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Thread: BTCC 2011 - BRANDS HATCH

  1. #1
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    BTCC 2011 - BRANDS HATCH

    The top three drivers in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship are all ‘playing it cool’ ahead of the dramatic season’s penultimate round on Brands Hatch’s Grand Prix circuit this weekend (1-2 Oct).

    Honda pair Matt Neal and ‘Flash’ Gordon Shedden will go into the event tying for the outright championship lead, 24 points clear of their nearest rival Jason Plato in his Chevrolet. For the record, Neal and Shedden’s Civics will start the weekend carrying 36kgs of success ballast and Plato’s Silverline-backed Cruze 27kgs.

    Worcestershire’s Neal insists there are no signs of tension within his Honda Racing squad as he and Scottish team-mate Shedden aim to steal any advantage they can this weekend prior to the season finale at Silverstone just a fortnight later (15-16 Oct).

    Double Champion Neal told btcc.net: “There’s still a fifth of the season – six races – to go, so there are no nerves creeping in yet and of course it can all change so quickly.

    “I’m sure it might start getting a bit tense going to Silverstone but ‘Flash’ and I just need to keep working together which has been our biggest strength. Jason really isn’t all that far behind us and there are so many variables to consider.

    “It looks like being a hot weekend which is good news for the ice cream man but not necessarily us. Brands GP is probably second only to Rockingham when it comes to taking it out of the tyres. It could be we have to run slightly higher tyre pressures and less camber which can hinder performance.”

    Fife racer Shedden, hunting his first BTCC title, added: “Everything is as it always has been within the team – equal cars, equal treatment and now equal points and equal ballast!

    “The most important thing we’ve said all along is to get Honda over the line first. I can understand people on the outside thinking that’s a bit tame from a driver who’s not won it before and, of course, on a personal level there is a burning desire and passion to win it. But Matt and I drive for a factory team so there is also a bigger picture to consider.

    “There are a lot of cars and drivers out there easily capable of mixing up the order and denying all three of us valuable points – if we find ourselves behind Jason then we have to make sure it’s by as few places as possible.”

    Oxford’s Plato, the reigning Champion, believes this weekend is where his hopes of retaining his 2010 crown stall. He’s qualified on pole position at three of the last four rounds and knows a repeat performance tomorrow (Saturday) is his best hope of keeping up the pressure.

    But he said: “There’ll only be nine kilos of ballast between our cars this time and at Rockingham there were lots of ‘combination corners’ which suits the Chevrolet, but on the Brands GP circuit each corner tends to be followed by a decent-sized straight so I don’t think I’ll be quite so competitive in qualifying this time.

    “The turbo cars should gobble us up on the straights and I’m the only driver in an S2000 car with ballast, so I’m expecting to be way down through the speed traps. The Chevrolet is in a league of its own on the brakes and in the corners, but the laws of physics mean there is a limit and we’re already extracting the absolute maximum from the car in each qualifying session and race. I doubt what we make up on the twisty bits will be enough to save us on the straights – there is only so much you can do.”
    "I don't want to be treated as special because I'm not. I just drive a racing car round in circles a bit faster than everyone else." Michael Schumacher

  2. #2
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    QUALIFYING

    Jason Plato set the pole position time in a red flag interrupted Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship qualifying session on the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit.

    Reigning Champion Plato, from Oxford, achieved pole with a best lap time of 1m31.874s in his Silverline Chevrolet Cruze – the only driver to dip beneath the 1m32s barrier. It is Plato’s fourth pole position in the last five rounds.

    Behind him Pirtek Racing’s Andrew Jordan and 888 Racing with Collins Contractors’ James Nash were second and third fastest in their Vauxhall Vectras.

    Plato’s team-mate Alex MacDowall was fourth ahead of the Honda Racing Team Civics of joint championship leaders Gordon Shedden and Matt Neal who were separated by just two thousands of a second.

    Plato, currently third in the standings and some 24 points off lead, said: “I am very, very, very pleased with that lap. Right from the word ‘go’ this morning in practice the set-up of the car felt absolutely bang on and it’s just get better as the day has worn on. I could attack all the way around the lap."

