BTCC Grid – 12/01/2011

Even at this early stage - 2011 looks like shaping up to be a very competitive year

With the announcement that Airwaves Racing have resigned Mat Jackson and signed Porsche Carrera Cup GB racer Liam Griffin to drive two of their new Ford Focus ST Touring Cars, I figured it was time to sort out how the 2011 British Touring Car Grid is shaping up and who we are still waiting for with regards to announcements.

Honda Racing – Honda Civic/NGTC Engine

Matt Neal
Gordon Shedden

Team AON – Ford Focus ST – NGTC Engine

Tom Onslow-Cole (Likely)
Tom Chilton (Likely)
TBC
TBC

Airwaves Racing – Ford Focus ST – NGTC Engine

Mat Jackson
Liam Griffin
Steven Kane/Ben Collins (one out of two is likely)

Special Tuning UK – Seat Leon – NGTC Engine

Tom Boardman (Likely)
TBC
TBC
TBC

AmD Milltek Racing – VW Golf Mk5 – NGTC Engine

Shaun Hollamby

Team Eurotech – Vauxhall Vectra – NGTC Engine

Jeff Smith
Andrew Jordan (Likely)

Speedworks Motorsport – Toyota Avensis – Full NGTC

Tony Hughes
TBC

Dynojet – Toyota Avensis – Full NGTC

Frank Wrathall

Rob Austin Racing – Audi A4 – Full NGTC

TBC
TBC

Still to announce:

RML/Chevrolet are likely to return yet no drivers have been announced yet. Mat Jackson had been linked to a drive as has Fabrizio Giovanardi. Jason Plato should return to the team to lead a two or three car attack. Will use the Chevrolet Cruze again with the S2000 engine.

888 – said they’d only return with a Manufacturer deal. Vauxhall and MG have been linked with a NGTC car so 888 could be a team of choice. No drivers mentioned.

WSR – again, would like to run a works team in 2011 but would return with the BMW’s if a works deal doesn’t come off. No drivers mentioned. A full WTCC campaign is on the cards with Colin Turkington.

Tech-Speed Motorsport/Sunshine.co.uk – no news whatsoever but will most likely to return with a new car. Paul O’Neill would be a likely contender for the drive.

Forster Motorsport – no news but likely to be the only team running BMW’s in 2011 unless WSR run theirs.

With plenty of time before Media Day – still plenty of time for news and announcements ahead of the 2011 season – and what a season it is shaping up to be.

BTCC 2010 – Teams Report

BTCC 2010 – Teams Review

Having completed my driver awards for the 2010 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, it is now time to move on and award the teams their awards.

Starting off with:

 

Best Livery:

The award of the best livery goes to Pirtek Racing and their Vauxhall Vectra.

The car – bright and noticeable grew on me as the season progressed and by the end of the season, there wasn’t another livery that got close. Hopefully a similar one will be kept ready for the 2011 season when the team should enter the Championship in much better shape having a year’s worth of data on the car and the new NGTC engine.

Only downside is, liveries don’t win team’s prizes…

Next up is the:

Should have stayed at home award:

New shortened version of a BMW 320si

The team who, in my eyes have earned the should have stayed at home award are Forster Motorsport. Give them their due, they gave it a go but throughout the whole season they showed minimal improvements and looked unlikely to score an outright Championship point.

The team secured the two cars used by Mat Jackson, his 2007 and 2008 cars and they were race winners. The team always faced an uphill task, having graduated from racing Mini’s to Rear Wheel Drive BMW 320si’s.

However, they should have stayed at home and they won’t move forward if they return next year.

My third award is:

New Favourite Team award:

Pic Credit - Dad

The new favourite team award has been awarded to a team who introduced the VW badge back into the BTCC for the first time in some 20 years and even though they failed to score a point and spent most of their on track time towards the rear of the field – they never gave in and kept getting the fans on board during the season.

They’ve confirmed for 2011 – a tie in with the fan funded Yourracecar.com and a new NGTC engine to help push them further up the grid in 2011.

The winners – AmD Milltek. The driver, Shaun Hollamby was voted as the BTCC.net Forum Fans Trophy winner of the season, Hollamby’s first BTCC trophy.

He also kept the fans fully up to date with the progress of the car, from its complete rebuild during the winter to the races during the season.

A totally deserved award.

Award number four and one of the toughest to decide:

The Strongest Line Up of 2010:

 

Pic Credit - Dad

This award could have gone one of three ways and I’m sure people will have their own opinions as to what the strongest BTCC line up of the season was.

I went for the line up which saw 10 wins secured between the two drivers, they helped secure their team the Manufacturers and Teams Championships as well as second and third overall in the drivers’ Championship.

The winners have proven themselves as a line up before and have two contrasting driving styles – yet they both work and provide results.

The winners: Honda Racing – Matt Neal and Gordon Shedden.

Up next is another contentious award and one for discussion:

The Team You Love To Hate Award:

Pic Credit - Dad

This award is again a tough one to award as there are a number of teams who could receive it for incidents during the 2010 season.

However – one team with one race weekend stands out for me and this is why this award goes to Team AON.

You may ask why Team AON are the team you love to hate when they are running a popular saloon car in the Championship and are successful.

What most people forget is what happened at Silverstone – with the team asking Tom Onslow-Cole to move over twice to allow Tom Chilton the wins – decisions which cost OC 8 Championship Points when he was on for the maximum 53 points – 1 for pole, 45 for winning all three races, 3 fastest laps and three for leading the races.

In the end, Chilton ended up as Independents Champion and the team ended as Independent Teams Champions yet the fans feel it was all a fix as it is Chilton’s Dad who funds the team…

Up next is the award for Biggest Disappointment of the season:

Pic Credit - Dad

This could go one of two ways and the way I have gone is to award it to the team who should have been riding the crest of a wave yet struggled to get sponsors on board and their best results have come away from the BTCC.

Having won their first outright BTCC crown in 2009 with Colin Turkington, Dick Bennetts and his team should have been back winning and chasing the crown again in 2010 but with the loss of Turkington, the RAC backing and their second driver Stephen Jelley, it turned into a season to forget.

Therefore, the winners of this award are WSR.

They have run Turkington out in selected WTCC race weekends and in the four he has competed in – he has secured three second place finishes as well as a third and had to be excluded from the Independents category – compared to their BTCC form where Rob Collard took the occasional podium and Andy Neate looked out of his depth at times.

2011 – Must do better.

The Surprise of the Season award:

Something this team isn't used to - chasing down others

This award has gone to a team who before 2010 ran the works Vauxhall team and were always there or there abouts come the end of the season.

However, much akin to the WSR story – lack of sponsors meant results weren’t as expected. They did, however, secure two victories during the season – both at Thruxton with their International star driver.

