Girls in BTCC...

It’s one of the biggest debates of all time – which sex are better behind the wheel - the girls or the boys?

    If you look at some of the top motor racing championships in the world, the majority of the competitors are male, but that hasn't stopped certain “girl racers” from showing the boys how it’s done, whether it be in the top championships, or the supporting races.
     In this feature article, I'm going to be looking at female competitors in the British Touring Car Championship. I’ll be looking into what they achieved, how they have inspired others, and asking the question of why there are no female drivers in the BTCC today.

Digging back into the BTCC history book, it looks to be that the first female competitors in the championship raced in the 1989 Esso RAC sponsored championship.
     Louise Aitken-Walker competed in 1989 with Vauxhall Motorsport in a Vauxhall Astra GTE 16, alongside fellow team mates John Cleland and Jeremy Rossiter. In previous years, there would be four separate classes formatting the championship, and although 1989 was no different, it would be the last season that would see four separate classes. Aitken-Walker and company were racing in the Class C category for 1601-2000cc spec machines. Having been the Class C winner at Thruxton, and then again at Silverstone, Aitken-Walker racked up the points to finish fourth overall in the championship standings with a total of 72 points, with team mate Cleland winning the title.
     1989 also saw Swedish racer Nettan Lindgren-Jansson join the championship. For her first season in the championship, she raced a BMW M3 in the Class B category (for 2001-3000cc spec vehicles) on her own in her own team. Lindgren-Jansson only raced at seven out of the thirteen rounds, and achieved her best finish of the year at the Brands Hatch GP meeting, where she finished thirteenth overall. The end of the season saw her finish sixth in the Championship standings in Class B with twelve points.
     Nettan raced again in the Essa RAC 1990 BTCC season, this time with BMW Team Sweden, but still in an M3. 1990 saw the introduction of two classes as opposed to the four class categories seen in previous years. Class A (over 3000cc) cars would go against two-litre touring cars in the Class B category.
     She achieved her best finish at Thruxton, winning her class in fifth position overall, and went on to finish fifth in the Class B championship standings come the end of the season, having raced at ten out of the thirteen races that year.
     Lindgren-Jansson’s third and final appearance in the BTCC, was the 1991 Esso RAC season, racing again with BMW Team Sweden in a BMW M3, alongside fellow Swedish racer Peggen Andersson as her team mate.
     Racing in seven out of the thirteen races that season again, her best result came at Donington Park, where she finished tenth. 1991 saw the start of the new “Super-Touring” era of the sport, of which some people, including today’s drivers, hail as one of the best eras of all time. Will Hoy became the season champion, with Nettan finishing in a lowly twenty-fourth with only one point.
     Her best known moment whilst racing in the championship came in 1991, when on-board footage caught her giving Jonathan Palmer a stern ticking off after taking her and her BMW out during the race at Snetterton - something that can be seen in the video below. Skip to 4:30 to see the incident build up...

After a seven year gap, the next female racer to join the grid was Paula Cook in 1998 for rounds twelve and thirteen of the championship – held at Oulton Park and Silverstone. Cook arrived on the scene in the Cook family run team DC Cook Motorsport, who ran a Honda Accord for the two meetings. Cook’s best finish in the two rounds she competed in was at Silverstone, where she brought the Accord home in twelfth.

     The DC Cook Motorsport outlet returned again in 1999, with Paula running the Honda Accord in eight of that year’s thirteen rounds. One of these rounds was a night race – something that was making its first appearance in the championship. 1999 was a special year for the championship, with TOCA putting up a prize of £250,000 for the first Independent driver to win a race in the modern era of the BTCC. That driver was Matt Neal, who shocked and surprised fans by claiming the victory in his family run Nissan Primera.
      Paula achieved her best finish of ninth in the Silverstone feature race, in which she was the Independent winner. Cook finished the season, and her BTCC career fifth overall in the Michelin Cup for Independents, having racked up 91 points over the season.

   Two years down the line – a new millennium – and another female driver to add to the touring car mix. Joanna Clark entered the season for one year in 2001 with Team B&Q and TalkSport Radio, running a Honda Integra Type-R for three rounds. Clark made her debut at Knockhill where she finished sixteenth and fourteenth respectively. Unfortunately, Clark’s fourteenth place was to be her best finish in the BTCC, with her next two rounds at Snetterton and Croft resulting in an eighteenth, two retirements and non-start.

2001 saw the end of the super-touring era of the BTCC, and also saw the debut of another girl racer to the paddock. Annie Templeton teamed up with Paul O’Neill in the Tech-Speed Motorsport Peugeot 306 GTI for all rounds of the 2001 season. Her best race finish was at Donington Park, where she brought the Peugeot home in eleventh place overall during the second race. Come the end of 2001, Templeton finished nineteenth overall in the Production Class with a total of twenty one points.

