Inside BTCC - Issue 3 - Brands Hatch GP - October 2011 by Inside BTCC

INSIDEBTCC.COM issue 3 : sept 2011

Honda Racing pair Shedden and Neal top points standings

BOILING OVER

Title race hots up as Neal and Plato come to blows

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WELCOME... Rockingham proved to be another dramatic weekend both on and off track, with paddock skirmishes, joint championship leaders and a first time winner amongst the stories to come out of the eighth meeting of the year. In this third edition of Inside BTCC, we look back at all the action from Rockingham and preview the penultimate round of the year this weekend on the Brands Hatch GP circuit – where Gordon Shedden, Matt Neal and Jason Plato will all hope to take an advantage in the title race. As well as that, we catch up with double champion James Thompson after his visit to the paddock at Rockingham.

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We have Chris James and Paul Merson talking about their new tie-up at ES Racing, Mat Jackson talks us through a lap of Brands Hatch and we see who shone when a number of BTCC stars past and present hit the track in the recent British GT race at Donington Park. Hopefully you’ll enjoy the third edition of Inside BTCC just as much as the first two and if you don’t already follow us on Twitter or ‘Like Us’ on Facebook, then you can find all the details on how to do so within these pages. Any feedback you may have – we’ll love to hear it. Until next time...

Inside BTCC

Jakob Ebrey

Inside BTCC

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S T TEN

N O C

IN THIS ISSUE... ROCKINGHAM ROUND-UP

6-9

PLATO VS NEAL - HOW IT UNFOLDED

10 - 11

CHRIS JAMES - SEEKING A BOOST

12 - 13

NEWS ROUND-UP

14 - 15

JAMES THOMPSON - FIGHTING THE DOWNTURN

16 - 17

TOURING CAR STARS GO GT RACING

20 - 21

A LAP OF BRANDS HATCH WITH MAT JACKSON

22 - 23

BRANDS HATCH PREVIEW

24 - 25

CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

28 - 29

RACE RESULTS

30 - 31

NGTC: MOVING TO THE NEXT LEVEL

34 - 35

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. Front cover images: Main - Matt Neal & Jason Plato come to blows after qualifying at Rockingham (Still/PSP); Top right Shedden on the podium at Rockingham (Jakob Ebrey).

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Inside BTCC

HONDA DUO LEAD CHARGE Neal and Shedden share championship points lead after controversial Rockingham weekend Rockingham’s three races brought victories for Jason Plato, Gordon Shedden and James Nash. For the latter, it was his first victory in the series. However, the weekend will be remembered more for one off-track incident rather than any of the racing. Championship rivals Jason Plato and Matt Neal came together in the pitlane after qualifying and had to be held apart in front of the watching cameras. For a full look at the clash, head to pages 10 and 11. Back on the track, it

was the Honda Racing pairing of Neal and Shedden who left Rockingham with the biggest smiles on their faces – they’re now tied at the top of the points standings with 204 points each. With six races remaining, it now looks like a three-way fight for the title – although there are seven drivers still in with a mathematical chance of winning. Silverline Chevrolet’s Jason Plato has confirmed his position as the main challenger to the Hondas, currently sitting 24 points behind.

It was another tough weekend for Airwaves Racing, with Mat Jackson now having picked up just a single point from the last six races. The Henley-inArden racer led the championship heading to Knockhill at the start of September, but he’s now fourth and has lost the lead of the independents’ category to James Nash. Jason Plato’s weekend got off to the best possible start after taking pole position for the first race. A dominant performance followed and a lightsto-flag victory was only really threatened

Good weekend: Nick Foster Impressed throughout the weekend and challenged established stars towards the front of the pack.

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Michael Caine Scored a point in his first BTCC race and seemed to catch the BTCC bug.

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Pics: Jakob Ebrey

MATT LAMPRELL REPORTS

Jakob Ebrey GoMobileUK.com with Tech-Speed racer Paul O’Neill made it a Chevrolet 1-2 to equal his Snetterton performance. Dynojet’s Frank Wrathall once again showed impressive pace in the NGTC Toyota Avensis, finishing third after getting the better of both Hondas in the closing stages – largely due to the Next Generation car looking after its tyres more effectively. There was no repeat performance for Plato in the second race. His 45kg of success ballast clearly took its toll on the normally aspirated Chevrolet Cruze. While he held on to

the lead at the start, Shedden was ahead by the end of lap four, having passed O’Neill for second in the early stages. Plato struggled to fend off the charging turbo-powered cars and could do little to prevent first Wrathall and then Neal from pushing him down the order to fourth. Once Wrathall was past Plato and up to second position, the Toyota driver looked in with a chance of claiming the first NGTC victory. However, with Shedden ahead and Neal behind, Wrathall was a little reluctant to push, having previously declared his intention not to get involved in the championship battle. He kept Shedden on his toes, but settled for second behind the Scot when others may

have challenged harder for the lead. Neal finished third to keep his teammate within touching distance. Plato held on to fourth, ahead of Nick Foster, who was on the pace again in the WSR BMW, crossing the line in fifth. The remainder of the points were split between Nash, O’Neill, Smith, Austin and Collard. Finishing tenth was to prove a great result for Rob Collard, as he was drawn on pole position for the third race – courtesy of the visiting James Thompson, who drew the number 10 live on ITV4. It was an all rearwheel-drive front row, with Rob Austin starting alongside Collard. That raised the question of whether

Jakob Ebrey

by a safety car period that was required to recover the cars of Rob Collard and Dave Newsham.

O’NEILL IN THE POINTS FOR CHEVROLET GoMobileUK.com’s Paul O’Neill was nominated to score points for Chevrolet/RML in the Manufacturers/ Constructors championship at Rockingham. Each manufacturer outfit must nominate its two points-scoring

drivers ahead of the first race and this time, Chevrolet opted for O’Neill alongside Plato, rather than second works driver Alex MacDowall. O’Neill and Plato took maximum points for Chevrolet in two of the day’s three races.

Bad weekend: Mat Jackson Failed to score. Second consecutive poor weekend all but rules him out of the title race.

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Team Aon Best results of the weekend were 11th places for Chilton and Neate.

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an impressive second place finish for Austin nonetheless. Collard was third ahead of O’Neill in fourth.

Collard led off the line, but Austin passed him on the inside at Deene. However, it was Triple Eight’s James Nash who was soon in control of the race. He passed Collard for second at the start of lap two and took the lead from Austin on lap four.

Jason Plato was the first of the championship contenders across the line in fifth. Neal finished sixth, some ten seconds behind his rival. Shedden finished down the order in 21st after suffering contact earlier in the race.

Just as in the earlier races, the NGTC-spec car appeared to get stronger as the race went on. Austin put Nash under pressure, but the Vectra driver was controlled at the front, sensing a chance for his first victory.

So with six races remaining, Shedden and Neal are tied at the top of the standings, with Plato behind them. With Brands Hatch up next, the title looks set to go down to the wire once again.

