Inside BTCC - Issue 9 - Thruxton (April 2012)

INSIDEBTCC.COM issue 9 : apr 2012

PLUS - MAT JACKSON COLUMN

SHEDDEN ON SONG

SCOT TAKES DONINGTON DOUBLE

THRUXTON PREVIEW / NGTC VS S2000 ANALYSIS / MUCH MUCH MORE...

Jakob Ebrey

Inside BTCC

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WELCOME...

After another dramatic weekend at Donington Park, the BTCC now heads to one of the most challenging circuits on the calendar in the shape of Thruxton – where average speeds are higher than anywhere else and drivers find themselves racing on the ragged edge on every lap.

Last time out, Mat Jackson and Gordon Shedden shared victories, with Shedden becoming the first man to win twice this season – albeit after the result of the final race changed twice once the chequered flag had dropped.

In this edition of Inside BTCC, we look back at the Donington Park weekend and look ahead to the third round of the season in Hampshire this weekend.

Alongside the Donington report and Thruxton preview, eBay Motors driver Rob Collard talks

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us through a lap of his home circuit and we have the latest from Mat Jackson on his season so far with Redstone Racing.

We’re keeping it brief this time around, but with a month’s break after this weekend, we have plenty lined up for you after Thruxton with a series of features in the pipeline with some of the most interesting people in the paddock.

Something for you to look forward to...

As has been the case during the first two rounds of the season, we’ll be providing regular updates through our Twitter page over the course of the weekend, so if you don’t already follow us, you can find us at @InsideBTCC. Until next time

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Dzenis/PSP Inside BTCC

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S T TEN

N O C

IN THIS ISSUE...

DONINGTON PARK REVIEW Results, reports & analysis from rounds 4, 5 & 6

6-9

JACKSON’S COLUMN Redstone Racing’s Mat Jackson writes for Inside BTCC

10 - 11

NEWS IN BRIEF Latest fron inside the BTCC paddock

14

THRUXTON PREVIEW Looking ahead to rounds 7, 8 & 9

16 - 17

A LAP OF THRUXTON... ...with eBay Motors’ Rob Collard

22 - 23

CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS Points tables after Brands Hatch

24 - 25

THE SEASON SO FAR Results at-a-glance

26 - 27

ABOUT INSIDE BTCC...

Inside BTCC is an independent publication that is in no way endorsed by, or affiliated to the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship or its organisers.

Photos are credit PSP IMAGES or JAKOB EBREY unless otherwise stated.

To get in touch, please email: CONTACT@INSIDEBTCC.COM. Written, produced and edited by Matt Salisbury and Matt Lamprell.

Front cover images: Main - Shedden leads at Donington Park (jakob Ebrey); Top right - Mat Jackson (PSP Images).

Back cover: Grid girl (Dzenis/PSP).

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GREAT SCOT!

Jakob Ebrey

SHEDDEN WINS TWICE FOR HONDA YUASA RACING AT DONINGTON PARK

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MATT LAMPRELL REPORTS

SHEDDEN FLIES TO VICTORY STUNNING SCOT TAKES DONINGTON DOUBLE AFTER CONTROVERSIAL THIRD RACE

The Honda Yuasa Racing Team driver claimed the spoils in the second race of the day, after Redstone Racing’s Mat Jackson had won the opener.

Shedden then went on to claim race three – but only after the exclusion of erstwhile winner Mat Jackson following a technical infringement.

After six of 30 races, it’s Jason Plato who continues to leads the points standings for MG KX Momentum Racing, four ahead of Honda’s Matt Neal.

The highlight of Plato’s weekend was second place in race three, although he crossed www.insidebtcc.com

the line ahead of racewinner Shedden.

Plato qualified on pole position - the first time an NGTC car had done so - but it was Rob Collard, from fifth on the grid, who led into Redgate after a sensational start in the rear-wheel-drive eBay Motors BMW. Plato initially dropped to third behind Mat Jackson, but was soon back to second. Over the first few laps, the MG driver was forced to defend, allowing Collard to get away in the lead. This in turn allowed Gordon Shedden to close in fourth.

However, five laps in and it was all-change at the front. Plato and Jackson both passed Collard at the chicane and before he knew it, Collard was down to

sixth place. Over the line, Jackson had the lead, ahead of Gordon Shedden, Matt Neal, Plato and Tom OnslowCole.

In the chaos across the line, Jackson managed to open up a sizeable gap and was in front for the remaining 12 laps of the race to claim his first win of the year.

If changes were going to happen towards the end of the race, it looked likely to involve one of the Hondas.