Returning again in 2002, Annie competed with Tech-Speed Motorsport in the Peugeot 306 GTI – however this year with Lotus Elise champion Mark Fullalove replacing O’Neill as her team mate. Improving on her debut season results, Templeton’s best finish in the 2002 season was thirteenth in the first race at Brands Hatch and ended the year  thirteenth overall in the Production Class with a total of twenty six points.

The final and possibly most recognised female driver that has driven in the British Touring Car Championship to date is Fiona Leggate. Fiona entered the championship in 2005 – starting her racing career only two years prior to her tin top debut.

Leggate signing autographs in 2006.
Picture Credit: Marc Waller 

Fiona made her debut halfway through the 2005 season, starting at Croft in the team Tech-Speed Motorsport run Vauxhall Astra Coupe – converted to run on bioethanol fuel. Her first half season saw her achieve her best ever BTCC result of fifth at Silverstone and score twelve points in total come the finale.

Fiona returned again in 2006 with the same team and the same car, bringing along anew sponsor in Vauxhall dealer Thurlby Motors. The Tech-Speed outlet continued to be supported by EEMS (Energy Efficient Motorsport Scheme) in the quest to show that bioethanol fuel could be used in competitive motorsport situations. 2006 saw Leggate have a trio of tenth place finishes; the first coming from the third race at Brands Hatch and two from the first and third races at Thruxton. Fiona had to unfortunately withdraw from the sixth round of the championship at Donington Park, where the Astra suffered from a cracked engine cylinder. She did return for round seven at Snetterton, where she finished twelfth and thirteenth in the respective first two races and then disappointingly retired from the final race of the day. This retirement saw Fiona decide to pull out of the remainder of the season having missed the following meeting at Knockhill and was replaced by Paul O’Neill for the two remaining rounds of the 2006 season.

Fiona Leggate in the Thurlby Motors and
Tech-Speed Vauxhall Astra in 2006.
Picture Credit: Marc Waller

Fiona made her final BTCC appearance in 2007, where she teamed up with Jason Hughes in the Kartworld Racing team MG Z5 – again fuelled with bioethanol fuel. Competing in all ten rounds of the championship, her best finish was in race two at the final race meeting of the year at Thruxton.

     So that’s six female drivers that have raced in the British Touring Car Championship – so the question now is; why have there not been more. There are many factors that can halt any driver - whether they are male or female – in their quest for a drive in the series. One of the biggest issues that many drivers face, especially in today’s current climate, is budget – and getting together a string of sponsors that are willing to help push a driver in the right direction.

     There are many examples of females that have made it in the world of motorsport. Possibly one of the most successful drivers in 2012 is Alice Powell, currently racing in the GP3 series all over the world. Starting her car racing career in the Ginetta Junior Championship that runs alongside the BTCC, Powell soon stepped up to the Formula Renault BARC championship in 2010, where she not only became the first female to win a race in the series, but the first female to win the championship.

Charlotte Eyre, currently a kart racer from Stafford, aims to one day be involved and race within the BTCC.

     “The fact that the BTCC is fair racing and always offers close racing makes me want to race in the series. The first race that I watched was Silverstone in 2009, and since then I’ve fallen in love with all the close racing!

     “Alice Powell and my mum have inspired me to want to compete in motor racing. My mum was a rally driver when she was my age, but also did karting, so knows how to help me when I’m sat in the kart about to go out on track. Alice Powell has shown me that nothing will stop her from racing despite people saying that female drivers are not as good as male drivers. We’re all there to prove them wrong!”

     Determined to get onto the saloon car racing ladder, Charlotte has been offered a drive for 2013 in a Ford Escort XR3i, but may however have to put this offer aside for a year as she is struggling to raise the funds to compete in the series.

     To keep up to date with Charlotte and her 2013 racing plans, you can follower her on Twitter @CharlotteEyre18 – where you’ll be kept updated with all the latest news.

Brands Hatch - Finale re-cap

Brands Hatch was the battle ground for the final round of the 2012 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship season – with Gordon Shedden, Matt Neal and Jason Plato all fighting for the overall crown.

eBay Motor’s Tom Onslow-Cole shone in the final qualifying session of the year and took pole position for the team however couldn’t hold on to his lead during the first race of the day. Matt Neal fought back from a torrid weekend at Silverstone to take the first win, with championship contenders Shedden and Plato finishing fifth and eighth respectively.

The new liveried KX Momentum MG wasn’t performing to its highest standard in the damp conditions that at made their presence for the finale, and struggled to make up places through the field.

Andrew Jordan clinched second place ahead of Tom Onslow-Cole, with the Pirtek driver closing in on the Independent’s Championship. A new driver making his debut with Team HARD at Brands Hatch was Aaron Williamson, who in his first tin-top race, finished in fourteenth place having had a good run through the field, staying out of trouble where it mattered.

Aron Smith sails to his first BTCC victory in race two.
Picture Credit: Marc Waller

The second race of the day saw Gordon Shedden clinch the 2012 British Touring Car title – becoming the first Scotsman to take the title since John Cleland in 1995. Andrew Jordan also wrapped up the Independent Championship after Rob Collard retired after contact on the first lap, but was aware that he needed to stay focussed to claim the Independent’s team title for Pirtek Racing.

