SILVERSTONE The countdown begins

 The countdown begins. 

Little more than a week remains before Northamptonshire’s world-famous Silverstone circuit (Sat 6/Sun 7 Oct) hosts the crucial penultimate round of this year’s Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship. The three races at Silverstone will decide who will then still be in with a chance of winning the UK’s most prestigious motor racing title on Finals Day at Brands Hatch in Kent a fortnight later.

Seven drivers can mathematically still be crowned BTCC Champion in 2012, namely Honda Yuasa Racing Team team-mates Gordon Shedden and Matt Neal who lead the way, MG KX Momentum Racing’s Jason Plato, Pirtek Racing’s Andrew Jordan, eBay Motors pair Robert Collard and Tom Onslow-Cole and Redstone Racing’s Mat Jackson.

Arriving at Silverstone it is Hampshire’s Collard, Surrey’s Onslow-Cole and Warwickshire’s Jackson who will be most under pressure to perform if they are to keep their fading title hopes alive. All are presently more than 67 points adrift of leader Shedden with that then being the maximum available when the cars take to the legendary Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit for the season finale on the weekend of 20/21 October.

Of the four ahead, two wins for Scotsman Shedden last weekend at Rockingham, also in Northamptonshire, have moved him into the championship lead by three points from Worcestershire’s Neal. Shedden has never won the BTCC before while Neal is looking to retain his crown from last season – achieved when he defeated Shedden at Silverstone – and make it four titles to his name.

For Oxford’s Plato, himself a double BTCC Champion, Silverstone is very much his home event as it is for Lichfield youngster Jordan who, like Shedden and Neal, races a Honda Civic. All three Honda drivers, though, are expecting to struggle around Silverstone’s high-speed National circuit and Plato, in his MG6, will be hoping they are right.

Plato is currently 32 points behind Shedden with a maximum of 67 available from Silverstone’s three races. What’s more his MG team-mate Andy Neate, another local from nearby Aylesbury, will surely be out to aid Plato’s chances by stealing vital points away from his Honda rivals…

Silverstone’s short lap and long, wide straights never fail to deliver plenty of doorhandle-to-doorhandle entertainment for fans. Indeed the view from Woodcote corner of cars slipstreaming and fanning out five abreast along the Wellington Straight is one of the most evocative of the season.

As ever ‘the home of British motor sport’, easily accessible from across the Midlands just off the A43 dual carriageway between the M40 and M1 motorways, is making its big BTCC weekend hugely popular among audiences both young and old. Adult tickets for race day (Sunday) start from just £29 if booked in advance with admission for accompanied children aged 15 and under FREE all weekend. All admission includes access to grandstands, the main central BTCC teams’ paddock and Sunday’s specially organised autograph session with the star touring car drivers.

To book in advance visit www.silverstone.co.uk or call the ticket hotline 0844 3750 740.

In addition to the BTCC’s three penultimate races of 2012 which headline the event a further 12 races for the Ginetta GT Supercup, Ginetta Junior Championship, Porsche Carrera Cup, Renault Clio Cup and guesting Formula Renault BARC categories are also in store during the weekend.

Triple Podium for Triple 8 and Jason Plato

Plato pushing hard over the notorious Rockingham kerbs on his way to a win in Race 1. It's actually dry!

Race day at Rockingham arrived and the MG KX Momentum team were faced with the prospect of a change in recent fortune as well as changeable weather conditions. A season’s best qualifying session for the team with Jason Plato’s fourth pole of the year and a fifth on the grid for Andy Neate ensured that the drivers came to the circuit hopeful for a good haul of points to set them up for the remainder of the season.

Race One saw pole man Jason Plato take an early advantage over the pursuing field and he developed a commanding lead which enabled him to comfortably control the race and exploit the speed advantage the MG6 had over the rest of the field. Andy Neate’s race wasn’t as straight forward, dropping down a couple of places at the start, which were swiftly taken back over the next couple of laps. Andy carried on in fifth for most of the race, eventually finishing seventh after some battling with championship protagonist Matt Neal and a hard-charging Rob Collard. Plato finished the race 3.3 seconds clear of second place with a seemingly straight forward, lights to flag victory which gave him Pole Position for Race Two.

Race Two was held under relentless heavy rain, giving the drivers something to think about as track conditions all weekend had been bone dry. The start saw Jason Plato take a cautious approach, losing out on a couple of places in the run down to turn one. Andy’s Race Two was short lived, being turned around at the second corner and ending up in the gravel, leaving him with it all to do from the back of the grid in Race Three. Jason stuck at it, clearly using all his experience to find out how to get the best from his car on the slippery Rockingham tarmac, this enabled him to pick up his second podium of the day with third place to add to the points tally of the weekend.

