eBay Motors' 2013 Driver line up revealed

The 2013 eBay team, Rob Collard,
Colin Turkington and Nick Foster

eBay Motors announces Colin Turkington will be joining its driver line up for the 2013 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTCC). The 2009 BTCC Champion joins Rob Collard and Nick Foster in the new NGTC specification BMW 125i M Sport cars, as they launch their three-pronged attack on the Championship.

2013 is the fourth season in the BTCC for eBay Motors, the UK’s leading online automotive marketplace, and looks to be the most exciting yet.

Colin Turkington said: “I’m really excited to be back in the BTCC with eBay Motors for the 2013 season. I have a long relationship with WSR and we’ve experienced some great success together in both the BTCC and WTCC. I am hoping to bring that success once again this year. Getting behind the wheel of the NGTC specification BMW will be a new challenge and I can’t wait to be back on the grid at Brands Hatch on 31^st March.”

Rob Collard said: “Colin and I raced together in 2006 and his addition to the team sees us look stronger than ever. I hope to build on last year’s strong performances and will be looking to win races in the new BMW 125i M Sport.”

Nick Foster said “It’s going to be fantastic having Rob and Colin as teammates this year. I’m looking forward to learning from both of them to building on my success with the eBay Motors team.”

The 2009 BTCC champion returns to WSR in 2013

eBay Motors Team Principal Dick Bennetts added: “It’s really great to have Colin back on board for the 2013 BTCC season. With Rob, Nick and now Colin, I believe eBay Motors have a very strong driver line-up capable of challenging for Championship honours.”

Andrew Hooks, eBay’s Head of Hard Goods (Motoring & Electronics), said: “We are excited at the prospect of a fourth BTCC season and wish our drivers all the very best for the challenging and thrilling season that lays ahead.”

The first race of this year’s Championship takes place at Brands Hatch on the 31^st March 2013, with the Media Day at Donington on the 21^st March.

To keep up to speed with all the news on the car development and the drivers’ preparations visit www.ebaymotorsbtcc.co.uk and follow us @ebaymotorsbtcc

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.

EBAY MOTORS TEAM GEARS UP FOR OULTON PARK

eBay Motors team heads to the north-west with an exciting fan experience
The fourth round of this year’s Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) takes
place at Oulton Park on Saturday and Sunday 9th and 10th June, and the eBay Motors team is
looking to build on its early season form.

The team currently lies in third place in the Independents Championship and drivers Rob
Collard, Nick Foster and Tom Onslow-Cole will aim to improve on one of the most popular
rounds in the touring car calendar.

Both Rob Collard and Tom Onslow-Cole have a history of success at the circuit and they are
keen to get their title chances back on track after a break of over a month since Thruxton.
Hampshire-based driver Rob Collard commented: “I am really looking forward to getting
back behind the wheel of the eBay Motors BMW after a slightly frustrating weekend last
time out. There has been some good testing over the past weeks and hopefully the car is in
great shape to compete at the front of the grid. Oulton Park is a circuit that we have done
well at previously and I hope that continues.”

Dick Bennetts, Team Principal of eBay Motors, added: “We ran one of our turbo BMW’s on a
four poster rig and learnt quite a lot, so then decided to verify the results with some testing
at Silverstone with Colin Turkington. Working with the turbo engine has been an interesting
process and we are looking to improve our performance now that we have got to know the
car better. I am hopeful that our talented drivers will be able to guide the eBay Motors cars
to podium finishes at Oulton Park.”

Fans at the Cheshire circuit should look out for the eBay Motors garage, an exciting
experiential zone where visitors will have the opportunity to beat the drivers in the eBay
BTCC simulator and win some great prizes.

