Trio of winners at Donington Park

Matt Neal maintained his championship lead following an eventful three races at Donington Park.

Team BMR took two out of three victories with the third going to Neal. Reigning champion Colin Turkington – who now lies second in the championship – took pole position on Saturday by just under a tenth of a second from Gordon Shedden. It was team-mate Jason Plato, however, who took the spoils in the opening race, wasting no time in taking the lead from third on the grid.

In race one Aron Smith failed to make the grid due to car issues while Mike Bushell was slow on the parade lap. He failed to complete any laps while Dan Welch, Simon Belcher, and Andy Wilmot retired after just three laps. In the opening laps Shedden took second from Turkington although following a lock-up for the former, the BMR driver took the position back before swiftly losing it again. Elsewhere Rob Collard enjoyed a feisty run, passing both Jack Goff and Adam Morgan in one move. Goff got his own back on the last lap – however – when he got into a drag race with Collard on the pit straight. Goff got seventh position by under a tenth of a second. Up at the front Plato beat Shedden and Turkington.

Shedden set the fastest lap in race one, giving him pole position for the second race of the day. Turkington wasted no time in getting ahead and went on to take an impressive victory by 2.5 seconds from Neal. The safety car was deployed on the second lap due to an incident involving Warren Scott and Alex Morgan. Racing quickly resumed on lap five and the fight for the final two podium spots intensified as Turkington pulled away. Adam Morgan, Neal, and Andrew Jordan were all fighting with Neal making contact with Morgan who then sent Jordan into a slide. It was eventually Neal and Morgan who secured the podium positions with fourth going to Jordan ahead of race one winner Plato.

The reverse grid meant that rookie Josh Cook would be starting on pole position for the first time. He didn’t last long in P1 as Collard made another of the rear wheel drive BMWs fast starts and took the lead. Neal once again found himself in the thick of the action, hitting Jordan as he passed and going on to win the race. MG appealed the decision to allow Neal to keep his win following the contact between the two drivers. That wasn’t the only fighting going on however. A safety car was deployed on lap seven after Goff and Sam Tordoff ended up in the tyre wall and beached in the gravel following the final chicane. This was as a result of a tap from Morgan for Goff who then collected Tordoff. On lap 11 racing resumed and excitement ensued. A. Smith found himself going wheel-to-wheel with Josh Cook who was impressing by sticking with the more experienced BTCC drivers. The pair both went off track and across the grass, narrowly avoiding contact with other cars as they returned. Aiden Moffat also got involved, with the young driver setting the fastest lap on his way to fifth having started right down the order. At the front Collard – who was running the soft tyre – struggled to hold on and dropped to fourth, while Neal and Jordan battled for the lead. Neal held on and took his second win of the season – the first driver to do so this year – with Jordan second and Shedden third. Smith and Cook eventually finished sixth and seventh, separated by just two tenths of a second.

• Donington Park Results

The action continues in two weeks when the championship travels to Thruxton on 9th and 10th of May.

2015: BTCC – Donington Park Preview

The British Touring Car Championship continues this weekend with the action moving on from Brands Hatch to Donington Park.

The BTCC returned on the Brands Hatch Indy a fortnight ago on a weekend which saw Rob Collard, Gordon Shedden and Matt Neal pick up a win apiece. It was a great start to the year for the Honda Yuasa Racing team who only revealed they would be running a brand new Honda Civic Type R a few weeks before the start of the season. The results saw Neal – along with MG’s Jack Goff – leave the weekend at the top of the championship table.

The 2015 season launch and media day took place at Donington Park in March. On the day it was Team BMR who lead the times – Jason Plato narrowly ahead of new team-mate Colin Turkington. The team put in a strong showing at the season opener, coming away with four podiums, but also encountered some bad luck along the way. Andy Priaulx impressed on his return as he took pole position but an opening race on the soft compound tyres left him vulnerable when they wore out, meaning he failed to convert his pole into a win for West Surrey Racing.

Last year at Donington Park MG took two victories – one each for Plato and Sam Tordoff – while Shedden won race three. Plato took overall pole position during Saturday qualifying.