Before Rockingham – it was confirmed that both drivers that the team had signed had to drop out because the main sponsor pulled out – so they started again, got a new number one driver and the second car became a BTCC ‘guest’ car so to speak – with a number of drivers having a one off drive with the team.

The Surprise of the Season: 888.

After Fabrizio Giovanardi confirmed a surprise return days before Thruxton – he went on and took the opening two victories of the season. This then brought on the teams downfall as the sponsor, Uniq – withdrew leaving Giovanardi and Philip Glew without a drive.

In came James Nash for Rockingham onwards and he took a third at Oulton Park while Daniel Lloyd (Croft), Jeff Smith (Knockhill) and Sam Tordoff (Brands Indy) all took it in turns to partner Nash during the season.

The team is in talks with a number of manufacturers about a 2011 entry and will join the Porsche Carrera Cup GB grid as well.

My final teams’ award for the 2010 BTCC season is the Team of the Season Award:

Sadly we won't see the Integra again 😦

For me, there was only one team who could walk away with this crown. They took a car which had won the 2005 and 2006 BTCC crowns with Matt Neal to the verge of leading the Drivers Championship at Brands Hatch.

They secured a trio of podium finishes during the season – twice as runners up and a single third and proved that miracles can be performed on a shoestring budget.

This team ran my 2010 driver of the season as well – the winners are Sunshine.co.uk with Tech-Speed Motorsport.

Sadly for the popular Tech-Speed Motorsport outfit, 2010 is the last time they can run the BTC Spec Honda Integras as the new regulations mean that they have been retired – meaning a new piece of machinery for the extremely popular Paul O’Neill in 2011 – a move which should secure him some wins.

To round up the teams awards:

• Livery Of The Season: Pirtek Racing
• Should Have Stayed at Home award: Forster Motorsport
• New Favourite Team award: AmD Milltek Racing
• Strongest Line Up: Honda Racing
• Team You Love To Hate: Team AON
• Disappointment Of the Season: WSR
• Surprise Of The Season: 888
• Team Of the Season: Sunshine.co.uk with Tech-Speed Motorsport

Next up will be a driver by driver rating and review – then a race by race recap of the 2010 season.

 

BTCC 2010 – Review

The 2010 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship season drew to a close at Brands Hatch last weekend with Silverline Chevrolet’s Jason Plato coming out on top after the thirty races.

Unlike a normal season review – I’m going to take a different approach and award drivers with some of my own awards.

Driver of the season:

 

Sunshine.co.uk can be proud of what this driver did in 2010

 

Pic Credit: Cat McCann

The driver of the season can only go one way even though there are a number of suitable candidates for the award.

My chosen driver took a small Independent team to the verge of leading the overall drivers Championship, secured a trio of podium finishes including the team’s best ever result in a car which has now sadly been retired.

This driver took an tearful first win in 2002 and returned to the podium with a tear in his eyes at Snetterton last year – the winner is Paul O’Neill.

Why is O’Neill my driver of the year? He took the aging Honda Integra to places where it had no right to be, being in the top five of the Championship until Oulton Park and almost went to Oulton as the outright Championship leader had it not been for car gremlins ahead of the third race at Brands GP.

With the Integra being retired, 2011 will give O’Neill a chance to show his true potential in newer machinery and expect a win if he returns with the Tech-Speed run Sunshine.co.uk outfit.

 

This driver brought the VW name back to BTCC after a 20 year gap

 

Pic Credit: Jonathan Young

Hero Of The Season:

The hero of the season award goes to a driver who made his debut in 2010 with a car which hadn’t been seen in the BTCC since 1989. The winning driver and his team gave the fans a complete insight in to what goes on behind the scenes of a professional race outfit.

He may have been stuck at the back of the grid during the season with an underpowered car but that never dampened his enthusiasm for his racing and should move up the grid in 2011 with a new NGTC Turbo engine.

The winner: Shaun Hollamby.

Why is Hollamby my hero of the season? For his refreshing outlook on the BTCC and for the fact he never let his head drop even when he struggled – and made it to all ten race weekends on a shoestring budget and with a self built car in the shape of a VW Golf Mk5.

 

Tough choice but it is this guy for his constant moaning

 

Pic Credit: Cat McCann

Pantomime Villain of the season:

The pantomime Villain award goes the way of a driver who, even though he won the 2010 title still spent half the season moaning about the rivals and their ‘advantage’. What advantage?

By the end of the season, the winner was like a broken record and half the time he was beating the cars with the advantage, even with 45 kilos of ballast on board. Every year this driver finds something to moan about – 2009 it was the rear wheel drive advantage of the BMW’s, this year it was the top end speed and torque of the Team AON Ford Focus ST’s and their LPG fuel.

My pantomime villain of 2010 is a certain Jason Plato.

Maybe he will stop moaning as he has won his second BTCC crown and has equalled the record of wins which Andy Rouse has held for so long. Or maybe not if he doesn’t retain his BTCC crown from this year… we shall see.

 

I think this driver exceeded all expectations in 2010

 

Pic Credit: Cat McCann

Surprise of the season:

The surprise of the season could have gone a number of ways – both surprise in a good way or a bad way. I decided to go for the good way and the winner is one of the four contenders for the 2010 crown at Brands.

One of the nicest, friendliest drivers on the grid who always has time for the fans returned to his former team after a tough 2009 season which saw him drive for three different teams and meant he ended the season winless.

Returning home in 2010, it took this driver until the fifth meeting of the year to take a win but after that he never looked back.

The 2010 Surprise of the season: Gordon Shedden.

Can he go one better in 2011 and claim the overall title and beat Matt Neal in the process? With the new NGTC engine in the Civic, it could be possible.

 

Much was expected of this driver on his return to a BeeEmm

 

Pic Credit: Cat McCann

Disappointment of the season:

This award can only go one way as I expected a lot more from this driver, a driver who has proved himself as a BTCC and WTCC Champion of the future, but who struggled with an underpowered car in 2010.

He proved his ability in a BMW during his first two seasons in the BTCC while showed tenacity to get consistent results with a record breaking run of results in 2009, despite racing a front wheel drive car for the first time since 2006.

A single victory and seventh overall is not what the 2008 season runner up would have expected and my disappointment of the 2010 season is Mat Jackson.

But why is Jackson my disappointment of the season? At the start of the season, I felt that 2010 could well have been Mat’s season – he knew the BMW package, he had joined a strong team in Motorbase Performance and had a strong team mate with Steven Kane.

The single win came at Brands Hatch in the wet and that was after a blistering start from eleventh to third by Druids.

Jackson must do better next year.