Over the weekend the three eBay Motors cars will be running with Union Jack flags on the
roof in honour of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. For more information and exclusive content
about the eBay Motors team and its drivers visit www.ebaymotorsbtcc.co.uk

BTCC heads for Thruxton

The BTCC pack charges off the grid at Donington - now they turn their attentions to Thruxton, the fastest circuit in the UK

Having already twice wowed the nation live on TV with their wheel-to-wheel antics in 2012, the stars of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship will surely be tested to their limits this weekend (28/29 April) when they contest their latest three races on Hampshire’s high-speed Thruxton circuit.

 

Thruxton is the fastest track on the calendar for the teams and drivers of Britain’s premier motor racing championship with cars running bumper-to-bumper at close to 150mph. Furthermore it is the only time this year that the BTCC will visit the region making it a must-see event for motor sport and motoring enthusiasts from across the South and South West in particular.

 

Thruxton is also within easy reach of the Midlands, South Wales and London thanks to its proximity to the A303 dual carriageway which provides swift links to the M3, M4, M5, M25, M27 and A34 motorway network. And with the added presence of ITV4’s live cameras covering the event, its big BTCC weekend is truly both a major sporting and social occasion.

 

The opening six races of 2012 have produced no fewer than five different winners – Jason Plato (MG KX Momentum Racing MG), Matt Neal and Gordon Shedden (Honda Yuasa Racing Team Honda Civics), Robert Collard (eBay Motors BMW) and Mat Jackson (Redstone Racing Ford Focus). It is Plato who will arrive at Thruxton leading the standings but only by a slender margin from reigning Champion Neal, Andrew Jordan in his Pirtek Racing Honda, Collard, Shedden and Jackson. For the record, former double Champion Plato also boasts an unrivalled 69 career race wins with three of them having been achieved at Thruxton.

 

Meanwhile Collard is very much among the local heroes. Both he and team-mate Nick Foster hail from near Hook, Hampshire. Collard will also be going into the event very likely with a few aches having run in yesterday’s London Marathon! Fleet-basedWelch Motorsport with its Proton Persona driven by Daniel Welch will be looking to impress on home ground as well.

 

In all some nine different makes – Audi, BMW, Ford, Honda, MG, Proton, Toyota, Vauxhall and VW – are represented on the grid, meaning plenty of variety for the race day spectators to choose a favourite.

 

Tickets for the event remain available at discounted prices – just £25 for race day (Sunday) – while general admission is FREE all weekend for accompanied children aged 15 and under. Admission also includes access to the BTCC pit lane on Sunday morning when fans can meet the drivers during a specially arranged autograph session. For more details call the ticket hotline 01264 882200 or visit Thruxton’s website www.barc.net.

 

Meanwhile Thruxton’s BTCC weekend (28/29 April) includes 12 races in all – three for the touring car grid plus further exhilarating action from the supporting Ginetta Junior, Ginetta GT Supercup, Porsche Carrera Cup and Renault Clio Cup grids. On the Clio Cup grid is Nicolas Hamilton, brother of Formula 1 hero Lewis Hamilton.

BTCC : Crashes and Controversy at Donington Park

Shedden (52) leads the pack to victory, meanwhile Plato and Collard fall foul of each other.

Mat Jackson and Gordon Shedden shared the wins in today’s three highly-charged Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship races at Leicestershire’s Donington Park circuit. But it is Jason Plato who, despite a crash, still leads the points table as Britain’s premier motor racing series heads south for its next three races at the fastest circuit on the calendar, Thruxton in Hampshire, on the weekend of 28/29 April.

 

Plato had given his MG KX Momentum Racing MG6 a first-ever pole position in Saturday’s qualifying session. But he could only finish fourth in today’s first race behind Jackson’s Redstone Racing Ford Focus ST and the Honda Yuasa Racing Team Honda Civics of Shedden and team-mate Matt Neal.

 

Shedden then led home Neal in race two for a dream 1-2 result for the factory Honda squad with Jackson following in third. It also meant the season’s first five races had each been won by a different driver, while Neal now took over the championship lead after Plato crashed out in a tangle with Robert Collard’s eBay Motors BMW.