Race Three and the reverse grid saw Plato start from seventh and with a few changes having been made to the MG6, his eyes were on completing a hat-trick of podiums and making further inroads into the championship lead. Andy started from the back after his brief Race Two, and his consistent approach meant he was able to move up to finish fourteenth in the spread out pack. Jason once again was faced with taking the fight to the Honda’s and a late charge in which he set numerous personal best lap times got him side by side through the high-speed turn one with Matt Neal but the move didn’t stick, it was good enough for third though and another good haul of points keeping the championship fight alive.

Jason Plato, MG KX Momentum Racing #99:

“I’m naturally thrilled with three podiums and encouraged by what we have learnt about the car over the course of the day. We leave this weekend almost where we started it - In touching distance of the championship lead and moving onwards to Silverstone and then Brands Hatch I’m confident we are in a strong position to challenge for the crown.”

Andy Neate, MG KX Momentum Racing #44:

“We came to this weekend hopeful for three solid results, qualifying and Race One lived up to the promise but then Race Two was a short lived affair which really damaged chances of getting much from Race Three. I can take the positives of Saturday away from this weekend and am glad I could show my pace and from the teams perspective a good weekend for Jason’s championship challenge.”

Ian Harrison, MG KX Momentum Racing Team Principal:

“A bit of a frustrating day really, if the weather had stayed dry we would certainly have been much stronger as our wet set-up wasn’t quite there in comparison with the Hondas. We leave not having made enough inroads, the championship is still mathematically possible but it’s going to be a tough challenge.”

CRONIN ON TRACK AS THE CITROËN RACING TROPHY UK HEADS FOR THE TRACKROD!

With three overall rally victories this year, two time British Rally Champion Keith Cronin heads into the final International Rally Yorkshire with the Citroën Racing Trophy UK lead. Cronin is on 78 points ahead of Welsh drivers Tom Cave on 69 points and Osian Pryce on 66. Northern Ireland drivers Desi Henry and Johnny Greer are joint fourth with 61 points apiece, with James Grint fifth on 52 and Jarkko Nikara sixth on 34. With a staggering 64,500€ prize fund on offer this season including a Junior prize worth 10,000€ for the first driver under 23 still up for grabs, it’s an important finale on the Trackrod Rally for the DS3 R3 mounted crews.

For Keith Cronin the prospect of a third British Rally Championship title means that he will have to drive an intelligent rally this weekend. The Cork driver’s performances have netted him 21,500€ in prize money to date from the Citroën Racing Trophy. “I think we need at least 5th or higher this weekend, to secure the BRC title. It’s been a good season so far for us and the DS3, for a front wheel drive car, is a very quick machine. The Citroën Racing Trophy prize money has really helped to lighten the load as we don’t have a lot of finance, and with the support and media back up it’s been a great series to compete in. It’ll be a tough weekend, as we cannot afford to let our concentration slip especially as the Citroën Racing Trophy UK title is not assured yet.”

This weekend’s International Rally Yorkshire, sees seven DS3 R3 models line up for the British Rally Championship finale.The Junior prize is a 10,000€ contribution to compete in the Rally Du Var in France, in November, and there is a big fight on for this prize. Tom Cave still has an outside chance of the overall BRC title also. “I think Rally Yorkshire will be one of the hardest events of my career. There is so much at stake that getting the right balance on the event will be crucial. The obvious strategy might be to push at maximum attack from the off but this could quite easily backfire, as if I fail to finish and the others do well, I could go from second to fourth in the championship, but if I settle in and go for a reasonable result, particularly ahead of Osian Pryce and Jonny Greer, then that could help
cement second in the championship, which wouldn't be a bad result for my first season contesting the full BRC. If I come home as the first driver under 23, I win a significant credit for parts against an entry in the Rallye du Var in France.”

Osian Pryce will be another one to beat this weekend, the young Welsh driver finished a fine third on the Ulster International Rally. “We really have to go for it this weekend, and try to finish in front of Keith and Tom if we can. I will have to give it 120%, as the Trophy win itself is still attainable, and of course there is the superb Junior prize. We have done a little bit of testing, a few miles in the dark, and about 30 miles at a charity rally day, so hopefully we will be on good form for the weekend.”

Desi Henry tested his DS3 successfully on last weekend’s Bushwhacker Rally in Northern Ireland, as he gets the feel of the forests again, whilst Jonny Greer is very much looking forward to the Trackrod. “We have a shakedown planned for Thursday to get the feel of the DS3 on gravel again. The Pirelli Rally was our last outing on that surface with the car. There are some very fast corners on this event, so it’s important to get the car set up well for the high speed stuff. Another thing to watch out for is the weather. If the heavy rain persists all week, it will make the stages very slippery. For us there’s no real pressure, just go out and have a good go, as anything can happen on this rally.” James Grint in his AVS
Motorsport DS3 will be another one to watch out for, as James has impressed this season with his transition to the 210 horse power DS3.

