INSIDEBTCC.COM issue 19 : apr 2013
PLUS - MATT NEAL AT 500: MILESTONE FOR TRIPLE CHAMP
PLATO OUT FRONT!
2013 BTCC SEASON GETS UNDERWAY www.insidebtcc.com BTCC MORE... RACES / DONINGTON PARK PREVIEW / MUCH MUCHInside SUPPORT
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WELCOME... After a drama filled start to the new season at Brands Hatch, the BTCC now heads to Donington Park for the second meeting of the 2013 campaign. Jason Plato leads the way on the back of his double win in Kent last time out and the MG man will aim to maintain his position at the head of the pack in the East Midlands. It promises to be another interesting weekend however, with defending champion Gordon Shedden chasing a first win of the year, and the likes of Mat Jackson and Colin Turkington looking to bounce back from tough opening rounds. In this edition of Inside BTCC, we look back at the way in which Plato took the early advantage around the Brands Hatch Indy circuit and preview all the action for the second round of the season.
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Ahead of Donington, we catch up with Matt Neal as he prepares for his 500th race in the series, get the behind the scenes gossip from Airwaves Racing with Aron Smith’s girlfriend Lauren and discover what it takes to join the rescue crews that play a vital role in safety on a race weekend. We also have a quick round-up of the action from the various TOCA supports to keep you up to date with everything going on in the paddock. As usual, you can get in touch with us by e-mail on contact@ insidebtcc.com, follow us on Twitter at @InsideBTCC or give us a like at Facebook.com/ InsideBTCC Until next time Enjoy!
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S T TEN
N O C
IN THIS ISSUE... MATT NEAL: 500 NOT OUT Double champion Neal hits 500 at Donington Park
6-9
NEWS IN BRIEF Rounding up the news from around the paddock
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THE RESCUERS Behinf the scenes with motorsport marshals
12 - 15
BRANDS HATCH ROUND-UP Plato takes the advantage at season opener
18 - 21
LAUREN’S COLUMN A unique view on BTCC life
22 - 25
SUPPORT RACES Rounding up the action from the support formulae
28 - 29
SUPPORT RACES Rounding up the action from the support formulae
30 - 31
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 - Plato on the podium (jakobebrey. com); Top right - Matt Neal (jakobebrey.com). Back cover: Grid girl (PSP Images).
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MATT NEAL: 500 NOT OUT
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Having made his BTCC debut back in 1991, Matt Neal gets set to bring up 500 races when the series heads to Donington Park...
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When the BTCC arrives at Donington Park for the second meeting of the year, it will mark a landmark moment in the career of triple champion Matt Neal. Neal debuted in the series back in 1991 at the wheel of a BMW M3 and will bring up 500 races in the East Midlands – scene of one of the highlights of his career after his dramatic win as a privateer back in 1999. Ahead of the landmark weekend, Inside BTCC caught up with Neal to look back over his career to date… Inside BTCC: You’re going to hit a big milestone at Donington Park with your 500th BTCC race. Did you ever think when you started out that you’d hit that milestone?
go back to the bottom of that 500 and look forward, it’s hard to imagine I would have reached this point. It sounds a lot when you say it out loud, and its lovely to do it at Donington as there are special memories there from the first win, and its also pretty local to me. Through my whole career, I always tried to do my best but I never thought I would get to touring cars, never mind win a race or win a championship. Now I’m getting ready to hit 500 races – next stop 1000! Inside BTCC: If you were joining the grid now with 30 races in a season you could maybe think about hitting the 500 mark but there weren’t as many races when you started out on your BTCC career…
more meetings. I think there were twelve events back then and they were all double headers – aside from the British Grand Prix – so you still had a few races to cram in. Thirty races in a season does make a difference and you could achieve it quicker now, but I’ve also had some time away from the grid. There was half of 1994 after my crash in the Mazda at Silverstone and then part of 1996 and also 2001 when I was over in Europe and Australia doing other things. I’ve not been here for every race in every season but I’ve been part of the furniture for a lot of it! Inside BTCC: Was that accident in the Mazda one of the big lows in your career, given that you’d just managed to earn a manufacturer drive?
Matt Neal: Matt Neal: Definitely not. If I was to www.insidebtcc.com
Matt Neal: We didn’t have three races in a day but I think we had
The Mazda has been pretty
good with Patick [Watts] in 1993 and I though it was my chance, but it turned out to be a bit of a white elephant, which was a real shame. Mazda weren’t putting as much money in and there was no development put into the car at a time when other manufacturers were making leaps and strides forward with their new cars. Alfa were coming in with a new car, Volvo were joining and teams like Renault were coming on strong. When the accident happened, they just didn’t have the money to repair the car so it shows how tough it was. To be honest, I thought my touring car career was over at that point and it was only after we managed to get a bit of money together as a privateer team that I went to Graf Racing in France, picked up as second hand Ford Mondeo about ten days before the start of 1995 and re-launched it all again. Inside BTCC
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Inside BTCC: From a major low to a major high and the day at Donington in 1999 when you did Alan Gow for £250,000. What can you remember of that day and the emotions that you went through?
same person and had to pick myself up and focus on the next race. But it was a good day, no doubt about it. Inside BTCC: We’d seen the pace there was in the Nissan at that time, but did you really feel it was realistic to win a race as a privateer team?