    Seventh on his team Airwaves Racing’s home circuit was Mat Jackson in his Ford Focus. Jackson, fourth in the outright standings, needs a decent points haul from tomorrow’s three races if he’s to stay in the title race leaving Brands. Paul O’Neill was eighth in his GoMobileUK.com with tech-speed Chevrolet as Tom Onslow-Cole and Tom Chilton completed the top ten in their Team Aon Ford Focus.

    The big surprise in qualifying was Daniel Welch in 11th, his Welch Automotive Proton Gen-2 the fastest of the grid’s Next Generation Touring Car machines and within a second of the pole position time.

    Oliver Jackson and Chris Swanwick qualified 15th and 27th fastest of the 29 runners for their BTCC debuts in the 888/Collins and Rob Austin Racing teams' second Vectra and Audi A4 respectively.

    Meanwhile there were two red flag stoppages during the session. The first was required to retrieve Chris James’s ES Racing.com Chevrolet Lacetti which had lost a front wheel and spun in to a barrier at the Hawthorn’s Bend, the second to recover Frank Wrathall’s stranded Dynojet Toyota Avensis after it spun to a halt in the gravel trap at Clark Curve.

    Pos Driver Team/Car Time Gap
    1. Jason Plato Chevrolet 1m31.874s
    2. Andrew Jordan Eurotech Vauxhall 1m32.139s + 0.265s
    3. James Nash Triple 8 Vauxhall 1m32.316s + 0.442s
    4. Alex MacDowall Chevrolet 1m32.418s + 0.544s
    5. Gordon Shedden Honda 1m32.442s + 0.568s
    6. Matt Neal Honda 1m32.444s + 0.570s
    7. Mat Jackson Motorbase Ford 1m32.597s + 0.723s
    8. Paul O'Neill Tech-Speed Chevrolet 1m32.650s + 0.776s
    9. Tom Onslow-Cole Arena Ford 1m32.691s + 0.817s
    10. Tom Chilton Arena Ford 1m32.704s + 0.830s
    11. Daniel Welch Welch Proton 1m32.717s + 0.843s
    12. Tom Boardman Special Tuning SEAT 1m32.888s + 1.014s
    13. Rob Collard WSR BMW 1m32.960s + 1.086s
    14. Frank Wrathall Dynojet Toyota 1m33.113s + 1.239s
    15. Ollie Jackson 888 Vauxhall 1m33.243s + 1.369s
    16. Andy Neate Arena Ford 1m33.253s + 1.379s
    17. Jeff Smith Eurotech Vauxhall 1m33.284s + 1.410s
    18. Michael Caine Motorbase Ford 1m33.310s + 1.436s
    19. Martin Byford AmD Volkswagen 1m33.377s + 1.503s
    20. Nick Foster WSR BMW 1m33.451s + 1.577s
    21. Dave Newsham Special Tuning SEAT 1m33.551s + 1.677s
    22. Rob Austin Rob Austin Audi 1m33.621s + 1.747s
    23. John George Tech-Speed Chevrolet 1m34.188s + 2.314s
    24. Liam Griffin Motorbase Ford 1m34.241s + 2.367s
    25. Tony Gilham Geoff Steel BMW 1m34.300s + 2.426s
    26. Lea Wood Central Group Honda 1m34.951s + 3.077s
    27. Chris Swanwick Rob Austin Audi 1m35.713s + 3.839s
    28. Chris James ES Chevrolet
    29. Tony Hughes Speedworks Toyota
    "I don't want to be treated as special because I'm not. I just drive a racing car round in circles a bit faster than everyone else." Michael Schumacher

  3. #3
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    RACE 1 - RESULTS

    Jason Plato has won a highly dramatic opening Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship race on the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit in Kent today.

    But there was disaster for Honda team-mates Matt Neal and Gordon Shedden who both failed to score after suffering punctures. The result means Plato has dramatically slashed the gap to joint championship leaders Neal and Shedden from 24 points to just six in one fell swoop.

    In baking hot conditions Plato led all the way from pole position in his Silverline Chevrolet Cruze and also set the race’s fastest lap – a new lap record – to ensure a maximum score.

    Team-mate Alex MacDowall looked set to make it a Chevrolet 1-2 in second but then he slowed on the final lap, this allowing Mat Jackson to claim the runner-up spot in his Airwaves Racing Ford Focus.