Citroën UK holds a commanding lead in the BRC manufacturer’s series going into this final round, with Keith Cronin favourite to take the overall British Rally Championship and the Citroën Racing Trophy UK series. It’s been a memorable season to date for the DS3 crews. The event begins with a ceremonial start on the seafront in Scarborough on Friday with one stage, then five long stages on Saturday using the Dalby forest complex, famous for its long straights and square corners.

Clio Cup Battle Rocks Rockingham!

The Clio Drivers brave the weather to collect their prizes

 Paul Rivett completed a winning weekend claiming victory in Sunday’s wet Round 12 of the AirAsia Renault UK Clio Cup, shortening Jack Goff’s championship lead to just 15 points.

The race was started behind the safety car due to the wet conditions, which favoured three-time champion Rivett who proved he has what it takes to race on a wet track as well as sea after securing the P1 Aqua X Sea-Doo Challenge title last weekend.

With the lights of the safety car out, the race was go with championship leader Jack Goff bolting into the first corner. Rivett meanwhile was not going to make it easy for him, and similar to today’s previous race, Rivett pulled the exact same move on Goff for the lead into Deene hairpin. Once ahead, the Banstead driver began to pull out a sizeable lead and was the first driver to be greeted by the chequered flag to make it four consecutive wins and fastest lap.

‘I had a great race’, expressed Rivett. ‘To start under the safety car was the right decision as those conditions were quite bad and I imagine they must have been quite hairy for the guys at the back through the first turn. I was pleased with the whole race in general. I knew I was quicker than Jack and once I got passed him I just disappeared into the distance. The Stancombe boys have done a fantastic job on the car this weekend, to make it go that quick in the wet and pull away from the others like that is just superb. I would also like to thank PER HIRE for getting me here in the first place.’

Four on the bounce now and we’ve got to keep that going, which will be eight on the bounce by the end of the season. We’re on a roll and we’re going to keep that going’, said a delighted Rivett.

Having lead the championship from the very first weekend at Brands Hatch in April, Goff was looking to go one better than in today’s previous round, but it wasn’t to be. The High Wycombe driver produced a stunning drive, but due to poor visibility from a steamed up windscreen, he eventually had to surrender the lead and settle for the second step on the podium for the second time this weekend.

‘It was very eventful’, said Goff. ‘We got a great start and I was able to get the break on the rest of the field before the second safety car came out. It was all going quite well, the carfelt good, but once the safety car pulled into the pits we began to struggle with all-round grip, oversteer on the entrance and understeer in the middle of the corners, which I was trying to deal with in tough conditions but my windscreen steamed up so badly that I couldn’t see out of it at all. I began guessing where I was meant to turn in, it got to the point where it was just hope knowing where I had to turn in. That race was really a matter of just hanging on. We’ve led the championship from the very first race and we have to make sure we’re leading it after the last race.’

Rounding off the podium in third once again was James Dixon, who, similar to all the drivers, found the conditions difficult and spent the majority of the race on his own despite setting consistent fast lap times. The 22-year old will now be looking to hold on to his third position in the driver’s table heading into the final two weekends of the season.

Renault Clio Motorboats battling around Rockingham

‘It was good fun’, expressed Dixon. ‘It was a bit of a boring race on my own, we seemed strong at the start but Paul began to pull away at midpoint as he seemed to have a bit more cornering grip than me, which is unfortunate, but to finished third is another great handful of points. With Paul and Jack ahead of me in the championship, I haven’t been able to catch them at all, but I’m happy with today. It was two podiums that we didn’t have at the start of the season.’

Also replicating his finishing position from today’s earlier race was Rookie winner Josh Cook. The 20Ten Racing driver, who prefers the wet conditions, was able to hold off a rampaging Josh Files, who was also experiencing tough visibility conditions due to a steamed windscreen, to bring the car home in a strong fourth place and extend his lead by 31 points over rival Ant Whorton-Eales in the Rookie Trophy championship.

Even in the tricky wet conditions, the drivers were able to keep all four wheels on the track and bring the cars home in one piece, except from Scuderia Vittoria’s Ronnie Klos and MBR’s Mike Bushell, who ran wide at Gracelands beaching himself in the gravel pit.

As for the ELF Masters Trophy, it was once again Simon Belcher who brought his black and yellow KÄRCHER Clio home in twelfth place and collect his bottle of champagne, Masters hat and trophy.

‘Survival would probably be the best description of today’, said a relived Belcher. ‘Conditions were really tough we didn’t really have the balance in the car to start with. I had a feeling the car was going to be a bit like that as the car had a lot of oversteer to start with, so that wore the front tires down a bit and then the balance of the car came back to me, which towards the end we got quicker and quicker.’

