 – I’ve loved every minute of it and I’ll still fit in every MotoGP round that doesn’t clash with the BTCC this year. It’s going to be a hectic but very enjoyable schedule…

“The BTCC really fascinates me. The action for the public is out of this world, plus the drivers are not wrapped up in cotton wool – they are free to speak their mind and that leads to some really interesting characters, incidents and storylines. It makes the BTCC an addictive soap opera for viewers and it’s going to be a real honour conveying what is happening to the huge numbers of people tuning in.”

Tony Pastor, Head of Production for ITV Sport, commented: “We were really sorry to see Ben Edwards leave our team but in Toby we feel we have a terrific replacement. The BTCC is a fabulous competition and we're delighted to be its broadcast partner. We believe that Toby has the passion and knowledge to take the viewers inside the sport and at the same time give them a real sense of just how exciting these races are. We're delighted to welcome him on board and I expect him to become a great asset to our sports commentating team.”

And added Harvey: “I’m also delighted to be working with Toby. He’s a motor racing fan through and through and will bring enthusiasm, professionalism and humour to the commentary box.”

[Rob]

Bennetts senses title bid
Bennetts believes his WSR team is in for its strongest season in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship this year since it won the title in 2009.

As revealed earlier this week, WSR will continue to run S2000-based 3 Series BMWs. However, it will expand from two to three cars and all will be powered by specially tuned BMW turbo engines. Furthermore, eBay Motors has increased its support to become the team’s new title sponsor.

Proven race-winners and title protagonists Robert Collard and Tom Onslow-Cole plus rapid 2011 rookie Nick Foster will surely form one of the strongest driver line-ups on the grid for Bennetts’ outfit.

And the Kiwi told btcc.net: “I believe we will be at our most competitive since 2009. If you asked me if I’d got a nice warm feeling inside then I’d say ‘yes’.

“This will be our last time with an S2000-based car but, on paper with turbo engines, this should be very competitive for us. We ran an S2000 BMW turbo in last year’s World Touring Car round in Shanghai and instantly got in among the factory Chevrolets. OK, that’s with a 1.6-litre engine and in the BTCC of course it’s two litres, but we’ll be able to carry over the same drivetrain and gearbox from the World Touring-spec BMW. If you look at it apples for apples…”

WSR will also be reunited with Neil Brown Engineering, the company that will tune its BMW engines (and which also prepares the Honda units in the Honda Racing Team’s title-winning Civics). It’s a proven winning partnership – together WSR and NBE won the 1990 and 1991 British Formula 3 titles with drivers Rubens Barrichello and Mika Hakkinen and went on to challenge for the BTCC title in 2000 with James Thompson and Tom Kristensen.

Much, then, points to considerable success for Bennetts’ outfit in 2012 but he warned against becoming over confident. He added: “The others are no mugs and you never know until the racing starts just where you are in terms of performance. Our biggest concern is going to be how well the rate of wear with our 17-inch tyres stacks up against the bigger 18 inch tyres on the newer ‘Next Generation’ cars. At the end of the day that’s one inch extra of braking, grip and traction that they have but they are also around 100kgs heavier than S2000 cars. Let’s see…

“Also, we can’t run the very short first gear we used in 2011 – it’s not possible with the lay-out of the turbo engine but, then again, it’s not needed as you’d only spin the wheels too much due to the extra torque. We might lose a little bit on weight distribution because of the intercooler up front, but we might be able to get it back in other areas.

“Of course we’ve never run turbo cars before so we’re a bit in the dark, while Tom has driven nothing but turbo cars for the past two years which may be a bonus. We’ve increased our staff, which is good news, and it’s going to be fascinating to see how quickly we can start wringing the most from the car. We’re all really looking forward to it…”

http://www.btcc.net/html/generalnews_detail.php?id=2832&month=0&year=2012&form=&searchterm=

[Rob]

Honda Racing has released the first pictures of the new NGTC specification Honda Civic that has been built for the 2012 BTCC. The team is going to complete its first public test at Brands Hatch today.
http://i42.tinypic.com/n4dp91.jpg
http://i39.tinypic.com/28aumhl.jpg
"This is the first opportunity we have had to get behind the wheel to really see what the car has got. The team are really pleased with the results from the test at MIRA last week and I can't wait to finally start putting the car through its paces," said Matt Neal.
The team completed a preliminary test at the MIRA test track last week, a test the team reported to be successful.
"The feedback on the new Civic NGTC car so far is incredibly promising and I've been itching to get into the car since the end of the 2011 season. Like Matt mentioned, this is the first time we have had to really push the car and I’m looking forward to putting it into action," said Gordon Shedden.

The team is facing a tough schedule to complete the car ahead of the BTCC 2012 season premiere on the 1st of April.
"The team have all been working incredibly hard since the start of the NGTC programme back in August so everybody's very excited to see the new car on track for the first time. It'll be interesting from the point of view of both drivers and engineers to see how the car behaves on a track where we were very competitive with the S2000 Civic and we can really start to understand and develop the new car," said Team Manager Peter Crolla.

"The main aim for the day will be to establish a baseline set-up for the car which we can then tune for the various circuits we visit during the season. Initial feedback from the MIRA shakedown was positive so we’re hoping to continue that today and cover some valuable mileage with both Matt and Gordon behind the wheel."

The team then heads to Donington Park on the 23rd of February for the next test.

http://www.touringcartimes.com/article.php?id=7218

[Rob]

Wednesday, February 22 2012

British Touring Car Championship challengers Motorbase have announced their 2012 line-up ahead of the first round at Brands Hatch next month (31 March - 1 April). The Kent-based team will field three Ford Focuses for Mat Jackson, Liam Griffin and newcomer Aron Smith.

A strong 2011 campaign yielded several wins for Jackson, including a victory at Snetterton that left him temporarily leading the championship. In preparation for this season the team have spent the winter developing the car and its Mountune-built Next Generation specification turbocharged engine. With the outfit's efforts concentrated on the BTCC following the announcement of a sabbatical from the Porsche Carrera Cup, lead driver Jackson will start the season as one of the favourites for the title.

"2012 looks to be an exciting year in the BTCC," 30-year old Jackson said. "With the new NGTC regulations being adopted by many of the front running teams, the season could prove to be very interesting indeed. We showed last year that we have the car and skills in place to compete against the big boys and hopefully the other teams will experience some teething problems that we can capitalise on! It's fantastic to be back driving with Motorbase for the third year in a row - it feels like home now!"

Griffin will also be adding continuity; this year will be his fourth in the team as two seasons in the Porsche Carrera Cup preceded his BTCC commitments. He feels he has overcome the steep learning curve that faces any driver stepping up to the series: "How can you be anything but excited about the start of the season," he quipped. "Having finished consistently at the end of last season I feel I have given myself something to build on."

Having added a third Focus at the tail end of 2011, the much-speculated third seat will be the property of promising newcomer Aron Smith. The current holder of the Motorsport Ireland Dunlop Young Racing Driver of the Year award, Smith graduated from the Renault Clio Cup last year with a one-off outing for Triple 8 in their Vauxhall Vectra at Knockhill last year, and finished in the top ten in the first race.

The young Irishman, brother of former BTCC driver Gavin, is expected to be one to watch in 2012: "I couldn't be more excited about this season," Smith confirmed. "The past two years have literally been building up to this moment. Motorbase Performance is the type of team I know I'll feel right at home in, this all feels like a dream come true and I can't wait for the racing to begin!"

Tickets for the opening round of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship at Brands Hatch are on sale from £25, with free entry for children aged 12 and under. For more information, call 0843 453 9000 or click here. You can also book tickets for the Oulton Park round on 9-10 June by clicking http://www.motorsportvision.co.uk/calendar/2012/april/btcc-311-april-bh.aspx, the Snetterton round on 11-12 June by clicking here and the final round on the Brands Hatch GP circuit on 20-21 October by clicking http://www.brandshatch.co.uk/calendar/2012/october/btcc-2021-october-bh.aspx

http://news.motorsportvision.co.uk/motorbase-focus-on-btcc-title-with-three-car-line-up.aspx

thats good news for the BTCC grid and the team. Think Matt Jackson has what it takes to take the BTCC crown. Be cheering him on this year.

[Sianellen]

Matt Neal driving the new Civic.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=su2PYCYbFYI&feature=youtu.be

[Rob]

MG breaks cover
MG has taken the wraps of its KX Momentum Racing MG6 racer that will contest this year’s Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship in the hands of Jason Plato and Andy Neate.

Some 200 film and photo media were on hand this morning at Silverstone to see Plato and Neate pull the covers off the stunning-looking car which heralds the return of the famous MG marque to the BTCC for the first time in nine years.

Plato also briefly gave the ‘6’, still in interim specification, a run on the Silverstone circuit during a tracking photography session but it is not participating in this afternoon’s officially timed test session.
http://i41.tinypic.com/2m6mop5.jpg

[Rob]

http://i42.tinypic.com/k3181s.jpg
http://i39.tinypic.com/2uejkue.jpg
http://i39.tinypic.com/33yjjo9.jpg
http://i41.tinypic.com/2q1yxc7.jpg
http://i44.tinypic.com/14llxc1.jpg
http://i44.tinypic.com/2qnxjwl.jpg
http://i42.tinypic.com/1z4lpqw.jpg

[Rob]

Newsham, ES shock in testing
Dave Newsham and Team ES Racing.com caused a surprise by topping the times during the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship’s Media Day test at Silverstone.

Newsham’s best time of 58.965s – an average speed of 100.15mph – was set early on and nobody could better it during some four hours of running.

The Inverness racer’s pace was something of a shock as the small ES squad has only just ‘upgraded’ to a pair of ex-Triple Eight Race Engineering Vauxhall Vectras after a debut season spent learning about the championship.

Sensationally, former Renault Clio Cup champ Newsham’s time was also faster than anything set during 2011’s final round on the same Silverstone National circuit.