The hardest challenge for Nash came in the final few laps. It was still Austin in the Audi in hot pursuit, but they were joined by Collard and it was a three-way fight for victory through the last few corners. Nash held firm and the wait for an NGTC win continues, but it was

Matt Neal said, “They are throwing things in our direction to slow us down for doing a good job but we are fighting on regardless. The extra penalty has made things hard compared to some cars that don’t carry the extra handicap but the fact we still got strong results is down to the

performance of the Honda.” Gordon Shedden said, “Like Matt says, the only reason we were able to put in such a good showing was that the Civic is an excellent all round package that works well on the fast corners and through the twists. It will certainly not make things easy for the rest of the season but we are both in the best place to be, which is on top of the points table. “Matt and I both want to win this championship for Honda and that is our primary goal. Once that is done, we can look at sorting the drivers’ title out between ourselves but there is a lot of racing yet to be done.”

PLATO TAKES POLE AFTER NGTC CARS SET PRACTICE PACE The two free practice sessions at Rockingham were topped by NGTC drivers, with Frank Wrathall and then Rob Austin setting the early pace.

Jason Plato went back to the top with his time of 1:23.745, just before the red flags came out when Liam Griffin went off after the Tarzan hairpin.

A rain shower ahead of qualifying meant there was variation in tyre strategies as the session got underway, but it soon became clear that slicks all round was the way to go.

That was it for changes at the front, although there was of course still time for a scuffle in the pitlane!

Matt Neal was the first driver to set a quick time, but was soon toppled by Tom Onslow-Cole and then Gordon Shedden. Frank Wrathall was next to go top, before Plato’s first competitive lap put him onto provisional pole. There was still plenty of time for further changes late in the session, with Shedden and Paul O’Neill both hitting the top of the times as the track continued to get quicker.

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QUALIFYING TOP TEN: 1 Plato 1:23.745 (S2000 chassis/S2000 engine); 2 O’Neill +0.160 (S2000/ S2000); 3 Austin +0.225 (NGTC/NGTC); 4 Neal +0.261 (S2000/NGTC); 5 Nash + 0.269 (S2000/NGTC); 6 Shedden +0.350 (S2000/ NGTC); 7 Wrathall +0.441 (NGTC/NGTC); 8 Jordan +0.627 (S2000/NGTC); 9 Jackson +0.713 (S2000/ NGTC); 10 Byford +0.792 (S2000/NGTC).

Pics: Jakob Ebrey

Austin would succeed where Wrathall had failed and become the first NGTC winner.

RACE RESULTS - TOP 10s RACE ONE TOP TEN: 1 Plato 18 laps, 26:57.428 (S2000/S2000); 2 O’Neill +2.612 (S2000/S2000); 3 Wrathall +10.403 (NGTC/ NGTC); 4 Neal +11.440 (S2000/NGTC); 5 Foster +11.846 (S2000/S2000); 6 Shedden +13.832 (S2000/ NGTC); 7 Austin + 17.360 (NGTC/NGTC); 8 Boardman + 18.951 (S2000/NGTC); 9 Nash + 20.777 (S2000/ NGTC); 10 Caine +21.447 (S2000/NGTC). Fastest lap: Frank Wrathall – 1:24.550 (lap 4). Independent winner: Paul O’Neill. RACE TWO TOP TEN: 1 Shedden 16 laps, 23:06.832 (S2000/NGTC); 2 Wrathall +0.380 (NGTC/ NGTC); 3 Neal +4.576 (S2000/NGTC); 4 Plato + 5.952 (S2000/S2000); 5 Foster +12.895 (S2000/S2000); 6 Nash +15.852 (S2000/ NGTC); 7 O’Neill +16.673

(S2000/S2000); 8 J.Smith +16.874 (S2000/NGTC); 9 Austin +23.549 (NGTC/ NGTC); 10 Collard +25.848 (S2000/S2000). Fastest lap: Gordon Shedden – 1:24.748 (lap 3). Independent winner: Frank Wrathall. RACE THREE TOP TEN: 1 Nash 16 laps, 23:05.027 (S2000/NGTC); 2 Austin +0.366 (NGTC/NGTC); 3 Collard +0.860 (S2000/ S2000); 4 O’Neill +2.207 (S2000/S2000); 5 Plato +3.724 (S2000/S2000); 6 Neal +14.182 (S2000/NGTC); 7 J.Smith +14.210 (S2000/ NGTC); 8 Jordan + 14.726 (S2000/NGTC); 9 Wrathall +15.174 (NGTC/NGTC); 10 Boardman +21.065 (S2000/ NGTC). Fastest lap: Jason Plato – 1:24.588 (lap 5). Independent winner: James Nash.

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Jakob Ebrey

LAP BY LAP - HOW THE ACTION UNFOLDED

RACE ONE Lap 1: Plato leads. Austin passes O’Neill for second at the start. Contact with Matt Neal and Gordon Shedden sees Mat Jackson spin. Austin loses second after a tap. Byford pits with bonnet covering the windscreen of his VW Golf. Jackson and Austin also pit at the end of the lap. Lap 2: Jeff Smith lands in the gravel, but rejoins. Lap 3: Boardman goes straight on at Deene before closing on and RACE TWO Lap 1: Poor starts for polesitter Plato and third-placed Wrathall. Plato holds on to lead, with O’Neill second and Foster third. Foster loses out at Deene, dropping down the order. Shedden moves up to third and challenges O’Neill. Lap 2: Shedden passes O’Neill for second at RACE THREE Lap 1: Collard starts from pole and leads away from the line ahead of Austin and O’Neill. Austin takes the lead through Deene. Neal and Shedden run side-byside at the bottom of the top ten. Nash takes third from O’Neill, who also drops behind Jeff Smith. Lap 2: Nash passes Collard for second through Turn 1. O’Neill challenges Smith for www.insidebtcc.com

passing Neate. Jordan slows and retires to the pits. Lap 4: Neate switches attention to defending from MacDowall. Lap 6: Contact between Neate and MacDowall at Turn 1. MacDowall goes for the inside line but ends up sliding sideways along the grass towards Deene. Newsham in the grave and out of the race at Yentwood. Lap 7: Austin back up to 11th after first lap spin. Collard in the gravel at Pif Paf after challenging Onslow-

Cole on the inside. Lap 8: Safety car deployed. Onslow-Cole pits with rear puncture. Lap 10: Racing resumes with Plato leading from O’Neill and Shedden. Nash tries a move on Wrathall for fourth at Deene. Lap 11: Neal challenges fifth-placed Nash. Lap 12: Neal takes fifth from Nash at Deene. Foster tries, unsuccessfully, to follow Neal around the outside. Lap 13: Boardman and

Foster battle through Deene and Yentwood, eventually holding station. Wrathall challenges Shedden for third. Lap 14: Chilton passes Austin for ninth. Lap 15: Shedden under pressure from Wrathall and Neal. Boardman and Nash together. Neal passes Wrathall through Tarzan. Contact between Chilton and Caine at Deene after Chilton runs wide. Lap 16: John George goes off at Deene. Neal challenges teammate

Shedden for third, giving Wrathall a chance to fight back and re-pass Neal. Lap 17: Wrathall passes Shedden to take third at Deene. Foster closes on Neal and challenges for fourth. Neal takes third from Shedden at Tarzan. Foster passes Shedden for fourth. Lap 18: Foster challenges Neal. Plato wins ahead of O’Neill and Neal.