Shedden closed on Jackson at the front, while behind them, Neal was coming under attack from Plato.

However, the front five all held station and it was Ford from two Hondas in the podium positions.

Plato finished fourth, ahead of Onslow-Cole Inside BTCC

Pics: Dzenis/PSP

Gordon Shedden made up for a disappointing start to the season by claiming a spectacular doublevictory at Donington Park.

The second race at Donington Park started much as the first had ended, with Mat Jackson leading from Shedden. The Focus driver had a lead of 2.3 seconds when the safety car came out at the end of lap two.

That was triggered by

Collard eventually continued, while Plato headed down the pitlane. It was only a brief safety car period, but it was enough to eradicate Jackson’s lead at the front.

Shedden soon put the pressure on and made his move at the chicane on lap five to move through into the lead.

Just a couple of laps later and Jackson lost second to Shedden’s

teammate Matt Neal to make it a Honda one-two. That was how it stayed at the front to the chequered flag, with a first win of the season for Shedden making it five different winners from the first five races.

Mat Jackson held on to third place, despite the efforts of Team ES Racing’s Dave Newsham, who finished fourth. Fifth place went to Andrew Jordan, ahead of Pirtek Racing teammate Jeff Smith and Team HARD’s Tony Gilham. Collard, Aron Smith and Tom Onslow-Cole rounded out the top ten.

Further down the order, there was a clash between Chris James and Andy Neate which ended in contact between the slowing James and Redstone Racing’s Liam Griffin.

RACE RESULTS - TOP 10s RACE ONE TOP TEN: 1 Mat Jackson 19:11.104 (S2000); 2 Gordon Shedden +0.229 (NGTC); 3 Matt Neal +5.600 (NGTC); 4 Jason Plato +5.832 (NGTC); 5 Tom Onslow-Cole +8.656 (S2000); 6 Andrew Jordan +8.768 (NGTC); 7 Dave Newsham +11.750 (S2000); 8 Aron Smith +14.484 (S2000); 9 Frank Wrathall +20.384 (NGTC); 10 Rob Collard +24.109 (S2000).

Fastest lap: Mat Jackson 1:11.005 (lap 8).

Independent winner: Mat Jackson.

RACE TWO TOP TEN: 1 Gordon Shedden 20:55.248 (NGTC); 2 Matt Neal +1.241 (NGTC); 3 Mat Jackson +2.685 (S2000); 4 Dave Newsham +3.308 (S2000); 5 Andrew Jordan +8.914 (NGTC); 6 Jeff Smith +17.267 (NGTC); 7 Tony Gilham +17.854 (S2000); 8 Rob Collard +19.768 (S2000);

Dzenis/PSP

Following the race, Mat Jackson said, “I knew we had the pace. I got the traction down well at the start and then managed to nip through at the chicane a few laps in.

The NGTC Honda was quicker in some parts of the track, but not in others. I’m pleased we were able to hold on.”

a clash between Rob Collard and Jason Plato at the start of the pit straight. The pair were fighting for fourth when they clashed at the chicane. Collard nosed through on the inside and then they made contact on the exit from the corner.

Plato spun into the tyre wall, while Collard became stranded in the entrance to the pitlane.

9 Aron Smith +19.816 (S2000); 10 Tom OnslowCole +20.650 (S2000).

Fastest lap: Tom Onslow-Cole - 1:11.267 (lap 4).

Independent winner: Mat Jackson.

RACE THREE TOP TEN: 1 Gordon Shedden 24:40.618 (NGTC); 2 Jason Plato +1.114 (NGTC); 3 Tony Gilham +4.683 (S2000); 4 Rob Collard +5.221 (S2000); 5 Jeff Smith +6.198 (NGTC); 6 Andrew Jordan +8.264 (NGTC); 7 Frank Wrathall +9.231 (NGTC); 8 Daniel Welch +11.283 (NGTC); 9 Tom Onslow-Cole +14.827 (S2000); 10 Lea Wood +16.517 (S2000).

Fastest lap: Jason Plato – 1:11.013 (lap 9).

Independent winner: Tony Gilham.

Still/PSP

and Andrew Jordan.

Seventh place went to Dave Newsham, in front of Aron Smith, Frank Wrathall and the early race-leader Collard.

PLATO SECURES FIRST NGTC POLE POSITION

Double BTCC champion Jason Plato added another feather to his cap at Donington Park, becoming the first driver of an NGTC-spec car to qualify on pole position at a BTCC event.

Rain interrupted the 30minute qualifying session, meaning that it was the drivers who had set a quick time early in the session who found themselves at the front.

