BTCC news.

[Rob]

Miracle man Neate joins WSR


Just 18 months after suffering terrible injuries in a crash, Andy Neate will join reigning champion team WSR for his first full season in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship in 2010.

Neate, from Aylesbury, Bucks, broke his neck and sustained other multiple injuries including two decompressed lungs in a sportscar race at Silverstone in October 2008.

He was in a coma for a fortnight and hospital for two months in total before being allowed home. It took another two months before he could walk again.

The announcement today that Neate has joined 2009 title-winning team WSR to compete in the BTCC, the UK’s top motor racing championship, is remarkable.

Neate, aged 35 and a father of two, told btcc.net: “I basically suffered the same injury as the actor Christopher Reeve who played Superman. The only difference was my spinal cord didn’t break away from the vertebrae. Really, when this happens, at best you’re looking at terrible paralysis.

“When they reached me in the car I wasn’t breathing and they had to do some emergency work to get my lungs going before they could move me. I was airlifted to hospital and the doctors told my wife, Sarah, to prepare for the worst.

“But somehow, I came through it. There were some very tough moments. Waking up and having no mobility. Losing three and a half stones when all you weigh in the first place is 12 stones is also quite a lot to take and for a long time I was a long way of any physical normality.

“But eventually my fitness, strength and sensations started to come back and now I’m ready to race again. I’ve still got a titanium plate in my neck which slightly limits my movement but that’s about it.

“I did say I wouldn’t race again but the BTCC is all I’ve ever wanted to be in since I started out. To me it’s the best race series in the world. The person I really needed to ask permission from was Sarah and after visiting the doctors for assessments she said ‘go for it’.”

Neate has contested one BTCC event before – in a privately-run Vauxhall Astra in 2005’s season finale at Brands Hatch. At the time he was very definitely an up-and-coming talent and also won 2006’s Ford Fiesta title. Then came his accident but now he has a chance to get his racing career back on track with a prized seat in one of WSR’s championship-winning BMWs.

Already, though, there has been some mild frustrations – poor weather blighted much of his test with the team last week at Thruxton, Hants while more planned running today at Silverstone, Northants has been abandoned altogether thanks to snow!

But Neate added: “It’s the way it goes at this time of year. Every bit of seat time is valuable but we’ve got a few more days of testing planned before the season starts. It feels now that I’m back to where I should have been two years ago. The opportunity almost came up in 2008 but it didn’t quite happen.

“To be with a team who’s past drivers have included the likes of Ayrton Senna and Mika Hakkinen is a very special feeling. Bennetts who runs the show is just the best team boss I could wish for.

“I’m not going to make any grand predictions. The BTCC is as tough as it gets but I definitely want to be in the championship and with WSR for some years.”

[Greig]

Great, best of luck to him!

[Julie B]

Oooh going to be a good season I think

[Greig]

Will be if Turkers goes away, then you can cheer for the same driver as me for a change

[Julie B]

Will be if Turkers goes away, then you can cheer for the same driver as me for a change

Errr no ?

[Greig]

Thought not

[Tifosi]

Thanks Ali for that link and also to Rob for whetting my appetite for the new BTCC season. You are better than the BTCC site dude

[Rob]

Thanks Ali for that link and also to Rob for whetting my appetite for the new BTCC season. You are better than the BTCC site dude

Cheers dude thanks appreciate it chap. Im really looking forward to this season, as said before, shame Gio not driving in BTCC.

[Rob]

23/Feb/2010 'Sunshine boys' in action

Paul O’Neill and new 2010 team-mate John George got the sunshine.co.uk with Tech-Speed squad’s pre-season test programme under way at Snetterton today.

The pair shared driving duties in one of the team’s Honda Integras – notably with the word JAG emblazoned across its bonnet in deference to George’s sponsor, his chain of mobile communications stores across the south-west.

Today marked George’s first experience of a Tech-Speed car – built to a later specification (2008) than his own Integra that he has raced for the past three seasons.

The Cornishman, who as ever had flown to Snetterton in his own plane from his home in Guernsey, told btcc.net: “The whole day has gone really, really well. The car ran faultlessly and even though I’ve not been in a car for nearly six months I could instantly feel some of the small differences that will eventually all add up in terms of time and speed.

“I’m obviously new to this particular car, but still got within a second and a bit of Paul’s best time. And he is obviously a very fast driver so I’m satisfied with that! It was also a new environment for me, but the team are just a very nice bunch of people who’ve made me feel very welcome.”