Deene. Wrathall passes Neal for fourth. Lap 3: Shedden chases Plato at the front. Lap 4: Shedden takes lead from Plato at Deene. Wrathall passes O’Neill for third. Lap 5: Nash takes seventh from Foster at Deene. Plato back on Shedden at Tarzan, while defending from Wrathall. Lap 6: Wrathall takes

second, passing Plato at Deene. Boardman off at Deene but rejoins. Lap 7: Neal passes O’Neill for fourth at Deene. Lap 8: Plato challenges Wrathall. Lap 9: Top four, led by Shedden, all running together. Austin, Jackson, Jordan and Collard battle over 13th place. Michael

Caine pits and retires. Lap 11: Contact between MacDowall and Austin at Tarzan. Lap 12: Neal on the back of Plato. Lap 13: Team Aon teammates Chilton and Neate make contact. Black and orange flag for Onslow-Cole. Lap 14: Neal takes third from Plato at Turn 1. Jackson receives black and orange flag

for flapping rear door. Foster passes Nash for sixth. Lap 15: Foster closes on O’Neill at Turn 1, before taking the place at Tarzan. Neate retires. Lap 16: Wrathall challenges Shedden at the front, but the Scot hangs on for victory. Neal fends off Plato for third.

third. Plato passes Foster for sixth but the BMW driver retakes the spot. Lap 3: Shedden passes Plato. Wrathall closes on O’Neill for 11th. Lap 4: Nash passes Austin on the run from Turn 1 to Deene. Contact between Shedden and Foster at Yentwood, with Plato passing both. OnslowCole off at Chapman Curve. Lap 5: Neal passes Foster. Lap 6: Wrathall and

Boardman pass Shedden. Lap 7: Wrathall takes ninth from Foster at Deene. Plato passes Smith through the chicane. Lap 8: Neal passes Jordan at Tarzan. Jackson closes on Newsham. Lap 9: MacDowall pressures Shedden for 12th place. Jackson passes Dan Welch for 15th. Lap 10: MacDowall passes Shedden at Turn 1. Jackson passes

Shedden at Deene. O’Neill closes on Collard in third and the pair touch. Lap 11: Welch passes Shedden. Lap 12: Austin keeps the pressure on leader Nash, as does O’Neill on Collard. Lap 13: O’Neill passes Collard for third, but Collard fights back. Plato closes as the pair ahead battle. Lap 14: Collard challenges O’Neill at Deene. Just two-tenths between Austin and

Nash at the front. Lap 15: Leaders Nash and Austin lap Chris James. Austin looks for his chance to pass, but fails to find an opening. Lap 16: Collard retakes third place from O’Neill at Turn 1. Nash holds on at the front to take his first win, ahead of Austin, with Collard rapidly closing through the final few corners.

Inside BTCC

Jakob Ebrey ITV Sport

IT STARTED WITH A KISS (ON TRACK, THAT IS)... BY MATT LAMPRELL

track.

You can tell it’s coming to crunch time in the BTCC title race when the off-track action competes with what’s happening in the races. That was certainly the case at Rockingham as long-time rivals Matt Neal and Jason Plato nearly came to blows after qualifying.

There also happened to be live ITV cameras and a pack of press photographers on hand to make sure the moment was written into BTCC history.

Rockingham’s open pitlane setup meant that the crowd, plus the watching media, literally had a grandstand view as Neal and Plato squared up to each other after coming together on the Inside BTCC 10

It all started in the final stages of Saturday’s 30-minute qualifying session. There were just three and a half minutes remaining when the session resumed after a red flag, so there was a scramble for position as they all tried to improve their times on the final run. Neal and Plato were together on the track, with the Chevrolet just ahead. The two cars touched and Neal ended up abandoning his lap and returning to the pits without completing his run.

ITV Sport

At any other circuit, the clash between the two champions would have been witnessed by only a handful of privileged observers, but if you pick a fight at Rockingham, there’s nowhere to hide.

ITV Sport

OLD RIVALS NEAL AND PLATO CLASH IN THE PITLANE AFTER ON-TRACK SKIRMISH DURING QUALIFYING

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Pics: Jakob Ebrey

...AND ENDED WITH A HANDSHAKE (NOT TO MENTION A £1000 FINE!)

Still/PSP

Plato raised his finger in Neal’s direction and Neal then went running towards the still-helmetted Plato. Neal could be heard to say “I’m going to rip your ******* face off”, before

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raising his fist to Plato. The pair were then separated by Plato’s father, Tim and Team Dynamics team manager Barry Plowman, although there was still time for one more gesture from Plato to Neal.

explain their actions. Each was handed a £1000 fine and three points on their competition licence, while the stewards also recommended a six-place grid penalty be imposed, but suspended for the remainder of the season.

Unsurprisingly, the pair’s antics caught the attention of the officials and they were both summoned to

Raceday brought somewhat more calm to the paddock and no further drama between Plato and Neal,

despite running together on the track. All was well at the end of the day, as our photos show. A conversation on the pitwall following the final race ended with a handshake. Roll on Brands Hatch…

Still/PSP

The Honda Racing driver was already out of his car when Plato arrived to receive the congratulations of his team after claiming pole position.

Inside BTCC 11

Matt Lynham Photography

SEEKING A BOOST

Chris James has called on the help of former footballer, Paul Merson

While much of the focus this season has understandably been on the heated battle for the 2011 championship crown, there is another battle raging further down the field amongst those drivers still to break into the top ten. Chris James is one of those drivers as he heads towards the conclusion of his debut season, having taken up the challenge of competing in the BTCC after moving up from the MINI Challenge.

Jakob Ebrey

Running on a shoe-string budget, James has managed to make it to every meeting so far and has taken a best

Inside BTCC 12

finish of twelfth; despite the fact his team is one of the smallest and his car – a Chevrolet Lacetti – is older than most on the grid. While it’s been a far from easy season, James is clearly in his element in the series and is keen to make sure that his entry into touring cars isn’t just a one-off. “We have a business plan for this – it isn’t just a oneseason wonder,” he says, “but raising our profile is paramount to getting sponsorship because we have been self-funded this year and have done it on a tenth of the budget of some people. Give us £150,000 more and

Jakob Ebrey

BY MATT SALISBURY

we’d be ten places higher up the grid. “We don’t want to be associated with the back of the grid all the time. But the good thing is that there is so much data with these cars that you can go to potential sponsors and show them that a lot of our problem is down to a lack of straight-line speed. But you also have to look at the fact that we don’t have a data engineer, we don’t have a chassis engineer, we don’t have a turbo and a lot of these other guys on the grid have at least that and more besides. “Being an Independent team in the BTCC basically

means you don’t have a manufacturer onboard but we are the ultimate independent. Fair play to the likes of Motorbase and WSR, but they are professional organisations and racing is how they make a living. We have four motorsport students, who are good lads, a few hydraulic and mechanical engineers from my day job and a truckie. That is the team but with some extra funding, we can prove that we can run further up the grid.” In an effort to increase his profile and bring in additional backing for a second season in the series, James welcomed former Arsenal and England footballer Paul

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Matt Lynham Photography

Merson into the ES Racing team for the weekend at Rockingham – and the move clearly worked.

the right person to see what we are doing so we get the break we need.” Merson himself, who has forged a successful career as a football pundit since the end of his own career, visited a BTCC event for the first time at Rockingham but based on the experience, it won’t be long before he makes a return.