Donington Park Stats

Circuit Length: 1.96 miles
Number of Corners: 8
Number of Laps: 16
Race Lap Record: Adam Morgan 1:10.573 (100.95mph)
2015 winners: Jason Plato, Sam Tordoff, Gordon Shedden

There is good news for the weekend ahead as the grid is set to be strengthened to 29 cars. Daniel Welch – who broke his foot just ahead of the season opener at Brands Hatch – is set to return this weekend, revealing that he has to “man up and get on with it“. He will partner team-mate Andy Wilmot who had a disappointing weekend at Brands Hatch, unable to race due to engine problems. Elsewhere Richard Hawken will make his BTCC debut after having to sit out the first round while Infiniti Support Our Paras Racing prepared their second car. His team-mate Derek Palmer came away from the opening weekend with two top twenty finishes.

After just one weekend it is close at the top of the table. Neal and Goff are tied on 37 points while Aron Smith has 36. Priaulx, Shedden, and Turkington are all within seven points of the leading pair. MG lead the manufacturers while Team BMR and A. Smith lead the team and Independents championships respectively. In the Independents Team championship it is Speedworks Motorsport at the top of the points.

Neal and Goff lead British Touring Car Championship after first weekend

Matt Neal and Jack Goff have taken the early lead in the 2015 British Touring Car Championship. Neal won the third and final race of the day while a string of solid points finishes saw Goff tie with the Honda driver at the top of the championship after the first weekend of action.

Aron Smith, Matt Neal and Jack Goff spray champagne following the final race of the day © Matt Roberts

Race one saw returnee Andy Priaulx line up on pole position ahead of Aron Smith, Jason Plato, and Colin Turkington. Rob Collard made one of the now familiar BMW rear wheel drive starts by moving up to second place by the first corner and pressured his team-mate – who was running the soft tyre – for the lead. He eventually took it on lap 14 and held off the Team BMR duo of Smith and Plato who joined him on the podium. Priaulx slipped down the order after his tyres lost grip and eventually finished in ninth place. There was just one retirement from the first race of the year and it was Derek Palmer in the Infiniti Support Our Paras Racing car.

Due to setting the fastest lap of race one, it was Plato who started from pole position for the second race alongside Priaulx. The Honda of Gordon Shedden got himself into second place by the third lap of the race with Prilaux dropping to third. The pair made contact late on in the race as they battled for the second and third podium positions. At the same time race leader Plato – who had a comfortable lead – went off track with a suspected puncture. Martin Depper was unlucky to get caught up in Warren Scott’s incident after the Team BMR driver lost control of his car and slid across the track. It wasn’t the best race for Scott’s team as Smith made contact with Goff and dropped down the order. Shedden took the eventual victory by just four hundredths of a second from Priaulx. 2014 champion Turkington finished the race in third.

After finishing tenth in the second race it was down to Rob Austin to pick the number for the reverse grid. He picked his own number meaning the grid would be reversed from tenth. Austin started from pole alongside Goff with  Neal and Sam Tordoff just behind. Race one winner Collard started from 16th with race two winner Shedden in tenth. Neal got into second in the opening corner while Collard spun off into the gravel. A safety car was instantly deployed while Kieran Gallagher, Palmer, Stewart Lines, and Plato got caught up together at Druids. Gallagher and Lines made contact, sending them both into spins while Palmer and Plato got caught up due to having nowhere else to go. Josh Cook pulled off at the side of the track while the safety car was still out while Scott pitted. Shedden and Aiden Moffat also returned to the pit-lane. The race restarted on lap seven and the race distance was increased to 27 laps. In the last ten laps of the race the top three were separated by very little – Austin leading Neal and Goff. Neal took the lead on the 21st lap with Austin also finding himself under pressure from Goff. Andrew Jordan also joined the battle but the MG driver picked up a puncture, entering the pits after contact with Austin. Goff was flashing his lights at Neal as he tried to find a way past into the lead but it was the Honda driver – in his 25th BTCC season – who eventually won. Goff was second with Smith in third.