Matt Neal: Matt Neal: I can remember disbelief. It was a bit of an out of body experience when you just don’t believe something is happening to you. I can remember getting into the side of James Thompson and the front wing almost coming off which meant I was then thinking I was going to be get black flagged; I just kept thinking it would be taken off me in some way. Even on the podium with the cheque I didn’t think it was real. The surreal thing was getting up the next morning thinking it would have changed things and it didn’t. I was still the Inside BTCC
What people don’t understand is that before that year, privateer teams weren’t allowed the same tyres as the factory teams so they were at a massive disadvantage - we’re talking one or two seconds a lap. I got a drive at Bathurst with Nissan at the end of 1998 and Alec Poole was really smarting because the team has lost Anthony Reid to Ford, and he’d won a fair few races and had finished second in the standings. When I drove that spec car at Bathurst with the factory Michelin
tyre on it, I got out of the car and said to Alec ‘I know you’re worried about losing Reidy, but you shouldn’t be because that car is going to win – it’s awesome’. In a way, its a shame that was the only win that year because I think I could have had a run for a podium finish in the championship with a bit more experience but we had to sit back where we were supposed to be behind the factory cars. The factory Nissan showed how good it was in 1999. Inside BTCC: Was there disappointment that the performances you showed in 1999 didn’t then lead to you earning a factory drive somewhere? Matt Neal: Yes to an extent, but I’m grown up about it. When Reidy left Nissan, I’d pushed hard to get into a factory car alongside David
Leslie for 1999 itself, but they went for Laurent Aiello. His CV was a lot better than mine, and he then won the championship for them so I guess you can’t fault them for the decision! When Nissan then pulled out at the end of the year, I lost the relationship I had with the guys there, but it was what it was. Inside BTCC: You mentioned that you thought you BTCC career was over after the accident with the Mazda, but did you then feel the same in 2001 when the deal you had with Peugeot ended after the first round? Matt Neal: Probably yeah. That deal with the Peugeot…to this day, I don’t know the politics and why I was ousted, and what they were planning I don’t know. Maybe they did me a favour. I didn’t enjoy them [Vic Lee www.insidebtcc.com
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It was then Ian Harrison who have me the chance to get back into the BTCC, and who gave me the opportunity to fight for a top three in the championship. He just rang out of the blue and offered me the chance to drive one of the EGG:Sport cars. Inside BTCC: When you won the title with the Integra, it wasn’t against the manufacturers there were in the 1990s but there was a strong Vauxhall team and the likes of WSR as well. How hard was that title to win? Matt Neal: I don’t think it was any easier than it would have been in Super Touring. In www.insidebtcc.com
the 1990s you had a high level of competition but if you were faster, you could win. When we brought out the Integra it was the start of, not manipulation, but wanting to make sure we put on a show. So if you had the fastest car, you would be handicapped. With that in mind, I think it was at least as hard to win the title. Inside BTCC: You’ve been in the BTCC through many eras from Super Touring to BTC-spec and S2000 and now to NGTC. How do you think it has evolved since you made your debut? Matt Neal: When I entered the BTCC there were only a few factory teams – there was Vauxhall and BMW. The series then grew, then it went down, and now its come back up again. I think the championship is in a
much stronger position now than it has ever been. You could look at 1996-99 as the hey day, but in terms of cars on the grid and bums in seats, its strong. I’ve said it before, but I think it’s harder to get into the top six in a BTCC race than it is to get into the top six in a WTCC race. There are strong drivers and strong teams in this paddock, and the racing is tough. Inside BTCC: We don’t have the big international names like Biela, Aiello and Rydell anymore but there are drivers like yourself, Jason Plato, Gordon Shedden, Colin Turkington and Mat Jackson – all of whom can challenge at the front. Can you ever recall things being so open?
just mentioned could get into a WTCC car and they would give the likes of Gabriele Tarquini, Yvan Muller and Rob Hufff something to think about. Jason has proved it, Colin has proved it, I’d like to think I’ve proved it and Flash has too. There are good drivers in the BTCC who shouldn’t be underestimated. The V8 Supercar Championship in Australia is just the same. People who haven’t been and seen it, think it just a national championship and they don’t consider just how good the drivers are. The BTCC is just the same; it’s a hard championship to win.
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Racing – the team behind the Peugeot programme] trying to nick my personal sponsors after I left, but I enjoyed my year racing in Europe.