“We want to be back again in 2012, but we won’t be back with this car for sure. We will need to go to an S2000 car with a turbo already in it or we will need to go for an NGTC car, but we probably won’t know that until February. We are planning for next year and Paul’s profile has helped us. We just need www.insidebtcc.com

Jakob Ebrey

“I’ve known Paul for a little while now, he’s a friend of a friend but we’ve been getting closer,” he said. “He loves motorsport and as an ex-England footballer who is still very much in the media eye, having him around isn’t going to hurt us at all. It certainly raised our profile at Rockingham. It’s all about getting our name out there and being seen more and then hopefully picking up sponsors that way.

Jakob Ebrey

As well as the pit garage being a hive of activity throughout the weekend, James and Paul also featured in a video on The Sun website following the event. But why get a footballer involved in a BTCC programme?

“A friend of mine is a friend of Chris and he asked me to come down and have a look,” he said. “He’s asked me a few times and I’ve not been able to make it because of the football. This time I had the opportunity to come along and I’ve got to admit that I’ve been very impressed. “From a spectator point of view, it’s a lot different to football because it isn’t closed in in a stadium, but the adrenaline and the buzz you can feel from the drivers in the paddock is exactly the same as I experienced in football throughout my career. I can’t believe how professional it all is and I’ll definitely be coming back again.”

Inside BTCC 13

HONDA STICKS WITH NEAL AND SHEDDEN FOR 2012 Consistency for Japanese marque’s 2012 NGTC Civic programme

They’re fighting for championship honours this year, but Matt Neal and Gordon Shedden already have their race seats confirmed for 2012. The pair, seen above at the IAA Frankfurt Motorshow where the announcement was made, will again front Honda Racing’s challenge on the BTCC next year, driving two new Civics, built to the championship’s NGTC regulations. Dave Hodgetts, Managing Director of Honda (UK) said “Both Matt and Gordon have been fantastic ambassadors for Honda during this season and we are delighted to have

Inside BTCC 14

them racing for us in 2012. They will be behind the wheel of a race-prepared version of the new Honda Civic and we believe that will give us outstanding opportunities to further add to Honda’s already-bulging trophy cabinet. We’ve still got a job to finish this year, though.”

year. The 2012 NGTC programme sees the continuation of a relationship between Honda and Team Dynamics that goes back to 2004 when the team, run by Matt Neal’s father,

Steve, first ran the Integra models that went on to be so successful over the following years.

The ‘Next Generation’ Hondas are already in-build at Team Dynamics’ Pershore base and could get their first run before the end of 2011. Neal and Shedden currently share the lead of the championship, with 204 points each, driving S2000spec Civics that are already powered by the turbocharged engines that will be fitted to their NGTC machines next

Janok Ebrey

BY MATT LAMPRELL

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Janok Ebrey

2012 BTCC CALENDAR REVEALED Plus we round up all the latest BTCC news TOCA has released provisional dates for the 2012 season with the calendar featuring the same nine venues that it has used in recent years. As per usual, Brands Hatch hosts two meetings and will both start and finish the campaign, with the only venue yet to be given a date being Donington Park; although that date is expected to be confirmed in the near future. Putting next season’s calendar together has been particularly problematic given the number of major sporting events that series boss Alan Gow has been keen to avoid a clash with, with London playing host to the Olympic Games during the summer, the 2012 European Football Championship taking place in Poland and the Ukraine and the annual Tour de France cycle race – which is broadcast live on the same ITV4 channel that carries the BTCC’s own extensive coverage. 31 March-1 April, Brands Hatch Indy 28-29 April, Thruxton 9-10 June, Oulton Park Island

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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 TBC, Donington Park

NEWS IN BRIEF Triple Eight, Pirtek commit to NGTC Triple Eight and Pirtek Racing have become the latest teams to commit to the new NGTC rules for the 2012 season. The teams will replace their current Vauxhall Vectras with full-spec NGTC machines although plans for both teams are yet to be finalised. Triple Eight has been linked with a number of manufacturers following the end of its factory deal with Vauxhall at the end of the 2009 season but there is no guarantee that any programme for 2012 would be a full works effort. Triple Eight is one of the most successful teams to have competed in the BTCC, with multiple titles to its name and

at least one win every season since 1998. “Its fairly obvious now that the NGTC regulations are the future of the BTCC,” Triple Eight Chairman Ian Harrison said. “It’s quite clear, too, that the future has already arrived, perhaps a bit sooner than we expected. “While our complete plans have yet to be finalised, we’re announcing the switch from S2000 to NGTC now as a clear sign of our support of the BTCC going forward and where we have competed successfully since 1997.” Pirtek meanwhile hope to announce more on their plans in the coming weeks having put their Vectras up for sale.

The Insignia will become the fifth NGTC car on the grid alongside the Dynojet and Speedworks-run Toyotas, the Rob Austin Racing Audi and the Welch Automotive Proton.

GT date for Turkington Former BTCC champion Colin Turkington will compete in this weekend’s Britcar 24 Hours at Silverstone in a Rollcentre Racing-run Ginetta G55. Ginetta boss Lawrence Tomlinson will be one of Turkington’s team-mates in the race, which comes a week after he brought his campaign in the STCC to an end. Turkington ended his debut season fifth in the championship standings.

Thorney sets launch date Thorney Motorsport will launch its NGTC-spec Vauxhall Insignia at an event at its Crowfield base on Saturday 8 October. The team is aiming to debut the car in the final round of the season at Silverstone ahead of a full campaign in 2012. Inside BTCC 15

Still/PSP

FIGHTING THE DOWNTURN FORMER CHAMP JAMES THOMPSON TELLS INSIDE BTCC WHY IT’S HARD BEING A RACING DRIVER

James Thompson made a welcome return to the BTCC paddock, albeit only in a watching capacity, after making the trip down from Yorkshire to cheer on longtime friend Paul O’Neill over the course of the weekend at Rockingham. Having the double champion watching on clearly helped the GoMobileUK.com with Tech-Speed driver as he enjoyed his best weekend of the season so far, taking a second place finish in race one and only missing out on a second podium finish in race three when Rob Collard knocked him back to fourth on the final lap. Thompson himself last raced in the BTCC back in 2009 when he was given the chance to contest a limited programme but his last full season came all the way in 2004 when he clinched his second title for Vauxhall. Since then, he’s had programmes with SEAT, Alfa Romeo, N.Technology and Lada in the WTCC, taken two

Inside BTCC 16

ETCC titles and competed in both Denmark and Sweden. However, it’s been far from an easy ride along the way for the 37-year-old, with a number of programmes that promised much coming to a premature end as manufacturers and teams were forced to deal with the fall-out of a downturn in the financial markets. With that downturn leaving many teams needing to find drivers with budget in order to go racing, people like Thompson and fellow BTCC title winner Fabrizio Giovanardi have been left watching from the sidelines with only limited opportunities available for the top-line professional racers. “Motorsport has changed a lot in recent years, and teams are now looking for drivers who are competitive but who can also bring money,” he said. “There aren’t a lot of professional drives around and me and Fabrizio have shown that if you can’t bring a budget, you won’t be in the car. That is how it is and

Jakob Ebrey

BY MATT SALISBURY

you have to wait for the right opportunities to come along. “All the deals I’ve entered into recently have been long-term projects but unfortunately – such is the way of the world at the moment – plans change for car manufacturers and you have to adapt to it. The last few years haven’t been in vain as I’ve won two European titles to add to my BTCC ones, but it can

be frustrating when you think you are involved in something that could net you a big championship and you are working towards it and then the rug gets pulled from under you because of the financial climate.” Perhaps the most surprising of those deals was the agreement that saw Thompson line up alongside Jaap van Lagen and Kirill

“Motorsport has changed a lot in recent years...you have to wait for the right opportunities to come along” www.insidebtcc.com

Hildrew/PSP

Thompson was the development driver for TOCA’s NGTC test programme last year...