Not set on setting his stamp on the BTCC podium at Silverstone, Redstone Racing’s Aron Smith had a spectacular race to claim his first ever win in the championship.

At last: Gordon Shedden finally claims the Dunlop MSA
British Touring Car Championship crown.
Picture Credit: Marc Waller

Retirements from the race included Dan Welch, who suffered from heavy damage after contact with Nick Foster. Dave Newsham was lucky to escape terminal damage after a big shunt with the tyre wall coming out of Druids. In an attempt to recover after a slide, Andy Neate collected Adam Morgan during the race, with Tom Onslow-Cole and Aaron Williamson also becoming innocent victims after trying to avoid the incident.

Delight: Frank Wrathall takes a maiden win for the
family-run Dynojet team in race three.
Picture Credit: Marc Waller

Race three saw another brand new winner to the championship, with Dynojet’s Frank Wrathall taking to the top step of the podium. Anguish for Mat Jackson saw him troubled with the same throttle issue that haunted him at Silverstone, forcing him to pull over and retire from the race.

With Jason Plato still struggling in the wet conditions that continued at Brands Hatch, Matt Neal took the second place spot in the standings, with Plato having to settle for third – a great result for a team that started the year with only a fifteen minute shakedown session under their belts.

Pirtek Racing secured the Independent’s Team’s Championship, making it a good year all round for Honda. Honda Racing stomped to victory in not only the driver’s championship, but also the manufacturers and team’s championships.

Honda Yuasa Racing celebrate their fantastic string of results.
Photo Credit: Marc Waller

After such an exciting season, the countdown now starts for the 2013 season, which is shaping up to be bigger and better than ever before. 

A catch-up from Silverstone...

The home of British motorsport was the battle ground for the penultimate three rounds of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship. Jason Plato took his KX Momentum M6 to two wins, to put him second in the championship standings going into the final round at Brands Hatch. The Honda duo, who had predicted that their Civic wouldn’t run well at Silverstone, couldn’t believe their luck, as reigning champion Neal ended the day without earning a single point.

     Qualifying saw Jason Plato take pole position, whilst the Hondas languished down the field. Neal could only manage tenth, with team mate and championship leader Gordon Shedden in nineteenth.
     The fog lifted in perfect time ready for the first of the day’s three races to get underway, in which Jason Plato led the race from the start, before Mat Jackson took the lead mid-way through the race. The Redstone Racing NGTC Focus looked set to take its ever on-track victory, but heartache for the team saw Mat pull over on the track with a throttle problem, handing the lead back to Plato with only a handful of laps remaining. It wasn’t all bad news for the Motorbase outlet, with Aron Smith taking his first ever BTCC podium in third place, with Dave Newsham adding another second place podium to the ES Racing’s 2012 tally.

Plato came up trumps in the first race of the day, with Newsham
and Smith - stepping onto the podium for the first time by his side.
Picture Credit: Marc Waller

The first race wasn’t all plain sailing; Tom Onslow-Cole didn’t make it to his eighth place grid slot due to a driveshaft failure. However, a hasty change from the eBay Motors team allowed Onslow-Cole to start from the pit lane – he recovered well from this to cross the line in tenth. There was drama on the opening laps too, as Chris James had a coming together with Team HARD’s Howard Fuller – back out for the penultimate round with the independent team – forcing James to retire from the race with suspension damage. More casualties included Andrew Jordan, who had a tangle with Triple Eight racer Andy Neate, leaving Jordan furiously lingering in the Becketts gravel trap. Having served a drive through penalty for a false start moments before, Tony Gilham also spun off the track whilst trying to catch up with the safety car. Matt Neal was also forced to retire from the race with a turbo problem with his Honda Racing civic.
     Race two brought more dramas to the track at Silverstone, as the afternoon sun shone down. Having won the first race of the day, Jason Plato made another storming start and led for the majority of the race. Mat Jackson, who started seventeenth after his disappointing retirement in the first race, was storming through the field, and looking to make it to the front of the grid. Disaster for Plato saw him slow on the circuit and with Jackson relieving eBay driver Rob Collard for second, took the lead with the race drawing to a close. Another disastrous race for Matt Neal saw him hastily retreat from his Honda, after a fire broke out on the passenger side. Neal was able to get out of the car safely, and helped the marshals in their attempt to put out the flames.

Up in flames - Matt Neal escaped without injury from this fiery incident.
Picture Credit: Marc Waller

But the glory of race two went to Mat Jackson, who crossed the line ahead of his rivals for the first ever time in the Redstone Racing NGTC Ford Focus. Designed and built by hand by the Motorbase team, the victory was well received throughout, with the team celebrating their achievement for all to see. Dave Newsham took a second podium of the day by finishing in third, with the eBay Motors BMW of Rob Collard in second.