Matt Neal: Any of those drivers you Inside BTCC
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NEWS IN BRIEF NEWS IN BRIEF NEWS IN BRIEF NEWS IN BRIEF Oulton Park debut for IP Tech Andy Neate’s IP Tech Race Engineering outfit has delayed its BTCC debut until round four at Oulton Park after encountering unforeseen delays with the build on its NGTC-spec Chevrolet Cruze. The car was set to appear for the first time at Donington Park but, with the team having been unable to complete the build in time for any preevent testing, the decision was taken to put the debut back. The team will also miss Thruxton to carry out a full testing programme before making its race debut. “We fully understand that there will be some disappointment from the fans who were looking forward to seeing the Team Club 44 Chevrolet on track at Donington Park,” Neate said. “However, circumstances Inside BTCC 10
beyond our control have conspired against us, and it meant that we weren’t able to get on track to complete the running that we had planned prior to Donington. “As I have said previously, I’ve been in the position before where I’ve gone into a race weekend with a car that I hadn’t had the chance to gel with properly, and it isn’t something I want to do again. “The whole aim in creating IP Tech Race Engineering is to build a team that is
capable of challenging towards the front end of the field, and it is more beneficial to us to go testing with the Cruze so that when we debut at Oulton Park, we are able to show what was are actually capable of, and won’t be on the back foot dealing with any of the teething issues that you inevitably get with a brand new car.” Gow pleased with soft tyre performance Series boss Alan Gow declared itself pleased with the early
performance of the new Dunlop soft compound tyre after it debuted at Brands Hatch. Each driver using an NGTC-spec car has to use the soft tyre for one of the three races and must nominate that tyre prior to Saturday’s qualifying session. Rob Austin, Matt Neal and Gordon Shedden all took podium finishes on the soft tyre at Brands Hatch, with Neal winning race three. “Dunlop really delivered with this new tyre - it performed exactly how we wanted it to,” Gow said. “But, to be honest, it’s exactly what I expected from the great team at Dunlop Motorsport...their expertise and enthusiasm is second-to-none.” How the tyre performs at Donington, where conditions are expected to be warmer than at Brands Hatch, remains to be seen. www.insidebtcc.com
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Inside BTCC 11
In our latest feature on marshalling, Inside BTCC catches up with Simon Morrell - crew chief on one of the BRSCC’s rescue units - to find out more about his role...
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THE RESCUERS
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BY MATT SALISBURY Over the course of this season, Inside BTCC will be focusing on the work of the volunteer marshals who play a pivotal role in the UK motorsport industry. Marshals give up their time to ensure that the action enjoyed by fans up and down the country actually takes place, with various roles being filled on each and every race weekend. Those roles range from waving flags trackside to warn drivers of possible incidents ahead, to helping the field line up on the grid ready for the start of race. While every role carried out by a marshal is important to a race event running safely and efficiently, the work of the rescue crews can be particularly vital, with it being their responsibility to help deal with some of the most serious incidents seen on track. It was one such incident, during the BTCC event at Oulton Park in 1996, that www.insidebtcc.com
led to Simon Morrell signing up to become a marshal.
marshals in a supervisory role.
“I was at Oulton Park when Kelvin Burt had his massive off in the Volvo at Cascades,” he explained, “and the incident happened right in front of me. I saw everyone dealing with the incident and the aftermath of it, and when everything had been cleared away, I saw a sign on the fence next to the circuit asking ‘Could you Marshal?’
It was while holding that position that Simon was given the opportunity to join the crew working on the rescue unit, where he has worked ever since.
“At the time, I didn’t realise that anyone could do it as I thought it was a paid, professional job. So I rang the number that was on the sign and was invited to give it a go. Over the winter, I did all the training and when the next season started, I was out there doing it for myself.” Simon would start on the bottom rung of the marshalling ladder before moving his way up the ranks to become an Incident Officer – putting him in charge of a team of
“When I joined the rescue unit it was actually by invitation,” he said. “That’s how it works with the unit, and now I’m in the position of crew chief, I have to watch marshals and look out for people who I think would be a good addition to the team. “That is what happened with me. I knew someone who was the crew chief at the time and he saw me marshalling and thought I could be suitable, so he asked me if I wanted to join them to see if I thought it was something I could be interested in. I’ve always had an interest in medicine and the more ‘severe’ parts of incident handling, so I got my trainee licence for rescue and then started a
different branch of training focused on things like medicine and how all the additional equipment like the hydraulic cutting gear works. “When I am now looking at someone and considering if they could join the rescue crew, I have to think ‘If it all goes horribly wrong, could he get stuck in and not be phased by it?’ because it can sometimes be very traumatic dealing with an incident. I’m going to train them on how to do things, but I have to know that if I turn to them and say ‘I want you to get stuck in and do this’ that they will be able to do it. Equally, I need to be able to get along with them as I could be sat on the unit with them all weekend not doing a great deal and need to make sure I’m not going to kill them! “First and foremost, we are a bunch of mates so it’s important to get along, but when the chips are down, it has to be someone you can trust to do a good job.” Inside BTCC 13
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In an ideal world, Simon and his team would spend each race weekend sitting trackside twiddling their thumbs, with no need for their services on track. However, at a moments notice they have to be ready to deal with all manner of incidents. “The majority of the time, you will turn up to a ball of scrap with a driver stood scratching his head wondering ‘how did I get out of that’ and that is just perfect for us,” he said. “I’m quite happy to come to a circuit and do nothing as that means that nothing has gone seriously wrong on track, but you always know that you could have a multiple vehicle incident with multiple injuries or – god forbid – a fatality to deal with. We train for all that and for everything that could happen, and over time, you don’t get phased by the calls when they come through.”