 

In race three Jackson crossed the line in first ahead of Plato and Shedden. But officials then demoted Plato to third with a time penalty after they judged he had unfairly bumped Shedden off the track at the final bend. Officials also later excluded Jackson from the results after it was discovered his car had exceeded the permitted turbo boost limits, meaning the Warwickshire driver had to be content with just the one win on home ground.

 

His exclusion also meant Shedden inherited the victory ahead of Plato and a jubilant Tony Gilham who, in his Team HARD. Honda Civic, had achieved a maiden top three result as well as his first maximum score in the Independent Drivers Trophy. Plato also moved back to the top of the standings as Neal, the reigning Champion, span out of the race in a clash with Pirtek Racing Honda driver Andrew Jordan.

 

Oxford racer Plato, aiming for a third BTCC title in 2012, commented: “It’s been a very topsy-turvy day for me. The speed of the MG was clear for all to see with that brilliant pole position lap but then things just didn’t go our way in the races. My crash was just a racing incident but then to drive through from 17th to finish on the podium in race three again underlined just how special the MG is and I believe it will fly at Thruxton.”

Worcestershire’s Neal said: “Everything was going great until race three – a third in race one and then a great result for Honda in race two. But race three showed just how quickly it can all change in the BTCC and now I find myself chasing Jason again as we go to Thruxton. But the main thing is we’re still right in the hunt and my Honda won’t have quite so much success ballast to deal with as his MG around there.”

Following a torrid opening round two weeks ago at Brands Hatch, Fife ace Shedden, who becomes the first driver to win twice in 2012, has vaulted to sixth in the championship. He said: “I feel we’ve got our just rewards today despite Jason’s best efforts! The Honda has been fantastic all weekend around Donington and that’s a great sign for Thruxton where again having a good car in high speed corners counts for a lot. It’s the perfect way to bounce back after Brands Hatch and my championship is now back on track.”

Jackson was left to rue what might have been, saying: “Losing the win in race three is a big blow but a win and a third in the first two races are still two very good results. It’s shown we’re capable of taking it to factory teams and I’m going to Thruxton fully intent on rattling their cages again.”

 

Meanwhile Honda/Dynamics and the Honda Yuasa Racing Team respectively have moved to the top of both the Manufacturers/Constructors and HiQ Teams championships. Jordan and his Pirtek squad have also increased their leads in the Independent Drivers and Teams title races.

 

Elsewhere a number of teams and drivers were penalised by officials at Donington Park. MG KX Momentum Racing, Rob Austin Racing and Thorney Motorsport all received verbal warnings for moving their cars into their pit garages without permission before the session had ended. Chris James received an official reprimand and 2 penalty points on his competition licence for an on-track incident in race one plus, later, a further 3 penalty points and a £1000 fine for using abusive language and behaviour within the venue. Jeff Smith, Dave Newsham and Andrew Jordan received verbal warnings for on-track incidents. Jason Plato received a 2-second penalty for gaining an unfair advantage on-track. Mat Jackson was excluded from the results of race three for a technical infringement.

 

2012 Dunlop BTCC Drivers’ Points after Donington Park (round 2 of 10):

1. Jason Plato, 84 points

2. Matt Neal, 80

3. Andrew Jordan, 76
4. Robert Collard, 71

5. Gordon Shedden, 69
6. Mat Jackson, 60

 

Manufacturers/Constructors’ Points:

1. Honda/Dynamics, 168

2. MG/888, 160

HiQ Teams’ Points:

1. Honda Yuasa Racing Team, 146

2. Pirtek Racing, 129

3. eBay Motors, 112
4. Redstone Racing, 104

5. MG KX Momentum Racing, 93

6. Team ES Racing.com 54

Independent Drivers’ Points:
1. Andrew Jordan, 98

2. Robert Collard, 80

3. Mat Jackson, 70
4. Jeff Smith, 69
5. Tom Onslow-Cole, 59

6. Dave Newsham, 56

 

Independent Teams’ Points:

1. Pirtek Racing, 102

2. Redstone Racing, 92
3. eBay Motors, 91

4. Team ES Racing.com, 75

5. Team HARD., 65

=6. Speedworks Motorsport & BINZ Racing, 46

*All points remain provisional

Collard, Neal and Plato win in BTCC

Jason Plato emerges from his car as the Championship leader, with MG as the leading constructor.