Celebration: Motorbase team principal David Bartrum was
over the moon with Jackson's victory!
Picture Credit: Marc Waller

Race three began with Nick Foster in pole position, and after his race two woes, Jason Plato sat in twentieth looking to make is way through the field. Heartbreak for the independent drivers Rob Austin and Dan Welch, who were battling for second place early on in the race – as they made contact with each other at Copse corner, which made them both lose a lot of time. They came together again at Luffield, with Welch having to settle for fifteenth and Rob, who finished on track in ninth, excluded from the race after investigations had taken place. Matt Neal and Lea Wood also made contact with each other coming out of Brooklands, which left the Honda with nowhere to go but the barriers – leaving the weekend, and possibly his championship, in tatters.
     The star of the show was undoubtedly Jason Plato, who crossed the line ahead of Mat Jackson – who drove from tenth with 45k of ballast on board to take a second podium for the team.  A great weekend for Rob Collard saw him also take his second podium – ending the day in third.
     With the championship going down the wire in two weeks’ time at Brands Hatch, Gordon Shedden currently still holds the lead by fifteen points with Jason Plato looming in second place. Matt Neal will go into Brands Hatch third in the standings – and thirty-one points behind his team mate. Although, with sixty points up for grabs at Brands, it’s all to play for as the season draws to a close…

BTCC: Rockingham Round-Up...

Rockingham Motor Speedway was the setting for rounds twenty two, twenty three and twenty four of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – where Jason Plato and Gordon Shedden shared the wins between them.

     Jason Plato started on pole position and dominated the day’s first race, as the rain clouds loomed over head. Despite the first race being a somewhat quiet affair, there were incidents on track that led to penalties post-occurrence. Jeff Smith was handed a £500 along with three penalty points on his license after an incident with Redstone Racing’s Aron Smith saw the Irishman left stranded in the gravel at the Tarzan hairpin. Plato dominated the field in his KX Momentum MG6, and took the win for the Triple Eight team, followed by Pirtek’s Andrew Jordan and Scotsman Gordon Shedden.

Jason Plato celebrating his race one with the Haribo bear!
Picture Credit: Marc Waller

The heavens opened on the circuit before the second race of the day, which saw the Hondas revel in the wet conditions, with Gordon Shedden and Matt Neal taking a 1-2 finish for the Honda Racing team. The damp environment was unkind to the MGs, with Andy Neate retiring early on in the session after a tangle with Dave Newsham and Jeff Smith.  Jason Plato managed to hold on third, but was unable to rule the race as was seen earlier on in the day. Mat Jackson was the first of the independent winners in the NGTC Redstone Racing Focus, taking fourth despite no wet running data on the car.
     Adam Morgan took advantage of the reverse grid draw and started the third and final race of the day at Rockingham on pole position. A dramatic start to the race saw Jeff Smith catch some standing water at the first corner, resulting in a heavy impact with the wall – bringing out the safety car as the track was cleared. Leader Adam Morgan, Mat Jackson and eBay Motors racer Tom Onslow-Cole were too caught out by the conditions, and spun during the early stages of the race.
     A heart-stopping moment for Gordon Shedden saw him take his Honda Racing Civic into a slide going into the first turn banking. Luckily for the Scotsman, Shedden was able to save the Civic from incident, and continued his battle for the lead.
     A mirror-image result in the final race saw Shedden, Neal and Plato all sharing the podium, as the championship standings were altered. Scotsman Shedden would lead the championship by three points to team mate Neal going into the penultimate round at Silverstone, with Plato catching the duo in third.
     Elsewhere on the grid, Howard Fuller – the debutant BTCC racer with Team HARD at Rockingham – had a brilliant start to his tin top career, bringing the HARD Honda home in three point scoring positions throughout the day.

Two out of three: Shedden goes into Silverstone
leading the championship standings.
Picture credit: Marc Waller

Knockhill Race Three: Newsham leads the field in Knockhill's final race

After taking his maiden BTCC win last time out at Snetterton, Team ES Racing racer Dave Newsham drove to his second reverse race victory having started from pole position in the third and final race of the day on the Scottish Knockhill circuit.