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While the rescue unit travels around the UK to different circuits, Simon’s crew is based at Oulton Park and it was at the Cheshire circuit that he had to deal with one of the most difficult incidents he can recall. “From a logistical point of view, I would say one of the most difficult incidents to deal with was one that happened at Knickerbrook during a British GT race back in 2002,” Simon explains. “There were eight or nine cars involved in the incident, which happened in a sudden torrential downpour. I can remember that we couldn’t see what was ahead for the rain as we headed down towards the incident – it was like a ship coming through the fog. “As we got closer, all you could see was bits of cars everywhere. There were wheels still attached to bits of suspension, there was bodywork everywhere and I can remember thinking
that it was going to be a complete disaster – one of the guys even said it looked like a train wreck. We expected it to be bad but we just had to get on with it. “Incidents like that are referred to as a starburst, when there are multiple vehicles involved, so I told the guys to look at the individual cars and then report back to me so I could decide what we needed to do and whether we needed to bring in extra resources to help. That is quite a stressful time as you know it could turn out to an incident that is lifechanging, life-threatening or maybe even life-ending, and it can make the hair on the back of your neck stand on end. “However, you then just get into the routine that you have when it comes to dealing with an incident and work through the plan you have. It doesn’t matter how big or small the incident is, you can always deal with it.”
Anyone interested in following Simon’s lead in taking the first step into marshalling can do so by visiting www.marshals.co.uk for further information, with his advice for anyone looking to get involved being plain and simple. “To get involved in marshalling, you have to enjoy your motorsport as they can be long days,” Simon concludes. “We have to be the first ones on circuit and are the last ones away at the end of the day, and that can be in weather conditions that are very cold and wet, or extremely hot and sunny. “If you are prepared to get stuck in and be there for the day, and if you will enjoy doing it, then there is nowhere else that will allow you to get so close to the action and what is going on.”
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PLATO TAKES EARLY ADVANTAGE
TWO WINS FOR THE MG STAR PUT HIM IN FRONT FROM THE OUTSET... Inside BTCC 16
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PLATO WINS TWICE AT SEASON OPENER MG KX MOMENTUM TEAM STEALS A MARCH ON RIVALS OVER EASTER WEEKEND AT BRANDS HATCH
Jason Plato has claimed an early advantage in the 2013 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship after taking two victories from the first three races of the season at Brands Hatch. Plato won the first two races, before Matt Neal went on to take victory in race three on a weekend that enjoyed a mix of snow and sunshine. Andrew Jordan started the first race of the year from pole position and battled with Plato through to the end
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of the race – even taking the pair on a final corner run through the gravel as he kept Plato very much on his toes. Race two followed the same pattern, with Plato victorious ahead of Jordan, while the reverse grid in race three ensured a different result. Matt Neal led home teammate Gordon Shedden for a Honda Yuasa Racing one-two. RACE ONE WIX Racing’s Rob Austin led the early stages of the first race of 2013,
making the most of his rear wheel drive Audi’s ability to leap off the line and being among the first drivers to try out his allocation of Dunlop’s newfor-2013 supersoft tyres. However, as predicted ahead of the race, any advantage from the ‘option’ tyres wore off as the race went on and Austin was unable to defend from Jason Plato and Andrew Jordan as they moved through into first and second respectively. Had Austin been
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MATT LAMPRELL REPORTS
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able to stick closer to the front pair, he might just have claimed the win after all, thanks to some final corner shenanigans. Jordan made a lunge as the pair rounded Clearways for the final time. Unfortunately, he was just too far back in his Pirtek Racing Honda and the result was that both cars ended up in the gravel. Fortunately, they were able to drive through and out the other side. Only the fact that Austin had dropped so far back prevented this from
being a controversial start to the new season. Had Plato lost the win, the relative pleasantries that the pair exchanged in the pitlane post-race could have been very different. Behind the top trio, Plato’s MG teammate Sam Tordoff took an impressive fourth place, with Jeff Smith in fifth. RACE TWO Plato started from pole in race two, thanks to his earlier victory. However he
had to fend off the fast-starting Audi of Rob Austin, which jumped to second from the second row of the grid when the lights went out.
was creating a queue of traffic, with Wrathall, Jeff Smith and Ollie Jackson lining up to challenge the second MG.
Austin wasn’t able to challenge Plato at the front and was soon looking in his mirrors as Andrew Jordan closed up behind. The Pirtek Racing driver claimed second place on lap seven. This time there was to be no repeat of the last corner drama from the first race.
Smith and Jackson ran wide at Paddock on lap three, with Jackson ending up tapping the barrier.
Behind the front three, Sam Tordoff
RACE RESULTS - TOP 10s RACE ONE 1 Jason Plato (NGTC) 24:08.734, 27 Laps; 2 Andrew Jordan (NGTC) +2.168; 3 Rob Austin (NGTC) + 6.130; 4 Sam Tordoff (NGTC) +7.789; 5 Jeff Smith (NGTC) +8.245; 6 Frank Wrathall (NGTC) +13.622; 7 Adam Morgan (NGTC) +16.948; 8 Colin Turkington (NGTC) +18.923; 9 Aron Smith (NGTC) + 20.253; 10 Oliver Jackson (NGTC) +22.114. Independent winner: Andrew Jordan (NGTC). Fastest lap: Rob Austin (48.968 secs). RACE TWO 1 Jason Plato (NGTC) 24:16.488, 27 Laps; 2 Andrew Jordan (NGTC) +0.989; 3 Jeff Smith (NGTC) + 1.344; 4 Matt Neal (NGTC) +4.958; 5 Sam Tordoff (NGTC) +5.073; 6 Adam Morgan (NGTC) +5.454; 7 Mat Jackson (NGTC) +5.874;
With Plato leading Jordan at the front, Frank Wrathall started to challenge Austin for third. Unfortunately, this ended with contact and Austin out of the race at Druids on lap eight. Wrathall continued, but lost a place to Jeff Smith.
