BTCC Rockingham 2013

[Julie B]

Qualifying
Jason Plato will start the opening BTCC race at Rockingham tomorrow (Sunday) from pole position after the double champion produced a stunning lap that edged out his MG team-mate Sam Tordoff.

Tordoff had been trading provisional pole position with the WIX Audi A4 of Rob Austin before Plato’s record-breaking lap around the 1.94 miles of tarmac. Young gun Tordoff held on to confirm yet another front-row lockout for the MG KX Momentum Racing squad while Austin will be delighted to have backed-up his recent Knockhill pace with another top order showing here.

Pos Driver Car Time Gap
1. Jason Plato MG 1m22.350s
2. Sam Tordoff MG 1m22.557s +0.207s
3. Rob Austin Austin Audi 1m22.588s +0.238s
4. Andrew Jordan Eurotech Honda 1m22.673s +0.323s
5. Gordon Shedden Honda 1m22.721s +0.371s
6. Jeff Smith Eurotech Honda 1m22.810s +0.460s
7. Matt Neal Honda 1m22.847s +0.497s
8. Dave Newsham Speedworks Toyota 1m22.934s +0.584s
9. Colin Turkington WSR BMW 1m22.937s +0.587s
10. Will Bratt Austin Audi 1m22.992s +0.642s
11. Rob Collard WSR BMW 1m23.030s +0.680s
12. Mat Jackson Motorbase Ford 1m23.051s +0.701s
13. Jack Goff Hard Vauxhall 1m23.090s +0.740s
14. Nick Foster WSR BMW 1m23.211s +0.861s
15. Daniel Welch Welch Proton 1m23.365s +1.015s
16. Adam Morgan Ciceley Toyota 1m23.389s +1.039s
17. Tom Onslow-Cole Motorbase Ford 1m23.509s +1.159s
18. Frank Wrathall Dynojet Toyota 1m23.515s +1.165s
19. Howard Fuller Hard Volkswagen 1m23.714s +1.364s
20. Warren Scott BMR Volkswagen 1m23.959s +1.609s
21. Andy Neate IP Tech Chevrolet 1m24.068s +1.718s
22. Ollie Jackson Speedworks Toyota 1m24.484s +2.134s
23. Aron Smith Motorbase Ford 1m23.411s +1.061s
24. Lea Wood Wood Vauxhall 1m24.718s +2.368s
25. Liam Griffin Motorbase Ford 1m25.305s +2.955s
26. Andy Wilmot Hard Volkswagen 1m25.911s +3.561s
27. David Nye Welch Ford 1m26.434s +4.084s

[Rob]

Not big fan of the track, but always makes for good racing.

[Julie B]

Race 1 - Results
Andrew Jordan stormed from fourth on the grid to lead at the end of a frantic first lap in race one at Rockingham, which he later turned into a vital race victory ahead of Airwaves Racing’s Mat Jackson and the Audi A4 of Rob Austin.

Not only was it a stunning win for Jordan but a number of his title rivals endured challenging contests and the 24-year-old now leads the championship for the first time since the opening day of the season at Brands Hatch.

With the vast majority of drivers running the Dunlop Sport BluResponse wet tyres in the damp conditions it was Jordan who made a blistering getaway as he leapfrogged Austin and the MG of front-row starter Sam Tordoff off the line. Pole-sitter Jason Plato proved a tougher nut to crack, but it didn’t take long as Jordan made his move before the end of the first tour.

No sooner had the lead changed hands that drama struck further down the order on the opening lap. The Audi of Will Bratt was seemingly touched by an eBay Motors BMW on the exit of Gracelands, which also collected the Toyota Avensis of Adam Morgan and triggered a separate event. The Proton of Daniel Welch and Airwaves Ford Focus of Tom Onslow-Cole touched while trying to avoid the aforementioned incident and with the Malaysian machine of Welch stranded on the circuit he was hit by the oncoming Chevrolet Cruze of Andy Neate.

An inevitable period behind the safety car followed as Onslow-Cole limped back to the pits and into retirement, whilst a number of other cars had to be retrieved from the track.