     A showering of rain, plus a scramble to the grid after a hefty start-line incident in the Ginetta GT Supercup, resulting in a lengthy red flag period, delayed proceedings. The rain left the track greasy, so the choice of tyres for the race would be crucial. All but Chris James started on slicks, with the ES Racing team principal going with wet rears and slick fronts.
     After serious damage after a shunt in race two, Dan Welch’s team had done a sterling job to get the Proton Persona out ready for the final race. Dan joined the rear of the pack on the warm up lap. Despite getting out onto the grid and starting the warm-up lap, Jason Plato’s weekend went from bad to worse, when a turbo issue forced him to head for the pit lane, resulting in him retiring from the race on the spot.
     The start of the race saw Dave Newsham fly off the line in his ES Racing Vectra, with the eBay Motors BMW of Nick Foster relieving Aron Smith of his fifth starting slot. Andrew Jordan remained in fourth position, with Pirtek Racing team mate Jeff Smith in second place, having too made an excellent start. The dicing for position behind allowed Dave Newsham to maintain a gap between him and his competitors.
     A slide from Andy Neate saw him re-join the track a couple of places down to where he originally started, as Matt Neal battled his way through to third place behind Jeff Smiths’ Honda Civic. A lap later and Andy Neate was into the pit lane with an issue, and re-joined the group a lap down.
     The top-ten were all now racing very close together on the Scottish circuit, and whilst Paul O’Neill and Aron Smith were battling with each other for track position, a daring move from Nick Foster saw Shedden having to take a trip across the damp grass, with his Honda’s radiator now filled with a mound of earth and mud.
     Meanwhile up front, Dave Newsham had increased his lead to 4.2 seconds after seven racing laps amidst the chaos as Gordon Shedden came straight into the pits and retired his Honda Racing Civic. Jeff Smith was still running in a solid second place, with Matt Neal filling the ICD sponsored Honda’s mirrors with every passing lap.

Jeff Smith defended from Matt Neal to achieved his first podium place
finish for Pirtek Racing.
Picture Credit: Marc Waller.

The two eBay BMWS of Rob Collard and Tom Onslow-Cole, who had both had very successful days in the first two races, were now in tenth and eighth place respectively. Mat Jackson, who retired from the first race after exhaust fumes filled his NGTC Focus, was running in eleventh place, albeit still struggling with understeer.
     With the skies darkening, but no signs of rainfall, the drivers behind race leader Dave Newsham were all quicker over a lap than Newsham himself. Could the ES driver hang on to his lead in front of his home crowd before the end? With the half of the race still remaining, Matt Neal was making his intentions clear – he was looking for a way past Jeff Smith for second, and would fight for the position before the race was through.
     Dan Welch and Lea Wood, who had both had somewhat disappointing weekends, were battling and squeezing each other for track position, whilst the first black and white warning flag of the race was shown to Tom Onslow-Cole for exceeding track limits.
     A pack of Honda’s led the field from second to fourth, with Lea Wood now mixing with the two eBay BMWs of Collard and Onslow-Cole.  Dave Newsham was controlling the race, and wouldn’t be giving up a second victory in as many meetings without a fight. Rob Collard and Adam Morgan were now battling for track position, which handed an advantage to Mat Jackson who managed to squeeze past to take tenth.
     The pressure was now on for Jeff Smith, who was looking set to take the first podium finish in his BTCC career. Matt Neal had his lights on, and made sure Smith knew he was there to make his move should he make a mistake.  With the amount of laps dwindling, Dave Newsham’s lead was starting to sharply decrease, with the gap now down to 1.9 second between himself and Smith.

Dave Newsham celebrates after taking ES Racing's second victory at Knockhill
Picture Credit: Marc Waller.

Matt Neal was also shown the black and white warning flag, this time with only a couple of laps left to run. Neal was on his final warning for exceeding track limits, so he had to be wary approaching the chequered flag. Andrew Jordan didn’t want to miss out on an opportunity to grab the final podium position, and was fighting with Neal on the final lap. Ultimately, Jordan had to settle for fourth place.
    But it was Dave Newsham who drove to his second victory in the championship having driven flawlessly throughout. Jeff Smith also had a superb race, and ended the day with his first ever BTCC podium in second, with Matt Neal having to settle for third.
     Paul O’Neill had another good race in Tony Hughes’ Toyota Avensis, making it Speedworks Motorsport’s most successful outing this year. Dan Welch recovered from his back-end start to finish twelfth, with Robb Holland in fourteenth – a third points finish for Team HARD – and Neate a lap down in fifteenth.

Smiles all round: Dave Newsham, Jeff Smith and Matt Neal took to
the podium in the final race of the day.
Picture Credit: Marc Waller.

With four weeks until the next round at Rockingham, Matt Neal leads the championship standings by ten points to team mate Gordon Shedden, with Jason Plato in third and down thirty six points. Having come into Knockhill only trailing with minus ten, Knockhill will be a weekend for the KX Momentum racer to forget. Andrew Jordan lies in fourth, only four points behind Jason Plato, and still leading the Independents standings ahead of Rob Collard.

It was a dramatic day at Knockhill, and the stewards decided that a number of actions should be taken on a number of incidents that happened throughout the day…
     Redstone’s Racing Aron Smith was fined £500 and handed three points on his racing license after an incident with Jason Plato in race one. Also from race one, Gordon Shedden was given an official reprimand and two penalty points due to an incident with Aron Smith, whilst Dan Welch was handed a £500 fine and three penalty points after an incident with Jeff Smith. From race two, Chris James received a £500 fine and had two penalty points added to his race license after an incident with Dan Welch.

