*sheepish*
2011 British Touring Car Championship
- Thread starter Chris Rees
- Start date
*sheepish*
I should think so :tongue:
to sit in the grandstand you will need the day pass and grandstand pass as far as im aware, and WTCC is definitely at donington this year, im already down to marshal it
For those that are unable to get to the BTCC this year in person, then you are in for a treat thanks to ITV.
This year, the BTCC is shaping up to be a fantastic year with a record number of different cars and models, along with new cars, new rules, new drivers and a new circuit (in the shape of the Snetterton 300).
Steve Rider (pictured at the BTCC Media and Launch day at Silverstone, March 24th), the former presenter of BBC Grandstand, and a familiar face in not just BTCC but in sport in general on the BBC and ITV announced yesterday that ITV are fully committed to the BTCC and are extending their already unrivalled coverage in 2011.
Live raceday coverage from all 10 rounds will be broadcast in HD, including all the support packages on ITV4 all day, with a highlights package, also in HD, been shown on ITV the following week.
Qualifying will also be broadcast live, but online on the itv.com website on the Saturday.
Round/Circuit Date Transmission time
1. Brands Hatch Indy Sun 3 April 11.00am-6.00pm
2. Donington Park Sun 17 April 11.00am-6.00pm
3. Thruxton Sun 1 May 11.00am-6.00pm
4. Oulton Park Sun 5 June 11.30am-6.00pm
5. Croft Sun 19 June 11.30am-6.00pm
6. Snetterton Sun 7 Aug 11.00am-6.00pm
7. Knockhill Sun 4 Sept 11.00am-6.00pm
8. Rockingham Sun 18 Sept 11.00am-6.00pm
9. Brands Hatch GP Sun 2 Oct 11.00am-6.00pm
10. Silverstone Sun 16 Oct 11.00am-6.30pm
* All times subject to change
Broadcast times on ITV1 and ITV4 will be announced soon
Words & Photo: Nick Deeley, Surreal Illusions Motorsport Photography
This year, the BTCC is shaping up to be a fantastic year with a record number of different cars and models, along with new cars, new rules, new drivers and a new circuit (in the shape of the Snetterton 300).
Steve Rider (pictured at the BTCC Media and Launch day at Silverstone, March 24th), the former presenter of BBC Grandstand, and a familiar face in not just BTCC but in sport in general on the BBC and ITV announced yesterday that ITV are fully committed to the BTCC and are extending their already unrivalled coverage in 2011.
Live raceday coverage from all 10 rounds will be broadcast in HD, including all the support packages on ITV4 all day, with a highlights package, also in HD, been shown on ITV the following week.
Qualifying will also be broadcast live, but online on the itv.com website on the Saturday.
Round/Circuit Date Transmission time
1. Brands Hatch Indy Sun 3 April 11.00am-6.00pm
2. Donington Park Sun 17 April 11.00am-6.00pm
3. Thruxton Sun 1 May 11.00am-6.00pm
4. Oulton Park Sun 5 June 11.30am-6.00pm
5. Croft Sun 19 June 11.30am-6.00pm
6. Snetterton Sun 7 Aug 11.00am-6.00pm
7. Knockhill Sun 4 Sept 11.00am-6.00pm
8. Rockingham Sun 18 Sept 11.00am-6.00pm
9. Brands Hatch GP Sun 2 Oct 11.00am-6.00pm
10. Silverstone Sun 16 Oct 11.00am-6.30pm
* All times subject to change
Broadcast times on ITV1 and ITV4 will be announced soon
Words & Photo: Nick Deeley, Surreal Illusions Motorsport Photography
All told here:
http://www.racedepartment.com/content/1136-btcc-2011-transitional-year-gets-underway.html
With live HD coverage too, throughout the year:
http://www.racedepartment.com/content/1135-btcc-gets-live-hd-coverage-for-2011.html
http://www.racedepartment.com/content/1136-btcc-2011-transitional-year-gets-underway.html
With live HD coverage too, throughout the year:
http://www.racedepartment.com/content/1135-btcc-gets-live-hd-coverage-for-2011.html
Sounds excellent, they just gained another viewer
We can't watch ITV where I live
Provisional timetable http://www.btcc.net/pdf/ci_1.pdf
I can't wait. Loads of changes to cars and drivers lineups, more ngtc engines, should be a great season!