O’Neill, meanwhile, is being tipped by some as a possible race-winner in this coming season’s opening round of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship at Thruxton on Easter Sunday 4 April.

He said: “The car immediately felt good – it’s been rebuilt from the bottom up by Tech-Speed – but we didn’t try any new tweaks. Today was all about getting John up to speed and blowing away the cobwebs. It was also horrendously cold so getting meaningful temperature in the rear tyres was very difficult. But I still posted a time I felt very good about so job done.”

[Rob]

Platos celebrate second child
Congratulations to Jason Plato and wife Sophie who have become parents for the second time.

Zia Jessica arrived yesterday morning (Wednesday) weighing 6lbs 8oz to make it two daughters for the Platos – their first child, Alena, arrived in April 2008.

In a phone text message to pals, 2001 BTCC Champion Plato said: “Mother and baby are perfect. Dad is pacing around like a blithering idiot

[Julie B]

Platos celebrate second child
Congratulations to Jason Plato and wife Sophie who have become parents for the second time.

Zia Jessica arrived yesterday morning (Wednesday) weighing 6lbs 8oz to make it two daughters for the Platos – their first child, Alena, arrived in April 2008.

In a phone text message to pals, 2001 BTCC Champion Plato said: “Mother and baby are perfect. Dad is pacing around like a blithering idiot

Awh congrats to the Platos

[Rob]

26/Feb/2010 Strong first run for NGTC engine

TOCA’s new turbocharged ‘Next Generation’ engine has completed a successful first week of testing in the Pirtek Racing team’s Vauxhall Vectra.

Driver Andrew Jordan tried out the two-litre, four-cylinder unit at Snetterton on Tuesday and again today at Rockingham.

He and fellow Vectra driver, Pinkney Motorsport’s David Pinkney, will both use the engine in this season’s Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship. The powerplant, built by the Swindon Engines Racing company under contract to BTCC organiser TOCA, is forecast to slash teams’ engine budgets by more than half.

Despite some cold conditions at Snetterton and drizzle at Rockingham, 20-year-old Jordan expressed himself happy with the progress made.

The Lichfield ace commented: “It was great to finally get the car out on track. When you’ve not been in the car all winter you begin to get a bit fidgety so I was raring to go on Tuesday morning. Unfortunately the weather hampered our development slightly, but we have made a good start.

“We have been building up speed and started to push the car on longer distances throughout the week. The engine adds a bit more weight over the front axle so we were working on reducing tyre wear on the front wheels over a long run and just getting the most out of the car. You can really feel the torque of the engine, especially out of the slow corners, so at tracks like Knockhill it should work really well.”

He added: “We are all very focused on getting the best out of the package and the team is working very closely with Swindon Engines who have been with us all week tracking our progress. Both sides are happy with how things are going, but we are under no illusions how much more work there is to do with only six weeks to go until the first round at Thruxton.”

The date of that first round at Thruxton, Hants is Easter Sunday 4 April. Tickets can be purchased in advance for just £23.00 per adult via the circuit's www.barc.net website or by calling 01264 882200.

More pictures of Andrew Jordan's striking Pirtek racing Vauxhall Vectra can be found in the Fans section of btcc.net.

[Rob]

[Rob]

03/Mar/2010 Weight on Neal's mind


Matt Neal believes Team Dynamics’ Honda Civic can continue to be a winner in 2010’s Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – particularly if the squad can reduce the car's weight slightly.

Neal, BTCC champion in 2005 and 2006 with Dynamics, continued testing the Civic at Oulton Park in Cheshire yesterday (pictured above with additional exhaust silencer) following other recent runs at Rockingham and Thruxton.

The 43-year-old from Staffordshire told btcc.net: “It’s been a pretty good test and we really got the car hooked up. It feels very strong now. As I’ve also said before, it feels like a completely different thing compared to how it felt at end of last year.

“If there’s one area we maybe need to work on a bit more it’s the weight. If we can reduce that just a little bit more then it’s definitely going to be right up there. It should be right on the money.”

While Dynamics has yet to announce its 2010 driver line-up, Neal is widely tipped to return to the Pershore outfit for this year’s BTCC after two seasons with Vauxhall team VX Racing. It was with Dynamics, run by his own father and former BTCC Mini ace Steve, that he contested his first full season in the series, back in 1992. With Dynamics he has achieved six Independent Drivers’ titles, plus of course those two outright crowns in the mid-Noughties.