Final Results:

1. Dave Newsham
2. Jeff Smith
3. Matt Neal
4. Andrew Jordan
5. Tom Onslow-Cole
6. Paul O'Neill
7. Nick Foster
8. Aron Smith
9. Rob Collard
10. Mat Jackson
11. Adam Morgan
12. Dan Welch
13. Lea Wood
14. Robb Holland
15. Andy Neate

Fastest Lap: Tom Onslow-Cole - Lap 7 - 53.321

Knockhill Race Two: Knockhill double whammy for eBay Motors

Rob Collard has driven to his second win of the day for round twenty of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship at Knockhill. Team mate Tom Onslow-Cole came home in second place, making it four podiums out of six for the West Surrey Racing team.

     Rob Collard, despite being 36k heavier after his race one victory made a superb start off the line, with team mate Onslow-Cole in the clutches of Shedden after a slower start. Both held their original positions, whilst further down the field, more chaos was about to unfold.
     After putting a wheel on the still slightly damp grass, Chris James spun his ES Racing Vauxhall Vectra across the track, into the paths of Dan Welch’s Proton and the Vauxhall of Lea Wood. James ended his race in the gravel of the first corner, with Dan Welch too retiring.
      The safety car came out to clear the track, and was the race was restarted on lap seven.  Collard made another excellent start, with Shedden in third place and already making a gap between himself and Redstone racer Aron Smith.

Chaos: Chris James, Lea Wood and Dan Welch were caught up in the
first lap incident during the second race.
Picture Credit: Marc Waller.

 Paul O’Neill who’d had a good re-start, was being pressured by Mat Jackson for fourth place, and the NGTC Ford snuck up the inside of the Toyota approaching the final hairpin. It was a case of NGTC vs. S2000 Ford Focus, as both Smith and Jackson were now racing each other on the circuit.
     The BMWs of Collard and Onslow-Cole were now a second ahead of the Scotsman Gordon Shedden, who was hoping to get further up the grid to please the home crowds. Further down the field, the MGs of Andy Neate and Jason Plato – who had started from the back of the grid due their race one foibles – were now up to fourteenth and twelfth place respectively. Plato would ideally be looking for a top ten finish, in order to have a chance of a decent result from the reverse grid draw.
     Rob Collard now had a 1.48 second lead over his team mate Tom Onslow-Cole, with eBay Motors’ third driver Nick Foster in a battle for fifth position with Mat Jackson.  Matt Neal and Andrew Jordan, who both had a reasonably quiet race one, were lying in seventh and eighth respectively.
     Adam Morgan retired his Toyota Avensis on lap seventeen of the race, the Toyota suffering from a brake failure. With Mat Jackson’s Ford suffering from horrible understeer issues, he was still under pressure from Nick Foster’s BMW, whilst Jason Plato was in the slipstream of Jeff Smith looking to gain another position to move him the field. Smith took Newsham’s tenth position, which ultimately allowed Jason Plato to sneak through, resulting in a drag race along the start/finish straight, handing Jason eleventh place.
     After a tap from Foster at the hairpin, Jackson lost out to the BMW, Matt Neal and Andrew Jordan, with Mat having to settle for ninth, whilst still struggling with major oversteer on his Focus. For Mat, however, his problems were about to go from bad to worse. An exhaust issue had resulted in the fumes going inside the car, leaving Mat with nothing to do but open the door on the straights to let in some fresh air. Naturally, the team pulled in Jackson on lap twenty-four and sent him to the medical centre to be checked over.
     Jackson’s retirement led to the top ten gaggle of cars moving up the field, allowing Plato to just make it into tenth, with a couple of laps left remaining. Andrew Jordan was looking racy on the final lap and made a move on Matt Neal for seventh. A mistake by Neal saw him slide on the gravel, but fortunately managed to recover to stay eighth.

A delighted Rob Collard took his second win of the day in
a second team 1-2 for eBay Motors.
Picture Credit: Marc Waller

But it was Rob Collard who took the chequered flag, making it two out of two for eBay Motors in Scotland with Tom Onslow-Cole also made a double 1-2 finish for the team. Gordon Shedden, cheered on my London 2012 Olympic Gold medallist Chris Hoy who was at the Knockhill Circuit with Honda Yuasa Racing – finished with a second third place in his Honda Civic. Paul O’Neill finished in a superb fourth position for Speedworks Motorsport, with Jason Plato ending the race in eleventh, with Dave Newsham re-taking his position on the final lap. Frank Wrathall was unable to start the race after his engine calamities in race one.

Golden Moments: Honda Yuasa Racing were joined by London 2012
Gold Medallist Sir Chris Hoy for the weekend's racing.

In terms of the championship after race two, Shedden led the standings by five points to team mate Matt Neal, with Jason Plato now minus 26 points in third with Andrew Jordan close behind in fourth.