Didn't realise it was starting as early as this week-end, great news!
Thanks for the heads up! Almost forgot it.
rounds 1, 2 AND 3 ?? why they doing 3 races at one weekend??
Because they do it always.
Yea, they've always had 3 races a week-end for almost a whole decade now. Nothing new. And it usually makes very interresting meetings I must say.
Matt Neal has qualified on pole position for the opening round of the 2011 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship at the Brands Hatch circuit in Kent.
Worcestershire’s Neal, driving his Honda Racing Team’s new turbocharged Civic, set a qualifying lap record of 48.210s to achieve pole. Over such a short lap that was a staggering 0.255s clear of his rivals, headed by young charger Andrew Jordan in his Pirtek Racing Vauxhall Vectra – like Neal, also using a turbo engine built to the BTCC’s latest Next Generation Touring Car regulations.
Third was the reigning Champion Jason Plato in his Silverline Chevrolet Cruze while another youngster, James Nash in his turbocharged 888 Racing with Collins Contractors Vectra, put in a late burst of speed to secure fourth place on the starting grid for the first of tomorrow’s three races.
Neal, BTCC Champion in 2005 and 2006 and runner-up to Plato last season, said: “What a start and we’ve probably even surprised ourselves with that gap. But the race will be different – we can’t sustain that pace every lap and all the turbo runners are expecting to suffer greater tyre wear over the second half of the race whereas Jason is not too far away. He’ll come on really strong as the race progresses so starting ahead of him in particular is exactly where I need to be.”
Jordan, aged just 21 from Lichfield, added: “I was fastest in the morning practice sessions and knew the pace would increase again in qualifying but perhaps not quite by that much! I’m confident I can give Matt a good run over a race distance, but the one I’m really watching is Jason – that Chevrolet is notoriously good at looking after its tyres and he is the big threat for all of us.”
But Plato, who starts the new season equal with Andy Rouse’s record of 60 wins, begged to differ. The Oxford racer commented: “That really is everything we’ve got in our tank – we’ve gone quicker than the pole record we set here last October yet the gap to Matt is still nearly four tenths of a second which is a bit of a shock. The other teams have clearly done a great job in the winter. There is all this talk about the turbo cars having tyre worries but until we actually find out tomorrow then that’s all it is… talk!”
Completing the top six in qualifying were Plato’s young Cumbrian team-mate Alex MacDowall and Warwickshire’s Mat Jackson in the local Wrotham-based Airwaves Racing team’s Ford Focus. Dorset’s Tom Chilton had looked set to challenge Neal for pole, but instead dropped to seventh when his best time was disallowed after his Team Aon Ford Focus failed a mandatory ride height check.
At least he took part in qualifying. Having to sit out the session after a high-speed crash in morning practice badly damaged his car was Neal’s team-mate Gordon Shedden. The Fife racer, third in last year’s BTCC, is therefore set to start tomorrow’s first race from the back of the 23-car grid.
Tomorrow’s opening round of the 2011 BTCC season will be broadcast live on ITV’s ITV4 and new ITV4 HD channels plus the itv.com website from 11.00am-6.00pm.