“There was a lot of potential there and there is no reason why that car couldn’t have finished on the podium in the second year and who knows, it could have gone even better in the third year,” he reflects. “Touring car regulations are made so that everyone can compete and if you have a good team and the right work ethic, then all the cars can be competitive, as you see in the BTCC and the WTCC. It’s all down to working through the right areas step-by-step. “We took the LADA from being three or four seconds off the pace to the last few races of the year where we were qualifying in he top ten and picked up some points. We got a double score at Imola and were unlucky not to score in some of the other races as well. We took a massive step and if was www.insidebtcc.com

frustrating when I then got the call in January to say we weren’t going racing. The knock on effect is that it’s too late to find a drive elsewhere as you’re sat there with a contract you thought you had and other drives have gone. But things change and you have to deal with it.” Having raced for Volvo in Sweden earlier this year, Thompson currently finds himself without a drive but his focus remains firmly on securing another top line drive, although the current lack of manufacturer teams in many top series’ is proving to work against him. “There is always an ebb and flow,” he says. “If you look back over the years, we’ve lost manufacturers and then gained some, then lost some and gained some. Hopefully, if a manufacturer comes in [to touring cars] who is serious about winning the title, they will look at the drivers who have got the job done over the years and decide they need to put one or two of those in the car. That is what Vauxhall used to do, they used to put two top guys in to fight for the title and know that if one guy didn’t do it, the other probably would. Then you’d also win

...But last BTCC race outing was in 2009 a manufacturer title as well because you can’t have one guy who always plays backup and is there to make up the numbers. A manufacturer needs to have two top drivers and then it when we [professional drivers] become more valuable.” As for the BTCC, Thompson won’t rule out a possible return in future. “The entertainment is fantastic, no doubt about it,” he says. “You only have to look at the TV as an example of that. If you look at the people in the series who have won championships in the past, maybe there isn’t the strength there has been when

Dzenis/PSP

Ladygin as part of the Lada assault on the 2009 WTCC. Driving the team’s new Priora model, Thompson took a double score at Imola to show the potential of the car but his multi-year deal with the team would ultimately count for little when – in January 2010 – he took the call telling him that the programme was ending.

there were drivers like Rydell, Ravaglia and Tarquini. “Then, you had top drivers filling the top 15 cars and you would look at it and think, how am I going to get into the top ten? But things have changed so much and now you have the reverse grids and the weight penalties. The BTCC is still a great place to be and it’s the best national championship around.”

Inside BTCC 17

Pics: PSP Images & Jakob Ebrey

Inside BTCC 18

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Pics: PSP Images & Jakob Ebrey

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Inside BTCC 19

Pics: Jakob Ebrey

TOURING CAR STARS SHINE AT DONINGTON

NASH AND GLEW WIN IN GT4 AS BTCC DRIVERS PAST AND PRESENT FLOOD THE BRITISH GT GRID MATT SALISBURY REPORTS

debut and the first outing for Shedden in the series, but the Scot adapted well to his new surroundings and helped to bring the car home inside the top six.

Most fans of the BTCC will also have an interest in other forms of motorsport, and the same can be said for the drivers seen in action over the course of the season. The fight for honours in the 2011 British GT Championship is proving to be as enthralling as in touring cars, with the title race in both the GT3 and GT4 classes set to go to the wire in the final race of the year at Silverstone. A number of people with BTCC experience have played a major role in the proceedings this season, with no fewer than eight drivers to have competed in a touring car race having been part of the grid for last weekendâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Donington Park race.

Inside BTCC 20

Star of qualifying was former WSR driver Stephen Jelley, who was given the chance to partner defending champion David Ashburn for the weekend in a Trackspeed-run Porsche 997. A fourth place finish was the end result after the three-hour race following a number of off-track excursions for Ashburn, with

Jelley leading the fight-back as the car finished just nine seconds behind the racewinning Ferrari. Second of the BTCC brigade home was current points leader Gordon Shedden, who teamed with Hector Lester in a brand new Ferrari 458 Italia run by Rosso Verde. Donington marked the carâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

For the three remaining touring car names in the premier GT3 class, the three-hour Donington race would end in disappointment. Former Motorbase man Jonny Adam was the man to beat through the opening stint in his Beechdean Motorsport Aston Martin, building a lead of more than 20 seconds before pitting for his first mandatory stop. However, his hopes of taking a second win of the year were dashed when team owner Andrew Howard suffered a spin into the gravel at the Esses and the car was ultimately forced to retire. Also forced out was the Stark Racing Ginetta G55 of Stefan www.insidebtcc.com

Pics: Jakob Ebrey

Hodgetts after a mechanical issue led to an earlier retirement, while former Audi factory driver John Bintcliffe missed the race altogether after a high-speed off in qualifying damaged his Audi R8 and forced it to be withdrawn from the race. “I caught the kerb on the inside at McLeans and pivoted around at high-speed,” he said afterwards. “The gravel trap didn’t take any speed off and I hit the small tyre wall positioned just in front of the concrete barrier very hard. It was a big impact.” The GT4 class saw James Nash – just a week after his maiden win at Rockingham – join forces with another man with touring car experience, Phil Glew, in a Lotus Sport UK-entered Evora GT4. Despite no running in the car prior to the weekend,

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Nash was on the pace from the outset and helped the pair to take a dominant victory having led the class from start-to-finish, despite a drive-through penalty in the closing stages. “It’s my first time in a GT4 and first time in a rear-drive car for a long time,” Nash said. “Lotus Sport UK did a great job and Phil did a great job in the wet; it was tough for him. Hopefully I can do some more races, and maybe even get a drive in GT3.” The eighth and final man well-known to BTCC fans also ended the weekend with a trophy, as former Nissan and MG man Anthony Reid took GTC class honours alongside youngster Jordan Witt in a Chevron GR8.