Final Results:

1. Rob Collard
2. Tom Onslow-Cole
3. Gordon Shedden
4. Paul O'Neill
5. Nick Foster
6. Aron Smith
7. Andrew Jordan
8. Matt Neal
9. Jeff Smith
10. Dave Newsham
11. Jason Plato
12. Andy Neate
13. Lea Wood
14. Robb Holland
15. Mat Jackson

Fastest lap: Rob Collard - Lap 9 - 53.085

Knockhill Race One: Collard wins eBay Motors 1-2 in chaotic Knockhill opener

Rob Collard has won the first Dunlop MSA British Touring Car race of the day, in an eBay Motors 1-2 with Tom Onslow-Cole. The championship’s annual visit to the Knockhill Circuit in Scotland, didn’t disappoint in providing some action-packed racing…

     After a long hold of the lights, Rob Collard had a good start from second on the grid and was soon leading ahead of pole sitter Jason Plato. Aron Smith had also had a good start, and was holding on to his third place position. The Irishman would soon be putting Plato under pressure for second place.
     No one could stop Rob Collard, who was now 1.5 seconds into the lead after just one lap. Frank Wrathall, who achieved two third place finishes at the Scottish circuit in 2011, suddenly came to a crawl on track after an engine failure, resulting in the drivers surrounding him scrambling to find a way around. Andy Neate and Lea Wood collided in the incident, which resulted in Andy retiring from the race after steam poured from the bonnet of his MG6. Wood went on to retire on lap seventeen of the race with suspension damage. Slight contact between Chris James and Jeff Smith left the ES Racer in a spin, and Smith’s Pirtek Honda visiting the infield. However, both went on to complete the race.

Championship blow? Despite putting his KX Momentum MG on pole position
Jason Plato had a disastrous first race at Knockhill.

Neate’s team mate Jason Plato also lost out dramatically on the second lap, making it a race to forget for the KX Momentum Racing squad. After some slight contact between Plato and Aron Smith’s Redstone Racing Ford Focus entering Clark’s corner, Plato’s MG careered into the barriers resulting too in his retirement from the race. What would this incident do to his championship fight come the end of the day? Naturally, there was a lengthy safety car period required to clear the track of the stricken vehicles littering the circuit.
     The re-start saw Rob Collard leading to Tom Onslow-Cole, who’d managed to sneak through to second after the incident between Smith and Plato. Coincidently, Aron was still holding on to his third position, with Paul O’Neill running ahead of Scotsman Gordon Shedden in fourth.
     With the two BMW’s pulling away from the rest of the field, the focus was now on the building fight for third place. O’Neill was running well in fourth place for Speedworks Motorsport, and was building the pressure for Smith in third. Gordon Shedden, after having a disappointing qualifying, was also joining in the battle.
     A tap from O’Neill at the hairpin saw Smith put under huge pressure, not only from the Speedworks Toyota, but also a charging Gordon Shedden. Aron Smith held onto his third place, but O’Neill lost out to Shedden who took away fourth, with Mat Jackson in the NGTC Ford close behind in sixth.

Albeit getting into a couple of incidents on track, Redstone Racing's
Aron Smith had his most successful BTCC finish of fourth.
Picture Credit: Marc Waller.

BTCC newbie Robb Holland was running in fourteenth place in the Team HARD Honda Civic, with Snetterton race two winner Andrew Jordan dicing for position with eBay driver Nick Foster. Foster’s team mates Rob Collard and Tom Onslow-Cole were still out in front, with Tom Onslow-Cole closing in on Collard. With Onslow-Cole not having had a win in the championship for two years, a mistake from Collard would see him jump at the chance of taking the lead.
     Despite the difference in speed on the straights, Gordon Shedden was closing up to the Ford of Aron Smith through the Knockhill corners, but couldn’t quite get past for the last podium position. With the number of laps dwindling, would the opportunity to make a move come along before the end of the race?
     Tom Onslow-Cole was handed the lead on lap twenty three of the race in order to gain an extra point for leading the race, with Collard re-taking his much deserved lead after a handful of corners.

Stepping up to the mark: Paul O'Neill achieved Speedworks Motorsport best
ever finish of sixth.
Picture Credit: Marc Waller.

There were scuffles for position until the end of the race, with Mat Jackson peeping up the inside of Paul O’Neill for fifth place, but had to settle for sixth. Andrew Jordan lost his eighth place position to Nick Foster who made a move on the Pirtek Racing Honda Civic with a handful of laps left to race. The leading pair of Collard and Onslow-Cole were now had a huge lead of eleven seconds ahead of the rest of the field. Jackson squeezed through to take fifth place away from Paul O’Neill in the Toyota, with the battle for third place really beginning to heat up going into the final few turns.
     Rob Collard flew across the line to take the chequered flag in his first win since the season opener at Brands Hatch in April, closely followed by team mate Tom Onslow-Cole. A drag race across the line saw third place go to Gordon Shedden by one hundredths of a second, with Smith achieving his best ever BTCC finish of fourth. Paul O’Neill clung on to sixth place, giving Speedworks Motorsport their career-best finish in the Toyota Avensis.

Rob Collard celebrates his second victory of 2012 with
Tom Onslow-Cole making it an eBay Motors 1-2.
Picture Credit: Marc Waller.