Aron Smith, Matt Neal and Jack Goff on the podium following race three © Matt Roberts

• Full results from Brands Hatch Indy

Andy Priaulx marks BTCC return with pole position

Andy Priaulx will start the first race of the 2015 British Touring Car Championship from pole position.

The West Surrey Racing driver – whose last pole position in the series was also his last appearance back in 2002 – ended the qualifying session just six hundredths faster than lead Team BMR driver Aron Smith.

It was a positive session for Team BMR with new recruits Jason Plato and Colin Turkington lining up on the second row of the grid. They were separated by just one thousandth of a second continuing the close pace they showed at media day. It wasn’t just the team-mates who were close as the top twenty on the grid were separated by just over a second.

Rob Collard and Jack Goff will start tomorrow’s first race from the third row, ahead of Gordon Shedden, Sam Tordoff, Tom Ingram, and Andrew Jordan. Next up will be Matt Neal, Adam Morgan, Rob Austin, Dave Newsham, Aiden Moffat, and Hunter Abbott. Returning driver Jeff Smith will start alongside leading rookie Mike Bushell, who in turn is ahead of Martin Depper, Josh Cook, Alex Martin, Simon Belcher, Stewart Lines, Derek Palmer, Kieran Gallagher and Andy Wilmot.

Richard Hawken is missing from the action this weekend due to Infiniti Support Our Paras Racing running into technical problems with their second car. Palmer will be their sole representative in the opening weekend of running. Joining Hawken on the sidelines is Dan Welch who broke his foot on Wednesday while preparing the team truck.

Three races will take place tomorrow with the grid for race two decided by race one fastest laps. The grid for race one:

1. Andy Priaulx – 48.411 – 32 laps
2. Aron Smith – 48.480 – 28 laps
3. Jason Plato – 48.534 – 25 laps
4. Colin Turkington – 48.535 – 25 laps
5. Rob Collard – 48.562 – 32 laps
6. Jack Goff – 48.599 – 26 laps
7. Gordon Shedden – 48.608 – 27 laps
8. Sam Tordoff – 48.631 – 31 laps
9. Tom Ingram – 48.643 – 23 laps
10. Andrew Jordan – 48.656 – 27 laps
11. Matt Neal – 48.694 – 29 laps
12. Adam Morgan – 48.717 – 26 laps
13. Rob Austin – 48.895 – 31 laps
14. Dave Newsham – 48.911 – 27 laps
15. Aiden Moffat – 48.931 – 28 laps
16. Hunter Abbott – 48.964 – 31 laps
17. Jeff Smith – 49.101 – 28 laps
18. Mike Bushell – 49.367 – 28 laps
19. Martin Depper – 49.492 – 15 laps
20. Josh Cook – 49.517 – 18 laps
21. Alex Martin – 49.575 – 29 laps
22. Simon Belcher – 49.633 – 32 laps
23. Stewart Lines – 50.596 – 29 laps
24. Derek Palmer – 50.609 – 23 laps
25. Kieran Gallagher – 50.762 – 25 laps
26. Andy Wilmot – 52.665 – 14 laps

2015: BTCC – Brands Hatch Indy Preview

The wait is almost over for the start of the 2015 British Touring Car Championship.

This Easter weekend the lights will go out on the first three races of the championship as drivers take on the Indy version of Brands Hatch. The 2015 seasons sees a record breaking 32 car grid entered however just 29 will be in action as Motorbase Performance and Nicholas Hamilton will wait until Croft to make their debut.

Jason Plato topped the times at the recent media day at Donington Park by the narrowest of margins. He was just a couple of thousandths faster than new team-mate and reigning champion Colin Turkington. Both drivers have moved to Team BMR to contest the new season alongside Aron Smith and team owner Warren Scott. Plato and Turkington are just two drivers to swap teams for the new season. There are also new regulations for the year ahead including a significant overhaul of the success ballast. The grid for race two will now be decided by race one fastest laps rather than race one positions as it was in the past.