WHO FINISHED WHERE? GT3 4th - David Ashburn/Stephen Jelley (Trackspeed Porsche GT3 R)

DNS - Jay Palmer/John Bintcliffe (United Autosports Audi R8 LMS)

6th - Hector Lester/Gordon Shedden (Rosso Verde Ferrari 458 Italia)

GTC

DNC - Jonathan Adam/ Andrew Howard (Beechdean Motorsport Aston Martin DBRS 9)

1st - Jordan Witt/Anthony Reid (Chevron GR8)

GT4 DNC - Ian Stinton/Stefan Hodgetts (Stark Racing Ginetta G55)

1st - Phil Glew/James Nash (Lotus Sport UK Lotus Evora GT4)

Inside BTCC 21

WITH AIRWAVES RACING’S MAT JACKSON DINGLE DELL

WESTFIELD

SHEENE CURVE

HAWTHORNS STIRLINGS HAWTHORNS HILL

DRUIDS

PILGRIMS DROP

The penultimate rounds of the 2011 season will be held on one of the most iconic circuits in motorsport as the BTCC returns to Brands Hatch for its annual outing on the famous Grand Prix loop. Taking the cars off the shorter Indy layout, the GP loop incorporates a number of high-speed bends as drivers blast through the trees with no room for mistakes. Ahead of the weekend, Mat Jackson talks us through a lap of the circuit at what will be the home venue for his Airwaves Racing team…

CLEARWAYS

SURTEES GRAHAM HILL

COOPER STRAIGHT

CLARK CURVE

PADDOCK HILL

Inside BTCC 22

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Jakob Ebrey

A LAP OF BRANDS HATCH GP

Dzenis/PSP

MAT JACKSON GUIDES US AROUND THE BRANDS

Jakob Ebrey

HATCH GP CIRCUIT...

Brands Hatch is an interesting lap and I think it is one of the best circuits on the BTCC calendar. Obviously we are on the Grand Prix layout for this weekend and it has some fantastic corners, the first of which is Paddock Hill Bend; which is also the most famous. We come into the corner in sixth gear and it’s very fast as you come over the crest and get onto the brakes. The exit of Paddock Hill can be very interesting, especially in the wet, as there is the green concrete on the outside and cars don’t tend to like that in the wet conditions – they can go off and cause rather big shunts… We get up to fifth gear on the run up to Druids and then its hard on the brakes and down to second for there, using all the kerb on the apex and then trying to avoid all the matting that is on the exit kerb. It’s then a short run down to Graham Hill Bend, we’ll go up to gears on that little blast and then down one for the corner itself. You need to be careful not to take too much kerb on the inside and www.insidebtcc.com

you’ll see all the cars using the matting on the exit. We then have a short run along the Cooper Straight into Surtees, which is a long lefthander. We need a different approach to the corner when we are on the GP circuit than if we were on the Indy layout and the line you take coming into the bend is completely different. The profile of the corner is a lot different and it goes on for a long time when you turn in. It’s a late apex and you have to carry as much speed as you can to get a good exit for the straight that follows. We come down the hill under the bridge on what is probably the fastest part of the circuit into the righthander at Hawthorn. It’s a corner where you have to be very committed and it’s a very interesting corner. You’ll see a lot of cars run off on the exit but it is so committed that the last thing you want is to have any understeer on the apex. Another short straight follows into Westfield, which has been re-profiled a number

of times. In its current form, it’s another pretty committed corner but the apex kerb can throw the car up quite high and then there is no run-off on the exit. If you get onto the matting on the exit, it’s likely to be followed by the grass and the armco so there is the potential for a big shunt.

sometimes get a run on the car ahead and get up the inside on the straight into Clearways where we rejoin the Indy circuit. Through Clearways, if you can get up the inside and get a good exit, you have a chance to win a race to the line as Jason Plato did back in 2009 against Tom Chilton

“The Grand Prix layout has some fantastic corners. It’s big balls stuff...and sometimes, you just have to hold on tight!” We then have the run to Dingle Dell, which is another famous corner, and another that has been re-profiled a number of times over the years. It’s less of a challenge than it used to be, but it’s a corner we now take at higher speed and we don’t get as much as air as the cars did in the past.

when he out-dragged the Ford in a sprint to the finish. The GP circuit is definitely more challenging for a driver than the Indy circuit is; it’s big balls stuff when you are out the back and sometimes, you just have to hold on tight!

We then drop into the lefthander at Stirlings, which is quite good as it has a lot of camber and you can really throw the car into the corner. If you can get a good exit from there, then you can Inside BTCC 23

BRANDS HATCH PREVIEW

Jakob Ebrey

WE LOOK FORWARD TO THE RACES ON THE FAMOUS GP CIRCUIT

Following the rounds at Knockhill and Rockingham there is only one thing for certain as the BTCC heads back to Brands Hatch for the penultimate round of the season. Anything can – and probably will – happen… As we head to the world famous Grand Prix circuit, things couldn’t be tighter at the top of the standings with Honda pair Gordon Shedden and Matt Neal level on points. The full GP circuit is one where Shedden has yet to taste success and this weekend would be the perfect time to open his account in order to put some daylight between himself and Neal in the title race. Neal has however taken the chequered flag first on the GP circuit in the past – back in 2002 with Vauxhall – and it was on the GP circuit where he wrapped up his maiden championship title back in 2005. With Brands Hatch being the penultimate round of the campaign, a strong weekend is vital for both drivers to

Inside BTCC 24

try and gain an advantage heading to Silverstone, but the pair will be well aware of the fact that Jason Plato is still within striking distance in third place. The final round will be difficult for the defending champion, but Brands Hatch is a circuit where his Chevrolet should be strong. It won on the Indy circuit at the start of the year and Plato has won more times than any other driver on the GP circuit, with a hat-trick in 2009 amongst the five victories he has taken in the past. The RML driver continues to take the fight to both Shedden and Neal and isn’t going to give up his title easily. However, as the title fight intensifies – and after the controversy between Neal and Plato at Rockingham here’s hoping that any battles stay firmly on track. While the champion is likely to come from those three, who go into the weekend covered by 24 points, a number of other drivers can’t yet be discounted, with Airwaves Racing’s Mat Jackson keener than most

to pick up a result for the Motorbase team on its home circuit. Jackson topped the standings following the Snetterton rounds and looked set to fight for a maiden crown, but has since failed to finish inside the top ten in any of the last six races; his only point coming from a fastest lap at Knockhill. While now an outsider, Jackson will be keen to score well in an attempt to not only try and bring himself back into contention for overall honours but also reclaim the lead into the Independents’ standings from James Nash; another man who retains an outside chance of a first title. Others to watch this weekend include Tom Chilton – who has claimed pole on the GP circuit for the last two seasons and broke the qualifying lap record twelve months ago – although he will need his Team Aon Ford Focus to return to the kind of form it showed at Knockhill after a difficult outing for the entire Arena-run team at Rockingham. Paul O’Neill, Rob Collard and NGTC runners Frank Wrathall

and Rob Austin all visited the podium at Rockingham and will look to at least repeat that this time around, with the latter pair now embroiled in their own private battle to become the first driver to win a race in a Next Generation Touring Car. Another man to shine at Rockingham was Collard’s team-mate at WSR Nick Foster, who continued to show improvement at the wheel of his BMW to secure a brace of fifth place finishes and could be an outside bet to impress this weekend if conditions play into his hands. In front of what should be a bumper crowd, a number of home drivers and teams will be out to impress, including Liam Griffin and Michael Caine in the other Airwaves Fords, Martin Byford in the VW Golf of local team AmD Milltek Racing.com and Essexracer Tony Gilham in his BMW run by the Geoff Steel Racing team. After missing the last two rounds of the season at Knockhill and Rockingham, the Speedworks Toyota Avensis of Tony Hughes will return to action after the

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As an interesting aside away from the BTCC race action, Brands Hatch will mark the final rounds of the supporting Renault Clio Cup with a title battle even closer than in the

touring cars set to be decided over the final two races of the year. Heading into the weekend, the top four in the championship – Aron Smith, James Dixon, Paul Rivett and James Colburn – are covered by just four points, while a double pole and double win at Rockingham means fifthplaced Jack Goff could also clinch the crown.