8 Colin Turkington (NGTC) +6.640; 9 Dave Newsham (NGTC) + 7.086; 10 Nick Foster (NGTC) + 7.295. Independent winner: Andrew Jordan (NGTC). Fastest lap: Jason Plato (49.124 secs). RACE THREE 1 Matt Neal (NGTC) 25:14.772 , 27 Laps; 2 Gordon Shedden (NGTC) +0.083; 3 Sam Tordoff (NGTC) +1.216; 4 Adam Morgan (NGTC) + 2.171; 5 Jason Plato (NGTC) +3.651; 6 Andrew Jordan (NGTC) +4.727; 7 Jeff Smith (NGTC) +6.026; 8 Frank Wrathall (NGTC) +6.430; 9 Colin Turkington (NGTC) +9.508; 10 Mat Jackson (NGTC) +10.133. Independent winner: Adam Morgan (NGTC). Fastest lap: Sam Tordoff (NGTC) 49.112 secs.
JORDAN TAKES FIRST POLE OF 2013 Andrew Jordan claimed pole position for the first race of the 2013 BTCC season in a qualifying session that was brought to a premature close by snow. Despite earlier snowfall, the track was dry at the start of the session. However, the cold conditions caught out a number of drivers as they headed onto the track. Among them was former champion Colin Turkington, who spun on the exit from Druids. Unfortunately for Turkington, it was going to be the end of his first qualifying session back in the BTCC. His stranded eBay Motors BMW was collected by Jack Goff’s
RCIB Insurance Vauxhall Insignia, leaving both cars with front-end damage and bringing out the red flags after just two minutes. With each minute that passed under the red flags, the sky became darker and the snow loomed nearer. The scene was set for a scramble when the session restarted, with the importance of an early quick time being clear. It was Jordan who claimed the advantage, putting his Pirtek Racing Honda to the top of the times, just under a tenth of a second ahead of Honda Yuasa Racing’s Gordon Shedden.
Good weekend: Rob Austin Competitive throughout and could have done even better than third in race one.
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Sam Tordoff Impressed on his first weekend at the MG KX Momentum team alongside Jason Plato.
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With just four laps remaining, the safety car was brought out onto track when David Nye landed in the gravel at Druids following contact with Warren Scott’s SEAT. This left just a two lap sprint to the finish, which Jason Plato handled immaculately after managing the restart to perfection. He took the chequered flag ahead of Jordan and Shedden, however Shedden was subsequently
disqualified as a result of his Honda Civic failing its postrace ride height test. Shedden’s exclusion promoted Jeff Smith to third and Matt Neal to fourth. Fifth place went to Sam Tordoff, with Adam Morgan sixth and Mat Jackson, seventh. Colin Turkington took eighth position, ahead of Dave Newsham and Nick Foster. RACE THREE Matt Neal and Gordon Shedden
went some way towards making up for the disappointments of races one and two with a one-two in the final race at Brands Hatch. Neal’s victory came from third on the grid, while Shedden impressed to take second after working his way through from the back of the field following his disqualification from race two.
However, there was little time for the race to get into a rhythm before a heavy crash involving Rob
Austin and Dave Newsham brought the safety car out on track. It started when Newsham put two wheels of his Speedworks Motorsport Toyota Avensis on the gravel at Paddock Hill Bend. He managed to catch
Airwaves Racing’s Mat Jackson started the race from pole position and led
Bad weekend: Rob Austin Third race damage to the WIX Racing Audi would hurt any team’s budget.
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away from the line, ahead of Neal and Adam Morgan in the Ciceley Racing Toyota Avensis.
Colin Turkington Will be hoping things get better next time he’s on the track.
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the slide that followed, but, as he rejoined the track, Austin was rounding the dipping right-hander. The WIX Racing driver opted for the inside in a bid to avoid Newsham, but it was the wrong choice and the front of Newsham’s Toyota tapped the rear of Austin’s Audi. The contact was light, but it diverted Austin towards the barrier on the inside of the run up to Druids. Austin was a passenger as his car hit the barrier, snapping it back around and bringing it to a halt back on the track. Newsham was also stranded in his Toyota. Both drivers emerged umharmed from their cars, but the safety car was deployed instantly. Four laps later, with the stricken cars recovered, Inside BTCC 20
racing was able to restart. However, Mat Jackson may have wished it hadn’t, as his lead was shortlived. His Airwaves Racing Ford Focus ran wide around Druids, allowing Matt Neal through into the lead. Jackson found himself down in fifth. With most drivers opting to use their allocation of ‘super soft’ tyres in this race, it was going to be a question of who could look after them best as the laps went on. The Hondas seemed to be among the kindest on their tyres, with Neal at the front and Shedden working his way through from the back. There was also Andrew Jordan in fourth, although he lost out to Sam Tordoff on lap 15. Tordoff continued his strong debut weekend, moving up to third at the expense of his
more experienced teammate Plato, whose championship ballast was taking its toll. Plato also lost out to Shedden six laps before the end. Tordoff looked set to go one better when he challenged Adam Morgan at Clearways with just a couple of laps of the race left. He managed to pass the Toyota, but in the process left the door open for Gordon Shedden. The reigning champion didn’t need asking twice and he passed both Morgan and Tordoff to move second behind Neal.
ahead of Plato. Pirtek Racing pair Andew Jordan And Jeff Smith finished sixth and seventh respectively. Frank Wrathall, Colin Turkington and Mat Jackson completed the top ten. Matt Neal said, “It’s been a tough weekend, but that’s a great way to end it. I couldn’t believe it when I saw Flash in my mirrors. He’s done a great job to work his way through from the back to second. It’s a great onetwo for Honda.”