Leading BTCC qualifying times, Brands Hatch Indy, 2 April 2011 (provisional):
1. Matt Neal (GBR), Honda Racing Team/Honda Civic, 48.210s
2. Andrew Jordan (GBR), Pirtek Racing/Vauxhall Vectra, +0.255s
3. Jason Plato (GBR), Silverline Chevrolet/Chevrolet Cruze, +0.373s
4. James Nash (GBR), 888 Racing with Collins Contractors/Vauxhall Vectra, +0.413s
5. Alex MacDowall (GBR), Silverline Chevrolet/Chevrolet Cruze, +0.448s
6. Mat Jackson (GBR), Airwaves Racing/Ford Focus ST, +0.457s
7. Tom Chilton (GBR), Team Aon/’Global’ Ford Focus, +0.458s
8. Tom Boardman (GBR), Special Tuning Racing/SEAT Leon, +0.542s
9. Paul O’Neill (GBR), GoMobileUK.com with tech-speed/Chevrolet Cruze, +0.639s
10. Andy Neate (GBR), Team Aon/’Global’ Ford Focus, +0.826s
Worcestershire’s Neal, driving his Honda Racing Team’s new turbocharged Civic, set a qualifying lap record of 48.210s to achieve pole. Over such a short lap that was a staggering 0.255s clear of his rivals, headed by young charger Andrew Jordan in his Pirtek Racing Vauxhall Vectra – like Neal, also using a turbo engine built to the BTCC’s latest Next Generation Touring Car regulations.Third was the reigning Champion Jason Plato in his Silverline Chevrolet Cruze while another youngster, James Nash in his turbocharged 888 Racing with Collins Contractors Vectra, put in a late burst of speed to secure fourth place on the starting grid for the first of tomorrow’s three races.
Neal, BTCC Champion in 2005 and 2006 and runner-up to Plato last season, said: “What a start and we’ve probably even surprised ourselves with that gap. But the race will be different – we can’t sustain that pace every lap and all the turbo runners are expecting to suffer greater tyre wear over the second half of the race whereas Jason is not too far away. He’ll come on really strong as the race progresses so starting ahead of him in particular is exactly where I need to be.”
Jordan, aged just 21 from Lichfield, added: “I was fastest in the morning practice sessions and knew the pace would increase again in qualifying but perhaps not quite by that much! I’m confident I can give Matt a good run over a race distance, but the one I’m really watching is Jason – that Chevrolet is notoriously good at looking after its tyres and he is the big threat for all of us.”
But Plato, who starts the new season equal with Andy Rouse’s record of 60 wins, begged to differ. The Oxford racer commented: “That really is everything we’ve got in our tank – we’ve gone quicker than the pole record we set here last October yet the gap to Matt is still nearly four tenths of a second which is a bit of a shock. The other teams have clearly done a great job in the winter. There is all this talk about the turbo cars having tyre worries but until we actually find out tomorrow then that’s all it is… talk!”
Completing the top six in qualifying were Plato’s young Cumbrian team-mate Alex MacDowall and Warwickshire’s Mat Jackson in the local Wrotham-based Airwaves Racing team’s Ford Focus. Dorset’s Tom Chilton had looked set to challenge Neal for pole, but instead dropped to seventh when his best time was disallowed after his Team Aon Ford Focus failed a mandatory ride height check.
At least he took part in qualifying. Having to sit out the session after a high-speed crash in morning practice badly damaged his car was Neal’s team-mate Gordon Shedden. The Fife racer, third in last year’s BTCC, is therefore set to start tomorrow’s first race from the back of the 23-car grid.
Tomorrow’s opening round of the 2011 BTCC season will be broadcast live on ITV’s ITV4 and new ITV4 HD channels plus the itv.com website from 11.00am-6.00pm.
Leading BTCC qualifying times, Brands Hatch Indy, 2 April 2011 (provisional):
1. Matt Neal (GBR), Honda Racing Team/Honda Civic, 48.210s
2. Andrew Jordan (GBR), Pirtek Racing/Vauxhall Vectra, +0.255s
3. Jason Plato (GBR), Silverline Chevrolet/Chevrolet Cruze, +0.373s
4. James Nash (GBR), 888 Racing with Collins Contractors/Vauxhall Vectra, +0.413s
5. Alex MacDowall (GBR), Silverline Chevrolet/Chevrolet Cruze, +0.448s
6. Mat Jackson (GBR), Airwaves Racing/Ford Focus ST, +0.457s
7. Tom Chilton (GBR), Team Aon/’Global’ Ford Focus, +0.458s
8. Tom Boardman (GBR), Special Tuning Racing/SEAT Leon, +0.542s
9. Paul O’Neill (GBR), GoMobileUK.com with tech-speed/Chevrolet Cruze, +0.639s
10. Andy Neate (GBR), Team Aon/’Global’ Ford Focus, +0.826s
Neal takes pole for first race of the 2011 season
Matt Neal has qualified on pole position for the opening round of the 2011 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship at the Brands Hatch circuit in Kent.