    MacDowall took third just ahead of James Nash in his 888 Racing with Collins Contractors Vauxhall Vectra. Tom Onslow-Cole (Team Aon Ford Focus) and Paul O’Neill (GoMobileUK.com with tech-speed Cruze) completed the top six.

    Meanwhile Neal and Shedden finished the race down in 18th and 19th places after both were forced to make pit stops to have punctured tyres on their Honda Racing Team Civics replaced. They’d been running in third and eighth respectively when they hit problems, Shedden having lost several places after earlier sliding off the track at Graham Hill Bend.

    Significantly, as Neal slowed at Hawthorn’s Bend, Nash was delayed and Jackson was able to nip past into what would eventually become second place. It means Jackson has edged three points nearer Nash at the top of the Independents Trophy table, the gap between them now just 22.

    And there was also despair for Andrew Jordan. Having qualified second fastest yesterday he was unable to start the race after his Pirtek Racing Vauxhall Vectra suffered engine problems in its pit garage.

    Oxford’s Plato said: “My car is fantastic around here. I suppose this does get me back into it, but it’s still way too early to think about titles. If both Honda drivers can have problems then anybody can. I need a super points score today to stand any chance.”

    Warwickshire’s Jackson, fourth in the standings, has also edged 12 points nearer the championship lead thanks to his second place. From 45 points behind he’s now just 33 adrift and said: “That was close with Neal – James ducked left to go round him just as Matt pulled to the same side of the track and I was able to squeeze past on the right. Then I was closing on Alex and he didn’t put up a fight so here I am.”

    Cumbrian MacDowall added: “I seemed to work my tyres too hard in the middle stages and then starting the final lap I got a terrible vibration through the steering. I thought I’d got a puncture and Mat went by, but then I was able to pick up pace.”

    The top ten was rounded out by Tom Chilton (Team Aon Ford), Robert Collard (WSR BMW) and their respective team-mates Andy Neate and Nick Foster, the latter having come through from 20th on the grid. Collard was in the thick of the action throughout and on the penultimate lap he and Frank Wrathall made contact at Westfield Bend, the latter’s Dynojet Toyota Avensis spinning off the track with suspension damage. That incident delayed Collard and he was overtaken by Neate, but then re-took the Ford driver on the final lap.

    Elsewhere Oliver Jackson (888/Collins Vectra) and Chris Swanwick (Rob Austin Racing Audi A4) impressively finished 11th and 17th on their BTCC debuts. Completing the 22 finishers was Martin Byford, a lap down in his AmD Milltek Racing.com VW Golf after pitting to have an engine misfire cured.

    Tom Boardman should have been in among the battle for eighth, but he cruelly slowed on the final lap with a puncture on his Special Tuning Racing SEAT Leon. In a race of attrition, his team-mate Dave Newsham also retired in a cloud of steam at the entry to Hawthorn’s. Lea Wood’s Central Group Racing Honda Integra came to a halt at Sheene Curve and it was at the same corner that Daniel Welch, running on the fringes of the top ten early on, suffered a broken steering arm on his Welch Motorsport Proton Gen-2 which he then nursed back to the pit lane. Jeff Smith stopped his Vectra in the pit lane as well with a snapped gearlever, making it a miserable race for the Pirtek squad.

    Pos Driver Team/Car Time/Gap
    1. Jason Plato Chevrolet 23m34.527s
    2. Mat Jackson Motorbase Ford + 2.121s
    3. Alex MacDowall Chevrolet + 3.091s
    4. James Nash Triple 8 Vauxhall + 3.818s
    5. Tom Onslow-Cole Arena Ford + 4.574s
    6. Paul O'Neill Tech-Speed Chevrolet + 5.019s
    7. Tom Chilton Arena Ford + 5.841s
    8. Rob Collard WSR BMW + 12.720s
    9. Andy Neate Arena Ford + 13.174s
    10. Nick Foster WSR BMW + 22.015s
    11. Ollie Jackson Triple 8 Vauxhall + 25.027s
    12. Michael Caine Motorbase Ford + 31.462s
    13. Rob Austin Rob Austin Audi + 32.885s
    14. John George Tech-Speed Chevrolet + 33.368s
    15. Tony Gilham Geoff Steel BMW + 35.338s
    16. Liam Griffin Motorbase Ford + 36.263s
    17. Chris Swanwick Rob Austin Audi + 55.514s
    18. Matt Neal Honda + 57.918s
    19. Gordon Shedden Honda + 1m11.024s
    20. Chris James ES Chevrolet + 1m12.716s
    21. Tony Hughes Speedworks Toyota + 1m16.324s
    22. Martin Byford AmD Volkswagen + 1 lap
    23. Tom Boardman Special Tuning SEAT + 1 lap