Brands Hatch Indy Stats

Circuit Length: 1.22 miles
Number of Corners: 10
Number of Laps: 24
Race Lap Record: Matt Neal 2011 48.498s (88.97mph)
2014 Winners: Andrew Jordan (x2) and Colin Turkington

The opening weekend of the 2015 championship will once again be broadcast live on ITV4. On Sunday there will be eight hours of coverage starting at 10.30 and finishing at 6.30, giving viewers even more build up and round-up than before. Over the rest of the season there will be seven hours of action with further extended highlights packages post-race weekend.

• Timetable for the weekend 

As well as there being a number of well established drivers on the grid there are also eight rookies, who will contest the Jack Sears Trophy. The trophy will now be awarded to the top rookie driver at the end of the season. The eight rookies taking part in the 2015 season are:

• #12 Andy Wilmot – Welch Motorsport – Proton Gen-2
• #14 Alex Martin – Dextra Racing – Ford Focus
• #21 Mike Bushell – AmD Tuning.com – Ford Focus
• #22 Derek Palmer – Infiniti Support Our Paras Racing – Infiniti Q50
• #23 Kieran Gallagher – RCIB Insurance Racing – Toyota Avensis
• #66 Josh Cook – Power Maxed Racing – Chevrolet Cruze
• #84 Richard Hawken – Infiniti Support Our Paras Racing – Infiniti Q50
• #95 Stewart Lines – Houseman Racing – Toyota Avensis

Nicholas Hamilton will also join the fray at Croft although will not be eligible for points due to competing with a guest licence.

By the final round of the 2014 championship only two drivers were in mathematical contention – Turkington and Plato. Turkington had a comfortable 50 point lead and eventually won by 35 points. Now the pair are team-mates with Turkington making the swap from rear wheel drive to front wheel drive. Honda are set to debut a brand new car – swapping to the Honda Civic Type R – while Andrew Jordan has left family run Eurotech and moved to Triple 8 MG. Mat Jackson – who finished fourth in the standings last year – will not make an appearance until Croft with Motorbase choosing to test their car more. Rob Collard is joined at 2014 champion team WSR – who will also enter the championship as a manufacturer for the upcoming season – by Sam Tordoff and returning Andy Priaux. It is set to be a close fought season and one that is definitely not to be missed.

Two wins for Jason Plato at Silverstone

The 2014 British Touring Car Championship will officially be decided at Brands Hatch.

With 67 points available per race weekend, Jason Plato arrived at Silverstone needing to ensure that Colin Turkington did not outscore him by 12 points. The MG KX Clubcard Fuel Save driver managed to do just that and outscored Turkington by five points instead, reducing the deficit to 50 points. He did so by winning the first two races of the day, while Turkington finished second, but was unable to do anything to stop Turkington finishing ahead of him in race three, despite his best efforts.

Plato started the weekend by getting a bonus point for securing pole position. It was a close session, and the top five were separated by just a tenth of a second. Turkington lined up in second just 0.064s behind Plato and just 0.003s ahead of Sam Tordoff. Mat Jackson qualified in fourth place – 0.091s off pole position – with his former Airwaves Racing team-mate Aron Smith in fifth a tenth of a second down on Plato. Also qualifying in the top ten were Alain Menu, Tom Ingram, Marc Hynes, Adam Morgan and Rob Austin. Down to 23rd position was covered by under a second in a very close session.

Turkington got the better start of the two front row starters and picked up a point for leading a lap. Behind them Jackson slotted into third place. Turkington’s lead did not last long and Plato was back into the lead of the race on the third lap. Turkington had no answer and had to settle for second place and was involved in gaggle of seven cars who were fighting for the podium spots. He had to fend off a feisty Jackson but was able to hold on and finished just under a second and a half down on Plato. Jackson had to settle for third – just over a tenth of a second behind the eBay Motors driver – while Tordoff finished in fourth place. Menu, Smith, Rob Collard, Hynes, Austin and Andrew Jordan rounded out the top ten positions. Also finishing in the points were Jack Goff, Fabrizio Giovinardi, Jack Clarke, Gordon Shedden, and Nick Foster.