Neal, with more than 400 BTCC races to his name now, is also famous for winning £250,000 with Dynamics at Donington Park in 1999 – he scooped the money after becoming the first independently-entered driver of the period to win a race ahead of the might of the manufacturer teams.

[Tifosi]

I'd be happy to drop a weight on Matt Neal's mind

[Rob]

Jordan continues NGTC engine tests


Andrew Jordan has carried out further testing of TOCA’s ‘Next Generation’ turbo-charged engine that will power his Pirtek Racing Vauxhall Vectra this season.

Jordan and David Pinkney (Pinkney Motorsport) will both use the turbo unit – that will slash engine budgets by more than half – in their Super 2000-spec Vectras in the forthcoming Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship.

That’s a year ahead of the BTCC introducing its future breed of Next Generation Touring Car.

Lichfield youngster Jordan (pictured above) was in action at Silverstone yesterday and again he enjoyed a trouble-free run with the new engine following promising initial tests last week at Snetterton and Rockingham.

Pinkney’s turbo-powered Vectra is expected to hit the track for the first time later this week.

Meanwhile, other cars on track at Silverstone included the older BTC-spec Vauxhall Astra Coupe and Honda Integra of Martin Johnson and likely newcomer Lea Wood respectively (see pics in the Fans section).

Both cars were the class of the field in the early-mid Noughties and, in the right hands, remain potent machines – Boulevard Team Racing’s Johnson last year twice achieving top ten outright finishes in his Astra and in the process attracting a considerable following among fans…

[Rob]

2010 timetables out now!


Timetables for all ten of this year’s Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship race fixtures are now available to download from the btcc.net website.

The timetables include full race weekend timings as well as number of race laps for every category.

They can be viewed by clicking on the PDF icon within their respective circuit profile in the Calendar section. All BTCC activity – including practice and qualifying sessions on the Saturday as well as Sunday’s three races, Pit Lane Walkabout autograph sessions and driver parades – are highlighted in yellow.

Plus, of course, there is plenty of terrific action from the BTCC’s resident support series – (Ginetta G50s, Ginetta Juniors, Porsche Carrera Cup GB, Renault Clio Cup and Formula Renault Renault UK) – to make each event complete for fans.

With full race day admission from just £23.00 per adult and FREE admission for children*, each BTCC event represents outstanding value-for-money for the public. Details of websites and telephone numbers to pre-order tickets can be found within individual circuit profiles.

* individual circuit child policies may vary

[Rob]

Chilton joins The Sun


Tom Chilton has become an online columnist for the UK’s best selling newspaper, The Sun.

Team Aon star Chilton will be writing every week on his Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship exploits on the-sun.co.uk website's motor sport section that ranks secondly only to football in terms of popularity.

Previously, Jason Plato had been The Sun’s BTCC driver, but Chilton says he is eager to beat the 2001 Champion to top spot this season with the first crown of his career.

Indeed, he has been raving about his chances in his Arena-prepared Ford Focus after developing it further during testing in Spain. The car very nearly achieved its first win in Brands Hatch’s 2009 season finale – only to be pipped by Plato’s Chevrolet by just 0.015s, the closest winning margin in BTCC history.

And Chilton has wasted no time in a video on The Sun’s website in taking a fun pop at more experienced rival Plato ahead of the 2010 season which starts at Thruxton, Hampshire on Sunday 4 April.

Chilton said: “My life is to win this championship. When I was younger I was a bit of a hot head and all I wanted to do was out-brake everyone.

“Sometimes you need to hold back to gain points which is something that Jason is still learning!”

[Julie B]

Robert Collard will return to reigning champion team WSR for 2010’s Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship.

Collard, who has raced for rival BMW squad Motorbase these past two seasons, said an opportunity to drive again for WSR – which won 2010’s BTCC with Colin Turkington – was “too good an opportunity to turn down”.

The Hampshireman makes the jump just weeks before the season’s opening round at his home circuit of Thruxton on Easter Sunday 4 April.

Collard previously raced for WSR when it ran MGs in 2005 and 2006. He took two race wins for the squad before his 2008 move to Motorbase. He gave the Kent-based outfit its first two race wins in the BTCC last season and he says it was difficult to leave the team behind.

“This was too good an opportunity to turn down as I could see the WSR BMWs on track last year and at times they were just awesome,” said 41-year-old Collard.

“It was a very difficult decision for me to make a late switch from Motorbase. However, I had to look at what’s best for my career, so to now be driving in a championship-winning team is a real bonus for me.”