Newsham told btcc.net: “After an up and down 2011 that feels amazing but I’m now in a proven title-winning car and with a team which is 100 per cent behind me. We’ll go to the opening round at Brands Hatch in two weeks feeling very confident as we had a good test there as well last week. But this is only a pre-season test – while this gives everyone in the team a lift we have to be realistic. We don’t really know what everybody else was up to today, some of the more established names had problems and of course (Jason) Plato and the new MG team haven’t run at all yet.

“The time is phenomenal but I think a lot of it is down to the new track surface at Luffield. The data shows I was matching James Nash in the Triple Eight Vectra from last year and then improving on that lots through Luffield – there is so much more grip there now.”

Next up but almost four tenths of a second adrift came fellow Scot, Fife’s Gordon Shedden and his team-mate Matt Neal, the reigning champion, in their brand new Honda Yuasa Racing Team Civics. Shedden triggered one of three brief ‘red flag’ stoppages when his Civic stopped on the Wellington Straight following a sensor glitch.

Other red flags were required to clear Tony Hughes’s Speedworks Toyota Avensis – stranded at the back of the track after he switched off its overheating engine – and also Liam Griffin’s Redstone Racing Ford Focus which had become stuck in a gravel trap following a spin at Copse Corner.

Robert Collard ended the day fourth fastest in his WSR-prepared eBay Motors BMW ahead of Andrew Jordan’s Pirtek Racing Civic and Rob Austin in his Rob Austin Racing team’s Audi A4. Chris Swanwick and Mark Hazell, announced this morning as one of RAR’s drivers for 2012, also tested the car.

Collard’s team-mate Tom Onslow-Cole set the seventh best time in eBay Motors’ second BMW. Nick Foster later took over the car, recording the 13th best time of 1m00.054s.

Meanwhile Redstone duo Aron Smith and Griffin were eighth and tenth, split by ES team boss Chris James in his squad’s second Vectra. Pirtek’s Jeff Smith was 11th followed by Ollie Jackson in his AmD Tuning.com VW Golf, the last driver to dip beneath the one-minute barrier.

Behind Foster came Lea Wood in 14th in his striking BINZ Racing Vectra. Tony Gilham and Mat Jackson completed the timed runners but neither ran at a representative pace. Gilham’s RCIB Insurance & HARD. Honda Civic suffered cooling problems and fancied front-runner Jackson’s Redstone Focus a steering issue.

Adam Morgan’s Speedworks Toyota and John Thorne’s Thorney Motorsport Vauxhall Insignia both circulated but neither registered a time, their teams not fitting transponders to their cars.

Official times: BTCC Media Day test, Silverstone, 19 March 2012

Pos.Driver (NAT), Team/Car, Time/Difference
1. Dave Newsham (GBR), Team ES Racing.com/Vauxhall Vectra, 58.965s
2. Gordon Shedden (GBR), Honda Yuasa Racing Team/Honda Civic, +0.394s
3. Matt Neal (GBR), Honda Yuasa Racing Team/Honda Civic, +0.408s
4. Robert Collard (GBR), eBay Motors/BMW 320si, +0.443s
5. Andrew Jordan (GBR), Pirtek Racing/Honda Civic, +0.473s
6. Rob Austin (GBR), Rob Austin Racing/Audi A4, +0.530s
7. Tom Onslow-Cole (GBR), eBay Motors/BMW 320si, +0.604s
8. Aron Smith (IRL), Redstone Racing/Ford Focus ST, +0.681s
9. Chris James (GBR), Team ES Racing.com/Vauxhall Vectra, +0.728s
10. Liam Griffin (GBR), Redstone Racing/Ford Focus ST, +0.892s
11. Jeff Smith (GBR), Pirtek Racing/Honda Civic, +0.909s
12. Ollie Jackson (GBR), AmD Tuning.com/VW Golf, +0.984s
13. Nick Foster (GBR), eBay Motors/BMW 320si, +1.089s
14. Lea Wood (GBR), BINZ Racing/Vauxhall Vectra, +1.353s
15. Tony Gilham (GBR), RCIB Insurance & HARD./Honda Civic, +4.608s
16. Mat Jackson (GBR), Redstone Racing/Ford Focus ST, +9.732s

Times for Mark Hazell & Chris Swanwick in RAR Audi not available

[Rob]

Andrew Jordan aiming for consistency in 2012
The Eurotech Racing NGTC Honda Civics were both on track during the test session at the British Touring Car Championship media day at Silverstone on Monday. TcT spoke to Andrew Jordan after the session about the new Civic, Eurotech's collaboration with the Honda Yuasa Racing Team and his expectations and approach for the 2012 season.
TcT: Tell us about your new Civic?
"It's a work in progress, which is the same with any new car. I think with this one there have been a few more problems to iron out because Honda can't just make their own bits to solve the problem. They have to go through TOCA to sort it. That's taking a while so at the minute we're all just trying different things. Then before the first race we'll come together and agree on what is best and we'll all have the same things."

TcT: So has there been a lot of collaboration between Eurotech Racing and Honda Yuasa Racing?
"There has been a lot. Our cars were built there, our guys went down there and built them with those guys and we get all their setup stuff all their data and vice versa. It's in their interest as well as ours to have the extra data, but also to have four cars trying different things. Everyone has had limited worthwhile testing so it's better to have more cars trying things. You've have to take test days with a pinch of salt because we're all trying different setups and stuff. Then before the first race we should all be singing off the same hymn sheet. It's good."

TcT: So you're already looking at Honda's data?
"Yes. At Brands when I was there they actually came and got our data first. That was a sign I must have been doing something quite well! Then we got their data and vice versa. It's good because as a young driver it's nice to be able to learn as much as possible. I learnt a lot when I was at Vauxhall. So now again I have guys that I can learn off and learn different things. Hopefully if you can use their strengths to help your weaknesses then it can only make you better."

TcT: Can you see improvement from it already
"Yeah definitely. Frankly at the level Matt and Gordon are at and the level that I'm at you're never going to look at the data and for instance Matt's going to be quicker on every corner and every braking area than Gordon or me. There's going to be pros and cons. It is different driving styles and one corner may hurt another one and there are different lines and stuff. So you'll always be able to pick something up and maybe compromise your approach a little bit to take that on board and help it in general. So it's good to have them, but it's close to the first race and we've got a long way to go."

TcT: What are your expectations for the 2012 season
"To be honest when we first said we were getting this car our expectation was to get a win and some podiums. Now with the testing issues we need to be reliable and we need to finish. If we could get three top six finishes that would be a good start. Last year I had two DNFs when we were on for podiums. We need a good first round to build on later on in the season. We just need to make sure we're consistent and hopefully consistently quick. That's got to be our aim. I need to address that as I wasn't as consistent as I should probably have been last year. The speed is never really an issue it's more about keeping the consistency, scoring points and knowing when to back out of a gap and when to go for one."

TcT: So you'll be thinking about your approach more this year
"I always want to get the best result as does everyone, but sometimes I'm sure Matt and the more experienced guys would know when probably isn't the best time to go for a lunge. I'm only 22 so I'm still learning the ropes. I think the biggest thing is keeping it consistent, which I'm sure we'll be able to do."

[Rob]

Brands braced for bumper crowd
Kent’s world-famous Brands Hatch circuit is bracing itself for a bumper crowd this weekend (31 March/1 April) when the stars of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship arrive for the start of their much anticipated 2012 season.

The two-day fixture is one of the South East’s biggest sporting events of the year with tens of thousands of public attending trackside. Swift access to the venue, near Dartford, from the M25 and M20 motorways plus free admission for children and the chance to meet the hero drivers from Britain’s premier motor racing championship all add to the public appeal.

Indeed circuit owner MotorSport Vision recently reported pre-sales of BTCC tickets were at record numbers and, due to demand, it has this week extended the booking deadline by an extra 24 hours until midday this Thursday (29 March). For more details click on the Brands Hatch advert on the top right of the btcc.net homepage..

Worcestershire’s Matt Neal will be hoping to get the defence of his 2011 crown off to a flying start in his brand new Honda Yuasa Racing Team Honda Civic but faces a whole host of challengers from the 24-strong grid that features no fewer than nine different makes of car – some entered by local teams and drivers to Brands Hatch.

Wrotham team Redstone Racing has entered three Ford Focus STs, one of them for Mat Jackson who came close to lifting last year’s title. Among his team-mates is Liam Griffin, MD of London’s biggest private hire cab firm Addison Lee. Team principal David Bartrum commented: “We’re always excited about our home race and we go into this weekend with high hopes as we’ve had more time to prepare with the Fords than in 2011. But the BTCC is a tough old nut to crack and we’re not underestimating anyone.”

The Sunbury-on-Thames based eBay Motors team with its three turbocharged BMWs is also chasing success – among its drivers is Surrey racer Tom Onslow-Cole. The 24-year-old from New Malden said: “This weekend’s event will be huge and, being the first round, there will be a great atmosphere as well. The BTCC is famed for its action-packed racing and nowhere does it get more exciting than at Brands Hatch.”

Meanwhile Dartford’s Tony Gilham is behind the wheel of one of last year’s title-winning Honda Civics which he will run under the Team HARD. banner. “There’s never a dull moment when the BTCC races at Brands Hatch and the lay-out there means the crowds can view the whole lap unfold,” enthused Gilham. “It’s going to be a big weekend for my team and I’m targeting top ten results, but I’m setting the goals high because I have a proven car and a very capable bunch of people behind me.”

Another to watch will be West Thurrock-based outfit AmD Tuning.com with its VW Golf raced by promising newcomer Ollie Jackson from Reigate, Surrey. Team boss Shaun Hollamby said: “Given Ollie’s pre-season testing form I truly believe we can achieve regular top ten finishes. It was always a three-year plan with the Golf so this is when we have to deliver and there’d be no better place to start than in front of our home crowd at Brands Hatch.”