It was a similar result in race two with Plato losing the lead early on to Turkington but soon getting it back. Turkington was on soft tyres and started to fall away towards the end of the race, which was red flagged with just a lap remaining. The red flag was due to a heavy crash for Turkington’s eBay Motors team-mate Rob Collard. Clarke and Shedden were locked in battle and the former received a tap from the Honda Yuasa Racing driver. The tap was enough to send Clarke into a slide and he collected an unfortunate Collard, giving him a tap which was enough to send the car airborne and rolling several times. Reports afterwards suggested that Collard was OK – although understandably shaken and winded – and he was airlifted to hospital for precautionary checks. Due to the safety car being deployed and the subsequent red flag the results were counted back and classified on lap 20. Plato secured his second win of the day once again ahead of Turkington, this time by a second. Menu completed the podium positions. Also finishing in the top ten were M. Jackson, Smith, Tordoff, Giovinardi, Jordan, Warren Scott and Clarke. Shedden, Hynes, Matt Neal, Goff and Morgan also scored points.

As the driver who finished in tenth place, Clarke had the honours of selecting reverse grid pole position – he picked Giovinardi. There was drama before the race started as Tordoff’s car had problems and he failed to pull away for the warm-up lap with a lot of smoke billowing from his car. His grid slot was left empty – giving Turkington a clear run – and Giovinardi maintained the lead at the start of the race. Turkington progressed to fourth, after starting sixth, while Jackson passed his team-mate to be leading by the end of lap one. After its delayed start, there were further delays to racing action following a safety car deployment at the end of lap one. It was down to an incident involving Robb Holland, James Cole, and Martin Depper. Cole was tapped into a spin and he collected Holland, who was visibly angry about the accident as he was spotted gesticulating at Cole after the crash. Racing resumed on lap four and the number of laps was increased to 24. Turkington faced a difficult race behind Giovinardi as he tried to find a way past him but was unable to do so. Inevitably there was contact as Giovinardi fought to hold on to his position and Plato got involved by giving Turkington a tap. The eBay Motors car was able to hold onto his car and avoid collecting Giovinardi and went on to finish third. Jackson romped ahead at the front of the pack and won the race by nearly three seconds. Smith was a comfortable second with Turkington third ahead of championship rival Plato. Menu, Jordan, Morgan, Shedden, Scott and Goff were also in the top ten. Giovinardi salvaged points and finished ahead of Neal, Clarke, Newsham and Foster.

Turkington’s three podiums were enough to secure him the Independents Championship and post race he revealed that it felt as special to him as his first title in 2007 was, but he is still looking to win the main one. He goes to Brands Hatch in two weeks time with a 50 point lead which is comfortable but the championship can easily be turned on its head by one incident.

• British Touring Cars Silverstone results

2014: Silverstone BTCC Results

Race One (22 laps)

Pole Position: Jason Plato

1. Jason Plato
2. Colin Turkington +1.453s
3. Mat Jackson +1.578s
4. Sam Tordoff +3.561s
5. Alain Menu +4.602s
6. Aron Smith +4.909s
7. Rob Collard +11.151s
8. Marc Hynes +11.729s
9. Rob Austin +12.040s
10. Andrew Jordan +12.687s
11. Jack Goff +12.978s
12. Fabrizio Giovinardi +13.275s
13. Jack Clarke +13.623s
14. Gordon Shedden +14.567s
15. Nick Foster +16.012s
16. Warren Scott +18.268s
17. Aiden Moffat +24.887s
18. Martin Depper +25.195s
19. James Cole +26.140s
20. Luke Hines +28.502s
21. Matt Neal +32.450s
22. Dave Newsham +41.297s
23. Chris Stockton +42.258s
24. Robb Holland +44.892s
25. Simon Belcher +1 lap

Retirements

Tom Ingram
Adam Morgan
Lea Wood
Ollie Jackson
Dan Welch
Hunter Abbott

Race Two (20 laps)