    Retirements:

    Frank Wrathall Dynojet Toyota 13laps
    Lea Wood Central Honda 9 laps
    Dave Newsham Special Tuning SEAT 8 laps
    Daniel Welch Welch Proton 6 laps
    Jeff Smith Eurotech Vauxhall 3 laps
    Andrew Jordan Eurotech Vauxall 0 laps
    "I don't want to be treated as special because I'm not. I just drive a racing car round in circles a bit faster than everyone else." Michael Schumacher

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    RACE 2 - RESULTS

    Jason Plato has won the second of today’s three Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship races at the Brands Hatch circuit in Kent to move into the series lead.

    As in today’s first race, Plato led all the way from pole position and again set the fastest lap – despite his Silverline Chevrolet Cruze carrying the maximum 45kgs of success ballast.

    Similarly, Mat Jackson was second again in his Airwaves Racing Ford Focus, just ahead of the closely following Team Aon Ford Focus of Tom Onslow-Cole. Paul O’Neill closed in on this pair in the closing stages before settling for fourth in his GoMobileUK.com with tech-speed Chevrolet.

    Onslow-Cole’s team-mate Tom Chilton was fifth after eventually finding a way by James Nash at Druids Hill Bend. Nash crossed the line in sixth in his 888 Racing with Collins with Contractors Vauxhall Vectra.

    Seventh and eighth, having started back in 17th and 18th after punctures in race one, were the Honda Racing Team Civics of Matt Neal and Gordon Shedden.

    The result means that Plato has moved past them both into the championship lead. He now has 215 points to Neal’s 208, Shedden’s 207 and Jackson’s 183. Nash, 44 points behind Plato, is also hanging in there and could yet make it an unprecedented five-way battle for the Drivers’ crown on Finals Day at Silverstone, Northants in two weeks (15-16 Oct).

    Nash also continues to lead the Independents Trophy but Jackson has narrowed his advantage to just 12 points.

    Plato commented: “The car was absolutely perfect again. We developed this car in 2010 so it would work well with extra ballast and that’s why I was able to control this race.”

    Jackson added: “Another ton of points is exactly what I needed after race one – it’s keeping our small title hopes alive. I won’t give up while it is still possible.”

    And said Onslow-Cole: “I put as much pressure on Mat as I could and there were a few times I could have had a big lunge, but he covered everything very well. It was a job to hold Paul back at the end, but I’m delighted – it’s a long time since I’ve had a podium.”

    Meanwhile, just as in race one, Andy Neate (Aon Ford) and Nick Foster (WSR BMW) again finished in ninth and tenth places. Neate’s result ensured once more that all three Aon cars were inside the points. Foster’s reward is a pole position starting slot for race three’s reversed grid. But there was dismay for team-mate Robert Collard in race two – battling in the top eight he was forced to make a pit stop to have the damaged rear of his car repaired and he could finish no higher than 22nd.

    Plato’s team-mate Alex MacDowall was also unfortunate. He’d run as high as third only for his Chevrolet to stop in a huge cloud of smoke entering Surtees Bend. Daniel Welch was the race’s only other retirement as his Welch Motorsport Proton Gen-2 slowed suddenly towards the end.

    Tom Boardman provided arguably the drive of the race as he finished 11th, just outside the points, after starting back in 24th. From 29th, another of the fancied runners, Andrew Jordan, also made up 13 places in his Pirtek Racing Vectra, but that only meant 16th – it means both his outright and Independent drivers’ title hopes are now over.