Brands Hatch’s big BTCC weekend (31 March/1 April) will also include the first races of 2012 for the hotly-contested Ginetta Junior, Ginetta GT Supercup, Porsche Carrera Cup GB and Renault Clio Cup championships that represent the very best in sports and saloon car action. Nicolas Hamilton – the younger brother of Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton – will be among those on the Clio Cup grid.

[Rob]

Jackson predicts tight Oulton
Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship title protagonist Mat Jackson reckons Oulton Park’s forthcoming round (9/10 June) could produce three of the closest-fought races of the season.

The Redstone Racing ace, already with two wins under his belt in 2012 and lying fourth in the current standings, believes the Oulton circuit’s lay-out will favour the rival S2000 and NGTC-spec cars equally.

Jackson, from Warwickshire, commented: “I suspect it'll be quite close with the lighter S2000s perhaps a bit nimbler up the hills and the NGTCs with their bigger brakes and tyres being untouchable under braking. It could be the closest weekend of the season.

“We've done a lot of homework back at base during the break and it's essential this pays off as everyone else will have moved their cars on in terms of performance. Everyone at Redstone Racing wants more and we need to keep hanging in there towards the top of the table, but until we're on track at Oulton we won't know how it’ll pan out…”

Jackson, who away from motor sport has recently conducted more development work on McLaren’s MP4-12C supercar, is a double winner at Oulton. It was where he achieved his first victory in the BTCC in his debut season in 2007 and he added a second at the Cheshire track in last year’s third race. Another win there next weekend would put him equal 13th with 2009 Champion Colin Turkington on 19 career wins in the BTCC’s ‘hall of fame’.

Unsurprisingly Jackson is a big fan of the Oulton circuit. He'll even celebrate his 31st birthday on race day (!) and he added: “Of course I'm looking forward to it – it's another chance to take the fight to the Platos and Neals of this world and it's a circuit I love.

“It's one of the ‘old school’ circuits with plenty of dips, climbs, off-camber corners and blind brows and it’s also high speed with very little margin for error. In fact there are a couple of circuits on the calendar I'd be happy for us to give up if it meant two trips to Oulton during the year!

“It sorts the men from the boys, there's always a huge crowd and great atmosphere and to win there really means something.”

[Tifosi]

can't wait :-)

[Sianellen]

I found this too amusing not to post :-D

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/motorsport/4361030/Jason-Plato-Sandwich-to-be-sold-in-Tesco.html

[Sianellen]

Plato sarni anyone?

https://p.twimg.com/Au2xsyMCMAALOYA.jpg https://p.twimg.com/Au2xyLwCEAANAL1.jpg

[Rob]

Brilliant :clap

have to go get them later.

[Tifosi]

I don't want to buy one in case it goes off on Sunday :-P

[epiclyaddicted]

I don't want to buy one in case it goes off on Sunday :-P

:lol

[Greig]

do they have little wheels and an engine to push the other sandwiches off the shelf?

[Rob]

do they have little wheels and an engine to push the other sandwiches off the shelf?

:rotfl:clap

going Tesco later, i check if they have. Got buy some.

[Rob]

:clapO'Neill in Croft BTCC return:thumb
Paul O’Neill will return to Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship race action at Croft (23/24 June) in a Speedworks Toyota Avensis.

O’Neill, a fans’ favourite down the years as well as a proven race winner, will take over the car usually raced by Tony Hughes who has other commitments on race day.

The Widnes racer’s exploits will be shown on ITV4 later in the year – he has presented on the channel as part of its coverage of the BTCC this season since last racing in the championship in 2011.

The Widnes racer said: “It’s a chance for me to return to the grid, but I don’t want to just jump in the car for a weekend of racing – I want to do a good job. Speedworks is a good team, sponsor Carlube is going to be playing a big part in the event and I’ll be keeping a video diary for ITV, so hopefully we can have a strong weekend.

“There are more unknowns than knowns for me as I haven’t driven the Toyota, I haven’t driven an NGTC car and there is the turbo engine so it will be difficult to start with but I’ll get quicker as the weekend goes on. I’ll be aiming to start steady and then maybe we could push to get into the top ten in the second race.

“My target is to run in the midfield but obviously the dream, as ever, is to finish on the podium. Although that is possible, I know it will be massive long shot. I’ve done a lot of things in this life that have been a long shot and sometimes they have come off, so I’ll go there to enjoy myself and see what we come away with.”

Speedworks team boss Christian believes the experienced O’Neill is the perfect candidate to partner its rookie driver Adam Morgan during the Croft weekend.

He commented: “Paul is the ideal driver and I have a good feeling about his chances for the weekend at Croft. If he can qualify the car inside the top 15 and then bring it home in the top ten it will be a good result. I’m also looking forward to seeing him work alongside Adam as I’m sure that will help to push him on.”

[Rob]

Plato going for gold at Croft
Jason Plato says he’s determined to end his victory drought in front of a ‘home’ Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship crowd at Croft Circuit this Sunday (24 June).

Double BTCC Champion Plato has achieved more race wins, 69, than any other driver in the BTCC’s 54-year history. But not since 2006 has he stood on the top step of the podium at Croft – a statistic he is eager to rectify at the North Yorkshire circuit this weekend.

And the 44-year-old needs good results in Croft’s three races after a technical problem with his MG KX Momentum Racing team’s MG6 in the most recent round (at Oulton Park, Cheshire) allowed Honda rivals Gordon Shedden and Matt Neal to take over from him at the top of the table.

Plato, from Oxford but who originally hails from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, told btcc.net: “I’ve not had a good run at Croft for a while but I’m out to change all that this weekend. I’m going for pole position and two wins.

“I’m really looking forward to Croft and think the MG will be very well suited to the track lay-out there. It’s a chassis circuit and the MG chassis is very good.”

And he added: “They only get one really big motor sport event each year and we, the BTCC, are it. The way the Croft Circuit management runs the venue means it is a very friendly place. They can’t do enough for you and it’s their British Grand Prix. Not many circuits have that mentality. Knockhill in Scotland is another…

“Plus it’s a super driver’s circuit. There are some very high speed corners and you need a big pair of ‘you-know-whats’. But you also need to know what to do with them – and occasionally at Croft that means being prepared to hang them out of the window.”

Plato’s roots mean he is always a favourite among the tens of thousands of public who each year visit Croft to see the BTCC’s annual visit to the region and he is clearly a fan of theirs as well.

He said: “I’ll also see a lot of old pals and meet them socially while I’m up there plus some old family. I’m a Northerner and love being round Northern people. I love their humour; there’s always a great, great reception. I don’t get much chance to get back to the North East so it’s a rare opportunity to hear and taste the sounds of the good old North.”

[Rob]

Shedden: "We're surviving"
Gordon Shedden reckons he’s lucky to be leading the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship going into this weekend's (23/24 June) three races at Croft Circuit.

The Scotsman and Honda Yuasa Racing Team team-mate Matt Neal have won eight of the season’s 12 races so far. At Oulton Park 11 days ago they were rampant, taking victory in all three races.

As a result Shedden will arrive at Croft in North Yorkshire holding a slender lead over Neal. Their arch rival, Jason Plato, is close behind in third in his MG KX Momentum Racing MG6.

And Shedden told btcc.net: “You’ve got to bear in mind that the results at Oulton were down to Jason not starting the first race after he'd qualified on pole position. That skewed the weekend a bit because, if you look, we are way down in the speed traps…

“I’d say we are surviving at the moment. Later in the year when we get to the likes of Silverstone and Brands Hatch Grand Prix I think we’ll struggle to be in the top ten. But everyone in our team is working flat out on squeezing every ounce of performance from the Civic so you never know… it might come together and work out.”

Shedden took two wins at Croft in 2010 and Neal did the same last year, but the championship leader is unsure if those sorts of results can be repeated this time around.

He added: “There’s just as much emphasis on straightline speed at Croft as there is at Oulton with four long straights – the start-finish straight, the run from the Chicane down to Tower, then all the way to Barcroft and the section between Sunny Out and the complex at the end of the lap. We are going to be on the backfoot there.

“On saying that we all know how good the Civic’s chassis is and Croft places an emphasis on the chassis because set-up is a compromise in order get the car working on the mixture of high, medium and slow speed corners. If we can wring the maximum from the car at Croft then we could still be in with a chance.

“I’m comfortable with leading the championship. There’s no big pressure because we’re only four rounds into the season and there is so much more going to happen. If anything leading is almost a negative because I’ll have full success ballast on board and Croft is a circuit where ballast hurts. It’ll be a case of making the most of the situation in qualifying and the first race and hope to come back strongly in the later races on Sunday. At this stage it’s all about keeping on scoring.”

[Rob]

Collard sure of BMW gains
Robert Collard says Croft this weekend marks his BMW’s best chance of another win this season.

Robert Collard says Croft this weekend marks his BMW’s best chance of another win in the Dunlop MSA British Touring car Championship this season.

eBay Motors’ Collard became the BTCC’s first winner of 2012 when he took victory in the season’s opening race at Brands Hatch. He’s gone on to lead six of the 11 race since but another win has eluded him.

He finished on the podium in all three races at Croft 12 months ago and he’s confident that he and team-mates Tom Onslow-Cole and Nick Foster will be in the hunt for more top three results there this weekend. Notably, it was also at Croft last year that Foster achieved a career-best race result of second.

Collard, who led twice at Oulton Park 11 days ago, told btcc.net: “We definitely made a step forward with the BMW in terms of tyre longevity at Oulton in that we got them to stay competitive for longer into the races.

“I still feel we can find a bit more in that respect but it was a very good piece of work by the team and we’ve already shown we’ve got improved performance this year over a single qualifying lap.

“Put those together on a circuit like Croft which I believe is our best circuit and we could be in very good shape this weekend. I think the crowds and TV viewers could see the three eBay BMWs hunting in a pack on Sunday…”

Collard will go into the event lying fourth in the outright drivers’ standings but knows three strong results, as in 2011, would help close the gap to Honda duo Gordon Shedden and Matt Neal plus MG’s Jason Plato who have started to edge away at the head of the table.