Pole Position: Jason Plato

1. Jason Plato
2. Colin Turkington +1.013s
3. Alain Menu +1.739s
4. Mat Jackson +2.778s
5. Aron Smith +2.979s
6. Sam Tordoff +5.739s
7. Fabrizio Giovinardi +5.942s
8. Andrew Jordan +6.981s
9. Warren Scott +8.417s
10. Jack Clarke +9.353s
11. Gordon Shedden +9.869s
12. Marc Hynes +10.062s
13. Matt Neal +11.355s
14. Jack Goff +11.615s
15. Adam Morgan +11.930s
16. Nick Foster +13.672s
17. Dave Newsham +16.152s
18. Aiden Moffat +18.662s
19. James Cole +19.626s
20. Luke Hines +20.923s
21. Lea Wood +29.029s
22. Chris Stockton +29.546s
23. Hunter Abbott +29.746s
24. Simon Belcher +32.211s
25. Robb Holland +33.220s
26. Tom Ingram +39.599s

Retirements

Rob Collard
Rob Austin
Martin Depper
Dan Welch
Ollie Jackson

Race Three (24 laps)

Pole Position: Fabrizio Giovinardi

1. Mat Jackson
2. Aron Smith +2.753s
3. Colin Turkington +5.257s
4. Jason Plato +5.972s
5. Alain Menu +6.303s
6. Andrew Jordan +6.926s
7. Adam Morgan +7.245s
8. Gordon Shedden +8.121s
9. Warren Scott +8.384s
10. Jack Goff +8.839s
11. Fabrizio Giovinardi +9.427s
12. Matt Neal +9.751s
13. Jack Clarke +11.464s
14. Dave Newsham +13.901s
15. Nick Foster +15.017s
16. Marc Hynes +16.698s
17. Aiden Moffat +16.943s
18. Rob Austin +17.106s
19. Tom Ingram +18.044s
20. Lea Wood +19.298s
21. Chris Stockton +32.550s
22. Simon Belcher +33.190s
23. Hunter Abbott +44.268s
24. Martin Depper +1 lap

Retirements

Luke Hines
Dan Welch
James Cole
Robb Holland
Sam Tordoff (DNS)

Colin Turkington extends championship lead

Colin Turkington has extended his lead at the top of the championship standings following three podium positions at Snetterton. The eBay Motors driver, who entered the weekend with a 7 point lead over Gordon Shedden, finished second in the first two races of the day before taking a third place in race three.

The race wins on the day belonged to Jason Plato and Aron Smith. Plato led from lights to flag in race one after securing pole position on Saturday. He then backed that up with another win in race two, although did not lead all the way after being passed by Turkington at the start of the race. Marc Hynes, who finished tenth in race two, then picked Smith to start from pole on the reverse grid and the Irishman held his nerve and drove a defensive race to take his second win of the season. It was a weekend to forget for Andrew Jordan who suffered a heavy crash in practice. After suffering concussion, he was ruled out of qualifying on medical grounds and therefore started race one from the pit-lane. He picked up no points in race one and another incident in race two saw him ruled out of participating in race three again on medical grounds, after his car filled with fumes.

At the start of race one Plato got away well and maintained his lead over the usually fast starting rear-wheeled BMW piloted by Turkington. Tom Ingram progressed up the order from sixth to fourth while Alain Menu slotted himself into third having started fifth. As the top two pulled away from the pack the battle for third heated up with Menu, Matt Neal, Ingram and Smith touring bumper to bumper. Ingram started to slip down the order and his race came to a disappointing end after his wheel un-attached itself from his car. Elsewhere team-mates Smith and Menu made contact on the pit-straight. Plato’s team-mate Sam Tordoff retired early on after touring the circuit slowly before later rejoining to get some testing on the car. Jordan got a late gift after his team-mate Martin Depper and Jack Clarke made contact, allowing the reigning champion to gain two positions but there were no points for him at the end of the race.