Worcestershire’s Neal, driving his Honda Racing Team’s new turbocharged Civic, set a qualifying lap record of 48.210s to achieve pole. Over such a short lap (the Brands Indy circuit is just 1.2 miles in length) that was a staggering 0.255s clear of his rivals, headed by young charger Andrew Jordan in his Pirtek Racing Vauxhall Vectra – like Neal, also using a turbo engine built to the BTCC’s latest Next Generation Touring Car regulations.
Third was the reigning Champion Jason Plato in his Silverline Chevrolet Cruze while another youngster, James Nash in his turbocharged 888 Racing with Collins Contractors Vectra, put in a late burst of speed to secure fourth place on the starting grid for the first of tomorrow’s three races.
Neal, BTCC Champion in 2005 and 2006 and runner-up to Plato last season, said: “What a start and we’ve probably even surprised ourselves with that gap. But the race will be different – we can’t sustain that pace every lap and all the turbo runners are expecting to suffer greater tyre wear over the second half of the race whereas Jason is not too far away. He’ll come on really strong as the race progresses so starting ahead of him in particular is exactly where I need to be.”
Jordan, aged just 21 from Lichfield, added: “I was fastest in the morning practice sessions and knew the pace would increase again in qualifying but perhaps not quite by that much! I’m confident I can give Matt a good run over a race distance, but the one I’m really watching is Jason – that Chevrolet is notoriously good at looking after its tyres and he is the big threat for all of us.”
But Plato, who starts the new season equal with Andy Rouse’s record of 60 wins, begged to differ. The Oxford racer commented: “That really is everything we’ve got in our tank – we’ve gone quicker than the pole record we set here last October yet the gap to Matt is still nearly four tenths of a second which is a bit of a shock. The other teams have clearly done a great job in the winter. There is all this talk about the turbo cars having tyre worries but until we actually find out tomorrow then that’s all it is… talk!”
Completing the top six in qualifying were Plato’s young Cumbrian team-mate Alex MacDowall and Warwickshire’s Mat Jackson in the local Wrotham-based Airwaves Racing team’s Ford Focus. Dorset's Tom Chilton had looked set to challenge Neal for pole but instead dropped to seventh when his best time was disallowed after his Team Aon Ford Focus failed a mandatory ride height check.
At least he took part in qualifying. Having to sit out the session after a high-speed crash in morning practice badly damaged his car was Neal’s team-mate Gordon Shedden. The Fife racer, third in last year’s BTCC, is therefore set to start tomorrow’s first race from the back of the 23-car grid.
Full qualifying results click here
btcc.net
Matt Neal has qualified on pole position for the opening round of the 2011 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship at the Brands Hatch circuit in Kent.
Worcestershire’s Neal, driving his Honda Racing Team’s new turbocharged Civic, set a qualifying lap record of 48.210s to achieve pole. Over such a short lap (the Brands Indy circuit is just 1.2 miles in length) that was a staggering 0.255s clear of his rivals, headed by young charger Andrew Jordan in his Pirtek Racing Vauxhall Vectra – like Neal, also using a turbo engine built to the BTCC’s latest Next Generation Touring Car regulations.
Third was the reigning Champion Jason Plato in his Silverline Chevrolet Cruze while another youngster, James Nash in his turbocharged 888 Racing with Collins Contractors Vectra, put in a late burst of speed to secure fourth place on the starting grid for the first of tomorrow’s three races.
Neal, BTCC Champion in 2005 and 2006 and runner-up to Plato last season, said: “What a start and we’ve probably even surprised ourselves with that gap. But the race will be different – we can’t sustain that pace every lap and all the turbo runners are expecting to suffer greater tyre wear over the second half of the race whereas Jason is not too far away. He’ll come on really strong as the race progresses so starting ahead of him in particular is exactly where I need to be.”
Jordan, aged just 21 from Lichfield, added: “I was fastest in the morning practice sessions and knew the pace would increase again in qualifying but perhaps not quite by that much! I’m confident I can give Matt a good run over a race distance, but the one I’m really watching is Jason – that Chevrolet is notoriously good at looking after its tyres and he is the big threat for all of us.”