Jordan held his nerve at the restart but dramatically championship leader Matt Neal spun his Honda Yuasa Racing Civic and dropped down the order as racing got back underway. Second placed Plato seemed to be struggling for pace, as did his team-mate Tordoff who was falling away with an intermittent misfire, and reigning champion Gordon Shedden nipped by Plato’s MG and into second as Brook Chicane.

Despite a difficult start it was WIX Racing’s Austin who was now making his move at mid-distance as he clawed his way back up to fifth after eye-catching manoeuvres past Tordoff, eBay Motors’ Rob Collard and the Toyota of fast-starting Dave Newsham. There’d be even better news to come for Austin later in the race as he closed down on the trio ahead of him.

The Airwaves Racing Ford Focus of Jackson was the quickest car on track for much of the race and after a victorious battle with Plato he then grabbed second when Shedden ran wide at Deene on lap 14 of the now 19 lap race distance.

eBay Motors’ Colin Turkington was making steady progress and eventually took sixth behind Plato after the Ulsterman passed his team-mate Rob Collard.

If all that wasn't enough there was still time for some last lap brilliance from both Austin and Jack Sears Trophy leader Lea Wood.

Austin got by Plato with two laps to go and closed down on Shedden at a rate of knots on the final tour. He eventually made his move on the final corner as both he and Shedden reached the oval banking and the Audi blasted by to secure the final place on the podium behind Jordan and Jackson.

Meanwhile Wood’s Vauxhall Vectra was hounding S2000 leader Dan Nye and the pair went side-by-side through Yentwood and Chapman Curve for the final time before Wood made the move stick before the two cars reached Pif Paf.

The dramatic first contest means that Jordan now leads Neal in the standings – who recovered to finish 14th – by 13 points whilst both Shedden and Turkington also closed in.

After the race, Jordan said: "That went even better than I’d planned to be honest. It was a great race, I got a strong start and then luckily after the safety car I got away and could control the gap as I wanted to which I'm really pleased with. There’s still a long way to go, it’s great to have moved ahead in the points but I need to keep my head for the next two races and really make the most of it."

2013 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Rockingham – Race one

1 Andrew Jordan (Pirtek Racing) 19 Laps
2 Mat Jackson (Airwaves Racing) +3.379
3 Rob Austin (WIX Racing) +9.071
4 Gordon Shedden (Honda Yuasa Racing) +9.271
5 Jason Plato (MG KX Momentum Racing) +14.803
6 Colin Turkington (eBay Motors) +19.462
7 Robert Collard (eBay Motors) +22.542
8 Dave Newsham (Speedworks Motorsport) +23.939
9 Jack Goff (RCIB Insurance Racing) +24.395
10 Frank Wrathall (Dynojet) +25.319
11 Nick Foster (eBay Motors) +26.175
12 Jeff Smith (Pirtek Racing) +29.083
13 Aron Smith (Airwaves Racing) +29.385
14 Matt Neal (Honda Yuasa Racing) +34.337
15 Ollie Jackson (Speedworks Motorsport) +41.183
16 Sam Tordoff (MG KX Momentum Racing) +42.843
17 Howard Fuller (RCIB Insurance Racing) +43.372
18 Andy Wilmot (PPCGB/Kraftwerk Racing) +43.956
19 Warren Scott (Team BMR Restart) +1:19.408
20 Lea Wood (Wheel Heaven/Houseman Racing) +1:33.175
21 David Nye (Welch Motorsport with Sopp + Sopp) +1:35.335

Not Classified
- Tom Onslow-Cole (Airwaves Racing) +18 Laps
- Will Bratt (Rob Austin Racing) +19 Laps
- Daniel Welch (Welch Motorsport with Sopp + Sopp) +19 Laps
- Andy Neate (Team Club 44) +19 Laps
- Liam Griffin (Addison Lee Motorbase) +19 Laps
- Adam Morgan (Ciceley Racing) +19 Laps

[Julie B]

Not big fan of the track, but always makes for good racing.

Don't like this track either but its good in the wet

[Rob]

Good move there may Neal.

Jordan is on fire in this last race. Always liked him he solid driver.