Race One Points

1. Jason Plato
2. Colin Turkington
3. Matt Neal
4. Adam Morgan
5. Alain Menu
6. Aron Smith
7. Gordon Shedden
8. Mat Jackson
9. Rob Collard
10. Jack Goff
11. Rob Austin
12. Warren Scott
13. Fabrizio Giovinardi
14. Glynn Geddie
15. Robb Holland

In the second race, which also happened to be Mat Jackson’s 250th, Jason Plato did not have it all his own way after losing out to Colin Turkington at the start. He was not able to pull away, however, when an early safety car was deployed following an accident involving Alain Menu. The race was restarted on lap five and Andrew Jordan found his bad weekend getting worse after he went three abreast with Rob Collard and Jack Goff at Brundle. Jordan lost out and was sent into a spin. Elsewhere Jack Clarke stopped out on track after contact with Warren Scott while Robb Holland had a spin. By lap nine of the race Plato was back into the lead and he was unchallenged as he stormed to his second victory of the day.

Race Two Points

1. Jason Plato
2. Colin Turkington
3. Gordon Shedden
4. Matt Neal
5. Adam Morgan
6. Mat Jackson
7. Fabrizio Giovinardi
8. Aron Smith
9. Sam Tordoff
10. Marc Hynes
11. Jack Goff
12. Martin Depper
13. Rob Austin
14. Nick Foster
15. Andrew Jordan

Having finished tenth in race two it was down to Marc Hynes to draw the reverse grid. He picked number eight meaning that Aron Smith would start on pole for the third and final race of the day. Tom Ingram, who sat out race two, made it onto the grid for race three as did Alain Menu who had sustained damage in race two. Andrew Jordan did not start race three on medical grounds, following his incident in race two. As the lights went out Smith maintained the lead as Gordon Shedden dropped positions off the line. There was plenty of drama in the final race of the day including Adam Morgan being given a tap by Matt Neal, Lea Wood hitting Dave Newsham, and Martin Depper coming round a corner sideways and taking out innocent bystander Nick Foster. As Colin Turkington tried to fight his way through the pack he made contact with Neal, causing the Honda driver to spin. Turkington lost out to Morgan in the process and was later handed a Knockhill grid penalty for the contact. Up at the front Smith was able to shake off the Airwaves Racing duo of Fabrizio Giovinardi and Mat Jackson. As Jackson passed his team-mate to go second, Giovinardi was left to defend from a fiesty Turkington. The Northern Irishman soon found his way through and Giovinardi dropped down the order after a spin at Coram on the final lap.

Race Three Points

1. Aron Smith
2. Mat Jackson
3. Colin Turkington
4. Jason Plato
5. Gordon Shedden
6. Rob Collard
7. Sam Tordoff
8. Adam Morgan
9. Marc Hynes
10. Jack Goff
11. Matt Neal
12. Glynn Geddie
13. Fabrizio Giovinardi
14. Alain Menu
15. Dave Newsham

The racing continues in three weeks at Knockhill.

Andrew Jordan kickstarts BTCC title defence with two victories

Andrew Jordan has kickstarted his British Touring Car Championship title with two victories at Brands Hatch over the weekend.

The Pirtek Racing driver, who also secured pole position, has taken the early lead in the championship. He has a two point advantage over Matt Neal who in turn is just a point clear of Colin Turkington. Neal’s Honda team-mate is in fourth place with 40 points. The Honda duo are racing with a new car this season – the Civic Tourer. In qualifying on Saturday, Jordan pipped Jason Plato to the first pole of the year by just 0.012s. The top ten also featured Turkington, Neal, Shedden, Tom Ingram, Aron Smith, Alain Menu, Mat Jackson, and Rob Collard. Overall the top 23 were separated by under a second, demonstrating just how competitive this touring car season looks to be. Dan Welch was missing from the running with it being revealed that he would debut at Donington due to the car not being ready.

In the first race, Plato and Jordan managed to block off the fast starting BMW of Turkington. The Northern Irish man maintained third for a while before being passed by the Honda duo of Neal and later Shedden. Racing with a piece of body work hanging off his car Turkington also lost places to his team-mate Collard, Rob Austin, and Smith in the Volkswagen. Jordan had a bit of a hairy moment when he went into Paddock Hill Bend sideways but he managed to correct it and went on to beat Plato by five tenths of a second, with third place nine seconds back. In true British Touring Car fashion there were some incidents throughout the race. Returnee Menu had a spin at Paddock Hill Bend on the opening lap but managed to keep his car out of the barriers and continued. Former team-mates Smith and Jackson had a coming together, dropping Jackson right to the back of the pack. He fought his way back up to 15th – the last points scoring position – and Smith was penalised, dropping five places for race two. He appealed the decision and started in his original grid slot – seventh – but the appeal was dismissed and so he served the penalty in race three. Martin Depper and James Cole also had a coming together, an incident which left Cole with a broken suspension. Depper was penalised and received his first strike of the year. Marc Hynes failed to start the race.