But Plato, who starts the new season equal with Andy Rouse’s record of 60 wins, begged to differ. The Oxford racer commented: “That really is everything we’ve got in our tank – we’ve gone quicker than the pole record we set here last October yet the gap to Matt is still nearly four tenths of a second which is a bit of a shock. The other teams have clearly done a great job in the winter. There is all this talk about the turbo cars having tyre worries but until we actually find out tomorrow then that’s all it is… talk!”
Completing the top six in qualifying were Plato’s young Cumbrian team-mate Alex MacDowall and Warwickshire’s Mat Jackson in the local Wrotham-based Airwaves Racing team’s Ford Focus. Dorset's Tom Chilton had looked set to challenge Neal for pole but instead dropped to seventh when his best time was disallowed after his Team Aon Ford Focus failed a mandatory ride height check.
At least he took part in qualifying. Having to sit out the session after a high-speed crash in morning practice badly damaged his car was Neal’s team-mate Gordon Shedden. The Fife racer, third in last year’s BTCC, is therefore set to start tomorrow’s first race from the back of the 23-car grid.
Full qualifying results click here
btcc.net
Was a real good watch enjoyed it alot . Anyone going to Donnington? I wanna but can't find anyone to go with .
. Anyone going to Donnington? I wanna but can't find anyone to go with .The BTCC, the British top saloon car championship got underway today at Brands Hatch, with many changes for this year, expect the year to be unpredictable.
In the first round though, with 3 races, arch rivals Jason Plato and Matt Neal shared the wins in today’s opening three races of the new Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship season held at Kent’s world-famous Brands Hatch circuit.
Oxford’s Plato, the reigning Champion, won twice in his Silverline Chevrolet Cruze to beat Andy Rouse’s 60 wins record in the BTCC and build himself an early championship lead as the title race now heads to the picturesque, high-speed circuit of Donington Park in Leicestershire for its next three races of 2011 in a fortnight’s time (Sunday 19 April). But Neal’s win was also significant for it was the first victory for Honda’s new turbocharged engine built to the BTCC’s latest Next Generation Touring Car technical regulations.
Worcestershire’s Neal had shattered Brands’s BTCC qualifying lap record on Saturday to line up on pole position for the first of today’s races. But within two corners his Honda Racing Team Civic had been spun into retirement as Plato went on to win ahead of impressive youngster James Nash, second in his 888 Racing with Collins Contractors Vauxhall Vectra which is also powered by an NGTC-spec turbo engine. Third, in Team Aon’s new turbocharged ‘Global’ Ford Focus, was Tom Chilton.
Plato, despite his car carrying the maximum success ballast of 45kgs, led all the way to win race two as well ahead of Neal’s team-mate Gordon Shedden and Mat Jackson in the local Airwaves Racing team’s Ford Focus. Shedden’s result came courtesy of a superb drive from last to sixth in race one following a heavy crash in practice on Saturday.
Having set a new race lap record in race two, Neal finally got the win he craved in race three when he led all the way having been drawn on pole position for the reversed starting grid. Warwickshire’s Jackson was again on the podium, this time finishing second ahead of Paul O’Neill, a fine third in the GoMobileUK.com with tech-speed team’s new Chevrolet Cruze.
Plato leaves Brands Hatch with an eight-point lead over Jackson at the top of the Drivers Championship. A surprise third is Nash, the Newport Pagnell driver having gone on to add fourth and sixth place finishes in today’s second and third races. Jackson, meanwhile, leads the Independent Drivers Championship from Nash and O’Neill.
Plato said: “Given the gap to Matt in qualifying I didn’t expect to be leading this early, but the chances came our way and we capitalised. Beating Andy Rouse’s record is also a lovely bonus – he’s one of the legendary names who I used to watch as a kid and it’s actually hard to believe that 14 years have passed since I got my first win when I first came into the BTCC in 1997! But I’m already thinking more about the next meeting at Donington – the circuit lay-out there will make the turbos much harder to beat and I suspect we’re going to be in for more than just a tough weekend.”