 

This driver graduated into the BTCC and looked at home

 

Pic Credit: Jonathan Young

Rookie Of The Season:

Out of all my driver awards for 2010, the rookie of the season award was the easiest as there was only one BTCC rookie who stood out.

The 2009 Elf Renault Clio Cup runner up managed to secure one of the plum drives for 2010 and hasn’t disappointed, even though he failed to secure a victory and didn’t show the same pace as his more experienced team mate.

A brace of pole positions showed that the pace is there but for some bad luck he’d have had a win or more podiums – the broken gear stick at Snetterton and the bad start at Knockhill two prime examples.

However, he showed enough to be considered for another shot in 2011 and will gain in experience and will grow into a very dependable if not spectacular touring car driver.

My rookie of the year is Alex MacDowall.

He proved that the jump from the Elf Renault Clio Cup to the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship is one that any aspiring youngster can achieve with the talent and potential. 2011 will see what MacDowall is made of.

 

Vauxhall Vectra, NGTC Engine and a lively character...

 

Pic Credit: Dad

Unluckiest Driver of the Season:

The award for the unluckiest driver of the year is a tough choice of there is a couple of drivers who deserve the award – both for differing reasons.

My choice though has gone to a guy who is one of the most colourful on the grid and not just for his car liveries.

This driver got his hands on a race winning Vauxhall Vectra which Fabrizio Giovanardi raced and used one of the new NGTC engines fitted – as a tester. Much was expected of the combination and even the team manager thought that a win was on the cards.

Early pace was shown before it all started to go downhill and my winner didn’t show his true potential.

Sadly, the winner of the Unluckiest Driver of the season goes the way of David Pinkney.

To run salt into the wound for Pinkney, he had to sit out the Brands finale after his engine went and he had used up his allocation of engines for the season. One will start to wonder if he will return in 2011 or if he’ll go somewhere else.

Testing Snetterton weekend for Sunshine.co.uk

Pic Credit: Dad 🙂

Sunshine.co.uk with Tech-Speed Motorsport experienced a testing weekend during rounds 16, 17 and 18 of the 2010 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship at Snetterton, Norfolk.

The same weekend last year saw Widnes driver Paul O’Neill secure his first podium finish since he returned to the series full time – however, that feat wasn’t repeated this year as both O’Neill and team mate John George were caught up in an opening lap accident during the weekend’s second race – putting both cars out on the spot and meaning they had to start from the back of the grid for race three.

O’Neill, who lined up eighth after the tricky wet qualifying session struggled to get the balance of his Honda Integra right during the opening race to finish just outside the points in eleventh.

Race two saw Owy’s race ended after three corners. Hoping to make his way up into the points from his sixth row starting position, he was the unlucky driver to be caught up in the Tom Boardman/James Nash incident at the Bombhole.  The contact put O’Neill out of the race on the spot and left the team with a lot of damage to repair ahead of race three.

The third race saw O’Neill recover from the back of the grid to eighth and three hard fought Championship points and afterwards, O’Neill said about the weekend:

“That is probably the best eighth place finish we’ll get this season,” he said. “We were out of position after qualifying when we were eighth quickest and then we had an issue with the balance on the car in race one. The second race was unfortunate but the guys did an outstanding job again to get both cars out for the final race. To come back with eighth was good and it was great to have John running so well behind me; he could have passed me at one point. It’s not what we were hoping for from the weekend but the final race was good reward for the team.”

For team mate John George, the qualifying session saw the popular Cornishman set the sixteenth fastest time before finishing behind O’Neill in race one, crossing the line in eleventh place.

George was also caught up in the Bombhole incident in race two; however George was able to crawl his way back to the pits on three wheels, having lost his right rear in the accident at the Bombhole.

As with the damage to O’Neill’s car, the Tech-Speed Motorsport run Sunshine.co.uk outfit managed to repair the car for George for the final race where he followed O’Neill up the order to another twelfth place finish.

“The last race was brilliant and we had great pace, which was amazing considering the damage that there was to the car after race two,” he said. “I really thought I was going to avoid Boardman when he was spinning and then he caught me on the rear and ripped the wheel off. To be honest with you, I didn’t think we’d get out again after that, never mind with a car as good as it was. I was able to follow Paul and got to fight with Alex MacDowall and Tom Boardman for position, so it was a good way to end the weekend.”

The team, which is run by Marvin Humphries had hoped for a strong weekend at the front after the impressive recent showing during the official test in July, and will be looking to bounce back at Silverstone next time out.

“It’s been a tough weekend and we lost some pace compared to the test which we now need to look at,” he said. “The accident in race two obviously set us back and in race three it was a case of making what we could from the position we were in. They both drove well and for Paul to get eighth place was almost like a podium considering how we looked after race two. John was also really strong and did well to follow Paul through the field in the way he did. We’ve got to put the weekend behind us and look forward to Silverstone.”

For the MD of title sponsor Sunshine.co.uk, Chris Brown insisted that the Snetterton weekend was a case of ‘one of those things’ but had special praise for O’Neill and George as well as the Tech-Speed team on their battling performance in the third race.

“It was an unfortunate weekend and events certainly transpired against us,” he said. “It obviously just wasn’t meant to be. The guys did a brilliant job to fix the damage from race two and from the back of the grid in the last race, Paul and John just had to get their heads down and they both did us proud. Aside from race two, John in particular has been really strong all day and we’re really pleased with the way he drove.”

Sunshine.co.uk Complete Successful Snetterton Test

Sunshine.co.uk with Tech-Speed Motorsport have completed a successful one day test at the high-speed Snetterton track in Norfolk, venue for the sixth weekend of the 2010 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship on the 7/8th August.

The circuit saw the experienced team record their best result of the 2009 season with third in the first race for Paul O’Neill and will head back to the same circuit in confident mood after the test.

The team, which runs popular Widnes driver Paul O’Neill and Cornishman John George saw O’Neill set the second best time of the morning session, 0.013s slower than the fastest time set by Silverline Chevrolet’s Alex MacDowall. The team opted to sit out the afternoon session after rain hit the track. The decision was made as they couldn’t see much benefit of running in the wet.

At the end of the afternoon session, the team ended the day with the third fastest time as O’Neill saw Tom Chilton in the LPG powered Ford Focus ST top the times.

Speaking after the test, O’Neill said:

“I’m quite pleased with the test but to be fair, we expected to be near the front, although maybe not quite as near as we were! We changed quite a long of things compared to when we were here last year and the time I did was an untidy lap, so we know there is more to come. I made a mistake at the Chicane which cost me maybe two tenths of a second, but what we know now is that we have a good car over a single lap. It’s always been a good car in the races, but we were able to put in that one quick lap like you need to do in qualifying.