His starts so far this season – he went from fifth to first away from the grid at Donington Park and from third into the lead by the first bend at Oulton – also suggest the crowds watching from Croft’s opening two bends on Sunday could be in for something special.

Collard added: “The pits straight is narrow at Croft but no narrower than it was at Oulton – there’s still just about enough room to squeeze between cars and nose ahead into the first bend. People probably line up on the grid thinking I’m going to be the ‘king of starts’ but it’s difficult to emulate it every time. At the moment I just seem to have a knack of getting everything right…”

http://www.btcc.net/html/generalnews_detail.php?id=3039&month=0&year=2012&form=&searchterm=

[Tobes]

Did you get a Plato sarnie..? :-D

[Rob]

Did you get a Plato sarnie..? :-D

no, i couldnt see them in there when i went up. If go in there this weekend, will see if they in.

[Sianellen]

no, i couldnt see them in there when i went up. If go in there this weekend, will see if they in.

Strangely and totally coincidentally I had a dream about trying to get a Plato sarni last night. :-?? I still haven't had one in reality or in a dream though. :-s

[Tifosi]

Strangely and totally coincidentally I had a dream about trying to get a Plato sarni last night. :-?? I still haven't had one in reality or in a dream though. :-s

It's succulent ham o-off the bone with a crunchy cole-coleslaw with ja-jalapeño ma-mayonnaise on delicious r-rye bread according to Jason :-)


Sent from me mobile fone innit!

[Sianellen]

It's succulent ham o-off the bone with a crunchy cole-coleslaw with ja-jalapeño ma-mayonnaise on delicious r-rye bread according to Jason :-)


Sent from me mobile fone innit!

om.. nom nom... sarni...nom!

[Rob]

Gilham to drive Thorney Motorsport NGTC Vauxhall Insignia in BTCC round at Snetterton
Tuesday, August 7th 2012, 10:23 GMT

Tony Gilham will drive Thorney Motorsport's NGTC Vauxhall Insignia in the forthcoming BTCC round at Snetterton.

The switch is expected to help both him and his regular Tony Gilham Racing outfit acclimatise to NGTC machinery, which he plans to adopt from the 2013 season.

As revealed by AUTOSPORT in July, American Robb Holland will take over from Gilham in the S2000 Honda Civic, and in the process become the first driver from the USA to compete in the series since 1975.

"John Thorne (Thorney team boss and regular driver) has a big sponsor lined up for the future and it'd be nice to try and help him move the car closer to the front-running pace, plus it keeps my face on the grid which is good for my sponsors," Gilham said.

"It'll also be valuable NGTC experience for everyone within our team as that's the route for us in the future... we hope to have a considerable presence on the grid next season.

"I won't see the Insignia until the first practice session on Saturday morning but the aim will be to steadily work away at the set-up and keep chipping away at the lap times.

"It's obviously going to be a very busy weekend for me, driving the Insignia and overseeing Robb's debut in our Civic but I've drafted in extra staff to ensure it all runs smoothly. It's important Robb is properly looked after on his first outing with us - I am sure he is going to be competitive."

[Rob]

Watch Snetterton with ITV
ITV’s superb live coverage of 2012’s Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship resumes this weekend at Snetterton.

As ever, it all starts with all the drama of Saturday’s qualifying session which will be shown as it happens on the network’s dedicated www.itv.com/btcc web pages (3.10pm-3.50pm).

Fast forward to Sunday and all three BTCC races – as well as a plentiful supply of the support race action – will be shown live on ITV4, ITV4 HD and the www.itv.com website during a SEVEN hour show from 11.00am-6.00pm.

Nor does it stop there… from 4.30pm-6.00pm on ITV4 and HD on Tuesday (14 August), highlights of Snetterton’s BTCC thrills and spills will be re-lived.

Those highlights will then be repeated twice more later in the week during the early hours of Thursday morning (16 Aug) on ITV1 and ITV1 HD and on Saturday afternoon (18 Aug) back on ITV4 and ITV4 HD. All highlights will also be ‘simulcast’ on itv.com.

[Rob]

Morgan's Snetterton optimism
Adam Morgan is hopeful his Speedworks Motorsport team can get on a par with fellow Toyota outfit Dynojet at Snetterton’s Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship round this weekend (11/12 August).

Morgan is confident the Cheshire squad has vastly improved its Avensis and, after shaking it down at Mallory Park this morning (Wednesday), was brimming with confidence.

“I’ve put in some fast times in the first half of the season but during the break we’ve transformed the car – it’s much more nimble and agile – which points to us going even quicker,” he told btcc.net.

“It was at Snetterton last year that things took off for Dynojet and maybe it’s a circuit that suits the Avensis. Everyone on the grid is a rival but Dynojet are a natural benchmark for us and it would be very good to start matching Frank’s (Wrathall) times and pace.”

BTCC ‘rookie’ Morgan had started showing signs of matching fellow Lancastrian Wrathall at both Oulton Park and Croft just before the mid-season halt. He was seventh fastest and ahead of Wrathall in all four free practice sessions across the two events only for the more experienced Dynojet driver to get the upper hand when it really mattered. While Wrathall qualified seventh and then fourth fastest at the Cheshire and North Yorkshire circuits respectively, Morgan disappointedly faded to 14th and 11th on the timesheets...

Morgan, last year’s Ginetta GT Supercup champion, added: “Qualifying inside the top ten for the first time at Snetterton is an important target I want to hit – it puts a driver beyond what I call the ‘dangerzone’, the middle part of the grid where a lot of problems happen.

“The top priority for me this weekend, though, is three strong finishes in the points without any silly on-track ‘argy-bargy’. The best chance of that is a top ten in qualifying. I’m feeling optimistic about this one…”

[Rob]

Plato fires warning shot
Jason Plato believes he can add to his and the Triple Eight Race Engineering squad’s incredible wins tally at Snetterton this weekend.

Plato is aiming to start the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship’s season’s second half where he left off after winning the last race before the summer break (at Croft in June).

In doing so he ended a seven race unbeaten streak by factory Yuasa Honda Racing Team duo Matt Neal and Gordon Shedden – the two men he is chasing at the top of the standings.

Oxford’s Plato has used Snetterton in the past to launch several championship comebacks and the Norfolk track has indeed been one of the kindest to him during his lengthy BTCC career.

He’s achieved TEN race victories there while Triple Eight which runs his factory KX Momentum Racing MG6 won 11 times with the Vauxhalls it ran between 2000 and 2009.

It’s a winning combination that will surely have many rival teams and drivers worried going into the weekend – consider also that reigning Champion Neal has not won at Snetterton since 2006.

Furthermore Triple Eight, along with Plato and team-mate Andy Neate, is confident it has found more speed in the still relatively new MG during July testing.

Plato said: “Our summer break has been long, the batteries are well and truly re-charged and the team are well prepared – I feel strong and very motivated. Effectively our season starts at Snetterton.

“I am confident that our recent developments with the MG6 GT will not only improve our speed, but also our race performance. I feel some race wins coming this weekend.”

Neate will also go into the weekend on a high after enjoying the best event of his career yet at Croft where he led a race for the first time. Significantly team principal Ian Harrison has hinted that his squad is ready to ramp up the pressure on Team Dynamics and its factory Hondas in the outright HiQ Teams and Manufacturers title races.

He added: “The summer break has been a good chance for the team to re-group before heading into battle for the second half of the season.

"It hasn’t been time off and holidays for us at Triple Eight though, we’ve been working hard to get on top of the new MG6 and do a little bit of testing. This should hopefully see us unlock some more potential in the car and challenge at the front – which is the only place we want to be.”

[Rob]

Respect between Collard, Jordan
They’ve had their run-ins, but Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship rivals Andrew Jordan and Robert Collard can still sing each other’s praises.

Pirtek Racing’s Jordan and eBay Motors’ Collard will go into this weekend’s Snetterton round tying for fourth in the outright standings (technically Collard is ahead because he has a race win to his name in 2012).

They’ve been near inseparable on the track as well and a rivalry that has boiled over in the past reached a head again at Oulton Park in June when their cars collided and Jordan’s Honda Civic was sent crashing at high speed.

Neither, though, is holding a grudge and Collard told btcc.net: “What happened at Oulton was just unfortunate and I wouldn’t wish for an outcome like that.

“I’ve got a lot of respect for Andrew and he’s doing a great job in a privateer car. The Pirtek team is a fantastic family-run team. I think he’s driving this year better than he’s ever driven.”

And added Jordan: “I think Rob drives like a bit of a lunatic at times! But he is driving that BMW bloody well this year and you can’t deny that.

“We’ve not always seen eye to eye and we had our moment at Oulton, but I’m not holding grudges any more. Credit where credit’s due.”

Both drivers are also eager to finish the season in the championship’s top three – a 50-point gap to leader Matt Neal might just prove a little too much to make up but each believes that closing down the 21 points to third-placed Jason Plato is a realistic ambition.

Collard continued: “I don’t believe the title is within reach, although, of course, anything is possible. A top three in the championship is achievable and we are going to go very hard for it. I’m not here to finish fifth or sixth.

“We seem to have improved the BMW’s braking and handling in the summer break. While things didn’t go as well as we’d anticipated at Snetterton last year I’m confident, if we’ve got our sums right, that this time it could be a good event for us – in fact I’d say all five of the circuits coming up should be strong for the BMW.”

And said Jordan: “I’ve had a few close second places already this season and if I find myself in the same situation at Snetterton I might be a bit more prepared to put my nose in there.

“We know we’ve moved the car forwards in the break and I’m going to be slightly more assertive from here on in – I’m not going to go the rest of the season finishing second.”

[Rob]

NGTC Redstone Focus spied
Redstone Racing has arrived at Snetterton with its new NGTC-spec Ford Focus for Mat Jackson but will it race in this weekend’s Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship?
http://i45.tinypic.com/21az52r.jpg
After working almost non-stop for the past three days and nights, the Kent-based Motorbase squad which runs the Redstone Racing cars arrived at the Norfolk track at 6.00am this morning.