Jackson, from Henley-in-Arden, commented: “This is a great start for us. We don’t have the development budgets of Chevrolet or Honda, but we’ve wrung the most from the car every time out today and racked up the points. I believe we can take it to them this season so long as we keep scoring strongly and consistently, but everyone in the team deserves a big pat on the back.”
Nash, aged 25, said: “I’m really chuffed, but the team has done a great job given how little pre-season testing we’ve had. We’re still learning how to get the best out of the car with the new turbo engine and there’s more to come. Plato and Neal are the masters so to be mixing it with them and giving them a bit of pressure is a great feeling, but I’m under no illusions just how difficult it will be to stick with them over the course of the season.”
Elsewhere, Chevrolet/RML lead the Manufacturers/Constructors Championship from Honda/Dynamics, while Silverline Chevrolet and the Honda Racing Team are tied at the top of the HiQ Teams Championship. Airwaves Racing leaves Brands ahead in the Independent Teams Championship, chased by 888 Racing with Collins Contractors and GoMobileUK.com with tech-speed.
Meanwhile, Alex MacDowall was punished for several incidents at Brands Hatch: Race 1, 3 penalty points on his competition licence and fined £1000; Race 3, 20 seconds time penalty and 3 penalty points; Drivers Briefing, 1 penalty point and fined £150 (late attendance).
For full Brands Hatch race reports, results and copyright-free hi-res images visit the BTCC’s official website www.btcc.net
2011 Dunlop BTCC Drivers’ Points after Brands Hatch Indy (round 1 of 10):
1. Jason Plato, 38
2. Mat Jackson, 30
3. James Nash, 26
4. Gordon Shedden, 25
5. Matt Neal, 23
6. Paul O’Neill, 20
7. Tom Chilton, 16
8. Alex MacDowall, 8
9. Robert Collard, 6
=10. Andrew Jordan & Tony Gilham, 5
Manufacturers/Constructors’ Points:
1. Chevrolet/RML, 61
2. Honda/Dynamics, 57
3. Arena/Ford, 45
HiQ Teams’ Points:
=1. Silverline Chevrolet & Honda Racing Team, 44
=3. 888 Racing with Collins Contractors & Airwaves Racing, 30
5. GoMobileUK.com with tech-speed, 20
6. Team Aon, 16
Independent Drivers’ Points:
1. Mat Jackson, 40
2. James Nash, 37
3. Paul O’Neill, 30
4. Tom Chilton, 24
5. Tony Gilham, 15
6. Robert Collard, 13
Independent Teams’ Points:
1. Airwaves Racing, 40
2. 888 Racing with Collins Contractors, 37
3. GoMobileUK.com with tech-speed, 30
4. Team Aon, 24
5. WSR, 17
6. Pirtek Racing, 8
*All points remain provisional
In the first round though, with 3 races, arch rivals Jason Plato and Matt Neal shared the wins in today’s opening three races of the new Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship season held at Kent’s world-famous Brands Hatch circuit.
Oxford’s Plato, the reigning Champion, won twice in his Silverline Chevrolet Cruze to beat Andy Rouse’s 60 wins record in the BTCC and build himself an early championship lead as the title race now heads to the picturesque, high-speed circuit of Donington Park in Leicestershire for its next three races of 2011 in a fortnight’s time (Sunday 19 April). But Neal’s win was also significant for it was the first victory for Honda’s new turbocharged engine built to the BTCC’s latest Next Generation Touring Car technical regulations.
Worcestershire’s Neal had shattered Brands’s BTCC qualifying lap record on Saturday to line up on pole position for the first of today’s races. But within two corners his Honda Racing Team Civic had been spun into retirement as Plato went on to win ahead of impressive youngster James Nash, second in his 888 Racing with Collins Contractors Vauxhall Vectra which is also powered by an NGTC-spec turbo engine. Third, in Team Aon’s new turbocharged ‘Global’ Ford Focus, was Tom Chilton.
Plato, despite his car carrying the maximum success ballast of 45kgs, led all the way to win race two as well ahead of Neal’s team-mate Gordon Shedden and Mat Jackson in the local Airwaves Racing team’s Ford Focus. Shedden’s result came courtesy of a superb drive from last to sixth in race one following a heavy crash in practice on Saturday.