    Pos Driver Team/Car Time/Gap
    1. Jason Plato Chevrolet 23m34.540s
    2. Mat Jackson Motorbase Ford + 1.791s
    3. Tom Onslow-Cole Arena Ford + 2.565s
    4. Paul O'Neill Tech-Speed Chevrolet + 3.087s
    5. Tom Chilton Arena Ford + 5.709s
    6. James Nash Triple 8 Vauxhall + 6.916s
    7. Matt Neal Honda + 9.760s
    8. Gordon Shedden Honda + 10.994s
    9. Andy Neate Arena Ford + 11.153s
    10. Nick Foster WSR BMW + 11.584s
    11. Tom Boardman Special Tuning SEAT + 12.079s
    12. Michael Caine Motorbase Ford + 15.473s
    13. Frank Wrathall Dynojet Toyota + 15.789s
    14. Rob Austin Rob Austin Audi + 21.563s
    15. Martin Byford AmD Volkswagen + 22.757s
    16. Andrew Jordan Eurotech Vauxhall + 23.190s
    17. Dave Newsham Special Tuning SEAT + 27.707s
    18. Ollie Jackson Triple 8 Vauxhall + 30.573s
    19. Liam Griffin Motorbase Ford + 35.161s
    20. John George Tech-Speed Chevrolet + 35.652s
    21. Lea Wood Central Honda + 39.891s
    22. Rob Collard WSR BMW + 44.205s
    23. Tony Gilham Geoff Steel BMW + 55.481s
    24. Jeff Smith Eurotech Vauxhall + 1m00.926s
    25. Chris James ES Chevrolet + 1m09.100s
    26. Tony Hughes Speedworks Toyota + 1m09.428s
    27. Chris Swanwick Rob Austin Audi + 1m24.327s

    Retirements:

    Daniel Welch Welch Proton 13 laps
    Alex MacDowall Chevrolet 9 laps
    "I don't want to be treated as special because I'm not. I just drive a racing car round in circles a bit faster than everyone else." Michael Schumacher

  5. #5
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    Plato's constant whinging is paying off, they should just give him the title and get on with it
    Forza Ferrari

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    Boring Racing. The drivers cant even race any more. They've ruined this season. When Boardman pushed Plato off at Knockhill it was clear it was a joke. I hope they give it back to Neal so everyone shuts up moaning and maybe next season will be about racing drivers and not TOCAs inability to provide true parity and negative politics and blame. The drivers prove the point on track.

    In an ideal world give it to Shedden and i'll be happy cos everyone will shut up. Its in danger of turning out like F1

    "Luna faccia schiaffo testa"

  7. #7
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    Silverstone will suit Hondas, think that Neal will win it, but Flash deserves it. With 2 types of engine power, there will always be this bickering and moaning. I mean look at the WTCC. Dont know what it like this year as all the moaning last year with the Diesels and N/A cars was boring.
    CAVALLINO RAMPANTE PER SEMPRE

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    I hope Shedden wins it and Matt and Jason have another fight.

  9. #9
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    +1

    proper fight this time though
    Forza Ferrari

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Greig View Post
    +1

    proper fight this time though
    Hehe no parents stepping in

  11. #11
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    no they can join in
    Forza Ferrari

  12. #12
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    Hehe

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sianellen View Post
    Hehe no parents stepping in
    You do realise that Plato is a timelord and that it was in fact him holding himself back 20 years in the future (I mean they look identical so it shouldn't be a shock ) He knew that if he let Neal "rip his ****ing face off" as promised that he wouldn't be able to moan with quite the same voracity so he intervined in his own future which on the plus side means he still has a face with which to continue to race and moan but on the negative side theres that paradox of quantum mechanics that stops you from affecting your own future by going back in time and altering it when it's already happened.

    However, given that his "Dad" 's face has clearly never been ripped off it follows that this intervention was certainly fruitful if not lawful but then again his "Dad" could have at least told him how poop the championship was going to be this year and told him to take a sabbatical instead.

    "Luna faccia schiaffo testa"

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tifosi View Post
    Boring Racing. The drivers cant even race any more. They've ruined this season. When Boardman pushed Plato off at Knockhill it was clear it was a joke. I hope they give it back to Neal so everyone shuts up moaning and maybe next season will be about racing drivers and not TOCAs inability to provide Supplement Website true parity and negative politics and blame. The drivers prove the point on track.

    In an ideal world give it to Shedden and i'll be happy cos everyone will shut up. Its in danger of turning out like F1
    true :/
    Last edited by Ratthew; 21st November 2018 at 12:17.

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