Pics: Jakob Ebrey

team worked on testing the car away from the public eye, while Renault Clio Cup graduate Chris Swanwick will make his debut in the series as the Rob Austin Racing team runs its second Audi for the first time. That means that, barring any late withdrawals, a field of 28 cars is set to race this weekend in Kent.

Brands Hatch GP RECENT HISTORY 2010 Pole

Tom Chilton, Ford Focus ST

Race One

Tom Chilton, Ford Focus ST

Race Two

Tom Onslow-Cole, Ford Focus ST

Race Three

Mat Jackson, BMW 320si

2009 Pole

Tom Chilton, Ford Focus ST

Race One

Jason Plato, Chevrolet Lacetti

Race Two

Jason Plato, Chevrolet Lacetti

Race Three

Jason Plato, Chevrolet Lacetti

2005 Pole

Dan Eaves, Honda Integra

Race One

Dan Eaves, Honda Integra

Race Two

Jason Plato, SEAT Toledo

Race Three

Rob Collard, MG ZS

2002 (TWO-RACE FORMAT) Pole

Yvan Muller, Vauxhall Astra (x2)

Race One

Matt Neal, Vauxhall Astra

Race Two

James Thompson, Vauxhall Astra

2000 Pole

Alain Menu, Ford Mondeo (x2)

Race One

Alain Menu, Ford Mondeo

Race Two

Jason Plato, Vauxhall Vectra

1996 Pole

Alain Menu, Renault Laguna (x2)

Race One

Alain Menu, Renault Laguna

Race Two

Alain Menu, Renault Laguna

BRANDS HATCH STATS LENGTH

2.30 miles

2011 RACE LAPS

RACE DISTANCE

34.50 miles

LAP RECORD (QUALIFYING)

1m 31.604s (Tom Chilton, 2010)

LAP RECORD (RACE)

1m 33.983s (Jason Plato, 2009)

MOST WINS (1991-)

5 – Jason Plato

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Inside BTCC 25

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Jakob Ebrey www.insidebtcc.com

Inside BTCC 27

RACE FOR

CHAMPIONSHIP STANDING DRIVERS CHAMPIONSHIP

MANUFACTURER/CONSTRUCTOR

Gordon Shedden

204

Honda/Dynamics

504

Matt Neal

204

Chevrolet/RML

423

Jason Plato

180

Ford/Arena

327

Mat Jackson

159

James Nash

158

Andrew Jordan

124

Honda Racing

372

Rob Collard

102

Silverline Chevrolet

238

Tom Chilton

Triple Eight/Collins

159

Paul Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Neill

Airwaves Racing

153

Alex MacDowall

WSR

145

Frank Wrathall

Pirtek Racing

142

Tom Boardman

Team Aon

112

Nick Foster

GoMobileUK.com/Tech-Speed

Rob Austin

Special Tuning Racing

Jeff Smith

Dynojet

Tom Onslow-Cole

Rob Austin Racing

Dave Newsham

AmD Milltek Racing.com

Tony Gilham

Central Group Racing

Andy Neate

Geoff Steel Racing

Lea Wood

Team ES Racing

Liam Griffin

Speedworks

Aron Smith

Welch Automotive

Michael Caine

Dave Pinkney

John George

Dan Welch

Tony Hughes

Chris James

Martin Byford

Shaun Hollamby

Inside BTCC 28

TEAMS CHAMPIONSHIP

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THE TITLE

GS AFTER 24 OF 30 RACES INDEPENDENT DRIVERS

INDEPENDENT TEAMS

James Nash

220

Triple Eight/Collins

233

Mat Jackson

196

Airwaves Racing

213

Andrew Jordan

175

Pirtek Racing

198

Tom Chilton

148

WSR

195

Rob Collard

146

Team Aon

174

Paul Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Neill

126

GoMobileUK.com/Tech-Speed

150

Nick Foster

Special Tuning Racing

117

Tom Boardman

Dynojet

Frank Wrathall

AmD Milltek Racing.com

Tom Onslow-Cole

Rob Austin Racing

Dave Newsham

Team ES Racing

Jeff Smith

Central Group Racing

Tony Gilham

Geoff Steel Racing

Andy Neate

Welch Automotive

Rob Austin

Speedworks

Lea Wood

John George

Liam Griffin

Aron Smith

Michael Caine

Chris James

Dave Pinkney

Dan Welch

Tony Hughes

Shaun Hollamby

Martin Byford

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Inside BTCC 29

THE SEASON

RACE-BY-RACE RESULTS FOR THE 2011 DUNLOP

Jason Plato Matt Neal

DNF

DNS

Tom Chilton

DNF

Mat Jackson

DNF

Michael Caine

Rob Collard

DNF

Frank Wrathall

Tom Onslow-Cole

David Pinkney

DNS DNS

DNS DNS DNS

James Nash

Dave Newsham

DNF

Nick Foster

DNF

DNF DNF

DNF DNS DNS DNF

DNF DNF

John George

DNF

Paul Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Neill

DNF

Tony Gilham

DNF

Daniel Welch

Lea Wood

DNF

Gordon Shedden

DSQ

DNF

Jeff Smith

DNF

Andy Neate Tony Hughes

Liam Griffin

DNF

Andrew Jordan

Chris James

DNF

Aron Smith

Martin Byford

Shaun Hollamby

ITALICS denotes fastest lap BOLD denotes pole position ITALICS denotes fastest lap