Its mechanics and engineers are continuing to work flat out in their pit garage in an effort to ready the car in time for the BTCC's opening practice session. The pit lane is due to open at 09.35am.

If the car does roll out it will be the first time it has turned a wheel.

Team principal David Bartrum told btcc.net: “It’s certainly all hands on deck at the moment – I hope we can do it, that’s the aim but we have to be certain.

“All I can say is what an incredible job it’s been by everyone in our team – there are some lads who’ve basically not slept for the last three days and one of our fabricators who hasn’t seen his bed for about a week. What a team effort!”

Meanwhile the stunning-looking machine, based on Ford’s latest Focus ST model, becomes the seventh different make of car to be built to the BTCC’s latest Next Generation Touring Car regulations.

Bartrum added: “Hopefully it will turn heads – the reaction from a few marshals and other early birds who’ve walked past our pit garage this morning has been very pleasing.”

[Sianellen]

http://www.btcc.net/html/generalnews_detail.php?id=3088

http://www.btcc.net/images/gallery/st_8728_be00.jpg

'Flash' fire!
This is the dramatic moment that Gordon Shedden’s Honda burst into flames in Snetterton’s pit lane during this morning’s opening Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship free practice session.

Shedden, ‘nicknamed Flash’, was returning to the pit lane when his world went up in smoke.

The Scot, shaken but unharmed, told btcc.net: “I was coming round the last bend and then there was a pop, like a misfire or as if the car had run out of fuel… as I started coasting into the pit lane flame suddenly flashed up the side of the car.

"My first reaction was to get it to the Team Dynamics pit garage as quickly as possible so we could get it extinguished.”

It’s not yet known what damage has been done his Yuasa Honda Racing Team Civic.

Shedden had set the session’s second fastest time just prior to the conflagration – see separate report shortly.

[Rob]

^ wow

[Rob]

Frank Wrathall claims first British Touring Car Championship pole at Snetterton
By Kevin Turner Saturday, August 11th 2012, 15:05 GMT

Frank Wrathall took his first British Touring Car Championship pole position at Snetterton on Saturday afternoon.

Works MG driver Jason Plato set the early pace from title leader Matt Neal's works Honda Civic, before Dave Newsham (ES Racing Vauxhall Vectra) slotted in between the arch rivals.

Wrathall then jumped to pole with a 1m58.039s in his Dynojet Toyota Avensis, but Plato responded almost immediately with laps of 1m57.610s and 1m57.611s, and looked set to secure top spot.

However, Wrathall took his Dynojet Toyota Avensis round in 1m57.595s to snatch pole back. Despite returning to the circuit in the closing moments, Plato had to settle for second after a small off on his final run.

"I was confident going into this weekend and I thought this could be where we could really show what we're capable of," said Wrathall.

The result is the first BTCC pole for a Toyota since Julian Bailey started first for the works team at Knockhill in 1993.

Newsham improved late on but could not usurp Plato from the runner-up spot, while Andrew Jordan left it late to take fourth with 1m58.133s in his Eurotech NGTC Civic.

Adam Morgan and Dan Welch continued their fine form this weekend to complete the top six, and force Neal back to row four.

Lea Wood was the top S2000 runner in his Vectra in eighth, just ahead of Tom Onslow-Cole, who had his early times disallowed for not respecting the track limits in his WSR BMW.

Gordon Shedden did make it out for the session after his fire in morning practice, but his NGTC Honda Civic ground to a halt almost immediately, briefly bringing out the red flags.

Mat Jackson qualified Motorbase's brand new NGTC Ford Focus in 16th for its debut.

Pos Driver Team/Car Time Gap
1. Frank Wrathall Dynojet Toyota 1m57.595s
2. Jason Plato MG 1m57.610s + 0.015s
3. Dave Newsham ES Vauxhall 1m57.649s + 0.054s
4. Andrew Jordan Eurotech Honda 1m58.133s + 0.538s
5. Adam Morgan Speedworks Toyota 1m58.205s + 0.610s
6. Daniel Welch Welch Proton 1m58.263s + 0.668s
7. Matt Neal Honda 1m58.552s + 0.957s
8. Lea Wood Central Vauxhall 1m58.699s + 1.104s
9. Tom Onslow-Cole WSR BMW 1m58.881s + 1.286s
10. Jeff Smith Eurotech Honda 1m59.215s + 1.620s
11. Aron Smith Motorbase Ford 1m59.401s + 1.806s
12. Rob Collard WSR BMW 1m59.421s + 1.826s
13. Andy Neate MG 1m59.961s + 2.366s
14. Rob Austin Austin Audi 1m59.963s + 2.368s
15. Chris James ES Vauxhall 2m00.005s + 2.410s
16. Mat Jackson Motorbase Ford 2m00.142s + 2.547s
17. Nick Foster WSR BMW 2m00.208s + 2.613s
18. Ollie Jackson AmD Volkswagen 2m00.778s + 3.183s
19. Tony Gilham Thorney Vauxhall 2m01.056s + 3.461s
20. Robb Holland Gilham Honda 2m01.112s + 3.517s
21. Tony Hughes Speedworks Toyota 2m01.695s + 4.100s
22. Gordon Shedden Honda

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/101775

[Rob]

Mat Jackson says NGTC switch is about 2013 challenge
Mat Jackson has debuted the first car built by Motorbase Performance for the BTCC this weekend with the brand new Next Generation Touring Car-specification Ford Focus ST, and says the main focus is now on the 2013 drivers' championship.
The car was delivered to the track early in the morning, just a few hours before the first practice session without ever having turned a wheel, and though Jackson, who sits sixth in the overall standings and third in the independents' with the points scored with the team's S2000 Ford Focus, the 32-year-old is happy with the progress and performance of the car on its first day

"Considering the guys have worked so hard, so late to get it done, and we've run our first day with very limited faults, it's pretty impressive really," said Jackson to TouringCarTimes.

"As far as the NGTC stuff goes, the cars have worked hard to get this anywhere near the front and it shows. They've done a good job."

In terms of his aspirations today with the new car, Jackson added:
"We were hoping for pole! But we've got to be realistic. The other guys have got five races on us and have done a lot of testing in the same equipment (NGTC). It's moved on from where it was at the start of the year, and it's moved on very very fast and that's why we knew we've got to make the move to jump into this as soon as we could. 16th is not ideal, but it's a test day. We knew it was going to be a test day, it isn't the way we wanted to do it, but it's the only way."

Mat Jackson admits his chances of battling for the independents' title, which he narrowly missed out on last year is slimmer due to the change of car mid-season, but says the independents' title was never his goal anyway.
"The independents' is one thing, but for me it's the main outright Championship, that's what I want to win, and we're not going to do that in an S2000 car. What we're looking at is the future, and we've got to look forward to next season, and the earlier we make a start on this, the more we can learn data wise so that we're there."

[Sianellen]

Sometimes I love Plato and Neal. Can't wait for the post race 2 interviews. :-D

[Rob]

Shedden targeting Knockhill glory
Gordon Shedden says his home circuit of Knockhill would be the ideal place to bounce back following his Snetterton woes which cost him the lead of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship.

Honda Yuasa Racing Team star Shedden will go into this weekend’s event at the Fife circuit where he has won three times before trailing team-mate Matt Neal by eight points at the top of the table.

But he would have been leading had he not been disqualified from Snetterton’s third race ten days ago after his car failed a mandatory technical check. It was a bitter pill to swallow for the Dalgety Bay racer who’d already had to fight back through the order after his Honda was engulfed in a fire in the pit lane the previous day.

Furthermore, he’ll start Knockhill’s meeting with the maximum success ballast (45kgs) in his car which is normally reserved for the leader heading into the next event. This is because the rules state that success ballast is allocated as per championship positions based on the finishing order over the line (in this case he was top of the table prior to his removal from Snetterton’s third race results).

Shedden told btcc.net: “Snetterton was just plain unlucky. Everything that could go wrong did go wrong but it’s all about what you salvage and we did a decent salvage job.

“I need to bounce back immediately if I can and where better than at Knockhill? Some of the cars are quite a bit quicker than the Honda in a straight line and that told at Snetterton which has long straights, but we should be in a better place at Knockhill. At least I hope so…”

Shedden will very much be a ‘talisman’ for Scottish motor sport this weekend – not only is Knockhill’s BTCC event the country’s biggest fixture on four wheels but also in action will be a number of other home grown talents eager to shine in front of a local audience.

While Shedden jokingly nicknames fellow BTCC racer Dave Newsham “sort of Scottish” (the Inverness driver originally hails from Wales and then Lancashire) he points to several names in the supporting categories.

Shedden added: “There is a lot of Scottish talent on display this weekend whether it be Rory Butcher or Glynn Geddie in the Porsches, Charlie Robertson in Ginetta Juniors, Fergus Walkinshaw in the Ginetta GT Supercup or the drivers in the Celtic Speed Mini Cooper Challenge or the Scottish Sports and Saloons which are both making guest appearances.

“The Scottish motor sport community is known for being incredibly close-knit and this weekend is a very strong weekend for us.”

[Rob]

Newsham fancies another
After his first race victory in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Dave Newsham says he fancies another win – this time in front of his home crowd – at Knockhill this weekend.

Inverness’s Newsham won for the first time in the BTCC at Snetterton just over a week ago – in doing so he racked up a maiden triumph for the Team ES Racing.com squad.

Now comes Knockhill which, although more than two and a half hours away from his home by road, is still very much his local track.

And he told btcc.net: “I need another win to get Snetterton out of my head!

“I got home last Wednesday and have had my business to run but I’ve done nothing but think about that last race at Snetterton.