Race two was also won by Jordan this time finishing ahead of Shedden and Turkington. Race one’s second place finisher Plato failed to get away at the start of the race but did get going and finished in the points. A safety car was deployed on lap two with Chris Stockton’s car beached in the gravel. Turkington wasted no time in passing both of his team-mates – Collard and Nick Foster – and eventually finished on the podium. After a disappointing start to his BTCC career, failing to start the first race, Hynes was disqualified from the race two results after an accident with Depper who was also having a disappointing time of it. Following the race the honour was bestowed to Fabrizio Giovinardi – who finished tenth – to select the reverse grid, and he picked number six. This meant that for the third and final race of the day the eBay Motors duo of Collard and Foster would line-up on the front row of the grid.

It wasn’t either of the front row starters who won the final race of the day however, but their team-mate Turkington. He finished in front of Neal and Plato. It was an eBay Motors 1-2-3 for the initial stages of the race, with Collard and Foster holding their own as Turkington pulled away. Foster was soon taken out of the equation when he was handed a drive-through penalty for being in front of his box at the start of the race. Plato fought his way through the field after disappointment in race two, and fought with his old adversary Neal. Ingram was the unlucky driver who had an incident in the third and final race of the day after a coming together with Menu. The safety car was deployed as a consequence and the field bunched up. Menu took advantage of being the lead driver on the medium compound and fought his was through to fifth place.

The next round is 17 days away, taking place at Donington Park.

2014 BTCC: Brands Hatch Indy Preview

Yes, the 2014 British Touring Car Championship is nearly upon us. This weekend the season will roar into life at Brands Hatch, with plenty of accompanying action in the support classes. A bumper 31 car grid was unveiled at the recent media day at Donington Park including seven champions.

Reigning world champion Andrew Jordan will be joined once again by Gordon Shedden, Matt Neal, Colin Turkington, and Jason Plato. Returning to the BTCC fray are Fabrizio Giovinardi and Alain Menu, champions in 2007 & 2008, and 1997 & 2000 respectively. As well as the aforementioned champions, there are 17 drivers who raced at least once last year back on the grid. This includes Rob Collard, Aron Smith, Mat Jackson and Lea Wood. Martin Depper returns having last raced in the series in 2010. BTCC rookies in 2014 are 2013 Ginetta GT Supercup champion Tom Ingram; Marussia F1 Head of Driver Development Marc Hynes; Renault Clio Cup champion Simon Belcher; former British GT driver Hunter Abbott; Dutch Supercar Challenge champion Glynn Geddie; and Formula Two driver Jack Clarke. This year all cars will run to full NGTC specification.

Brands Hatch Indy Stats
Circuit Length: 1.22 miles
Number of Corners: 10
Number of Laps: 24
Race Lap Record: Matt Neal 2011 48.498s (88.97mph)
2013 Winners: Jason Plato (x2) and Matt Neal

Last year at Brands Hatch Indy there was plenty of drama (and a sprinkling of snow!) to announce the championship’s return to action. Eventual champion Andrew Jordan stole pole position from then reigning champion Gordon Shedden by under a tenth of a second. The top thirteen were separated by under a second. The first race was won by Jason Plato with Jordan in second and Rob Austin in third. It was a similar podium in race two, but Austin was replaced by Jordan’s team-mate Jeff Smith. Race three saw Matt Neal take his first race victory of the year finishing ahead of team-mate Shedden and Sam Tordoff.

With seven champions on the grid, including two returning, it promises to be an intriguing season opener. As well as the BTCC the Ginetta Juniors, Ginetta GTs, Formula Fords, Renault Clios, and Porsche Carreras will be in action.