Inside BTCC 30

Alex MacDowall

Rob Austin

Tom Boardman

DNF DNF

DNF DNS DNF DNF

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SO FAR

P MSA BRITISH TOURING CAR CHAMPIONSHIP 11

DNF

DNS

DNF

DNF DNF DNF DNS DNS

DNF DNF DNF

DNF DNF

DNF

DNF DNF

DNF DNS

DNF DNF

DNF DNF DNF DNF

DNF DNF DNF

DNF DNF

DNF

DNF DNF

DNF DNS

DNF

DNF DNS DNF DNF

DNF DNF DNF 14

DNS DNF

DNF

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DNF DNF

DNS DNS DNS DNF DNS

DNF

DNF DNF DNF /

Inside BTCC 31

Still/PSP Jakob Ebrey

Inside BTCC 32

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

@RMLgroup @chevroletbtcc

Honda

@hondaracingbtcc

Team Aon

@TeamAON

Airwaves Racing

@Motorbase

WSR

@Official_WSR

Rob Austin Racing

@RobAustinRacing

Triple Eight

@official888race

Geoff Steel Racing

@GeoffSteelBTCC

Special Tuning

@BTCCSTR

Central Group Racing

@teamwoodracing

Speedworks

@SpeedworksMS

Team ES Racing

@teamESracing

AmD Milltek Racing

@AmDessex

Toyota

@ToyotaBTCC

OTHERS Official BTCC

@DunlopBTCC

Inside BTCC

@InsideBTCC

TinTop Tuesday

@TinTopTuesday

Alan Hyde

@AlanHydeStudio

Not Alan Gow

@alan_gow_btcc

Talking Point Broadcasting

@TPBroadcasting

ITV

@ITVtouringcars

Richard John Neill

@richardjneill

Ben Edwards

@bennythebulb

YourRacingCar

@YourRacingCar

eBay BTCC

@eBayMotorsBTCC

Unlap

@unlap

Brands Hatch

@Brands_Hatch

Oulton Park

@Oulton_Park

Snetterton

@SnettertonMSV

Silverstone

@SilverstoneUK

Rockingham

@RockinghamUK

Knockhill

@krcircuit

Croft

@CroftSupporters

Thruxton

@thruxtonracing

www.insidebtcc.com

DRIVERS Jason Plato

@jasonplato

Matt Neal

@MattNealRacing

Tom Chilton

@Tom_ChiltonBTCC

Mat Jackson

@mat_jackson

Tom Onslow-Cole

@tomonslowcole

Frank Wrathall

@frankwrathall

Rob Austin

@RobertoAustini

James Nash

@jamesnashracing

Dave Newsham

@newshamracing

Tom Boardman

@TomBoardmanBTCC

Paul O’Neill

@PaulONeill29

Tony Gilham

@tonygilham

Dan Welch

@WelchMotorsport

Tony Hughes

@TonyHughesBTCC

Gordon Shedden

@gordonshedden

Liam Griffin

@liamgriffinbtcc

Andrew Jordan

@andyjordanbtcc

Chris James

@ChrisJamesBTCC

Martin Byford

@MartinByford

Andy Neate

@AndyNeate

Inside BTCC 33

MOVING TO THE NEXT LEVEL

Tozer/PSP

IS THE FIRST NGTC WIN JUST AROUND THE CORNER? opening race of the year.

The saying goes that football is a game of two halves, but the same could easily be said for two teams now making a real impression on the BTCC as the season heads towards its conclusion.

“For us, the season really started at Croft,” Wrathall’s father and Dynojet team boss Frank Sr said. “It was clear from an early stage that we had the potential to do well but we didn’t have the reliability so it was a difficult start, but I felt we could make it onto the podium before the end of the year.

Newcomers Dynojet and Rob Austin Racing were two of the teams who elected to make the step up this season thanks to the new Next Generation Touring Car regulations, aimed at making the sport more affordable and bringing down costs. For both teams, the first challenge was to be ready for the start of the season and the late arrival of cars meant the first half of the year was more difficult that expected. In total, the two teams secured just six classified finishes between them from the first 15 races of the year as – despite glimpses of potential – a series of newcar niggles and the related reliability issues hampered their chances. And then the BTCC entered its traditional summer break. Inside BTCC 34

Jakob Ebrey

BY MATT SALISBURY

More than anything else, that break gave the two teams the chance to regroup and get down to business with resolving the problems they had been unable to deal with due to the short periods in between the opening five rounds of the campaign. That extra time paid dividends when racing resumed at Snetterton, and suddenly the NGTC machines became an altogether different proposition. The Dynojet Toyota in particular has become a front-line contender in the hands of Frank Wrathall, having qualified inside the

top seven for the last three meetings and with six topfour finishes in the last nine races; including a run of four straight podiums split across the Knockhill and Rockingham meetings. Putting that into context, Andrew Jordan is the only other driver to have achieved that feat so far in 2011, with a run of five straight podiums earlier in the year. It’s a turnaround in fortunes which has seen Wrathall become a thorn in the side of the championship contenders, with a series of highly impressive performances rewarding his team for the work carried out to improve his Toyota Avensis since the

“The fact we had four races in a short space of time at the start of the year made it tough because we didn’t have the time we needed to work on things. As people know, we basically took delivery of the car on the Saturday morning at Brands Hatch so we hadn’t done any work on the engine management or anything else. In that situation, you haven’t really got a chance. “But we knew that things would come good and kept our spirits up. I have a lot of experience and we have a good engineer in Paul Ridgeway, so we knew if we put the effort in that we would be quick. It’s just the speed at which it has happened that has surprised www.insidebtcc.com

Jakob Ebrey us. We knew we would be competitive but perhaps not as quickly as we have been, I expected it to be towards the end of the season.” From an early season target of simply making it to the finish of a race to put mileage on the all-new machine, the aim on race day now is a different matter altogether, with Dynojet now chasing a place in history as the first time to win a race with an NGTC-spec car. “I’d like to see us win a race and I’d like to do it without a reverse grid, which doesn’t concern me too much,” Wrathall Sr continues. “It would be nice to win on merit but we have to see what happens. Our car has strengths in certain areas whereas the S2000-based cars have strengths in other areas and it can be difficult to race them even though the lap times are similar. Put it this way, we won’t be happy until we’ve won.” The Rob Austin Audi may have only taken one podium finish compared to the four scored by the Toyota, but it too has come on leaps and www.insidebtcc.com

bounds since the resumption of racing. A major diet which saw the car shed weight and a change of engine builder put the team on the right path, but again it was time to work through a series of developments over the summer break which resulted in the big step forward being made. More often than not since then, the Audi has been on the pace on Saturday but has then been out of luck on race day, most notably at Knockhill where team boss Rob Austin qualified on the second row of the grid but then failed to finish any of the three races.

contender and now, the team is realising the potential of the car it has at its disposal. “I spoke to you at Donington when I was four or five seconds off the pace and you asked me how I was going to do,” Austin said. “I told you that I was going to win. I expect to win every race and realistically I expected the kind of result we got a Rockingham a few rounds ago as we have genuinely had the pace in the car since Croft.

However, at Rockingham came the breakthrough result the team had hoped for as Austin pushed James Nash all the way to the flag in race three to secure a maiden podium, having earlier battled back from a first lap off to take seventh in race one and ninth in race two despite being forced to start from the back of the field after being late out of the pits.

“We have had our share of problems on race day and some of those are simply down to experience. I’m not being big-headed or anything, but I’m vastly experienced as a racing driver and I can drive a car quickly, but the racing side of touring cars is a totally different discipline to me; I haven’t done anything like this before. I’m a singleseater or GT man, so the rubbing and bumping you get in tin tops is something that is new to me. I knew I had a lot to learn and I’ve learnt the hard way.”

Within the Rob Austin camp, there has always been the belief that the Audi could be a

Those who have followed Austin through his career were ready for a banzai

move for the lead during the final race at Rockingham, but instead what they were treated to was a measured drive that saw him size up his opponent but ultimately fail to find a way through; instead settling for a second place finish that the team will now hope to build on at Brands Hatch this weekend. “I couldn’t have done a mad lunge on James as I know it was his first win and it’s as important to him as it would be for me,” Austin said. “I could almost see him tense in the car watching the mirrors and you could see his lines were changing; I almost sympathised. “But I also couldn’t have done it to my boys. If I was going to pass, it was going to be clean and I couldn’t afford for it to go wrong. We needed that result and if I’d taken Nash off and gone off myself, I’d have been walking home.” The question now is which of the pair will be first to grace the top step of the podium? Given recent form, the answer won’t be far away.

Inside BTCC 35

Jakob Ebrey

FROM THE ARCHIVES...

JASON PLATO BRANDS HATCH, 2001 Inside BTCC 36

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Jakob Ebrey

btcc 2011

25, 26 & 27

Brands Hatch (GP)

1 - 2 October

28, 29 & 30

Silverstone

15 - 16 October

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Inside BTCC 37

Inside BTCC 38