“I fancy my chances of another win, although I’m told the Vauxhall Vectra isn’t the best at Knockhill. I’ve a feeling the Hondas, particularly with Gordon (Shedden), will go really well there but nobody really knows until we get out on the track. Just look at what happened at Snetterton…”

Newsham is taking great pride in his breakthrough win at Snetterton, particularly the manner in which he achieved it – it’s also a result which has led to a new sponsor for Knockhill’s event in the shape of Ross County FC sponsor Highnet, a business telecoms provider.

He said: “It’s a toe-in-the-water thing for HighNet but hopefully they’ll like what they see and we can look at expanding it. The recognition after Snetterton has been fantastic – I can hardly see my desk because I’ve had so many congratulations cards! The number of people saying they’ll be travelling from Inverness to Knockhill to support me is unreal.

“It was, of course, fantastic to finally get that first win at Snetterton although, if I’m honest, I think we should have had one at the opening round at Brands Hatch. Everyone expected the NGTC cars to dominate at Snetterton yet we were right in there all weekend and more competitive than either Triple Eight or Eurotech managed with the Vectra there in 2011."

And added Newsham: “It’s also reassuring to know that when te car’s set-up is right I can do the business with it. That ticks a big mental box."

“I’m not a statistician but I have looked at the data from the Snetterton race and I was very consistent and kept it neat and tidy every lap. I think when Matt Neal got going after his first lap spin he was 20 seconds behind me and the gap was still the same as we started the last lap before I wound it back a bit.

“It’s important we keep the car the way it is right now and don’t go meddling with it. I won both Renault Clio Cup races and the title at Knockhill in 2010 and I’d love to put on another good show for the fans there this weekend.”

[Rob]

Watch Knockhill with ITV
The ITV network’s feast of Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship coverage in 2012 continues this weekend at Knockhill…

As ever ITV’s cameras will be trackside, on the grid and in the paddock to bring viewers all the drama that never fails to unfold at the Fife circuit.

Commentators Tim Harvey and Toby Moody will also be linking up during races for a chat with Gordon Shedden, Dave Newsham, Frank Wrathall and Andy Neate – provided they aren't too busy!

It all starts on Saturday with live online coverage of the BTCC’s crucial half-hour qualifying session. This will be shown from 3.00pm on the www.itv.com/btcc web pages.

Knockhill’s three big BTCC races plus much of the supporting category action will then be shown live from 11.00am-6.00pm on Sunday on the ITV4 and ITV4 HD channels as well as www.itv.com.

Highlights of Knockhill’s BTCC thrills and spills are scheduled to follow later in the week: Tues 28 Aug, ITV4 & ITV4 HD, 4.30pm-6.00pm; Thurs 30 Aug, ITV1 & ITV1 HD, 2.30am-3.40am; Sat 1 Sept, ITV4 & ITV4 HD, 2.30pm-4.00pm*. All highlights will be 'simulcast' on itv.com.

Furthermore there is always ample opportunity for fans to re-live each round so far with ITV’s online library of races, again at itv.com/btcc.

* All times subject to change – check listings nearer the time

http://www.btcc.net/html/generalnews_detail.php?id=3110&month=0&year=2012&form=&searchterm=

[Rob]

Jason Plato 'needs banning' from BTCC, says team boss David Bartrum
By Kevin Turner Monday, September 3rd 2012, 11:23 GMT

British Touring Car team boss David Bartrum has called for Jason Plato to be banned in the ongoing spat over the Knockhill weekend.

Bartrum's Motorbase driver Aron Smith was fined £500 and given three points on his licence for a clash that removed Plato's MG from race one.

Plato called for greater punishment, but in his post-Knockhill blog, Bartrum said the double champion should look at his own driving.

"He suggested Aron doesn't deserve a race licence," said Bartrum. "Quite frankly, he is the man who needs banning from the championship.

"Why TOCA didn't give him points for his revenge mission at Snetterton on Matt Neal is anybody's guess! Probably because he has so many points already.

"He is a director in the most influential club in British motorsport (the British Racing Drivers' Club), he is in a role in which people need to respect him and look upon him as someone who sets an example of how a race driver conducts himself both on and off the circuit. In my opinion he does neither!

"All of that said I do respect his driving ability, he is clearly very talented. He also puts on a great show for the public, who seemingly love a bad boy. Maybe we were just another part of his show.

"I just think if he kept his mouth shut and his thoughts to himself the world would be better for it."

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/102217

[Greig]

Ban him :-D

[Sianellen]

Fight :-D

[Rob]

Yeah fight alright, the next race at Rockingham should be juicey.

[Rob]

Plato predicts tricky Silverstone
Jason Plato believes that taking big points out of his Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship title rivals at Silverstone next weekend (6/7 October) will be tricky.

Oxford’s Plato will go into his home event in his KX Momentum Racing MG6 with some 30 points or more to make up if he’s to draw level with Honda duo Gordon Shedden and Matt Neal who lead the way. Success at Silverstone is all the more crucial as it will surely have a big say in the outcome of the title race at Brands Hatch a fortnight later (20/21 Oct).

There’ll be a possible maximum of 67 up for grabs at Silverstone but, while many reckon the Hondas could struggle along Silverstone’s long straights, Plato insists that is no guarantee of being able to move straight in on them.

Plato, who last weekend extended his BTCC race wins record to 72 and is now hunting the third crown of his illustrious career, told btcc.net: “I think Silverstone will be good for us. The only problem will be how quick the Fords and the S2000-spec cars like the BMWs and Vauxhalls are in a straight line – ideally I’d like to put them between me and the Hondas but it’s going to be hard staying ahead of them.

“We’ve got to score a lot of points as fast as we can. If the title is on it’s on and if it’s not then it’s not. I certainly think the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit is going to be great for us, particularly if it’s dry. Wow, we are going to be very strong there.”

Plato is also wary of just how many points have slipped through his fingers in 2012, chiefly thanks to a mixture of mechanical problems.

He added: “You can’t get over the fact of how many non-finishes we’ve had this year. Had we not had a suspension failure on the grid at Oulton Park where we should have started from pole position then we would have won that race which would have meant a much better result in the second race.

“I was on the front row of the grid at Croft and couldn’t start because of an electrical failure which also came back in another race that day. Obviously I was fired off into the barriers at Knockhill and then had more mechanical problems in the second and third races. It’s always very difficult to win a championship like that…”

Meanwhile team-mate Andy Neate from nearby Aylesbury will be hoping to continue the turn of speed he showed at Rockingham and provide Plato with what could be invaluable support at Silverstone.

Neate said: “Silverstone always means a lot to me and not just because it’s my home event. I had my first proper test in a racing car there in 1996 and have generally had strong results there.

“I came away from Rockingham disappointed. I’d had an opportunity to take some points off Matt Neal in that first race and it didn’t work out. I know personally I need to be up there.”

[Rob]

Griffin & Wood to return
Liam Griffin and Lea Wood will both return to the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship grid in next weekend’s Silverstone round (6/7 October).

Hertfordshire’s Griffin has not raced since suffering a dramatic crash at Croft in mid-June (pictured) when his Redstone Racing Ford Focus caught fire following a collision with Wood’s BINZ Racing Vauxhall Vectra.

Hereford’s Wood has continued to compete but was forced to miss Rockingham’s most recent round last weekend.

Both, though, have confirmed they will be back at Silverstone’s penultimate round next weekend.

Wood told btcc.net: “I can’t wait. I hated missing Rockingham but I think we can come back strongly at Silverstone and I’m definitely aiming to carry on where we left and challenge for top ten race results.

"The top ten in the championship might be a long shot now but I won't give up on that until it's impossible."

[Rob]

Brands debut for Williamson
Aaron Williamson will become the latest young charge to get his Dunlop MSA British Touring Car break with Team HARD. when he makes his debut with the squad in the championship's season finale at Brands Hatch.

The 20-year-old from Spalding, Lincolnshire will be a familiar name among the BTCC crowds after three years racing at the sharp end in the Ginetta Junior and GT Supercup championships plus 2012's Renault Clio Cup.

After fellow youngster Howard Fuller’s impressive maiden outing at Rockingham in Team HARD.’s Honda Civic, Williamson is eager for a taste of the BTCC big time.

“Howard did very well and it just shows the S2000-spec Civic is still competitive and that Team HARD. are doing a good job with it,” Williamson told btcc.net.

“I’m not going to Brands to get in the way of the drivers fighting for the championship, but I’m certainly aiming for a top ten result or two. Above all it’ll give me a chance to expose my sponsors to what the BTCC is all about as it’s something I aspire to. I’ve got myself a very good car and a team I’m also very comfortable with for my debut.”

Williamson will become the third different driver in the season’s second half to race for Tony Gilham’s Dartford-based outfit – Gilham himself drove it earlier in the year.

Gilham said: “Aaron is the latest young talent we are looking to bring through. He’s been on the BTCC package in the support races for over four years and we believe he will fit the type of driver we want in our car…”

[Rob]

Neal predicts "bloody affair"
Matt Neal reckons Silverstone’s Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship round this weekend could be “a very bloody affair” for his Honda team.

Reigning Champion Neal will continue to race in pain from a broken hand he suffered in a motorbike crash four weeks ago. He competed 11 days ago at Rockingham despite the injury, although he has lost the championship lead to team-mate Gordon Shedden arriving at Silverstone.

There are just three points between them with MG rival Jason Plato chasing them in third, albeit some 30 or so adrift.

But Worcestershire’s Neal told btcc.net: “The hand is still not brilliant – it’s still very painful. On paper Silverstone should make life easier as there are fewer corners but, on paper, this our bogey circuit.

“We’ve just not had the straightline speed of the others and this is a circuit full of long straights. It could be a very bloody affair for us.”

Neal also fears that Plato will be a lot closer to him and Shedden leaving Silverstone for the title-deciding final round at Brands Hatch a fortnight later (20/21 October).

He added: “Jason doesn’t have the quickest car in a straight line either but it is still pretty decent and if he can qualify close to or on the front two rows of the grid then he will out-drive the others.

