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

[epiclyaddicted]

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

[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?

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

[Rob]

O'Neill in Croft BTCC return
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...m=&searchterm=

[Tobes]

Did you get a Plato sarnie..?

[Rob]

Did you get a Plato sarnie..?

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.

[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.

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?

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



'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.

[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...m=&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

[Sianellen]

Fight

[Rob]

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