Rob Collard (eBay Motors) was the only driver to set a competitive time before Plato’s lap of 1:10.604 sent him to the top of the timing screens. Matt Neal briefly took second position on the grid, but was soon toppled by first Rob Austin, then Mat Jackson and Gordon Shedden.

Shedden held on to second place to start alongside Plato on the front row for the first race of the weekend.

The second row was an all-Honda NGTC affair, with

Matt Neal ahead of Andrew Jordan. Collard claimed fifth, with Mat Jackson sixth and Dave Newsham seventh.

Newsham’s session-topping time from free practice would have put the Team ES racing driver fourth on the grid, had he been able to repeat the performance.

Rob Austin, Jeff Smith and Aron Smith completed the top ten on the grid for the first race.

Following the session, Jason Plato said, “We looked at the weather forecast and we knew we were going to have to do it quickly. Things are just getting better and better at the moment. My car was fantastic out there.

We’re learning all the time and there’s a whole lot more to come.

“We’ve been making big changes to the MG in each session to try and find that window of opportunity and it’s a case of so far, so good!”

Good weekend: Gordon Shedden Two wins and a second go some way to making up for such an abysmal opener.

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Mat Jackson despite losing his race three victory, it was still an impressive showing from the Redstone Racing driver.

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The third race was to be a complicated affair – as much for what happened in the stewards’ office after the race as for what happened on the track.

Jeff Smith started from pole position for Pirtek Racing, but it was Mat Jackson who claimed the lead for the third time in as many races. However, both Jackson and Andrew Jordan slid wide going down through Redgate, allowing Dave Newsham through into the lead, ahead of Rob Collard.

There were soon six cars running together for the lead, but MG KX Momentum’s Andy Neate was not one of them after suffering contact with the wall along the pit straight as he started lap two.

Lap three saw the safety car out on track when Matt Neal became stranded in the gravel. It all started with Collard running off the track and rejoining ahead of teammate Tom Onslow-Cole.

Neal was forced to take avoiding action, touching fellow Honda driver Andrew Jordan’s Civic and sending the pair into synchronised spins as they headed towards Mcleans.

Jackson had reclaimed the lead before the pack formed up behind the safety car, with

Having started at the back of the grid, Jason Plato had charged through the field and was now up to fourth behind Shedden. The Scot passed Collard at the Old Hairpin, but was soon looking in his mirrors as Plato closed right up.

During the last few laps, Shedden and Plato closed on leader Jackson. However, the chasing pair slowed themselves down just enough in their own battle, that they didn’t quite get close enough to challenge for the lead.

It was touch and go on the final lap though.

There was not much between the trio as they approached the last corner. What followed next was contact between Plato and Shedden.

As the Honda braked ahead of the chicane, Plato tapped its rear, knocking Shedden into the gravel and leaving the MG free to take second.

Jackson crossed the line first, ahead of Plato in second and Shedden in third.

However, the real drama came after the race. The first story to emerge from the

Next up though, was news that race winner Mat Jackson had been excluded. The Redstone Racing team had become aware the Jackson’s car had suffered a component failure during the race, which had led to the Focus momentarily exceeding its allowed boost levels. The only possible fate was disqualification.

That meant that it was Shedden rather than Jackson celebrating a double victory, while Plato was back up to second. There was also a first BTCC podium for Tony Gilham. While the Team HARD. racer didn’t get to stand on the podium itself, he was later reunited with his trophy – as well as the one for taking Independent victory.

Fourth place in the revised result went to Collard, ahead of Jeff Smith and Andrew Jordan. Frank Wrathall claimed his best result of the weekend in seventh, with Daniel Welch eighth and Tom Onslow-Cole ninth. Lea Wood took tenth for BINZ Racing.

Shedden became the first driver to win twice in the 2012 season, while the retirement of his Honda Racing teammate Matt Neal, as well as the stellar final-race run from Jason Plato ensured that it was the MG driver who left Donington with the championship lead.

Bad weekend: John Thorne The Thorney Motorsport Insignia just didn’t look settled at any point during the weekend.

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Dzenis/PSP

Jackson opened up a lead of over a second on the lap after the restart, as Rob Collard passed Newsham for second. However, the man on the move was Shedden. He passed Newsham through the Craner Curves on lap nine, before closing on Collard over the following laps.

paddock was that Plato had been penalised by two seconds for his last-lap tap on Shedden, reversing the pair’s positions and promoting Shedden to second.

Dzenis/PSP

Delighted with his first win, Shedden said, “Brands was tricky so it’s nice to get the win.