“He could be on for three podium results and even a win or two. He might even be leading it on Sunday night whereas we might be struggling to get into the top ten. I could be wrong, though…”

[Rob]

Gordon Shedden and Matt Neal fear tough BTCC Silverstone round
By Kevin Turner Thursday, October 4th 2012, 11:32 GMT


Honda British Touring Car drivers Gordon Shedden and Matt Neal do not believe they will be competitive at Silverstone this weekend.

Shedden and Neal are first and second in the drivers' table and have taken 12 wins from 24 races so far in 2012. Nearest rival Jason Plato is 32 points behind Shedden in his MG with six races left.

But that success has meant they have been kept on a lower turbo boost level than rivals, and Silverstone's simple National circuit tends to be horsepower-dominated.

Shedden, who leads Neal by three points, told AUTOSPORT: "Because Silverstone is only four corners it's not technically that much of a challenge so we could find ourselves not qualifying in the top 10.

"I think this will be the hardest weekend for us and I don't even think the wet would save us."

Neal, who clinched the title at the Northamptonshire circuit last season, added: "I don't think we'll even be in the race [at the front].

"In the wet it could be even worse because it's stop-start. At Rockingham there are some fast corners, but at Silverstone they're slow so you can't carry the speed."

Independents' championship leader Andrew Jordan, who also drives an NGTC Honda, is expecting a tough weekend against his rivals, many of whom race in older S2000 machinery.

His main title adversary, WSR's Rob Collard, drives an S2000 BMW, which has not been subjected to such extreme turbo restrictions this year.

"This weekend has got to be a damage limitation exercise for us," said Jordan, who confirmed the Eurotech squad had even considered running team-mate Jeff Smith's old S2000 Vauxhall Vectra because it is allowed more boost.

"I reckon the BMW will be quick and could win all the races.

"Copse is the only corner we'll be alright on - the others are slow so the weight [of the success ballast and the NGTC] and [lack of] power will hurt us on the exits."

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/103058

[Rob]

Harrison: Plato among the greats
Jason Plato truly ranks as one of the crack Triple Eight Race Engineering squad’s all-time British Touring Car greats, team boss Ian Harrison has said.

This season has seen Plato reunited with Harrison’s outfit with which he won the first of his two drivers’ titles to date in 2001 when it ran Vauxhall’s factory effort.

They have since led different lives in the pit lane – Triple Eight then went on to win another five drivers’ championships with legends such as James Thompson (2002 and 2004), Yvan Muller (2003) and Fabrizio Giovanardi (2007 and 2008), with Plato, after a two-year sabbatical, a constant thorn in their side with the RML-run SEAT team.

Sticking with RML he finally added a second crown in 2010 with Chevrolet machinery but for 2012, 11 years after that initial success, he and Triple Eight have found themselves thrust together once more with their all-new factory MG project.

Plato will go into this weekend’s season finale chasing a third title while, for Triple Eight, it’s an opportunity to win the big prize for the first time in four years.

On the eve of the season finale Harrison has given a fascinating ‘now and then’ insight into his star driver.

He told btcc.net: “Jason has obviously matured a lot since 2001. On track he could do it then and he can clearly still do it now but, as a bloke, he’s much more mature. In the driving respect there’s no real difference but he’s now a real team leader. He’s the 'go-to guy' whereas before he was one of the guys. He doesn’t just swan in at weekends and appear as driver – he is an integral part of the team. Most good relationships are built around that work ethic.

“At race weekends he expects the team to do their best because he knows we expect him to do his best. No doubt about it, people gravitate towards him. He really applies himself, concentrates fully on the job and is always pushing us to give him the tools he needs. Sometimes we come up short, but not through lack of effort.

“Without doubt he is absolutely right up there with one of the best we’ve ever had. They’ve all got their strengths and weaknesses but, at end of day, you can’t put a fag paper between them.”

Harrison is also clear as to why Plato, even at 45, remains a benchmark for the younger generation of drivers.

He added: “It’s not Formula 1 so age is less of an issue in terms of fitness and durability. What he and the older guard bring to their performance is racecraft. Driving these cars isn’t probably that difficult by their standards. But racing them is difficult and in the BTCC you’ve got to know who you’re racing against. It is racecraft that makes the difference in getting results or just being quick.”

As for Triple Eight, Harrison is clearly hungry to add to the team’s unrivalled display of title-winning BTCC silverware back at base near Banbury.

He continued: “We’ve still had good times since 2008 – in 2011 we won the Independent title on a modest budget which shows what can be achieved with a bit of common sense. I think it’s only 2010 when we’ve not picked up something this century.

“Regards this weekend… anything we got from here on in to the end of Sunday is a bonus. We didn’t expect to be going for it this year. We’ve got a bit of a sneaky peak at it at Brands but can’t get ahead of ourselves. We’re coming from behind and it’s always difficult like that. It doesn’t look like much but it’s 15 points on a track that will suit the Hondas as much as us. Whatever happens at Brands, we’ll walk away with our heads up.

“If it was to go our way then it would rate up there with one of the best titles at Triple Eight, something really special. It’s the first year for MG, we didn’t have a car running until the week before the first race and we’ve had to learn about the new regulations as we’ve gone along and that’s a great credit to the team and drivers and the way everyone has applied themselves.”

[Rob]

Jackson means business at Brands
After his stunning Silverstone win Mat Jackson is looking to end his 2012 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship season with more victories at Brands Hatch this weekend.

Jackson’s form at Silverstone suggests he could be a real thorn in the side of the main title protagonists at the Kent circuit. Silverstone saw him deliver a first win for Redstone Racing’s NGTC Ford Focus (which could have been two but for a late, cruel mechanical failure) as well as a new lap record.

Asked about his game plan for this Sunday, the Warwickshire ace told btcc.net: “I don’t really care what they (those fighting for the title) are up to – I’ll race them just the same as normal, hard but fair. If they want to mess with me with what’s at stake then it’s their call.

“Ultimately we are going to Brands this weekend really meaning business and are there to win for our sponsors. The Focus started to show its teeth at Silverstone and we will have improved it even further for this weekend.

“I don’t think the Independent drivers’ title is realistically on but the Independent Teams Championship is – hopefully both myself and Aron (Smith) who has really come on strong in the last three events can do the job for the team.”

Jackson has also poured cold water on claims he was only able to produce his stunning drive from 17th to victory at Silverstone because of his car’s superior straight line speed.

He added: “Sure, the Focus is no slouch in the speed traps but there’s not that much in it and I actually don’t recall overtaking anyone in a straight line. It was usually on the brakes and that was a by-product of how strong the car’s cornering was which enabled it to exit faster and carry more momentum onto the straights.

“With that in mind it should really suit the Brands Hatch GP circuit where you need a bit of grunt from the engine but also good corner exit speed.”

[Rob]

Just the tonic for Gordon
Gordon Shedden is the experts’ red hot tip for the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship title at Brands Hatch this weekend.

btcc.net asked a panel of seasoned commentators from the worlds of TV and print media to say who they think will come out on top and Shedden was their overwhelming favourite.

The Scot will go into the season’s final three races with a 15-point lead at the top of the table. Jason Plato, Matt Neal and Andrew Jordan can also still clinch the crown but barely figured on our roving reporters’ radars. Here is what they had to say:

Chris Hockley, The Sun
“Jason, but what else did you expect? He’s worn our logos on his car like he wears his heart on his sleeve all season, is a master tactician and also been in this position many times before. He’ll be feeling relaxed and using every trick in the book to unsettle Gordon who, on saying that, is a tough cookie. But Jason is the man.”

Jon Doran, Scottish Sun
“Jason Plato should have the momentum going into Brands after his two wins last time out and the MG is frighteningly quick, but the fact that Gordon Shedden escaped with points from Silverstone suggests it might just be his year. It might not come as a surprise, but I expect a ‘Flash of inspiration’ and Shedden to be champion.”

Nick Trott, evo
“Jason Plato. He’s got momentum behind him, he’s brilliant on the Brands GP track and the MG is really singing at the moment. I think he would be a worthy champion. His speed and consistency have been exemplary.”

Tim Harvey, ITV Sport & ITV.com/touringcars
“Gordon Shedden will be crowned Champion and deservedly so. He has driven beautifully this year, winning when the car was on form and picking up points when it wasn’t so quick. Crucially he has Matt Neal supporting him this year, not fighting against him which caused him to choke at Silverstone last year. History is also on his side with the leader of the championship going into the final meeting winning the title every year since 2001 except one.”

Kevin Turner, Autosport
“I’ll go for Gordon Shedden. Despite Jason Plato’s recent charge and the pace of the MG, I think the Honda Civics will suit the Brands Hatch GP track much better than Silverstone. Gordon has the points advantage, is really hungry to win it and could have the help of his team-mate and experienced old hand Matt Neal if required. He has to be the favourite.”

Alan Hyde, BTCC pit lane commentator, Tin Top Tuesday radio show
"This week I was blessed with an iPhone 5. I decided to seek inspiration for the answer to the question "Who will win the BTCC?" by asking Siri. Siri replied by asking me if I wanted him to search the web for the answer, and I told him: "No – what's the answer?" His answer was Gloria Gaynor. I think this was a coded message, giving me the letter ‘G’. Therefore, I'll stick with my prediction from the start of the season: Gordon Shedden.”

Ian Titchmarsh, BTCC circuit commentator
"My prediction is 'Flash'. He has one of the best cars; his team-mate has vowed to help him; the Honda Civic should be well suited to Brands GP despite its power deficit; even Jason will struggle to overcome the points deficit.

Louise Goodman, ITV Sport & ITV.com/touringcars
“I’m going with Gordon Shedden for his maiden BTCC title – it seems only fair to share the title around a bit and it’s the safer bet given that Gordon’s superior strike rate so far has earned him a slight points lead going into the finale… but all the title challengers have had their fair share of dramas this season and Brands is bound to bring more. Expect a nail-biter!”

Toby Moody, ITV Sport & ITV.com/touringcars
“Gordon Shedden. He's quiet but very, very hungry – a racer who wants to win even more than the others. His lead of as good as a race win should see him through. The car will suit the Brands GP circuit.”