WSR Team Principal Bennetts added: “We’ve been in dialogue with Robert for some time and between us we’ve come up with a package of sponsorship, details of which will be announced shortly.

“It will be great to have Rob back with us in a BMW, as he already has two years’ experience in the (BMW) 320si. We are really looking forward to seeing how he performs with our set-ups on the car.”

Collard will be partnered by at least one team-mate – Aylesbury’s Andy Neate who, having miraculously recovered from life-threatening injuries, was announced as a WSR driver last month.

Meanwhile, Bennetts also said WSR is due imminently to begin an intensive pre-season test programme with Collard and Neate and that he is also working to retain his 2009 Champion Turkington in a third BMW.

[Rob]

Pinkney samples Vectra


David Pinkney has had his first test in his ex-factory Vauxhall Vectra at Brands Hatch today.

The Harpenden racer is set to contest this year’s Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship season in former champion Fabrizio Giovanardi’s 2009 car.

Like fellow Vectra driver Andrew Jordan, Pinkney is also using BTCC organiser TOCA’s new turbo-charged 'Next Generation' engine.

Pinkney is likely to enter the car under his own Pinkney Motorsport team banner. A trademark pink colourscheme is anticipated, but today the Vectra remained in ‘blank’ interim livery having been stripped of all its old VX Racing logos.

Also out on track continuing their intensive pre-season test programmes were Pirtek Racing’s Jordan – this now his fourth test with the ‘Next Gen’ engine – and Matt Neal, the 2005 and 2006 Champion continuing development of Team Dynamics’ much-revised Honda Civic.

[Rob]

[Rob]

Hamilton, TH target "shock" results
TH Motorsport boss Trevor Humphrey believes youngster Matt Hamilton can pull off “a few major shocks” after re-signing to drive his team’s Honda Civic Type R in this year’s Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship.

Hamilton, aged only 19, made his debut in the UK’s premier motor racing series last year, contesting the season’s final three rounds with TH.

Although the Civic Type R is an older BTC-spec car, he still believes it can enable him to make an impression in first full BTCC campaign.

Now turned 20, Hamilton, from Hemel Hempstead, said: “I cannot wait to get back on circuit. It’s been a very long hard winter and, as yet, I have not as much as sat in the car since the final round of 2009 at Brands Hatch.

‘I really think that the Civic has the potential to run consistent top tens, and occasional podiums. I know that I have to work hard on my driving; I still have very little experience of front-wheel-drive and touring cars in general, but I know that with more seat time I can threaten the front-runners.

“I know that TH will give me a great car to work with. They are already working hard at preparing the car and they have a few performance tweaks that I can’t wait to try.”

Humphrey clearly agrees with his young charge and added: “This is a great deal and everyone in the team cannot wait to get started. We saw real potential in Matt last year and it has given all the boys in the team a real boost to have a driver in the car with this sort of potential. I feel certain that we are going to pull off a few major shocks this year.”

[Rob]

Smith and Glew test for Triple 8

Multiple British Touring Car Championship-winning team Triple 8 Engineering returned to the track for the first time this winter by testing McLaren AUTOSPORT BRDC Award winner Dean Smith and Phil Glew at Rockingham on Friday.

Smith and Glew, who took the Formula Renault UK and Renault Clio Cup titles last year, both drove one of the team's ex-works Vauxhall Vectras during the day.

"Both were very impressive," Triple 8 team principal Ian Harrison told AUTOSPORT. "Phil obviously has a fair bit of front-wheel drive experience and made a good account of himself.

"Dean, meanwhile, has never driven front-wheel drive before, but he adapted very quickly and was very professional. I'm very happy with what both drivers managed."

Triple 8 ran Vauxhall's BTCC programme for 13 years and delivered seven titles in that time, but its participation in this season's championship has been in doubt since the manufacturer withdrew at the end of 2009.

The squad still owns two Vectras though and Harrison said he would be very keen to return to the series.

"Of course we'd be very keen to be back in the BTCC this year," he added. "But obviously everybody has to find a budget to run and we're no different. If we can put a deal together with the right driver, then we'll be there."

[Rob]

First pic! VW Golf takes to track


Shaun Hollamby has today given the VW Golf he plans to race in this year’s Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship its first run at Brands Hatch.

Orpington-based Hollamby has spent the morning shaking down the MK5 Golf at the world-famous Brands venue – his home track.

The Golf, one of the most iconic cars in motor manufacturing history, is sure to attract a tremendous following among enthusiasts. The last time a Golf raced in the BTCC was 1989, the final year the series ran to a 'multi-class' format.