The car feels great here. The safety car made my life a little bit easier, but I think we had the pace anyway.”

Newsham second and Collard third. Shedden was sitting fourth at this point, just in front of Tony Gilham.

Jakob Ebrey

The pair almost came to blows in the gravel when Griffin made his feelings clear.

NGTC RUNNERS STILL OUT IN FRONT Two meetings into the 2012 BTCC season and it’s the NGTC runners that are looking stronger.

Only ‘fastest laps’ and

‘pole positions’ are even, with each of the other key indicators seeing the S2000 stars lagging behind their next generation rivals.

NGTC S2000 Races won

4

2

Fastest laps

3

3

Pole positions

1

1

75

51

448

362

Laps led Points scored

Rob Austin A frustrating weekend for the Audi driver, completing just six laps in race one.

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JACKSON’S COLUMN...

REDSTONE RACING’S MAT JACKSON WRITES FOR INSIDE BTCC...

MIXED EMOTIONS Hi guys, Well two rounds of the season are now complete, and I think it’s fair to say it’s been a mixed bag so far…

The season opener at Brands Hatch was a frustrating weekend. We went there in confident mood but we had a bad qualifying session. We managed to come through to take seventh and fourth in the first two races which was pretty good. We made some big changes for race three and they worked.

Unfortunately, only for two laps…

It went wrong when I ran wide at Paddock Hill Bend and damaged an oil line, which put me out of the race. It is never good to see something fail on your car and even worse to then have other people crashing as a result; it isn’t nice. I’m sorry for the guys who were caught up in it but unfortunately it is one of those things that can happen to us all.

From Brands Hatch, it was off to Donington Park for round two.

We knew the Ford was strong at Donington last season and it is a circuit that seems to suit the car. We have to score as many points as we can from the circuits where we know the car is strong and Donington is one of those places.

Pics: PSP Images

With that in mind, to produce the results we did – on track at least - was great for everyone at Redstone Racing, they’ve worked so hard over the winter and we have to try and carry the pace we showed there through to the next round at Thruxton.

Inside BTCC 10

The first race was tough, starting from sixth. We got a great start and managed to battle our way through which wasn’t easy to do but I was pleased to get my first win.

In race two, I disappeared up the track before the Safety Car but there was another podium finish.

The final race was interesting because I knew Jason was coming through. He got held up by Gordon and without that he would have caught us. When Jason starts pushing, it isn’t very light, so I didn’t want to get caught up in anything and they both got bogged down battling against each other which worked in our favour Our celebrations were shortlived though as unfortunately we had a technical fault with the car, which the stewards deemed to have given us an unfair boost advantage, and we were excluded from the race results. I can’t deny it was disappointing to lose the win, especially as I will still be carrying second place ballast at Thruxton, but we have to keep looking forward as there’s a long season ahead with lots of points still to be scored.

One thing we did really benefit from at Donington was the fact we made a great start in all three races.

We’ve done a lot of work on that and at the moment, it appears that the NGTC cars are struggling on the first lap or so of a race. They seem to be finding it difficult to get temperature into the tyres and you can see them getting sideways in nearly every corner. We have to capitalise on that at Thruxton and beyond.

Until next time

4 # t a M

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Pics: PSP Images & Jakob Ebrey

Inside BTCC 12

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Pics: PSP Images & Jakob Ebrey www.insidebtcc.com

Inside BTCC 13

Jakob Ebrey

NEWS IN BRIEF | NEWS IN BRIEF | NEWS IN BRIEF

Stewards kept busy at Donington TOCA officials were kept busy at Donington Park with a number of reprimands and fines being handed out over the course of the race weekend.

MG KX Momentum Racing, Rob Austin Racing and Thorney Motorsport were all given verbal warnings for moving their cars into the pit garages without permission before a session had ended, while verbal warnings also went to Jeff Smith, Dave Newsham and Andrew Jordan for incidents on track.

Team ES Racing boss Chris James was one man who faced the wrath of the stewards over two separate incidents, picking up an official reprimand and two penalty points for an incident in race one, and than an additional three points and a fine of £1,000 for ‘using abusive language and behaviour within the venue’.

The final race of the weekend saw Mat Jackson Inside BTCC 14

excluded for a technical infringement and Jason Plato penalised two seconds for gaining an unfair advantage [See race report].

Plato takes Dunlop honours Jason Plato became the second driver to win the Dunlop Drive with Confidence award over the course of the weekend at Donington.