After four years of racing in the AirAsia Renault UK Clio Cup Championship, it was time for veteran Darren Wilson to hang up his Clio gloves to focus more on the management of 20Ten Racing Ltd. The 46-year old will not be absent from the Clio paddock as he intends on attending every race to support the team and drivers for the rest of this season and next.

‘My final race wasn’t great at all’, commented Wilson. ‘I had no grip, and I don’t know if everyone was the same, but I was struggling to keep the car on the track, which is not a great way to finish your Clio Cup career. It was very slippery out there. Klos went off in front of me on the green flag lap, twice, so that showed just how slippery it was out there. As soon as we tried to get up to racing speed I couldn’t stay with anybody as I had no grip, so it was a matter of trying to survive and bring the car home in one piece.’

‘Hopefully I am going to be doing some classic car racing next year and also maybe do some other championships, but I will mainly be focusing on running the team and hopefully getting three strong drivers in the team for next year. Roll on Clio in 2013!’

The championship has a one-week break before action resumes at the Britain’s legendary Silverstone circuit on the 6/7 October. All attention will be on title rivals Rivett and Goff as the championship enters its last two race weekends.

Round 12 Classification

1. Paul RIVETT PER HIRE/SVE Laps 13 25:14.158
2. Jack GOFF Team Pyro +5.856
3. James DIXON Total Control Racing +7.128
4. Josh COOK 20Ten Racing +8.587
5. Josh FILES Team Pyro +8.944
6. James COLBURN Westbourne Motorsport +11.412
7. Adam BONHAM Team Pyro +12.743
8. Stefan HODGETTS Scuderia Vittoria +13.472
9. Jake GIDDINGS Finesse Motorsport Ltd +16.330
10. Ignas GELZINIS Juta Racing +17.455

Drivers’ Championship after Round 12:

Driver	Points
Jack Goff	311
Paul Rivett	296
James Dixon	242
Adam Bonham	219
Josh Files	209
Josh Cook	176
Ant Whorton-Eales	145
James Colburn	142
Stefan Hodgetts	131
Vic Covey	110
Ignas Gelzinis	106
Aaron Williamson	99
Simon Belcher	92
Mike Bushell	85
Kim Anderson	82
Jake Giddings	80
William Davison	77
Rob Smith	71
Luke Wright	60
Finlay Crocker	57
Darren Wilson	46
Tautvydas Barstys	44
Nic Hamilton	43
Adam Gould	39
Ronnie Klos	22
Mark Tilbury	19
David Grady	12

Entrants’ Trophy after Round 12:

Team Pyro	604
Scuderia Vittoria	404
Westbourne Motorsport	347
Stancombe Vehicle Engineering	329
Total Control Racing	231
20Ten Racing	222
Finesse Motorsport Ltd	179
Juta Racing	153
MBR	87
Silver Fox Racing	19

 

Toyota GT86 scores success at Britcar 24 Hours

The Toyota Drivers collect their rewards!

Team Toyota GB is celebrating a remarkable UK racing debut for its GT86 sports car , which claimed eighth place overall and third in its class in Britain’s toughest race, the Britcar 24 Hours on its conclusion Last Sunday at Silverstone.

Toyota GB's distinctive Livery getting stuck into the start of the race

Crewed by a four-man team led by Chris Hodgetts,Toyota’s double BTCC champion of the 1980s, the near standard GT86 ran faultlessly throughout its 512 laps and 1874 miles around the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit. Hodgetts was joined on the driving strength by his son, Stefan, evo journalist Richard Meaden and Travis drummer Neil Primrose.

“It is an absolutely fantastic result,” said Gary Blackham, whose team GPRM prepared the car for the event. “We harboured ambitions of finishing in the top 10 and we are more than delighted with eighth overall. Given the differential in horsepower between our car and the other rather more modified racing cars in the division, third in class is a great result also.

“The GT86 ran faultlessly throughout; I think the only work we had to do was to add about half a litre of oil during the whole race. All the pit stops went smoothly, the technicians - a mixture of seasoned GPRM regulars and staff from Toyota GB's head office - worked very well together and the drivers were fantastic; they did everything they needed to and everything that was asked of them.”

The Sun sets on a fine achievement for Toyota's New Car

The drivers took three-hour turns at the wheel and each put in two stints. Stefan Hodgetts started the race and set theToyota’s fastest lap towards the end of his first stint, and his 61-year-old father enjoyed the honour of taking the chequered flag. Said Chris: “We drove the wheels off it for 24 hours. We literally ragged the poor little car throughout, and as you would expect from a Toyota it responded with fantastic reliability.”

Added Meaden: “The car is mega through the corners. Considering the short space of time the team had to do the preparation this result is testimony to them and to the performance of the car. Eighth place overall is a fantastic achievement.”

Thirty-three cars took the start of the Britcar 24 Hours, and the class for modified production cars featured 14 entries, of which 12 made it to the chequered flag.