Neal held on at the front to ensure he made it three years in a row where he has claimed victory at the opening rounds of the season. He was followed across the line closely by teammate Shedden, while Tordoff took third. Adam Morgan finished fourth, www.insidebtcc.com
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LAUREN’S COLUMN...
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In her first column for Inside BTCC, Lauren Taylor looks back over a busy off-season and the start of the 2013 season at Brands Hatch...
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and an ample amount of Airwaves Racing plugs, in my attempt to give an ‘insiders’ view of what goes on at each round of the BTCC.
Unlike many of the driver or team blogs we’ve all read, I don’t plan to sit here and give my opinions on boost disparity, base weights or even the differences between front and rear wheel drive, as its safe to say that the other team has the advantage, no matter what.
I would however like to note that I’m not much of an insider at all; I’m more of a tortured soul who has managed to endure the journey as a bystander from Clios all the way to where Aron is today. It is for this reason I’m likely to write more about what happens off track and what often goes unnoticed by many
Nor can I promise the textbook diplomatic and censored assessment of the weekend that has passed, which usually comes in the form of well known, non-committal, optimistic proverbs such as ‘a podium is just around the corner’ or ‘we’ll come back stronger at the next round’ – both of which Aron himself is guilty of! I can however offer a significant amount bias towards Mat and Aron, www.insidebtcc.com
who follow the series…
simply wasn’t the case.
Nearly as soon as the chequered flag dropped and Frank Wrathall took victory in the finale at Brands last year, every ounce of energy went in to making sure Aron was back out in the BTCC for the 2013 season.
I’ve been witness to the tireless work by those who support Aron to make this all happen, including his family and the guys at Motorbase themselves. You’ve heard the saying it takes a village to raise a child. Well in this case, it really has taken a village to make Aron’s dream a reality.
I’m sure you all read his ‘over zealous’ comments towards the end of the year on how he hoped to be with Motorbase for a second season, and for that reason, it was just assumed he’d be back this year. But that
What people aren’t aware of are the countless flights back and forth to England, the secret meetings that had to take place, the endless phone calls that were made - and that’s only to get the piece of paper signed. At the end of last year, and over the winter, Aron wasn’t saying he wanted to be with Motorbase to dibs the seat; because it was an easy option or because that’s what you’re meant to say about the team you are with. He was saying it because he genuinely believes they are the best
Pics: PSP Images
For those who don’t know me I am the self-proclaimed better half of Aron Smith and have survived – god help me - in the role for nearly six years.
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team he could be with in the BTCC.
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I swear that every member of Motorbase was born from the same woman into one big family. They are the people staying up until two in the morning making sure the car is perfect for the following day, regardless of the fact that they have a newborn child or young kids at home who they could be spending time with. So many times, Aron and myself have discussed how he really struck gold when Oly Collins first made the call to assess Aron’s interest in the seat back in 2011. What many people don’t know is that Aron had more or less signed with another team for the 2012 season, but that ultimately fell through late in December and the deal with Motorbase came rather late in the game. Its safe to say that that morbid month of December could have been a blessing in disguise. To this day, they have continued to go above and beyond.
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I’ve been lucky enough to witness someone making the move up to touring cars from close quarters and it’s needless to say that nothing compares to it. ‘This is a dream come true’ is used in about every other interview I read, but I really want people reading this to grasp that there is not a truer word spoken. Too many times have I read that some drivers don’t deserve their seat, that they won’t make ‘it’ or best yet, that they are merely ‘pretending’ to be a racing driver. I’m sure if some people understood the
reality of the work involved, they wouldn’t be so quick to comment. For the guys on the grid, in most cases racing is EVERYTHING. They give up the weekly takeaways and nights out and train until they are blue in the face every day in the hope that they can gain that elusive extra tenth over their competitor. I hate to admit it, but I have never seen anyone work as hard as Aron has for anything in my entire life, and I really mean that. We’ve always said that if he
didn’t make it, but worked as hard as he could, then that would be ok. However, if he woke up one night and realised he could have worked harder, we told him that it would haunt him for the rest of his life. It is this exact logic that has got him to where he is today; proving he has the right to be on track with some of the best drivers out there. Of course leading up to the first round at Brands Hatch, it was much of the same as every pre-race weekend ritual. This time, there were fewer unknowns than last year, which I welcomed with open arms. It certainly reduced the amount of scenarios that needed to be assessed in depth over dinners and late night conversations. However, it soon became clear rather early in the weekend that things were not going to go according to plan. Aron woke on Saturday absolutely buzzing but still relatively quiet, which I have learned to expect. www.insidebtcc.com
From free practice one however, it seemed to be a downhill battle. I can’t describe the frustration felt by everyone at Airwaves Racing. Having spent months developing and perfecting the car, only be let down by a third party, led to one of Aron’s most disappointing weekends to date. This is not reflected in the points he managed to muster up while fighting throughout the entire weekend, instead the disappointment came from the expectation Aron had placed on himself. Without realising it, the reaction of the people surrounding Aron has made him expect more from himself, and believe in his ability that little bit more than before. At the start of last year, when Aron came home in the top ten, it was www.insidebtcc.com
cause for some serious celebration. As the year progressed and without ever actually saying it, top tens were no longer enough. It’s only after Aron took his first win in the second race at Brands last year that I soon realised we were back to the Clio Cup days, where podiums were to become the new unspoken standard. This idea was only reinforced after he took fifth in the final round and all he got from me was a hearty tap on the back. A lot of people ask me if
I get nervous watching the races and the answer is something that some wouldn’t expect. The safety aspect of things very rarely even enters the equation when the nerves start to kick in. The anxious feeling in the pit of my stomach is not so much related to the points haul, but instead the fear that Aron will be anything less than elated when he steps out of the car. Unfortunately that was exactly the case at Brands Hatch. I would go into greater depth about the individual races themselves
although this would result in the tone of this piece being altered dramatically…. On a final note, a huge congrats goes out to our very own Liam Griffin, who’s overwhelming ability to ooze ‘cool’ was finally rewarded by taking home some well deserved silverware. Here’s hoping for a better Donington for both Mat and Aron followed by a more positive report from me! Until next time...