“There was no point in us running around in the wet as it was just using up mileage on the engine but we had already been able to complete a good programme that sets us up well for the second half of the year.”

For Guernseyman George, Snetterton holds special memories for him as he set the fastest Independent lap here in 2007 and ended the day with the twelfth fastest time of the day.

Sunshine.co.uk with Tech-Speed Motorsports’ Team Principle Marvin Humphries summarised the days work for the team:

“We sat down before the test to work out a programme we wanted to work through and we had a good baseline on the car after going well at Snetterton last year,” he said. “We tried a few things out on the car that worked, and it proved to be a decent test for us.

“We are satisfied with how things went in the running we did and we decided not to go out in the afternoon when it was raining as we know the car is good in the wet. The circuit itself is a bit quicker with some resurfacing work that’s been done, but we found time during the day and both Paul and John ran well.”

BTCC 2010 Driver Reports – Part 2

Part two of my 2010 driver reports – I’ve covered Jason Plato (number 2) to John George (Number 28).

Here I cover Paul O’Neill (Number 29) to Fabrizio Giovanardi (number 888) as well as my predicted final drivers standings.

29. Paul O’Neill – Sunshine.co.uk with Tech-Speed Motorsport – Honda Integra.

Current Championship Position: 7^th, 79 Points

Best Result: 1x 2^nd (Rockingham)

Paul O’Neill – BTCC’s Mr Popular, the 2009 BTCC.net Fans Trophy winner, a true people’s champion. And not a bad racer either. After losing his full time drive end of 2003, has made the occasional appearance before a full time return in 2009, and a teary podium at Snetterton.

This season has seen Owy running as a regular top five contender, and with a brace of podiums – could have left Brands Hatch as the outright Championship leader had it not been for car problems.

A win is a must before the season is out – has already secured the team’s best ever BTCC result with 2^nd at Rockingham.

Rating: 9/10

Prediction: 8^th. The age of the car could stop Owy from being higher – what could he do in a brand new car I wonder…

30. Martin Depper – Forster Motorsport – BMW 320si

Current Championship Position: 22^nd, 0 points

Best Result: 1x 12^th (Croft)

For Depper, the move up from the Mini Challenge to the BTCC has been a steep learning curve but now, after nine races, he is starting to show some pace and potential.

The switch from a front wheel drive Mini to a rear wheel drive, ex race winning BMW has also been tough but slowly but surely he is getting there and points aren’t that far off.

Rating: 5/10

Prediction: 22nd, may get a point or two before the end of the season.

37. Arthur Forster – Forster Motorsport – BMW 320si

Current Championship Position: 23^rd, 0 points

Best Result: 2x 13^th (Rockingham, Oulton Park)

Arthur Forster, running the other ex Mat Jackson BMW in his maiden season of BTCC has struggled to get fully upto speed in the series – another Mini Challenge graduate; the switch from the front wheel drive Mini to the Rear Wheel Drive BMW has proved to be a challenge.

There is still more to come from Forster, whether he is able to cut it in the BTCC remains to be seen.

Rating: 5/10

Prediction: 25^th, will struggle to get into the points in such a competitive Championship.

43. Lea Wood – Central Racing Group – Honda Integra

Current Championship Position: 24^th, 0 Points

Best Result:  2x 11^th (Brands Hatch, Oulton Park)

Another debutant in the 2010 BTCC is former Elf Renault Clio Cup racer lea Wood in the ex Alan Taylor Honda Integra. Wood missed the opening two race weekends so joined the grid at Brands Hatch – and was running in the top ten for a time.

Even after nine races – Wood has looked mighty impressive and points are sure to happen during the second half of the season – you never know, could cause a major upset.

Rating: 6/10

Prediction: 21^st, points may happen – car age will hapmer, 2010 a learning year for Wood.

44. Andy Neate – WSR – BMW 320si

Current Championship Position: 18^th, 4 Points

Best result: 1x 9^th (Rockingham)

Neate is a lucky guy – having survived a nasty and life threatening accident at the start of a Britcar race in 2008, this is the opportunity of a lifetime for Andy, one that he wasn’t going to turn down.

Results haven’t been great – a best result of ninth, but it’s a steep curve, getting back into a race car after such horrific injuries, and then getting up to speed in the car. The car is also new to him, so is the BTCC. But the same applied to the driver he replaced – and Stephen Jelley became a race winner.

Rating: 4/10

Prediction: 15^th. Results and performances will come once fully up to speed. A podium will feel like a victory for Neate.

52. Gordon Shedden – Honda Racing team – Honda Civic

Current Championship Position: 3^rd, 100 Points

Best Result: 2x 1^st (Oulton Park x2)

A return to the Team Dynamics run Honda Racing Team for Flash Shedden has signalled a return to form for the likeable Scot. Having started the season with the team last year, he then lost his drive to James Thompson and ended the 09 season in a Seat leon run by GR Asia, and with a best result of 2^nd at home.

2010 has seen the pace, Shedden took the first pole of 2010 – but with some bad luck, could be in the Championship lead and the favourite. As it stands, will be Matt Neal’s wingman.

Rating: 8/10

Prediction: 2^nd, the car is flying and Shedden is now on form. Will support Neal all the way.

55. David Pinkney – Pinkney Motorsport – Vauxhall Vectra – NGTC Engine

Current Championship Position: 16^th, 9 points

Best Result: 1x 8^th (Thruxton)

The oldest driver on the grid has gone to his own team in search of success in 2010 after a trying 2009 campaign in the Team Dynamics Honda Civic.

Pinkney has shown glimpses of pace, in the longer wheelbase Vauxhall Vectra – the car is more suited to him, he prefers the feel of the car to the Civic.

Pinkney is only one of two racers trying out the new TOCA branded turbo engine – which is part of a whole new set of regulations due to come in next year.

Rating: 5/10

Prediction: 16^th, there should be a few more results during the second half of the season, a race three podium isn’t out of the question either.

77. Andrew Jordan – Pirtek Racing – Vauxhall Vectra – NGTC Engine

Current Championship Position: 10^th, 51 Points

Best Result: 1x 1^st (Croft)

Entering into his third season of BTCC, Jordan has been given his best chance of winning and has finally broken the duck and in the process taken the first win for the new NGTC engine.

Before this season, Jordan had secured a few second place finishes during his one year as a works Vauxhall driver and took a brace of thirds in his debut season.

Should secure more wins in the remainder of the season – tracks ahead will suit the car and the engine.

Rating: 4/10

Prediction: 10^th – the car is a proven race winner, the engine has had its first victory – there will still be teething problems, could this be the downfall of any other Jordan wins?