The MG driver posted the fastest lap of the weekend in securing pole position and will now pick up a set of Dunlop’s Sport Maxx RT road tyres worth nearly £1,000 as a result.

Dave Newsham, winner of the award at Brands Hatch, was given his prize during the Donington weekend and joked that he will now need to try and take the honours again to pick up a set for his second car.

O’Neill returns to the paddock Paul O’Neill made a welcome return to the BTCC paddock at

Donington, although not behind the wheel as he instead took up a role with ITV Sport.

O’Neill, who found himself without a drive for 2012 after sponsorship issues hit the Tech-Speed team, featured throughout the race day coverage on ITV4 conducting driver interviews and is set to rejoin ITV again this weekend at Thruxton.

Collard completes London Marathon eBay Motors driver Rob Collard has raised around £2,000 for the Snowdon Award Scheme, which helps disabled young people find work, after successfully completing the London Marathon.

Collard completed the 26-mile course in 4hrs 06mins 06secs, leaving him 12,486th of the 37,542 people who were due to take the start.

Collard reveaed afterwards that he’d been told he had a ‘nice bum’ during the run and was keen for a ‘cup of tea and a muffin’ afterwards.

Thorney sits out Thruxton Thorney Motorsport has elected to skip Thruxton to try and resolve some of the issues it has faced so far this season.

The team failed to race at Donington having been off the pace in practice and qualifying, where a lack of rear end grip again hampered team boss John Thorne.

The team will now seek to go testing before the next round of the season at Oulton Park in June, where Thorne or the team’s second driver Rob Hedley are slated to be behind the wheel.

“It is with a heavy heart we have taken this decision but with limited budget we cant afford to both test and race,” Thorne said, “and the car has some fundamental issues that we need to address before competing again.”

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Inside BTCC 15

Jakob Ebrey

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Jakob Ebrey

THRUXTON PREVIEW

LOOKING AHEAD TO ROUNDS 7, 8 & 9

Next stop for the BTCC is one of the most challenging circuits on the calendar, as the series heads to Thruxton for rounds seven, eight and nine of the 2012 campaign.

has been close to victory and he could be a good bet for a trip to the top step of the podium at the weekend.

Just ask Kelvin Burt, Charlie Kox, Tommy Rustad or any number of drivers over the years and they’ll tell you how big an accident at Thruxton can be…

As was the case heading to Donington Park, the man to beat in the standings is Jason Plato who retained his place at the top of the table despite a mixed weekend in the East Midlands. Carrying the maximum 45 kilos of success ballast didn’t harm the MG driver in qualifying a fortnight ago although it will be interesting to see what it impact it has on the highInside BTCC 16

Jakob Ebrey

The Hampshire venue is the quickest on the calendar with much of the lap spent at full – or near full – throttle and is known to be one of the most unforgiving simply because the smallest of errors can result in the biggest of accidents. speed Thruxton circuit.

Plato’s closest challenger is once again the Honda of Matt Neal, with the new Civic having taken two more victories at Donington a fortnight ago, albeit in the hands of Gordon Shedden.

Neal could well have been the championship leader had it not been for his retirement in race three at Donington but the silver lining – if there is one – is the fact that he now carries slightly less success ballast than Plato into the weekend. Neal will however be aware of the fact that he has only won twice at Thruxton in the past – a

record he will hope to add to this time around.

The only driver inside the top six yet to win a race is Andrew Jordan, with the Pirtek Racing man sitting third in the standings thanks to his consistency in the first six races of the campaign. Although he failed to make it onto the podium at Donington, Jordan has finished inside the top six in every race so far this season and has impressed at Thruxton in the past – notably during his debut season when at the wheel of a Honda Integra. Already this season with the Civic, Jordan

Showing how close things are at the top, Rob Collard and Gordon Shedden in fourth and fifth are both within 14 points of leader Plato in the standings. Collard endured a more difficult weekend at Donington than in the season opener at Brands Hatch – where he took victory in race one – but the eBay Motors man still managed three top ten finishes to keep his points tally ticking over nicely.

However, the turbo engine fitted to his BMW for this season appears to have made the car somewhat harder on its tyres, which could cause problems at the most difficult circuit on the schedule for the Dunlop rubber.

Shedden by contrast had a disastrous start to the season at Brands Hatch, scoring points in just one race, before his campaign burst into life at Donington. A double win there, making him the first driver to win more than once this season, means the Scot www.insidebtcc.com

is now back in the mix at the top of the standings heading to a circuit where he has been on pole for the past two seasons.