X n e r u La You can follow Aron Smith on Twitter at @AronSmith and ‘Like’ him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ AronSmithRacing Pics: PSP Images
With a year under his belt, he had confidence in his ability, confidence in the team and confidence in the car the car after a promising end to the previous season.
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SUPPORT RACE ROUND-UP We look back at all the action from the support race paddock at Brands Hatch...
Cammish leads Formula Ford brigade
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Stoneman returns in style Dean Stoneman relaunched his racing career in style with a double win at Brands Hatch to take the early lead in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB.
His double success at Brands for Redline Racing means he leads the way going to Donington Park ahead of Jonas Gelzinis and Michael Meadows, with Victor Jimenez and Peter Smallwood topping the Pro-Am 1 and Pro-Am 2 categories.
Stoneman, a former winner of the Formula 2 title, was forced to put his racing aspirations to one side after suffering from cancer, with this season marking his full-time return to competition.
A recent test at Thruxton saw Dan Lloyd quickest as he looks to bounce back from a tough start to the year at Brands, where he failed to score in the opening race of the weekend.
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George Blundell.
Dan Cammish leads the way in the Dunlop MSA Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain heading to round two on the back of a perfect weekend at Brands Hatch.
The Donington Park weekend will see Sam Brabham – son of former BTCC racer and Le Mans winner David Brabham – make his debut in the series while there will also be a first appearance for Fred Martin-Dye to boost the grid.
The JTR driver won all three races as Formula Ford returned to the TOCA package to take the early lead in the standings ahead of Nico Maranzana and
Both drivers tested at Thruxton prior to the event, where Harrison Scott was quickest ahead of former champion Scott Malvern.
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Colburn sets early Clio pace
Morgan, who took victory in race two as he returns to action after four years away studying to become a lawyer.
James Colburn heads to Donington Park on a high having taken the early lead in the Renault UK Clio Cup.
Colburn, who topped the times in testing at Thruxton, also tops the Graduate Cup standings ahead of Ant Whorton-Eales, while the Masters Cup is headed by Finlay Crocker – who was first Masters driver home in both races at Brands Hatch.
Colburn took victory in the first race of the year at Brands Hatch to take a three point lead in the standings ahead of Alex
Woodhead starts in style Harry Woodhead made the perfect start to his Ginetta Jr Championship bid with a double victory at Brands Hatch. Having beaten Keith Donegan to top spot in race one, Woodhead finished more than 16 seconds clear of HHC Motorsport team-mate William Palmer to secure victory in race two –
putting him 23 points clear of Palmer in the title race. Tom Jackson sits two points further back in third spot having also secured a podium finish at Brands Hatch. Ollie Chadwick, who sits fourth in the standings despite being forced to start both Brands Hatch races from the back of the grid, heads to Donington Park having topped the times at Thruxton ahead of Donegan.
Triple podium gives NicollJones advantage Matt Nicoll-Jones enjoyed a fine start to his Michelin Ginetta GT Supercup campaign, with three podium finishes giving him the early championship lead. The Academy Motorsport man finished second in each of the three races at Brands Hatch to earn top spot in the standings ahead of Tom Ingram and
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Pepe Massot – both of whom took a win apiece. Last year’s title winner Carl Breeze also took to the top step of the podium, having inked a late deal to defend his title with TCR. Two wins for Reece Summerfield meanwhile mean he tops the G50 class standings ahead of Sean Huyton, who was also a victor at Brands Hatch. Thruxton testing saw Ingram post the quickest time ahead of Breeze and James Birch.
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DONINGTON PARK PREVIEW
There’s almost a sense of déjà vu as the BTCC heads to Donington Park for the second meeting of the 2013 season, with Jason Plato once again the man to beat in the title race after the first three races of the year.