[Rob]

Rocket Rob claims maiden win
Rob Austin took a hugely popular first Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship victory in race two at Rockingham ahead of reigning champion Gordon Shedden.

eBay Motors' Colin Turkington boosted his championship chances by taking the final place on the podium after a late pass by the Airwaves Racing Ford Focus of Mat Jackson.

Starting from third on the grid, the WIX Racing Audi A4 of Austin had blasted by Jackson and pole-sitter Andrew Jordan off the line and before Shedden could also make his way by the two ahead of him, Austin had cruised into an unassailable lead.

The Speedworks Motorsport Toyota Avensis of Dave Newsham had made a brief foray into the podium positions after yet another fast start, but the field gradually came back to him and he faded later in the race.

Ultimate pace seemed to be the problem for race one winner Jordan too, as his ballast laden Honda Civic sunk towards the lower end of the top ten, which initially seemed to play into the hands of title rival Matt Neal.

Neal endured a tough opening contest earlier today but he’d made his way into the top six by mid-distance of race two behind the BMW of Collard. Incredibly, however, both cars went off the circuit on lap eight at the first chicane with Neal’s Honda forced into retirement while Collard scrambled back to the pits with a puncture.

Looking after his own championship hopes, Shedden settled for second behind Austin whilst Turkington improved his chances with another fantastic move by Jackson at Gracelands late on. Jackson held on for fourth in front of the two MGs of Tordoff and Plato who'd both made steady progress up the order throughout the race.

Newsham took seventh ahead of championship leader Jordan, who will be pleased that he stretched his lead in the standings and that he’ll be on pole for the final race later today. Tom Onslow-Cole and Jeff Smith rounded out the top ten for Airwaves Racing and Pirtek Racing respectively.

The Wheel Heaven/Houseman Racing Vauxhall of Lea Wood again won the Jack Sears Trophy ahead of David Nye’s Ford Focus, after Liam Griffin retired his identical machine late in the race.

Jordan now leads the championship by 19 points from Shedden – his highest position of the season so far. Neal, Turkington and Plato remain in close contention with the all-important race three still to come.

Away from the championship drama, however, it was clear who the fans' were cheering for when the podium celebrations got underway and it was none other than maiden race winner Rob Austin. “What a feeling!" beamed Rob. "It has been three years of blood, sweat and tears – for the team, for my family, for everyone.

"We’re up against teams with four times our budget and to beat guys like that is just incredible. I backed off a bit towards the end but Sherman was brilliantly prepared and the guys did a great job – I’m so proud of the whole team. The BTCC crowd are amazing too and I love them all! They’ve got me out of trouble already this season when we had our big shunt on the first weekend. We wouldn’t be here without them so I can’t thank the fans enough.”

2013 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Rockingham – Race two


1 Rob Austin (WIX Racing) 16 Laps
2 Gordon Shedden (Honda Yuasa Racing) +3.351
3 Colin Turkington (eBay Motors) +8.983
4 Mat Jackson (Airwaves Racing) +10.569
5 Sam Tordoff (MG KX Momentum Racing) +10.696
6 Jason Plato (MG KX Momentum Racing) +14.784
7 Dave Newsham (Speedworks Motorsport) +17.290
8 Andrew Jordan (Pirtek Racing) +20.076
9 Tom Onslow-Cole (Airwaves Racing) +21.273
10 Jeff Smith (Pirtek Racing) +26.154
11 Adam Morgan (Ciceley Racing) +27.349
12 Nick Foster (eBay Motors) +38.318
13 Frank Wrathall (Dynojet) +38.979
14 Jack Goff (RCIB Insurance Racing) +44.232
15 Aron Smith (Airwaves Racing) +45.976
16 Ollie Jackson (Speedworks Motorsport) 16 +46.055
17 Howard Fuller (RCIB Insurance Racing) 16 +47.588
18 Warren Scott (Team BMR Restart) 16 +50.515
19 Lea Wood (Wheel Heaven/Houseman Racing) 16 +51.194
20 Andy Wilmot (PPCGB/Kraftwerk Racing) 16 +1:10.074
21 David Nye (Welch Motorsport with Sopp + Sopp) +1:21.706

Not Classified
- Liam Griffin (Addison Lee Motorbase) +2 Laps
- Robert Collard (eBay Motors) +7 Laps
- Matt Neal (Honda Yuasa Racing) +7 Laps

[Rob]

wow what a cut back by Turks, so close to Platos bumber.