The final man to have won a race this season, Mat Jackson, completes the top six despite his exclusion from the final race of the weekend at Donington thanks to an overboost issue. Jackson is a past winner at Thruxton and will hope that past experience of running the NGTC-engined Ford will help the Redstone

Racing team – with all the cars ahead in the standings taking on the challenge of Thruxton for the first time.

turbo engine, the Vauxhall has won an astonishing nine times thanks to Fabrizio Giovanardi and Onslow-Cole.

Behind the top six, the likes of Jeff Smith, Tom OnslowCole and Dave Newsham will seek to continue their solid starts to the season, with Newsham in particular likely to be buoyed by the fact that the Vauxhall Vectra has been one of the strongest packages at Thruxton in recent years.

Although the car failed to win last year when fitted with a

Tony Gilham rounds out the top ten heading to Thruxton after inheriting a podium finish at Donington, but his Honda Civic is the same car that took pole and a victory last season in Shedden’s hands and if things go his way, the Team HARD driver could spring a surprise again and run towards the front.

Rob Austin and Ollie Jackson are amongst those hoping for better luck than at Donington, where their Audi A4 and VW Golf were ruled out of two races on race day through mechanical issues, while John Thorne is now the only driver without a point to his name and that won’t change this weekend as the Thorney Motorsport team opts to take its Vauxhall Insignia testing rather than race at Thruxton.

Thruxton

RECENT HISTORY Pole

Gordon Shedden, Honda Civic

Race One

Gordon Shedden, Honda Civic

Race Two

Matt Neal, Honda Civic

Race Three

Jason Plato, Chevrolet Cruze Jakob Ebrey

2011

2010 Pole

Gordon Shedden, Honda Civic

Race One

Fabrizio Giovanardi, Vauxhall Vectra

Race Two

Fabrizio Giovanardi, Vauxhall Vectra

Race Three

Steven Kane, BMW 320si

2009 Pole

Fabrizio Giovanardi, Vauxhall Vectra

Race One

Fabrizio Giovanardi, Vauxhall Vectra

Race Two

Colin Turkington, BMW 320si

Race Three

Mat Jackson, Chevrolet Lacetti

Pole

Tom Onslow-Cole, Vauxhall Vectra

Race One

Tom Onslow-Cole, Vauxhall Vectra

Race Two

Tom Onslow-Cole, Vauxhall Vectra

Race Three

Jason Plato, SEAT Leon TDi

Jakob Ebrey

2008

2007 (2) Pole

Tom Chilton, Vauxhall Vectra

Race One

Fabrizio Giovanardi, Vauxhall Vectra

Race Two

Fabrizio Giovanardi, Vauxhall Vectra

Race Three

Mat Jackson, BMW 320si

2007 (1)

THRUXTON STATS LENGTH

2.36 miles

2012 RACE LAPS

16

RACE DISTANCE

37.76 miles

Pole

Fabrizio Giovanardi, Vauxhall Vectra

LAP RECORD (QUALIFYING)

1m 16.369s (Yvan Muller, 2001)

Race One

Fabrizio Giovanardi, Vauxhall Vectra

LAP RECORD (RACE)

Race Two

Fabrizio Giovanardi, Vauxhall Vectra

1m 17.303s (Yvan Muller, 2002)

Race Three

Jason Plato, SEAT Leon

MOST WINS (1991-)

7 – Yvan Muller, Fabrizio Giovanardi

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directory a who’s who of btcc on twitter...

BTCC DRIVERS Matt Neal Mat Jackson Aron Smith Liam Griffin Rob Collard Frank Wrathall Dan Welch Rob Austin Dave Newsham Adam Morgan Tony Gilham Tom Onslow-Cole Lea Wood Andy Neate Tony Hughes Gordon Shedden Andrew Jordan Chris James Jason Plato

@MattNealRacing @mat_jackson @AronSmith_ @LiamGriffinBTCC @CollardRob @FrankWrathall @BTCCDanWelch @RobertoAustini @NewshamRacing @AdamMorgan33 @TonyGilham @TomOnslowCole @TeamWoodRacing @AndyNeate @TonyHughesBTCC @GordonShedden @AndrewJordan77 @ChrisJamesBTCC @JasonPlato

OTHERS Official BTCC Inside BTCC Tin Top Tuesday Alan Hyde Not Alan Gow Talking Point ITV Toby Moody Richard John Neill Tim Harvey YourRacingCar Unlap Brands Hatch Oulton Park Snetterton Silverstone Rockingham Knockhill Croft Thruxton Donington Park