The Britcar Toyota GT86 was powered by the standard 16-valve double overhead cam horizontally opposed ‘boxer’ engine of the road-going model, delivering 197bhp. GPRM now plans to develop a more powerful version for customers looking to buy track Toyotas of their own - although there are currently no plans to run the car again this year.

The Toyota GB Team with their appropriately numbered GT86

Contrasting days for final Shelsley events

Terry Graves with his victorious Gould

MAC member Terry Graves from Cornwall took both Fastest Time of Day awards on a weekend of diverse conditions for the last event of the season at Shelsley Walsh Hill Climb.

Driving his 3.5 litre Gould GR37, chassis number 001, competitors enjoyed perfect conditions on Saturday with Terry posting a time of 26.68 seconds to win FTD, with fellow club members John Jones of Kington taking second place in his Pilbeam MP88 with a time of 27.22 and local man Darren Gumbley from Tenbury Wells taking an excellent third place in his 1100 Class Force PT single seater, with a time of 27.39.

Terry commented: “I usually compete in the British Sprint Championship and at some of the South West hill climbs, but have driven at Shelsley Walsh some years ago in a Pilbeam, however, this was my first visit in this, the original Gould, so I took things pretty steady at first, but was delighted with the end result and have had a fantastic weekend.

“I found the track very green in places and quickly realised that you are never going to learn to drive it correctly in just one weekend, so I am looking forwarding to returning here on more occasions with this car next season.”

Paul Howells in his Porsche 911 RSR took the class win in the Porsche Club Speed Championship, while David Hardcastle won the TR Register class.

Ben Wilkins on an Aprilia won the NHCR motorcycle run off with a time of 30.39 followed very closely by Honda rider Paul Jeffrey on 30.71, with Sam Matthewman on a Suzuki TL in 31.06.

Sunday saw the conditions change dramatically, but Terry Graves once again managed to repeat his FTD, posting a time of 31.16 seconds in appallingly cold and wet weather, which thankfully seemed to make competitors respect the conditions and drive with some caution, ensuring that the meeting still ran smoothly.

The Ferrari Drivers maintain sporting behaviour despite close competition!

Following Sunday’s very close results, the Pirelli Ferrari Championship will now go down to the wire at the MAC’s last event of the year at Curborough Sprint Circuit, near Lichfield, in October, where Chris Butler, Richard Prior and Andrew Holman are all still in with a chance of taking the title.

Invited clubs on Sunday provided close competition with Clive Glass taking the class win in the MSCC Techniques Morgan Speed Championship with a time of 41.70, Matthew Oakley won his class with a time of 39.66 in the TVRCC Speed Championship and Richard Mason took class honours with a time of 41.24 in the Healeysport Championship.

STUNNING SHEDDEN SHINES

Gordon Shedden celebrates victory at Rockingham

Jason Plato and Gordon Shedden shared the wins in today’s three exhilarating Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship races at Northamptonshire’s Rockingham circuit. Two of the wins went the way of Scotsman Shedden who has now taken over the championship lead as the title race stays in the county for its penultimate three races of the season at Silverstone in a fortnight (6/7 October). Plato had taken pole position with a new qualifying lap record on Saturday in his MG KX Momentum Racing MG6. He duly went on to dominate today’s first race, held in dry conditions, and set a new race lap record en route. Pirtek Racing’s Andrew Jordan and Honda Yuasa Racing Team star Shedden were second and third in their Honda Civics. But then conditions changed dramatically as heavy rain settled in for the rest of the day, this enabling Shedden and Neal to take a pair of dream 1-2 results for their team in both the second and third races. Plato finished behind them on each occasion in third. As a result Shedden leaves Rockingham with a three-point lead over Neal. Plato is a further 29 behind with a maximum of 134 still available from the season’s final six races – three each at Silverstone in two weeks and Brands Hatch, Kent a fortnight later (Sun 21 Oct). Dalgety Bay’s Shedden, who has now won eight times in 2012, commented: “I’m delighted – it seems ages since we won a race so to score a pair of 1-2s is just great for everyone in our team. The rain certainly helped us today as Jason had been looking very strong if it had stayed dry. Importantly we’ve maintained a decent gap to him as we’re expecting him to have the upper hand at Silverstone.” Worcestershire’s Neal, the reigning Champion who has driven this weekend in pain from a broken hand, said: “I’m just pleased to get through the weekend. Gordon was unstoppable in those conditions but a pair of seconds and a sixth are probably better than I thought was possible. We’re expecting Silverstone to be tough but this really helps thinking ahead to Brands Hatch.” Oxford’s Plato added: “We’ve managed to hold the gap to the Honda drivers, even take a little nibble out of them, at what is one of the strongest circuits for their car so I’m satisfied with that. Silverstone is going to be all-important, though – ultimately I want us to go to the final round so there’s a proper showdown for the people watching.” Meanwhile Honda/Dynamics and the Honda Yuasa Racing Team continue to dominate the Manufacturer/Constructor and outright HiQ Teams championships respectively. Jordan has moved further clear at the top of the Independent Drivers Championship. And his Pirtek Racing squad has also regained the Independent Teams Trophy lead. Elsewhere several drivers were punished by officials for on-track indiscretions today. Race 1: Jeff Smith, fined £500 and three penalty points on his competition licence following an incident with Aron Smith. Race 1: Matt Neal, verbal warning following an incident with Rob Austin. Race 2, Jason Plato, verbal warning for performing practice starts. 2012 Dunlop BTCC Drivers’ Points after Rockingham (round 8 of 10): 1. Gordon Shedden, 336 2. Matt Neal, 333 3. Jason Plato, 304 4. Andrew Jordan, 287 5. Robert Collard, 247 6. Tom Onslow-Cole, 228 Manufacturers/Constructors’ Points: 1. Honda/Dynamics, 767 2. MG/888, 579 HiQ Teams’ Points: 1. Honda Yuasa Racing Team, 644 2. eBay Motors, 490 3. Pirtek Racing, 414 4. Redstone Racing, 374 5. MG KX Momentum Racing, 367 6. Team ES Racing.com, 182 Independent Drivers’ Points: 1. Andrew Jordan, 352 2. Robert Collard, 294 3. Mat Jackson, 285 4. Tom Onslow-Cole, 281 5. Frank Wrathall, 196 6. Nick Foster, 189 Independent Teams’ Points: 1. Pirtek Racing, 385 2. eBay Motors, 377 3. Redstone Racing, 359 4. Team ES Racing.com, 247 5. Dynojet, 125 6. Speedworks Motorsport, 203 *All points remain provisional