88. Phil Glew – Uniq Racing with 888 – Vauxhall Vectra

Current Championship Position: 15^th, 9 Points

Best Result: 1x 6^th (Thruxton)

The reigning Elf Renault Clio Cup Champion secured a plum seat ahead of his BTCC debut, driving for multiple Champions. After a solid opening weekend at Thruxton, it was announced that he had to miss Rockingham after the teams principle sponsor, Uniq, dropped out.

Since then, Glew hasn’t been out but is still working on a return to the series.

Prediction: 17^th, may well not come back this season.

98. Matt Hamilton – TH Motorsport – Honda Civic Type R

Current Championship Position: 21^st, 2 Points

Best Result: 1x 9^th (Brands Hatch)

Matt Hamilton, who made his debut at the end of the 2009 season returned for another stab at the series for 2010, in the ex James Kaye Honda Civic. The end of 2009 saw a lot of bad luck but some potential, 2010 saw him follow that up and build on the potential he showed.

Lack of budget meant he had to miss Croft, but with two points to his name, he has proved he could be a name for the future.

Rating: 4/10

Prediction: 23^rd, lack of money may result in no more appearances this season.

99. Shaun Hollamby – AmD Milltek Racing.com – VW Golf

Current Championship Position: 25^th, 0 Points

Best Result: 1x 13^th (Brands Hatch)

Hollamby is running the only truly Independently built car in this seasons BTCC, having completely rebuilt the VW Golf he purchased from the Baltic states over the winter.

Progress is slow for the team, however they are making progress towards the top ten and the pace is coming. Their friendly approach to the fans has won them a number of fans and they keep the fans upto date with the teams progress via the official btcc.net forum.

Rating: 6/10

Prediction: 24^th, points will depend on the amount of progress made during the summer and second half of the season.

888. Fabrizio Giovanardi – Uniq Racing with 888 – Vauxhall Vectra

Current Championship Position: 12^th, 38 Points

Best Result: 2x 1^st (Thruxton x2)

Giovanardi was a very late entry for the Championship, having secured some funding to make a return to the series at Thruxton in the 888 Vauxhall Vectra, which he took back to back titles in the 2007 and 2008 seasons.

A double win and the Championship lead after Thruxton, Gio was never to return after the sponsor pulled out. Has now moved into the International Superstars series. A 38 point haul at Thruxton meant it took another 10 races for him to be knocked out the top 10.

Prediction: 14^th. Will finish bottom of the main scorers due to a double win at Thruxton.

Predicted final standings:

1. Matt Neal
2. Gordon Shedden
3. Jason Plato
4. Tom Onslow-Cole
5. Steven Kane
6. Mat Jackson
7. Rob Collard
8. Paul O’Neill
9. Tom Chilton

10. Andrew Jordan

11. Alex MacDowall

12. Tom Boardman

13. James Nash

14. Fabrizio Giovanardi

15. Andy Neate

16. David Pinkney

17. Phil Glew

18. Daniel Lloyd

19. John George

20. Martin Johnson

21. Lea Wood

22. Martin Depper

23. Matt Hamilton

24. Shaun Hollamby

25. Arthur Forster

BTCC 2010 Driver Reports – Part One.

Part one of the 2010 BTCC Driver Reports. Here I go from Jason Plato (Number 2) to John George (Number 28).

Part two will come later on today.

2. Jason Plato – Silverline Chevrolet – Chevrolet Cruze

Current Championship Position: 2^nd, 111 points.

Best Result – 2x 1^st (Rockingham, Oulton Park)

Plato has done what has been expected of him, provide wins and a title challenge. Has suffered a little bit of bad luck, two DNF’s at Brands Hatch could cost him dearly – as well as being knocked off at Oulton Park and the puncture at Croft.

The summer break will give the team a chance to work on some set ups – and try and find some more speed from the car. Some of the tracks ahead will suit the Cruze. Plato is still well and truly in the title fight.

Rating: 5/10

Prediction – 3^rd, will be pipped by Shedden or Onslow-Cole.

4. Matt Neal – Honda Racing Team – Honda Civic

Current Championship Position: 1^st, 119 points.

Best Result – 3x 1^st (Rockingham x2, Oulton Park).

Neal has returned to the family outfit after two years in a Vauxhall Vectra has proved what a quality driver he is as he’s taken the team’s Honda Civic, which in the last few years hasn’t been a front running car and turned into an outright Championship contender.

Has proved the cars capabilities in both the dry and the wet – and its ability to hold the extra success ballast and still perform. If Neal can hold off Plato and the rapid Fords and grab the wins when they come – he’ll be Champion.

Rating: 8/10

Prediction: Champion – has the strongest wingman if required.

5. Mat Jackson – Airwaves BMW – BMW 320si

Current Championship Position: 6^th, 79 points

Best Result: 1x 1^st (Brands Hatch)

For Jackson, the return to the rear wheel drive BMW 320si hasn’t been as fruitful as he must have hoped at Media Day. Having spent two years in a family run 320si, which saw him snatch second overall in 2008 – he spent a season in a front wheel drive Lacetti.

Jackson has shown glimpses of what made him such a fans favourite in 2008, with his abilities in a BMW – his single win this season came in the damp but drying race at Brands Hatch, but with only two other podiums in fifteen races means Mat isn’t as high up as he should be.

Rating: 4/10

Prediction: ^6th, form and luck will improve.

6. Rob Collard – WSR – BMW 320si

Current Championship position: 8^th, 67 points

Best Result: 2x 2^nd (Rockingham, Croft)

Collard is back in the WSR fold after three years away – two of which were spent with rival team Airwaves BMW/Motorbase Performance. He took the team’s first victoryat Brands Hatch last year and took his first ever BTCC victory with WSR in 2005 when they ran the MG ZS.

Collard has suffered some bad luck this season – normally after securing a good result in the previous race. Must be disappointed not to have won a race by now this season.

Rating: 4/10

Prediction – 7^th, Luck will improve, will the results?

11. Steven Kane – Airwaves BMW – BMW 320si

Current Championship Position: 5^th, 92 points.

Best Result: 1x 1^st (Thruxton)

After making an immediate impression in 2008 when he made his BTCC debut with Motorbase Performance, Steven Kane suddenly found himself without a drive for 2009. So back to his single seater roots he went – as the official FIA Formula Two test driver – and co-commentator for Eurosport.

Back in the Airwaves BMW team for 2010, Kane has proved himself to be an outright title contender, taking his first win at Thruxton and having scored at least one podium a weekend. Qualifying is a problem and will need to be improved if the title challenge is to be held during the second half of the season.

Rating: 8/10

Prediction: 5^th – tracks ahead aren’t so suited to the BMW’s and qualifying performances need to be improved.