@DunlopBTCC @InsideBTCC @TinTopTuesday @AlanHydeStudio @alan_gow_btcc @TPBroadcasting @ITVtouringcars @TobyMoody @richardjneil @TimHarvey7 @YourRacingCar @unlap @Brands_Hatch @Oulton_Park @SnettertonMSV @SilverstoneUK @RockinghamUK @krcircuit @CroftSupporters @thruxtonracing @DoningtonParkUK

BTCC TEAMS Honda Yuasa Racing MG KX Momentum Racing Redstone Racing eBay Motors Welch Motorsport ES Racing Rob Austin Racing Speedworks BINZ Racing AmDTuning.com Pirtek Racing Thorney Motorsport Toyota

Inside BTCC 20

@HondaRacingBTCC @official888race @RedstoneRacing @ebaymotorsbtcc @WelchMotorsport @teamESracing @RobAustinRacing @SpeedworksMS @CentralGroupRacing @AmDessex @andyjordanBTCC @ThorneyMS @ToyotaBTCC

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Jakob Ebrey

2012 BTCC CALENDAR 31 March-1 April, Brands Hatch Indy 14-15 April, Donington Park National 28-29 April, Thruxton 9-10 June, Oulton Park Island 23-24 June, Croft 11-12 August, Snetterton 300 25-26 August, Knockhill 22-23 September, Rockingham 6-7 October, Silverstone 20-21 October, Brands Hatch GP

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Inside BTCC 21

A LAP OF THRUXTON WITH

Jakob Ebrey

ROB COLLARD

Next stop for the BTCC is Thruxton, one of the most challenging circuits on the calendar thanks to its high speeds and an abrasive surface – which combine to produce some of the most exciting racing seen all season.

The Hampshire venue is the home circuit for eBay Motors driver Rob Collard, who talks us through what to expect from a lap of the track…

“Thruxton is a fantastic circuit. You come over the start/finish line and grab fifth gear as you turn into Allard.

You take that flat in qualifying but you might have to back off a little in the races as the tyre wear increases. Basically though, it’s a flat out corner and then you head up the chicane and hit the brakes.

“The chicane is so crucial, not so much on the entry but more on the exit, as it sets you up for the next complex of corners through Segrave, Noble, Goodwood and Village.

You exit in third gear and then you are flat all the way round to Church.

“Keeping the car on the track through those high-speed Inside BTCC 22

corners is a difficult job. It’s an awesome experience to drive and to be honest with you, I wouldn’t want to be a passenger in a car with someone like me or Matt Neal driving around Thruxton because it is seat of your pants, skin of the teeth kind of driving. You are absolutely on the ragged edge and the car is hopping and moving around.

“The only thing giving you grip and keeping you on the track is the Dunlop tyres and it is credit to them that they have used the technology they have to produce a tyre that lasts. You can’t turn into a corner like Church at 140mph unless you have the faith in the car and in the tyres to do that. You come out the other side and think ‘I could have gone quicker’ but then on the approach next time round, you still think ‘I have to back off a little bit now’.

“As you head through the high-speed corners on the run towards Church, you have to be careful about getting off the racing line. The issue with Thruxton is that there are no gravel traps so if you go off, the car will hit the

grass and it will just skid. It can go 300 metres on the grass and if it happens to be wet, it will speed up as there is no grip. It is a horrible feeling and if the car spins, it can dig in and roll. That is when you see some of the spectacular crashes we have seen at Thruxton in the past.

It is a horrible thought and that is why you do curl your toes going into a corner like Church because you know that if it goes wrong, you could have a big shunt.

“In qualifying you will have a little lift going into Church and you might then use a little bit of left-foot braking during the race to help settle the car down. You’ll also see some different lines over the course of the weekend through the corner. The quick line in qualifying is to stay out wide and then cut in late for the corner, but in a race, that leaves the door wide open to the guy behind and it can be quite easy to get up the inside because the circuit is so wide. That means you should expect to see drivers taking a different line on race day when they are trying to defend positions.

speed wise, but also because it sets you up for the run up Woodham Hill. We’ll hit top speed coming up there into the final corner but if you have got a bad run through Church, you are open to attack from the car behind.

On the opposite side, a good run through Church could help you to carry more speed than the car in front and allow you to slipstream them up the hill. You come into the braking zone for the final corner and go down from sixth to second for the chicane. Again, it is a credit to Dunlop for the work they do when you consider how much impact the tyres take when you hit the kerbs. We hit them at about 70mph and the car is launched into the air, which is why you see some spectacular photos from that part of the circuit.

“Like every other corner on the circuit, a good exit speed is vital because it sets you up for Allard and the start of another lap. In racing, every corner is critical, but at Thruxton you have to get it right.”