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The double champion was a surprise winner in the opening meeting of the year twelve months ago to secure the early championship lead, but it was much less of a shock to see the MG man take to the top step of the podium on two occasions in Kent last month as he kick-started his campaign in style. While there was no doubting the speed shown by Plato – and indeed by team-mate Sam Tordoff – in the MG6 at Brands, there was plenty to suggest that things remain wide open heading into the second meeting of the campaign, with a number of teams and drivers seeking to rebound Inside BTCC 30
from a tough start to their year. Chief amongst them is defending champion Gordon Shedden, who once again endured a weekend to forget on the Brands Hatch Indy circuit with a failure to score in race one being followed by a disqualification for failing a post-race ride height test in race two. However, the way in which he fought back to take second behind team-mate
Matt Neal in race two was an indication of the pace there is in the Civic and the Scot will now hope to repeat his double success of last year to kick-start his title campaign. Neal meanwhile will aim to add to his Brands Hatch victory on a weekend where he brings up 500 BTCC races. Currently the factory Honda pair actually find themselves behind the Independent Pirtek Racing
duo of Andrew Jordan and Jeff Smith, both of whom go into the home event buoyed by their results at Brands Hatch. Aside from his late lunge on Plato in race one, Jordan was in fine form at Brands Hatch to take a brace of podium finishes while Smith was also impressive as he started his year with three strong points finishes of his own – including a second career podium following Shedden’s race two exclusion. Rounding out the top six in the standings heading to Donington is the Toyota of Adam Morgan, with the Lancashire racer having enjoyed easily his best weekend to date in the BTCC at Brands Hatch. A haul of 32 points is more than he scored in the first 23 races of last year, with the Ciceley Racing man having gone close to a maiden podium finish www.insidebtcc.com
– something he will now be chasing this time around. Fellow Toyota driver Frank Wrathall also showed strong speed at Brands Hatch but Speedworks pair Dave Newsham and Ollie Jackson endured more troubled times in Kent and will be seeking to replicate the kind of performances enjoyed by their fellow Avensis drivers on what is the home circuit for the British built machines. Also seeking to get their championship campaigns underway are the Airwaves Racing and eBay Motors teams after a difficult start
to the year at Brands Hatch. Component issues meant that Airwaves pair Mat Jackson and Aron Smith were both off the pace in their Fords while it was a difficult birth for the new eBay Motors BMWs, with Colin Turkington taking the best result for the new car with eighth in races one and two. With Rob Collard unable to even secure a finish, the WSR-run team will be hoping for better at Donington as it continues to learn about the new machine. Arguably the most popular car on track at Donington
DONINGTON PARK
Park this weekend could well be Rob Austin’s Audi – with fans flocking to purchase t-shirts to ‘Save Sherman’ following Austin’s crash with Newsham in the final race at Brands. Prior to that incident, the Audi had showed impressive speed, most notably in race one where Austin took a podium finish, and a similar result at Donington would no doubt go down well with fans and be a just reward to the team for the work that has gone into repairing the damaged car in the weeks since Brands Hatch.
ahead… Away from the main game, the fight for Jack Sears Trophy honours will continue at Donington, with Liam Griffin leading the way thanks to his two wins at Brands Hatch. The Motorbase man will hope to keep his position out front but will face stiff competition from James Kaye – also a victor at Brands in the AmD Volkswagen – and Lea Wood, who won race three on the road before being excluded from the results.
Throw into the mix the Dunlop soft tyre, which is likely to perform differently in the conditions expected at Donington, and an interesting weekend lies
RECENT HISTORY 2012 Pole
Jason Plato, MG6 GT
Race One
Mat Jackson, Ford Focus
Race Two
Gordon Shedden, Honda Civic
Race Three
Gordon Shedden, Honda Civic
2011 Pole
Matt Neal, Honda Civic
Race One
Matt Neal, Honda Civic
Race Two
Andrew Jordan, Vauxhall Vectra
Race Three
Mat Jackson, Ford Focus
Pole
Tom Chilton, Ford Focus
Race One
Gordon Shedden, Honda Civic
Race Two
Tom Onslow-Cole, Ford Focus
Race Three
Matt Neal, Hond Civic
2009
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2010
Pole
Andrew Jordan, Vauxhall Vectra
DONINGTON PARK STATS
Race One
James Thompson, Honda Civic
LENGTH
1.96 miles
Race Two
James Thompson, Honda Civic
Race Three
Rob Collard, BMW 320si
2012 RACE LAPS
16
RACE DISTANCE
31.36 miles
LAP RECORD (QUALIFYING)
1m 10.129s (Matt Neal, 2011)
LAP RECORD (RACE)
1m 10.902s (Matt Neal, 2011)
MOST WINS (1991-)
7 – John Cleland
2008 Pole
Tom Onslow-Cole, Vauxhall Vectra
Race One
Fabrizio Giovanardi, SEAT Leon TDi
Race Two
Jason Plato, Vauxhall Vectra
Race Three
Darren Turner, SEAT Leon TDi
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30-31 March, Brands Hatch Indy 20-21 April, Donington Park National 4-5 May, Thruxton 8-9 June, Oulton Park Island 22-23 June, Croft 3-4 August, Snetterton 300 24-25 August, Knockhill 14-15 September, Rockingham 28-29 September, Silverstone 12-13 October, Brands Hatch GP
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2012 BTCC CALENDAR
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