[Julie B]

wow what a cut back by Turks, so close to Platos bumber.

That's what I've been missing :)

[Rob]

That's what I've been missing :)

Was good to watch. Did notice that Plato at times was trying to bumb the rear of Turks BMW to try to get it too spin round, as it rear wheel drive.

[Rob]

Jubilation for Jordan
Andrew Jordan claimed a lights-to-flag victory in race three at Rockingham and extended his lead in the 2013 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship in the process.

Having already moved to the standings summit following his victory in Sunday's opener, Jordan produced an assured drive in the final showdown ahead of the battling eBay Motors BMW of Colin Turkington and MG of Jason Plato.

It had been Tordoff holding second position behind Jordan in the early running but lap 12 proved to be his undoing when first Turkington slipped through and so did his MG KX Momentum Racing team-mate Plato.

This had all followed a dramatic opening lap that saw no fewer than four cars involved in a high speed incident. The Toyota Avensis of Adam Morgan ran across the grass coming out of Pif Paf and going into Gracelands, whilst the Honda Civic of Jeff Smith spun luridly across the track. Jack Goff’s Vauxhall Insignia and Rob Collard’s BMW made contact while trying to take avoiding action of Smith’s car and both hit the barrier with some force.

The safety car period had initially looked as if it could spice up the order, but as in race one, Jordan dealt with the interruption with consummate ease.

Mat Jackson consolidated his best day of the season with fourth place for Airwaves Racing after he also relegated Tordoff down the order late on. Jackson had already bagged second and fourth places from the first two contests so Rockingham represents his biggest points haul of the 2013 campaign so far.

Reigning champion Gordon Shedden quietly made his way into the top five after passing Tordoff on lap 14, and the Honda Yuasa Racing driver now occupies second in the standings. His team-mate Matt Neal made the best of a bad day by soaring through the field to finish seventh and at least brought home some good points in his quest for a fourth BTCC drivers’ championship. Having led the standings coming into Rockingham, Neal is now fourth behind Jordan, Shedden and Turkington.

Dave Newsham’s Toyota, Rob Austin’s Audi and Jeff Smith’s Honda completed the top ten order – the latter having had a coming together with the Airwaves Racing Ford Focus of Tom Onslow-Cole late on.

It was championship joy for Lea Wood in the S2000 class as he took a commanding race victory – his 13th of the season – which means he holds an unassailable lead in the Jack Sears Trophy with six races still remaining.

2013 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Rockingham – Race three

1 Andrew Jordan (Pirtek Racing) 19 Laps
2 Colin Turkington (eBay Motors) +3.180
3 Jason Plato (MG KX Momentum Racing) +4.076
4 Mat Jackson (Airwaves Racing) +10.327
5 Gordon Shedden (Honda Yuasa Racing) +12.587
6 Sam Tordoff (MG KX Momentum Racing) +15.076
7 Matt Neal (Honda Yuasa Racing) +20.831
8 Dave Newsham (Speedworks Motorsport) +21.539
9 Rob Austin (WIX Racing) +23.277
10 Jeff Smith (Pirtek Racing) +25.044
11 Adam Morgan (Ciceley Racing) +25.441
12 Tom Onslow-Cole (Airwaves Racing) +27.155
13 Nick Foster (eBay Motors) +28.430
14 Aron Smith (Airwaves Racing) +28.474
15 Ollie Jackson (Speedworks Motorsport) +39.651
16 Lea Wood (Wheel Heaven/Houseman Racing) +51.382
17 Warren Scott (Team BMR Restart) +1:00.644
18 Andy Wilmot (PPCGB/Kraftwerk Racing) +1:00.864
19 David Nye (Welch Motorsport with Sopp + Sopp) +1:21.440

Not Classified
- Will Bratt (Rob Austin Racing) +6 Laps
- Howard Fuller (RCIB Insurance Racing) +9 Laps
- Frank Wrathall (Dynojet) +13 Laps
- Jack Goff (RCIB Insurance Racing) +18 Laps
- Robert Collard (eBay Motors) +19 Laps