As 44-year-old Hollamby told btcc.net: “The support we’ve received since we announced the Golf BTCC project has been fantastic. That’s before the season has even begun.

“I really hope we see owners’ club members and fans from all the VW magazines, internet forums and so on turning up at race events and supporting us. Every BTCC round attracts 30,000-plus people so there’s a great opportunity for them to become noticed in front of a huge audience.”

Hollamby's AmD Milltek Racing team has spent the winter building the Golf to the BTCC’s Super 2000 technical regulations having brought the car over from the Baltic touring car series.

The former VW Cup front-runner said: “Everything that could be done to it has been done to it. The support we’ve also received from everyone inside the BTCC has been brilliant – no looking down noses at us, just fantastic advice and encouragement all the way.

“Today is purely a shakedown but the car immediately feels very solid and exceptionally well balanced on all four corners. What else can I say? It goes, it stops, it turns left and right so it's been a good first run.”

[Rob]

Plato tests Chevrolet Cruze


Jason Plato is today testing a Chevrolet Cruze for the RML team at Oulton Park.

It is Plato’s first taste of the Cruze and also a first opportunity for RML to assess the car on the Dunlop tyres used in the British Touring Car Championship.

At this stage, however, it remains undecided if the Wellingborough-based team will introduce the Cruze to the BTCC in 2010 after Plato almost won the title with its predecessor, the Lacetti, in 2009.

RML, though, already has considerable experience of the Cruze – it runs three of them for Chevrolet’s official World Touring Car programme.

In addition, it has come to boast an enviable track record in the BTCC these past two decades, the highlight so far coming in 1999 when it won the Drivers, Manufacturers and Teams titles with Laurent Aiello (champion), David Leslie and Nissan.

Meanwhile, also in testing action today at Oulton are reigning champion team WSR with new signing Robert Collard and Andy Neate in their BMW 320si E90s, plus Pirtek Racing’s Andrew Jordan and Pinkney Motorsport’s David Pinkney – both continuing development of TOCA’s new turbocharged NGTC engine that they will use in their Vauxhall Vectras.

[Rob]

New livery for Dynamics Honda


Team Dynamics has publicly revealed a striking new Honda Racing livery on its Honda Civic during testing at Oulton Park today.

Its 2005 and 2006 champion Matt Neal is again driving the car, although Dynamics has yet to officially confirm its plans for the 2010 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship season.

Other teams are also in action at the famous Cheshire circuit – including Cumbrian youngster Alex MacDowall who has taken over from Jason Plato in an RML Chevrolet Cruze.

Robert Collard and Andy Neate are continuing to test their BMWs for reigning champion team WSR.

Likewise, Pirtek Racing’s Andrew Jordan and Pinkney Motorsport’s David Pinkney are putting further miles on TOCA’s new turbocharged NGTC engine that will power their Vauxhall Vectras this season.

[Rob]

[Greig]

Golf looks nice

[Julie B]

Honda (UK) and Team Dynamics Motorsport have announced the Honda Racing Team driver line-up for its assault on the 2010 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship.

Two-time BTCC Champion Matt Neal will once again be partnered by Gordon ‘Flash’ Shedden – a reunion of the drivers who last competed together for Honda in 2007.

This year’s racing Civics will appear in ‘Championship White’, Honda’s traditional racing colour and that of the new Civic Type R MUGEN 200 cars.

Steve Neal, Team Dynamics Team Principal, said: "Team Dynamics and Honda have a huge heritage, it’s the brand with which we won back-to-back championships and it’s great to get the support of Honda (UK) which is backing a car that’s built in Britain."

BTCC fans will also have the chance to win a one-off Civic Type R MUGEN Concept car in a competition that will be running in participating Honda dealerships, at each BTCC round and on honda.co.uk/btcc from the start of the season.

Honda (UK) will be hosting special ‘Question of Motorsport Live’ events at Honda dealer showrooms near to each of the BTCC rounds on the Saturday evenings after qualifying. Former BTCC champion Tim Harvey will again be host, keeping charge of the two captains, Matt and Flash. The competition promises to be as fierce off the track as well as on, with the two drivers competing against each other in this fun test of their motor sport knowledge. For details of these events, visit honda.co.uk/btcc from 1 April.

The Honda Racing Team has also confirmed the support of Yuasa, a world leader in battery design and manufacture and the UK leader in aftermarket automotive, motorcycle and industrial batteries.

[Greig]

That will be my team for this year then

Booooo Colin