14. James Nash – Uniq Racing with Triple Eight – Vauxhall Vectra

Current Championship Position: 14^th, 30 points

Best Result: 1x 3^rd (Oulton Park)

After an impressive part season in the RML run Chevrolet team in 2009, James Nash has returned again for 2010 and has shown signs of potential in the Triple Eight Vauxhall Vectra.

The pace has been there as the podium in the final race at Oulton Park showed – a win before the end of the season is a possibility for Nash. One for the future – that is for sure.

Rating: 6/10

Prediction: 13^th – late entry into the series means an uphill battle and the competition doesn’t get any easier.

20. Alex MacDowall – Silverline Chevrolet – Chevrolet Cruze

Current Championship Position: 13^th, 35 points.

Best Result: 1x 3^rd (Brands Hatch)

Thrown in at the deep end, MacDowall has made solid progress during the opening half of his debut season in the BTCC. Having finished as the runner up in the supporting Clio Cup Championship last season, MacDowall secured a plum seat alongside Plato in the works Chevrolet outfit.

Has shown glimpses of speed and the potential to run at the front as well as some stellar qualifying performances. A win before the end of the season will secure his place in the BTCC.

Rating: 7/10

Prediction: 11^th. Lack of experience may hinder him towards the end of the season, when the titles are up for grabs.

21. Tom Onslow-Cole – Team AON – Ford Focus ST

Current Championship Position: 4^th, 97 Points

Best Result: 2x 1^st (Brands Hatch, Oulton Park)

Onslow-Cole is back for his first full season since 2008, when he drove for the factory backed Vauxhall outfit, alongside Fabrizio Giovanardi and Matt Neal. 2009 saw him complete a part season in the petrol powered Ford Focus, before rejoining the team for a full campaign.

Thus far in 2010 has looked the better of the two team AON drivers and results have backed that up, with two wins to his name and a further three podiums, his fourth place is fully deserved and is going to be the dark horse for the outright title.

Rating: 8/10

Prediction: 4^th, Only three drivers better than OC this season – problem is they are in the best three cars on the grid. Could upset the odds if the cars advantage is still there after the summer.

22. Tom Boardman – Special Tuning UK – Seat Leon

Current Championship Position: 11^th, 40 Points.

Best Result: 1x 4^th (Rockingham)

After racing alongside Tom Coronel in the 2009 FIA WTCC, Tom Boardman decided to return to Britain for the 2010 season. Using the Seat he raced in the WTCC, he had been a solid bottom end of the top ten runner.

Had secured a single Independents victory at Rockingham, where he also secured his best result of the season but could have had a podium or two had it not been for bad luck or accidents. Has also led a couple of the reverse grid races. A podium will be welcomed by Boardman and the team. A win could be on the cards as well.

Rating: 7/10

Prediction: 12^th. Underpowered car heading to some of the fastest circuits will make it harder for Boardman to break into the top ten, but he won’t give in.

23. Tom Chilton – Team AON – Ford Focus ST

Current Championship Position: 9^th, 60 Points.

Best Result: 1x 1^st (Brands Hatch)

Considered one of the favourites ahead of the 2010 BTCC season, Chilton has been a disappointment. A single win in an identical car to that of team mate Onslow-Cole means that Chilton is lagging behind.

The king of qualifying – three race one pole positions out of five – hasn’t been able to turn into race results. More will be expected during the second half of the season – otherwise he may have to become wingman to OC.

Rating: 5/10

Prediction: 9^th, need an improvement in results if he doesn’t want to be left behind and turned into a wingman for Onslow-Cole.

25. Daniel Lloyd – Uniq Racing with 888 – Vauxhall Vectra

Current Championship Position – 17^th, 7 Points

Best Result: 1x 7^th (Croft)

Lloyd made his BTCC debut at his home round of Croft after impressing the 888 outfit at the Rockingham test.

A one race deal to start with but could be extended for further rounds in the season.

Has a bright touring car future.

Prediction: 18th. One race deal only. IF More races are completed, could snatch a win and be higher.

27. Martin Johnson – Boulevard Team Racing – Vauxhall Astra Coupe

Current Championship Position: 20^th, 2 points

Best Result: 1x 9^th (Rockingham)

One of the BTCC’s true Independent outfits, popular Lincolnshire based Johnson keeps plugging away in a car which dates back to 2001.

Recorded his best ever BTCC result at Rockingham, scene of his best BTCC moment in his short career – when he overtook Giovanardi for 10^th in the third race last year.

Will keep trying and will always be smiling – another points finish will make Johnsons efforts all worthwile.

Rating: 7/10

Prediction: 20^th. Is one of the tailenders who will keep up the occasional point in a race of attrition.

28. John George – Sunshine.co.uk with Tech-Speed Motorsport – Honda Integra

Current Championship Position: 19^th, 2 points

Best Result: 1x 9^th (Thruxton)

Another one of the BTCC’s popular Independent runners, George has switched from a one car team to the experienced Tech-Speed Motorsport outfit for 2010, and his form has improved.

2009 saw a pointless season for the Cornishman in a 2005 spec Integra, after his 2008 car saw destroyed in a last race of the season accident. He had aimed for a points finish per weekend, which hasn’t happened but has scored points already and more will happen before the season is over.

Rating: 6/10

Prediction: 19^th – slightly newer car and an experienced team mate will help George top the true Independents. Could even match his best ever result before the end of the season.

BTCC 2010 – Half Way Report

BTCC – half season review.

Fifteen rounds in, fifteen to go. The 2010 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship has reached the half way stage with Matt Neal of Honda Racing team leading the Championship by eight points from fierce rival Jason Plato of Silverline Chevrolet. Just behind the pair of them, after a strong Croft weekend is Neal’s Honda Racing Team team mate Gordon Shedden.

Rounding out the top five in the Championship standings are Team AON’s Tom Onslow-Cole and Airwaves BMW’s Steven Kane.

The season started off at the high speed Thruxton track in Hampshire over the Easter weekend. Late entrant Fabrizio Giovanardi claimed two race wins in his Triple Eight Race Engineering Vauxhall Vectra while Steven Kane secured his first race victory for Airwaves BMW in race three, leading home a historic Airwaves BMW 1, 2 as team mate Mat Jackson backed up the returning driver.

It was a case of what could have been at Thruxton – Gordon Shedden secured the first pole position of the season in his return to the Team Dynamics run Honda Racing Team outfit – and was looking all set for victory in race one before a puncture caused the Scot to go off. Matt Neal also encountered tyre problems. This gave Gio a win on his return – earlier in the week he didn’t even have a racing licence. He led home Plato and Jackson.