Rob Collard and Dave Newsham take victory at Knockhill

Rob Collard rides the curbs as he leads Tom Onslow-Cole to victory

Robert Collard and, in front of his home crowd, Dave Newsham shared the wins in today’s three Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship races at Fife’s spectacular Knockhill circuit – attended by huge numbers of people including Olympic cycling gold medal winner Sir Chris Hoy MBE.

Meanwhile the main title protagonists – Matt Neal, Gordon Shedden and Jason Plato – all experienced a number of highs and lows. Nevertheless reigning Champion Neal has increased his advantage at the top of the table as the title race now heads into its final three rounds of 2012, starting at Rockingham in Northamptonshire on Sunday 23 September.

 

Plato started the day in pole position after setting the fastest time in Saturday’s qualifying session only to then crash out of the opening race after a tangle between his MG KX Momentum Racing MG6 and Aron Smith’s Redstone Racing Ford Focus. This left the way clear for Collard and Tom Onslow-Cole to finish first and second in their WSR-prepared eBay Motors BMWs. Shedden took third in his Honda Yuasa Racing Team Civic while team-mate Neal was a lowly seventh.

 

It was the same top three in the second race as reigning Champion Neal this time finished eighth. Plato was only 11^th, his car struggling with turbo-related problems.

 

Inverness’s Newsham, high in confidence after his maiden win at Snetterton a fortnight earlier, then took victory in the third race in his Team ES Racing.com Vauxhall Vectra. Jeff Smith followed in his Pirtek Racing Honda Civic for the first podium result of his BTCC career as Neal took third. Shedden and Plato, though, both retired.

As a result Neal leaves Scotland having slightly stretched his advantage over Shedden to ten points at the top of the table. Third-placed Plato has fallen 36 points adrift of Neal having gone into Knockhill’s event just ten behind…

Hampshire racer Collard enthused: “It’s just been a fantastic day for me and the whole eBay Motors team with a pair of 1-2 results and our other car driven by Nick Foster also very strong. It’s a big ask but another day like today at Rockingham and we could be right back in the title hunt.”

And added Newsham: “I really didn’t believe a podium result let alone a win would be possible here but I banged in some really fast laps at the start of race three and that clinched it for me. I’ve had a new sponsor on board this weekend and I’m chuffed to bits.”

 

Worcestershire’s Neal appeared stunned to still be leading the standings. He commented: “I have no idea how I am still in front. It’s been a horrid weekend for me, but Gordon’s retirement in that third race plus a bad day for Jason as well have saved my skin.”

Fife’s Shedden said: “This was meant to be one of our stronger circuits and the next three, Rockingham, Silverstone and Brands Hatch require good straight line speed which is where we are lacking. We might still be in front but the truth is we are struggling.”

Oxford’s Plato had also expected more from Knockhill, particularly after his pole position lap. The double Champion reflected: “It’s an opportunity for us to take more points out of the Honda drivers and even take the championship lead gone begging. We’ve clearly got the performance – we’ve just had rotten luck but it’s certainly not over yet.”