Having set a new race lap record in race two, Neal finally got the win he craved in race three when he led all the way having been drawn on pole position for the reversed starting grid. Warwickshire’s Jackson was again on the podium, this time finishing second ahead of Paul O’Neill, a fine third in the GoMobileUK.com with tech-speed team’s new Chevrolet Cruze.
Plato leaves Brands Hatch with an eight-point lead over Jackson at the top of the Drivers Championship. A surprise third is Nash, the Newport Pagnell driver having gone on to add fourth and sixth place finishes in today’s second and third races. Jackson, meanwhile, leads the Independent Drivers Championship from Nash and O’Neill.
Plato said: “Given the gap to Matt in qualifying I didn’t expect to be leading this early, but the chances came our way and we capitalised. Beating Andy Rouse’s record is also a lovely bonus – he’s one of the legendary names who I used to watch as a kid and it’s actually hard to believe that 14 years have passed since I got my first win when I first came into the BTCC in 1997! But I’m already thinking more about the next meeting at Donington – the circuit lay-out there will make the turbos much harder to beat and I suspect we’re going to be in for more than just a tough weekend.”
Jackson, from Henley-in-Arden, commented: “This is a great start for us. We don’t have the development budgets of Chevrolet or Honda, but we’ve wrung the most from the car every time out today and racked up the points. I believe we can take it to them this season so long as we keep scoring strongly and consistently, but everyone in the team deserves a big pat on the back.”
Nash, aged 25, said: “I’m really chuffed, but the team has done a great job given how little pre-season testing we’ve had. We’re still learning how to get the best out of the car with the new turbo engine and there’s more to come. Plato and Neal are the masters so to be mixing it with them and giving them a bit of pressure is a great feeling, but I’m under no illusions just how difficult it will be to stick with them over the course of the season.”
Elsewhere, Chevrolet/RML lead the Manufacturers/Constructors Championship from Honda/Dynamics, while Silverline Chevrolet and the Honda Racing Team are tied at the top of the HiQ Teams Championship. Airwaves Racing leaves Brands ahead in the Independent Teams Championship, chased by 888 Racing with Collins Contractors and GoMobileUK.com with tech-speed.
Meanwhile, Alex MacDowall was punished for several incidents at Brands Hatch: Race 1, 3 penalty points on his competition licence and fined £1000; Race 3, 20 seconds time penalty and 3 penalty points; Drivers Briefing, 1 penalty point and fined £150 (late attendance).
For full Brands Hatch race reports, results and copyright-free hi-res images visit the BTCC’s official website www.btcc.net
2011 Dunlop BTCC Drivers’ Points after Brands Hatch Indy (round 1 of 10):
1. Jason Plato, 38
2. Mat Jackson, 30
3. James Nash, 26
4. Gordon Shedden, 25
5. Matt Neal, 23
6. Paul O’Neill, 20
7. Tom Chilton, 16
8. Alex MacDowall, 8
9. Robert Collard, 6
=10. Andrew Jordan & Tony Gilham, 5
Manufacturers/Constructors’ Points:
1. Chevrolet/RML, 61
2. Honda/Dynamics, 57
3. Arena/Ford, 45
HiQ Teams’ Points:
=1. Silverline Chevrolet & Honda Racing Team, 44
=3. 888 Racing with Collins Contractors & Airwaves Racing, 30
5. GoMobileUK.com with tech-speed, 20
6. Team Aon, 16
Independent Drivers’ Points:
1. Mat Jackson, 40
2. James Nash, 37
3. Paul O’Neill, 30
4. Tom Chilton, 24
5. Tony Gilham, 15
6. Robert Collard, 13
Independent Teams’ Points:
1. Airwaves Racing, 40
2. 888 Racing with Collins Contractors, 37
3. GoMobileUK.com with tech-speed, 30
4. Team Aon, 24
5. WSR, 17
6. Pirtek Racing, 8
*All points remain provisional
Brands was brilliant, my first time at a BTCC event and loved it, so did the Mrs. Defo guna try and get to donnington
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