“Church is a massive corner www.insidebtcc.com

Jakob Ebrey www.insidebtcc.com

Inside BTCC 23

RACE FOR

CHAMPIONSHIP STANDIN

DRIVERS CHAMPIONSHIP

MANUFACTURER/CONSTRUCTOR

1

Jason Plato

84

1

Honda/Dynamics

166

2

Matt Neal

80

2

MG/Triple Eight

157

3

Andrew Jordan

76

4

Rob Collard

72

5

Gordon Shedden

70

1

Honda Yuasa Racing

146

6

Mat Jackson

60

2

Pirtek Racing

129

7

Jeff Smith

52

3

eBay Motors

112

8

Dave Newsham

47

4

Redstone Racing

100

9

Tom Onslow-Cole

47

5

MG KX Momentum Racing

93

10

Tony Gilham

35

6

Team ES Racing.com

54

11

Rob Austin

30

7

Team HARD

36

12

Aron Smith

28

8

Rob Austin Racing

30

13

Frank Wrathall

21

9

BINZ Racing

22

14

Nick Foster

21

10

Dynojet

22

15

Lea Wood

20

11

Welch Motorsport

18

16

Dan Welch

17

12

AmD Tuning.com

12

17

Liam Griffin

13

13

Speedworks

11

18

Andy Neate

12

14

Thorney Motorsport

19

Ollie Jackson

11

20

Chris James

8

21

Adam Morgan

4

22

Tony Hughes

2

23

John Thorne

0

Inside BTCC 24

TEAMS CHAMPIONSHIP

0

www.insidebtcc.com

THE TITLE

NGS AFTER 6 OF 30 RACES INDEPENDENT DRIVERS

INDEPENDENT TEAMS

1

Andrew Jordan

98

1

Pirtek Racing

2

Rob Collard

80

2

Redstone Racing

92

3

Mat Jackson

70

3

eBay Motors

91

4

Jeff Smith

69

4

Team ES Racing.com

74

5

Tom Onslow-Cole

59

5

Team HARD

65

6

Dave Newsham

56

6

Speedworks

46

7

Tony Gilham

51

7

BINZ Racing

46

8

Rob Austin

39

8

Rob Austin Racing

43

9

Aron Smith

37

9

Dynojet

41

10

Lea Wood

33

10 Welch Motorsport

37

11

Frank Wrathall

31

11 AmD Tuning.com

21

12

Nick Foster

31

12 Thorney Motorsport

11

13

Dan Welch

27

14

Liam Griffin

23

15

Chris James

19

16

Ollie Jackson

17

17

Tony Hughes

17

18

Adam Morgan

10

19

John Thorne

www.insidebtcc.com

102

5

Inside BTCC 25

THE SEASON

RACE-BY-RACE RESULTS FOR THE 2012 DUNLOP 1

2

3

4

5

6

Matt Neal

2

1

7

3

2

DNF

Mat Jackson

7

4

DNF

1

3

EXC

Aron Smith

DNF

DNF

8

8

9

11

Liam Griffin

14

12

11

DNF

DNF

14

Rob Collard

1

6

6

10

8

4

DNF

DNS

13

9

14

7

Dan Welch

17

11

DNF

12

DNF

8

Rob Austin

8

5

5

DNF

DNS

DNS

DNF

9

3

7

4

DNF

9

DNF

DNS

11

11

12

DNF

DNS

DNF

15

13

DNF

18

13

10

14

7

3

3

10

DNF

5

10

9

Lea Wood

11

15

9

DNF

15

10

Andy Neate

12

14

14

16

12

DNF

Ollie Jackson

13

8

DNF

DNC

DNS

DNS

Tony Hughes

16

16

15

DNF

16

15

5

DNF

EXC

2

1

1

10

7

4

13

6

5

DNF

17

16

DNS

DNS

DNS

6

2

2

6

5

6

Chris James

15

DNF

12

17

DNF

13

Jason Plato

4

3

1

4

DNC

2

Frank Wrathall

Dave Newsham Nick Foster Adam Morgan Tony Gilham Tom Onslow-Cole

Gordon Shedden Jeff Smith John Thorne Andrew Jordan

7

8

9

10

11

12

BOLD denotes pole position ITALICS denotes fastest lap

Inside BTCC 26

www.insidebtcc.com

13

SO FAR

P MSA BRITISH TOURING CAR CHAMPIONSHIP 14

15

16

17

18

www.insidebtcc.com

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

Inside BTCC 27