Robert Collard, Matt Neal and Jason Plato shared the wins in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship’s first three races of 2012 today at the Brands Hatch Indy circuit in Kent. A win for double Champion Plato in race three – notably also for the famous MG badge on its return to the championship – means he leads the standings as the title race now moves to Donington Park in Leicestershire in a fortnight (14/15 April).

 

Dave Newsham had qualified on a career-first pole position for the opening race but his Team ES Racing.com Vauxhall Vectra crashed out in a tangle with Plato’s new MG KX Momentum Racing MG6. This enabled Collard’s eBay Motors BMW to sneak through for victory. Finishing second and third were Neal’s new Honda Yuasa Racing Team Honda Civic and Collard’s team-mate Tom Onslow-Cole.

 

Neal then came out on top of a long tussle with Plato to win race two – the first victory for a car built to the BTCC’s latest ‘Next Generation Touring Car’ technical regulations. In fact it was an NGTC ‘1-2-3’ as Andrew Jordan’s Pirtek Racing Honda Civic was second after muscling past Plato’s MG in the closing laps. Meanwhile there was a lucky escape for Nick Foster who rolled his eBay Motors BMW onto its roof.

 

Plato’s victory in race three – which increased his career record tally of wins to 69 – came after he turned the tables on Jordan by passing him for the lead at mid-distance. Jordan took second ahead of Newsham who, after his race one disappointment, ended the day on a high with a maiden podium result. Significantly the race needed to be re-started after a multiple pile-up shortly after the original start forced a red flag stoppage.

 

The results mean Oxford’s Plato takes away a slender lead to Donington Park (14/15 April) with Worcestershire’s Neal, Staffordshire’s Jordan and Hampshire’s Collard in hot pursuit.

“We honestly never expected this so soon so we’re all cock-a-hoop,” enthused Plato. “I must take my hat off to my team – I’m just a small part of it all and they have worked their socks off to get this car ready. It’s still way off being fully sorted so I’d imagine the rest of the pit lane is probably feeling a bit scared…”

 

Neal commented: “It’s great that the new Honda has shown race-winning pace on its debut but I don’t think I’ve started a season before when the competition has been so fierce. The BMWs were on fire and Jason and that MG also look like they might take a bit of catching. We can’t afford to leave any stone unturned.”

Jordan added: “Any other day I’d be very pleased with two seconds but I’m slightly disappointed that the win got away from me in race three – it’s certainly got me fired up for my home event at Donington. The main thing, though, is we’ve come away from the first round with a decent points haul.”

Collard, who backed up his race one win with a pair of sixths, said: “I’m delighted with the win so a bit disappointed to be off the podium in the next two races but at least we’re in the hunt from the off.”

 

Having dominated 2011’s Manufacturers/Constructors Championship, Honda/Dynamics find themselves trailing MG/888 after Brands Hatch’s three races. And it is Pirtek Racing, thanks to Jordan and team-mate Jeff Smith’s combined efforts, which has stolen an early lead in the HiQ Teams Championship. Jordan and Pirtek also lead the Independent drivers and teams’ standings respectively.

 

Elsewhere, officials fined Robert Collard (£500) and Jason Plato (£750) and put three penalty points on both drivers’ competitions licences following on-track incidents. The Honda Yuasa Racing Team’s Gordon Shedden was also excluded from race three’s results after his team carried out unauthorised work on his car during a red flag period.