Notably Irishman Aron Smith celebrated his best result to date in the BTCC with fourth in the first race. Similarly series returnee Paul O’Neill gave the Speedworks Motorsport squad a best ever finish of fourth in the second race in its Toyota Avensis.

 

Honda/Dynamics and the Honda Yuasa Racing Team continue to lead the Manufacturers/Constructors and HiQ Teams standings, as does Andrew Jordan the Independents Drivers Championship. However, his Pirtek Racing team has lost the lead in the Independent Teams Trophy table to eBay Motors.

 

Elsewhere a number of drivers were punished by officials for on-track indiscretions today. Race 1: Aron Smith received three penalty points on his competition licence and was fined £500 for an incident involving Jason Plato; Gordon Shedden received two penalty points on his licence plus an official reprimand for an incident involving Aron Smith; Daniel Welch received three penalty points and was fined £500 for an incident involving Jeff Smith. Race 2: Chris James received three penalty points and was fined £500 for an incident involving Daniel Welch.

Jason Plato claims Knockhill Pole Position

Under leaden skies, Jason Plato splashes his way to pole position for tomorrow's race

Jason Plato has taken pole position in a wet Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship qualifying session at the Knockhill circuit in Fife.

 

Plato set a best time of 57.128s in his KX Momentum Racing MG6 to secure pole for the third time this season. Qualifying second fastest was Robert Collard in his eBay Motors BMW while young Irishman Aron Smith was a best-ever third in his Redstone Racing Ford Focus.

 

But Plato’s two Honda rivals, Worcestershire’s Matt Neal and Scottish ‘home hero’ Gordon Shedden who lay just ahead of him in the title race, could only manage eighth and sixth places.

 

It means Plato, chasing the third title of his career, has a golden opportunity to make further inroads into their advantage in the first of tomorrow’s three races at least. They will go into it with Neal, the reigning Champion, leading the standings with Shedden in second and Plato third. Just ten points cover them with 20 awarded for a win.

 

Oxford’s Plato commented: “I had a bit more in reserve if required but the main thing is I’m starting from the front tomorrow and the two Hondas have a lot to do. But we’re looking good in all conditions – I was very happy with the car in the dry in the earlier practice sessions so I’m feeling good about tomorrow.”

 

Hampshire’s Collard, currently fifth in the table, said: “I gave it everything. Pole would have been very nice but I’m satisfied to be starting on the front row which is important here as it’s a tough circuit to overtake.”

Dubliner Smith, aged just 21, added: “I’ve been chipping away all season and finally I’ve got my first top three and it feels great. I’m looking forward to tomorrow – it's a chance to see how the more established names do it and hopefully I can go with them.”

 

Elsewhere ‘returnee’ Paul O’Neill qualified an excellent seventh fastest in his Speedworks Motorsport Toyota Avensis. Inverness’s Dave Newsham, a winner for the first time at Snetterton, Norfolk two weeks ago, was tenth on his home track in his Team ES Racing.com Vauxhall Vectra.

 

Tomorrow’s three BTCC races from Knockhill will be shown live on ITV4, ITV4 HD and www.itv.com during a mammoth seven hour show from 11.00am-6.00pm.

 

Leading position, BTCC Qualifying, Knockhill, Sat 25 Aug
1. Jason Plato (GBR), MG KX Momentum Racing/MG6, 57.128s
2. Robert Collard (GBR), eBay Motors/BMW 320si, +0.297s
3. Aron Smith (IRL), Redstone Racing/Ford Focus, +0.350s
4. Tom Onslow-Cole (GBR), eBay Motors/BMW 320si, +0.405s
5. Frank Wrathall (GBR), Dynojet/Toyota Avensis, +0.444s
6. Gordon Shedden (GBR), Honda Yuasa Racing Team/Honda Civic, +0.477s
7. Paul O’Neill (GBR), Speedworks Motorsport/Toyota Avensis, +0.522s
8. Matt Neal (GBR), Honda Yuasa Racing Team/Honda Civic, +0.560s
9. Mat Jackson (GBR), Redstone Racing/Ford Focus ST, +0.648s
10. Dave Newsham (GBR), ES Racing.com/Vauxhall Vectra, +0.676s

Scottish Adventures for Porsches

The Porsches attack the first corner of Snetterton. More spectacular action at Knockhill!

Rounds 13 and 14 of the Porsche Carrera Cup GB are sure to deliver some of the most exciting and unpredictable racing of the season as the teams and drivers take on the unique challenge of the Knockhill circuit in Fife (25/26 August).

Michael Meadows (Redline Racing) heads north with a 36-point lead in the overall standings and is clearly the title favourite. But Michael knows well enough that Knockhill is one of those tracks where fortunes can change very quickly and he will be working very hard to make sure he qualifies at the front of the pack.