Race three – Rob Collard was leading Steven Kane until Matt Neal took him and Collard out at the Club Chicane – Neal had tried to go round both Kane and Collard and the contact between the BMW and Honda resulted in an Airwaves BMW 1, 2.

Rockingham – rounds 4, 5 and 6 – Matt Neal takes 2 out of 3 while Jason Plato secures the first win for the new works Chevrolet team. Paul O’Neill secures the best ever result for Sunshine.co.uk with Tech-Speed Motorsport during the third race while Steven Kane secures his second and third podiums of the season.

Brands Hatch – rounds 7, 8 and 9 – rather wet, Tom Chilton takes his first win of the season and the first for an LGP powered car, wins race two before being excluded for failing the ride height check, Tom Onslow-Cole inherits the win, Mat Jackson takes his first win back in a BMW with a stellar drive from eleventh on the grid.

Oulton Park – rounds 10, 11 and 12 – Tom Onslow-Cole, Jason Plato and Matt Neal share the victories. Plato gets knocked off the track during round 10, and wins from tenth on the grid in round 11. Neal, starting eighth wins round 12, just from Kane. Local hero Tom Boardman is robbed of his maiden podium finish after his steering is damaged, while Paul O’Neill is ruled out of the first two races with gearbox problems. Kane secures another podium finish while Onslow-Cole is awarded the Cliff Johnson trophy as he finished the weekend as top points scorer – Cliff Johnson, the Dad of popular Independent runner Martin sadly passed away during the run up to Oulton Park.

Croft – rounds 13, 14 and 15 – Baking hot. Gordon Shedden secures a double win while Andrew Jordan secures his first victory and the first for the new NGTC engine in the BTCC. Rob Collard ends up being out of luck again – finishes a very close second in race one, gets spun to the back in race two before recovering to eighth overall before a race three DNF. Championship leaders Matt Neal and Jason Plato both suffer race three problems – Jason managed to finish at the back, but gains a point for the fastest lap, Matt fails to finish with a puncture. Steven Kane secures another podium, from 19^th on the grid to 3^rd at the end.

Wins and Podiums:

WINS:

Driver	Team	Number Of Wins	Circuits
Matt Neal	Honda Racing Team	3	Rockingham x2, Oulton Park
Jason Plato	Silverline Chevrolet	2	Rockingham, Oulton Park
Gordon Shedden	Honda Racing Team	2	Croft x2
Tom Onslow-Cole	Team AON	2	Brands Hatch, Oulton Park
Fabrizio Giovanardi	Uniq Racing with Triple Eight	2	Thruxton x2
Steven Kane	Airwaves BMW	1	Thruxton
Mat Jackson	Airwaves BMW	1	Brands Hatch
Tom Chilton	Team AON	1	Brands Hatch
Andrew Jordan	Pirtek Racing	1	Croft

PODIUMS:

Driver	Team	Wins	Seconds	Thirds	Total
Matt Neal	Honda Racing Team	3	4	0	7
Jason Plato	Silverline Chevrolet	2	1	4	7
Gordon Shedden	Honda Racing Team	2	4	0	6
Tom Onslow-Cole	Team AON	2	1	2	5
Steven Kane	Airwaves BMW	1	1	4	6
Mat Jackson	Airwaves BMW	1	1	1	3
Paul O’Neill	Sunshine.co.uk	0	1	1	2
Rob Collard	WSR	0	2	1	3
Tom Chilton	Team AON	1	0	0	1
Andrew Jordan	Pirtek Racing	1	0	0	1
Tom Boardman	Special Tuning UK	0	0	0	0
Fabrizio Giovanardi	Uniq Racing with Triple Eight	2	0	0	2
Alex MacDowall	Silverline Chevrolet	0	0	1	1
James Nash	Uniq Racing with Triple Eight	0	0	1	0
Phil Glew	Uniq Racing with Triple Eight	0	0	0	0
David Pinkney	Pinkney Motorsport	0	0	0	0
Daniel Lloyd	Uniq Racing with Triple Eight	0	0	0	0
Andy Neate	WSR	0	0	0	0
John George	Sunshine.co.uk	0	0	0	0
Martin Johnson	Boulevard Team Racing	0	0	0	0
Matt Hamilton	TH Motorsport	0	0	0	0
Martin Depper	Forster Motorsport	0	0	0	0
Arthur Forster	Forster Motorsport	0	0	0	0
Lea Wood	Central Group Racing	0	0	0	0
Shaun Hollamby	AmD Milltek Racing.com	0	0	0	0

Second Independent Win for Sunshine.co.uk at Croft

Paul O’Neill secured Team sunshine.co.uk with Tech-Speed Motorsport’s second Independent victory of the 2010 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship during round fourteen at Croft, North Yorkshire.

A third podium of the season proved to be elusive for the team though – Widnes star O’Neill secured another triple points score during the weekend to bounce back from a testing weekend at home during the previous rounds at Oulton Park.

The Oulton Park problems saw O’Neill drop down to seventh overall – having been second after the second race at Brands Hatch – and the Sunshine.co.uk driver had dropped to fourth in the Independent category, twenty-seven points off the leader, Steven Kane.

The Croft weekend saw O’Neill start off by setting the fifth fastest time during the first free practice session before going third quickest in the second free practice session. Qualifying ahead of round thirteen saw O’Neill set the ninth fastest time.

During the first race of the weekend, O’Neill was pushing on and climbed his way up the field to be on the tail of the Honda Racing Team Honda Civic of Championship leader Matt Neal. O’Neill took the chequered flag in fifth.

The second race of the weekend saw O’Neill pass Neal off the line and into fourth – lap two however saw O’Neill tagged from behind at Tower, which in turn saw Rob Collard tagged. All of this gave the Team AON Ford Focus of Tom Onslow-Cole the chance to slide through. O’Neill was then stuck behind the Ford until the last corner where he made his move stick to take fourth overall and claim his second Independent victory of the season. O’Neill also claimed the bonus point for setting the races fastest lap.

The third and final race of the weekend saw O’Neill line up fourth on the grid after the top seven positions on the grid were reversed. Looking set to challenge for podium number three of the season, Owy was tagged by the other Honda Racing Team car of Gordon Shedden at turn one, then the following lap Owy was down in seventh after WSR’s Rob Collard tagged the popular Widnes racer on the high speed run to Sunny In.

O’Neill was able to recover sixth when the Silverline Chevrolet Cruze of Jason Plato pitted for a replacement tyre and on lap ten, O’Neill was back in the top five having passed Shedden at Tower. Fifth became fourth when Collard encountered problems and the podium was back on.