Matt James, Motorsport News
“I think this year’s championship will go to Gordon Shedden. He has been the stand-out performer this season in a great car and will have team-mate Matt Neal looking after his title charge at Brands Hatch. That combination will be too much for Jason Plato and the MG to overhaul, so I am going to pick Shedden. He would be a popular winner, too – it is always nice to see someone new lift the championship trophy.”

[Greig]

Hopefully Flash wins it, Neal should take out Plato just to help tho :-D

[Rob]

:rotfl

Can you imagine Platos face if that did happen, wow!!

Like Flash to do it, but you just cannt count Plato out. Come on Flash.

Also, where has this year gone, cannt get me head round that it final races this weekend already.

[Rob]

New charity livery for MGs
The factory MG team has unveiled an all-new race livery for Brands Hatch’s Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship finale in aid of Cancer Research UK.
http://i50.tinypic.com/537c5l.jpg
Both Jason Plato and Andy Neate’s MG6s have been heavily re-branded in the colours of sponsors KX and Momentum 99's owner Tesco’s ‘charity of the year’.

The new striking pink and white design also encourages fans to make £1 donations by text which will go towards £10 million that Tesco hopes to raise to fund early detection and diagnosis projects across the UK.

Plato said: “I think this is an inspired initiative from our sponsor at Tesco and I am thrilled that it has been wholeheartedly adopted by other sponsors and the team.

“My close friend Richard Burns, the 2001 World Rally Champion, was tragically taken by cancer several years ago so this really brings home to me what is important in life and I am proud to be associated with Cancer UK.

“I hope people will dig deep and donate to the cause as, at some point, we are all affected or touched by cancer.”

Those wishing to make a £1 donation can do so by texting MGKX99 £1 to 70070.

i have just now donated.

[Rob]

Neal tops first practice
Matt Neal headed a Honda 1-2-3 in a damp opening Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship practice session on Brands Hatch’s Grand Prix circuit.

Neal set the pace with a best lap of 1m44.510s in his Honda Yuasa Racing Team Civic with a late-session burst. Impressively, all of his final three laps would have put him at the top.

Next up were his team-mate Gordon Shedden and fellow Honda driver, Pirtek Racing’s Andrew Jordan, respective leaders of the outright and Independent drivers’ championships going into this weekend’s title-deciding round.

Jason Plato, Shedden’s biggest threat, was fourth in his new-look KX Momentum Racing MG, some 1.2s off Neal’s pace. But he declared: “There’s no point pushing for a time in these conditions. All we’ve done is scrub in dry and wet weather tyres.”

Indeed, the leading times were some 13 seconds off the qualifying and race laps records, but there were still several surprises of note.

Will Bratt was a fine fifth in his wixracing.co.uk Audi A4 and Ollie Jackson tenth in AmD Tuning.com’s VW Golf, just ahead of Chris James’s ES Racing.com Vauxhall Vectra. Making his debut this weekend, Aaron Williamson was 18th fastest of the 24 runners in Team HARD’s Honda Civic.

James's car was the fastest of all through the first of three speed traps, with Shedden's Honda and Mat Jackson's fifth-placed Redstone Racing Ford Focus ahead in the next two. Of the three sectors, Neal was untouchable in the first two but it was Daniel Welch, eighth fastest overall, who was quickest in the third in his Welch Motorsport Proton Persona.

Meanwhile Frank Wrathall’s session was a brief affair, his Dynojet Toyota Avensis stopping in the pit lane with smoke, caused by an oil leak, pouring from its engine bay.

[Tifosi]

New charity livery for MGs

Those wishing to make a £1 donation can do so by texting MGKX99 £1 to 70070.

i have just now donated.

Me too :-)

[Rob]

See new BTCC vid on-line
A new Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship video – including ITV’s stunning end-of-season edit – can now be viewed on-line.

The nine-minute film on the BTCC’s YouTube channel www.youtube.com/btccdotnet includes:

• action from Brands Hatch’s title-deciding round
• interviews with the newly crowned outright and Independent drivers’ champions Gordon Shedden and Andrew Jordan
• a re-cap of 2013’s race dates
• a pulsating three-minute look-back at some of the season’s highlights.

Furthermore every one of 2012’s thrill-a-minute races will remain available for viewing on the www.itv.com/btcc website until the end of the year.

[Rob]

2hr ITV review coming soon
ITV has confirmed it will screen a special two-hour programme looking back at 2012’s Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship on Sunday 11 November.

The network’s season review will be broadcast at 6.00pm on its ITV4 and ITV4 HD channels and simultaneously on the www.itv.com website. It will then remain available to view on demand via the itv.com site's on-line ITV Player until the end of November...

In addition to the best of the season’s action, also included in the review are exclusive interviews with a number of the 2012’s more colourful drivers – filmed separately during last month’s Finals Day weekend at Brands Hatch.

As well, presenter Louise Goodman visits newly crowned Champion Gordon Shedden at his home for a more in-depth look at his racing career.

Keep an eye out on the www.itv.com/btcc website next week for a series of ‘teaser clips’ in the build-up to the programme…

[Rob]

Special discount on season DVD
Duke Video’s official twin-disc DVD review of 2012’s Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship season is now on sale.

What’s more, Duke is giving btcc.net fans an opportunity to purchase the review for just £14.99 with free delivery thrown in.

To be first in the queue – the initial batch of copies is due to be dispatched on 19 November – simply click on the link below and enter the special code BTCC12 when ordering:

http://www.dukevideo.com/prd3940/BTCC-2012-Review-2-Disc-DVD-Review-2-Disc-DVD

At over seven hours in length the DVD is truly a must-buy piece of any BTCC fan’s memorabilia while also making for a perfect Christmas or birthday gift.

As well as plenty of bumper-crunching, panel-scraping action, there were numerous other highlights during the 2012 BTCC season including: nine different race winners (three of them first-time visitors to the top step of the podium), the emergence of the championship’s latest and even more spectacular NGTC-spec cars plus a four-way title showdown that culminated in the crowning of a first-time Champion.

[Rob]

Neate leaves Triple Eight/MG
Andy Neate has confirmed he’s split with the Triple Eight Race Engineering-run MG KX Momentum Racing team but insists he fully intends being on the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship grid in 2013.

Neate joined the newly-founded factory MG outfit at the start of the season – his third in the BTCC – and was expected to stay with it next year.

But in the past week he has parted company with the Triple Eight set-up, thereby leaving the way open for a prized seat alongside double Champion Jason Plato.

“I’m no longer with the Triple Eight MG team and that’s my decision. But I am 100 per cent committed to staying on the grid for 2013,” Aylesbury racer Neate told btcc.net.

However, he remained tight-lipped about his plans for next year.

[Rob]

tech-speed Cruze appears
Stalwart Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship team tech-speed Motorsport today re-appeared with its NGTC-engined Chevrolet Cruze in a test at Donington Park.
http://i50.tinypic.com/xofipl.jpg
The Warwickshire squad has raced in the BTCC since the early Nineties but hasn't been seen since the end of 2011's season when it ran two Cruzes in full S2000 (normally-aspirated) trim.

But today it rolled out one of its cars, now fitted with a latest NGTC-spec turbocharged engine, at Donington in Leicestershire for BARC production touring car trophy racer Joe Girling.

The 22-year-old from Hull had hoped to race the car in one of this year’s final two rounds but is now concentrating on the 2013 season and the BTCC’s newly-created Jack Sears Trophy for S2000 machinery.

Team principal Marvin Humphries told btcc.net: “We gave the car a shakedown at Bruntingthorpe yesterday but today was its first proper test of sorts. There have been a few inevitable teething problems but generally everything has run properly.”

Girling added: “An S2000 car with an NGTC engine is not going to be a match for a full-on NGTC machine in 2013 but the Cruze will be ideal for me to contest the Jack Sears Trophy and enable us to gauge how we’re performing compared to the other S2000 runners.

“It’s my first time in a BTCC car and it’s a steep learning curve – the biggest thing is how it just sticks to the road when cornering. Hopefully I can test the car once more before Christmas but where we don’t know yet… let’s keep an eye on the weather forecasts.”

[Rob]

Weather frustrates Wood, Newsham
Cold weather thwarted Lea Wood and Dave Newsham’s test in the Speedworks Motorsport team’s Toyota Avensis at Donington Park today.

Wood and Newsham, both emerging stars of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, felt they were unable to wring the most from the car because of bitterly cold temperatures.

A broken driveshaft – quickly fixed – delayed Wood initially. Newsham later suffered a high-speed but harmless spin into the gravel trap down the Craner Curves section of the Leicestershire track.

Hereford’s Wood told btcc.net: “I also had a quick spin exiting Redgate – the rear tyres have actually been losing temperature as we’ve gone round – but otherwise the test actually went very well. Speedworks have done a fabulous job all day and are a pleasure to work with.

“It’s been very interesting to finally drive an NGTC-spec car. The mid-corner grip and exit speed is considerably greater than an S2000 car, like the Vauxhall Vectra I’ve raced in 2012. There’s a lot less drop-off in tyre performance over a race distance. It would be great to be in one of these in 2013…”

And commented Newsham: “The cold has made it very tricky – in fact it’s been colder at Donington that it was when I left home in Inverness early this morning for the flight down here!

“It’s been impossible to get any heat into the rear tyres, particularly as it’s not an abrasive track surface as well. The spin down Craner Curves was a bit of a setback and I actually came away thinking the car was difficult to drive but, having gone through things with the team, we’re all now convinced it’s down to the temperatures It’s meant I’ve not yet been able to really establish what an NGTC car can do. I'd love another go, Speedworks!"

Team principal Christian added: “Both drivers have been great to work with – very professional. Their times were also impossibly close and I’m not just saying that because it sounds nice in the media! Genuinely, they were very evenly matched. They are also right in saying the weather hasn’t helped. Even I’ve felt cold and I’m from up North!”