Last time out at Snetterton was a fabulous weekend for Sam Tordoff (Team Parker Racing), who dominated the weekend to take two wins and move into second place overall at the expense of Jonas Gelzinis (Juta Racing). Aside from Gelzinis, three drivers are vying to topple Tordoff as the big threat to Meadows and Daniel Lloyd (Team Parker Racing) and Ben Barker (Parr Motorsport) could both be race winners. Series newcomer Andy Meyrick (Team Parker Racing) will surely be quick on his first race weekend at Knockhill but it is local ace Rory Butcher (Celtic Speed) who will really want to stamp his mark on the weekend.

As the Carrera Cup GB makes its annual foray north of the border, five Scottish drivers will be on the grid. Top of the pack in terms of overall championship position is Butcher and he has a pretty good knowledge of Knockhill. The son of circuit owner Derek and brother-in-law of BTCC ace Gordon Shedden, Kirkcaldy-based Rory is a Knockhill instructor. Rory had the weekend of his life in June at Croft when he was in dominant form and won both races with two perfect performances. Add that to consistent scores elsewhere and he is now fourth in the points, within striking distance of second-placed Tordoff.

Also running in the Pro category is Aberdeen’s Glynn Geddie (Redline Racing). By his own high standards, 2012 has yet to deliver the results that were expected, but Knockhill is just the sort of track where Glynn’s natural pace and gutsy style could shine. If the weather is unpredictable, as can be the case at Knockhill, he will be right in the mix.

Battling for glory in Pro-Am1 are West Kilbride’s Derek Pierce (JD Pierce with Team Parker) and Edinburgh’s Oly Mortimer (GT Marques). Pierce is badly overdue some good luck to go with his undoubted pace, while Mortimer and the team have been working wonders on a very limited budget. Currently, Pierce heads Mortimer by a single-point as they chase Pro-Am1 leader Ahmad Al Harthy (Redline/Oman Air).

Completing the Scottish contingent is Edinburgh’s George Brewster in the second car from Montrose-based Celtic Speed. The former Pro-Am2 champion is only tackling a part season this year due to business commitments, but will be aiming for a visit to the Pro-Am1 podium on home ground.

Finally, the contest for Pro-Am2 glory is set to be between Welsh teenager Fraser O’Brien (GT Marques) and Tania Mann (sibsport performance). O’Brien made an impressive series debut last time out at Snetterton and will now tackle Knockhill for the first time.

After qualifying at 13.50 on Saturday, round 13 will start at 10.45 on Sunday, with round 14 at 15.30. Round 14 will be broadcast live on ITV4 during the extensive BTCC programme which runs from 11.00 on Sunday.

Tom Onslow - Cole takes on a new Challenge...

...And it's not what you might have thought it would be. One half of the Wheeler Dealers team joins up with Tom Onslow-Cole to transform, of all things, a Milk Float, into a racing car. And you get no prizes for guessing where they found that!

eBay Motors launches its Mechanics Challenge at Snetterton with British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) star Tom Onslow-Cole and TV motoring expert Edd China to highlight the wealth of automotive parts on the site. 

What on earth are we going to do with this?

eBay Motors challenges Tom and Edd to turn a milk float into a race car using parts and accessories from eBay Motors, the UK’s leading  online automotive marketplace with more than 18 million listings and 250,000 cars and motorcycles for sale.

During the next month Edd will work with the eBay Motors BTCC team engineers in a challenge that will showcase their skills as top mechanics and the huge range of parts and accessories available on eBay Motors.  The activity culminates in September with Tom behind the wheel in an exciting final test. 

BTCC fans and motoring enthusiasts will vote on the parts and accessories from eBay Motors that will be used to transform the milk float into a race car. The finished car will be on display for fans at the final BTCC round at Silverstone on the 7^th October 2012.

Edd China, eBay Motors blogger and host of Wheeler Dealers, commented: “This is a really tough challenge, but I am very excited to be working with Tom and the guys from the eBay Motors BTCC team to build this vehicle.  The range of items available from eBay Motors will make our job a lot easier, and we look forward to getting started on the developments.”  

Tom Onslow-Cole, eBay Motors team driver, added: “I have never been involved in anything like this before and can’t wait to get started. Having driven the milk float around Snetterton it is clear that we have a massive amount of work on our hands. We have got some great engineers working on the car and I am eager to see what is in store for the final challenge.”

This probably goes a bit slower than Tom's BMW.
The optional Edd attachment is likely to add a bit of drag too!

For exclusive videos, imagery and to see the latest vote statistics go to www.ebaymotorsbtcc.co.uk   

This is eBay’s third season involved in the 2012 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTCC), although the first as title sponsor of the team. Rob Collard, Nick Foster and Tom Onslow-Cole are the three drivers in 2012, and the team is currently lying in first place in this season’s Independent Team Championship.

We caught up with Tom earlier in the year... Here's what he had to say