Tom Boardman made his Seat Leon as wide as he could and O’Neill was unable to pass – this in turn meant the rest of the field caught up with him. On the final lap, O’Neill was forced wide by Boardman, allowing Steven Kane and Tom Chilton to find their way past. Into the hairpin, O’Neill was collected again, this time by Mat Jackson and went in sideways. O’Neill recovered and took fifth from Boardman on the run to the line.

After Croft, O’Neill shares sixth in the Championship with Jackson while sitting third in the Independents category, nine points off the leader Onslow-Cole.

“I’ve learned a lot about car control this weekend,” he said. “At times I felt like Colin McRae I was being pushed about so much. It’s been a good weekend, but to be honest with you, it could also have been better. Without the contact in race two and then getting stuck behind Tom, I honestly feel we could have won and I should have been on the podium in race three but was again hit by other drivers. However, we’ve finished inside the top five in all three races and got another Independent win which is great for the team.

“We’ve reached the middle of the season and the summer break with a real chance of winning the Independents’ Championship with what is a true Independent team; there is no big budget here I keep saying it, but this team is a top three team and when we go racing again at Snetterton, I’m going to be going for the podium we missed out on here.”

For team mate John George, he was looking to build on the encouraging pace shown at Oulton Park as he looked for his first points finish since the opening round of the season at Thruxton.

George set the nineteenth fastest time in qualifying; after suffering engine problems but recovered during race one to take the flag in fifteenth place.

Race two saw George find himself in thirteenth during the early part of the season and a points finish was on – however, contact with both the WSR cars of Andy Neate and Collard saw the popular Guernsey based racer into retirement with a damaged exhaust.

Race three saw George start down in twentieth place, and by the end had climbed his way up the field to finish just outside the points in twelfth.

“It was a good weekend again and I showed strong pace against the rest of the field,” he said. “I’m happy with that. It was disappointing that we lost the engine in qualifying and also a shame that I got hit by two BMWs in race two which damaged the exhaust, especially when they both then finished in the points. However, race three was really good to come through from 20^th to finish twelfth, so even though I didn’t get into the top ten, I’m happy with how the weekend went.”

The tech-Speed Motorsport run outfit currently sit sixth overall in the HiQ Teams’ Championship and are third overall in the Independents Teams’ Championship, having closed the gap to Team AON and Airwaves BMW.

Speaking after the weekend, Tech-Speed boss Marvin Humphries said: “Overall we’ve had a good weekend, John has driven well again but was out of luck in the second race, and it was unfortunate for Paul that he found himself stuck behind slower cars in both race two and race three. The boys have worked really well again this weekend and we are coming away Croft and going into the summer break having scored some good points towards the championship.”

Chris Brown, the MD of Sunshine.co.uk, the teams title sponsor is pleased to have seen a return to form after a testing Oulton Park weekend two weekends ago. He said that everyone connected with the team would push hard to ensure that the teams Independents’ Championship challenge would be maintained.

“What am amazing weekend after the shocking outing at Oulton Park two weeks ago,” he said. “The whole team came to Croft with just one plan and that was to get on with the job at hand, forget about recent run of bad luck and get back in the fight.

“Three outstanding drives by Paul not only lifted the spirits of the team but elevated us back up the championship standings. A strong twelfth place finish in race three by John also showed his pace. I just wonder where we would we be in if the mechanical gremlins hadn’t have got us last time out. C’est la vie as they say.

“As we head into the summer break, sunshine.co.uk with Tech-Speed can take confidence from the fact that we aren’t doing well because we are lucky, we are doing this well because we are great! Tech-Speed Motorsport do an outstanding job and the guys work their guts out to get those cars looking immaculate and running perfectly for each race. We’ll be back in the second half of the season with an even stronger desire to succeed.”

BTCC Round Five – Croft preview.

Croft marks the half way point of the 2010 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship as the field makes its annual trip up north to North Yorkshire and the Croft circuit for rounds thirteen, fourteen and fifteen.

The 2009 race weekend saw a mixed up day weather wise as well as cars badly damaged – as well as one of the best overtaking moves pulled off in recent years as Giovanardi passed Team Dynamics driver James Thompson round the outside of Sunny In and Out to complete the move at the entrance to the complex.

The first two races of the day saw a double Team RAC one, two with Colin Turkington leading home team mate Stephen Jelley before Jelley took third in race three to complete three podiums in one day – his first ever BTCC podiums.

Turkington’s victories in rounds 13 and 14 meant that he had won five races by the half way stage – while Giovanardi had only taken a brace of wins.

Heading to Croft this season, there have been seven different race winners:

Driver	Team	Number Of Wins
Matt Neal	Honda Racing team	Three
Jason Plato	Silverline Chevrolet	Two
Tom Onslow-Cole	Team AON	Two
Fabrizio Giovanardi	Uniq with Triple Eight	Two
Steven Kane	Airwaves BMW	One
Tom Chilton	Team AON	One
Mat Jackson	Airwaves BMW	One

The last six races at Croft have been won by two drivers who aren’t on the grid this year – Colin Turkington and Fabrizio Giovanardi. So who are the likely race winners this weekend?

If the weather is hot and dry – it’s hard to look past the Airwaves BMW drivers, Mat Jackson heads to the track with only 9kgs of ballast on board and will always remember his storming drive in 2008 – and will be determined to make up for the bad luck he suffered last year.

Kane will carry 27kgs of success ballast as he heads to Croft but at a track which suits the BMW’s, this may not be so much a hindrance. The lead BMW from Champions WSR of Rob Collard could also be in with a shout of victory, they’re slowly coming to terms with not having Turkington on board.

Another team to watch out for are the Ford Focus ST’s from Team AON – the straights after slow, tight corners will benefit their LPG engines and turbo’s – and having claimed the last three pole positions, they will be a smart choice for a win from pole – as long as the tyres hold up.

The current series leader is Matt Neal of Honda Racing Team, who will be looking to stretch his advantage over big rival from Silverline Chevrolet – Jason Plato. The two of them came together in the wet final race last year, a move which saw Plato penalised with points being added to his racing licence.

One driver who needs a change in fortune is Andrew Jordan – in his third season of the BTCC and still searching for that first win, and running the new NGTC engine provided by TOCA in his Vauxhall Vectra, results haven’t been what was expected and a change in fortune is due.

At the other end of the scale – Sunshine.co.uk with tech-Speed motorsport have been mighty impressive and Paul O’Neill had a chance to lead the overall Championship before his Honda Integra decided to stop on the formation lap ahead of the third race at Brands Hatch.

Whatever happens – the crowds will be entertained and with 11 races coming from the support events, it’ll be a great weekend’s action.

Predicted race winners:

Race 1 – Mat Jackson

Race 2 – Mat Jackson

Race 3 – James Nash.