After having to start from the back of the field after leaving the pit lane late, Dan Welch drove well in his Proton to finish in twelfth. After earlier track incidents, Chris James recovered to finish in thirteenth, with Jeff Smith three laps down in fourteenth after a pit stop. Robb Holland, although classified as finishing in a point scoring fifteenth place, had to retire his HARD Honda with a brake failure.

Final Results:

1. Rob Collard
2. Tom Onslow-Cole
3. Gordon Shedden
4. Aron Smith
5. Mat Jackson
6. Paul O'Neill
7. Matt Neal
8. Nick Foster
9. Andrew Jordan
10. Adam Morgan
11. Dave Newsham
12. Dan Welch
13. Chris James
14. Jeff Smith
15. Robb Holland

Fastest lap: Tom Onslow-Cole - Lap 15 - 53.230

Join the revolution - sponsor a BTCC team today!

Rob Austin is quickly becoming one of the most popular drivers in the British Touring Car Championship paddock. It's been no secret that budget has been one of the biggest issues in the RAR team's push for that first win this season.
     Having  had to sit out Knockhill due to funding, Rob Austin and the team have put together a fan-based package to raise some more vital funds to get the NGTC Audi A4 back on the grid for rounds twenty two, twenty three and twenty four of the series.
     The package is as follows... For £35, each person will be allocated a 10x5cm space on the roof of Rob's Audi A4 for their own picture, which will be printed and placed on the roof for the Rockingham round of the championship on the 22nd/23rd September. Not only this, but fans involved will be given the opportunity to have a group picture with Rob himself on race day.

This is what Rob had to say on the plans;
"This idea has had success in the past with many formulas. Most recently Red Bull F1 did it for charity, but it was supporters on Twitter who persuaded met to give it a go. So I had a word with RTech who support our website, and the next thing I know it's live on the site.

"I don't want to make a habit of it, as the support I get is amazing and that should be enough without it costing them £35 as well. But I'm desperate, so just this once we are going to give it a go.

"I have some great potential sponsors lines up and great prospects for next  year, but that doesn't help us here and now - and we need some results to show what we could do if we were properly funded - so this could be the answer.

"I don't know if it will work or not. Ideally, I'm hoping to sell two-hundred of the spots so it will cover our tyre bull and a few other bits, but time will tell. I'm also going to offer hospitality packages for Rockingham as well - so stand by for that as well!

"If all our supporters help us out here and I can go out there and win a race for them, then I think that would be a really special thing. And I believe with the modifications we are making to the car, this will be our best shot a race win!"

Be quick, spaces are limited, so once they're gone - that's it!

If you're interested in having your picture on the roof of Rob's Audi at Rockingham, visit http://www.robaustin.com/get-your-picture-on-robs-car/ and follow the instructions for your chance to be a part of something special. I mean, it's not everyday you get to say your sponsoring a driver in the British Touring Car Championship is it?

Snetterton Race Three: Dave Newsham takes his maiden BTCC career win!

Celebrations were at an all-time high after the final Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship race of the day at Snetterton Circuit in Norfolk, after Dave Newsham took the first win for both him and Team ES Racing. Dave drove a stunning race from start to finish and took the win with just under a second separating him from eBay’s Tom Onlsow-Cole.

     It was Lea Wood who led early on in his BINZ Racing Vectra, having been promoted to pole position by the reverse grid draw. Tom Onslow-Cole who started from third, had got into second place off the line ahead of Dave Newsham. Frank Wrathall was fighting hard for track position with Matt Neal and contact between the two saw Neal off the track – and at the back of the field. How would this affect the joint championship’s leaders reign of the lead?
     Mat Jackson was up to fourth with Gordon Shedden in fifth, whilst Newsham had regained his second place position by the second lap of the race. Rob Collard had made a welcome return to the field, and was battling now with Andy Neate for positions midfield. Jackson was flying in the Redstone Racing Focus, and sneaked into third position through the Bomb Hole ahead of Tom Onslow-Cole’s eBay Motors BMW.
     Lea Wood was still leading in his Vectra, with a sister Vectra of Dave Newsham following close behind. The pair were now starting to pull away from the rest of the field. Later on, on the same lap, Newsham took the lead from Wood going through Montreal. Meanwhile Shedden and Jackson – who took a wider than normal line – were fighting for third, with Tom Onslow-Cole also closing in on the action.
     Andy Neate had an unfortunate spin at Coram, resulting in a loss of track position, whilst his Triple Eight team mate Jason Plato made a move on race two winner Andrew Jordan for sixth through Hamilton.
     After an unsightly coming together with Tony Gilham, Dan Welch was left driving over the grass, whilst Tony Gilham’s car had major damage to the front of his Thorney Motorsport Insignia, which resulted in his retirement from the race.Up at the top, the top ten gaggle of cars were now closing in on the leaders – could anyone challenge the front-runners in the latter stages of the race?

Damage to the Thorney Motorsport's NGTC Insignia, forced
Tony Gilham to retire from the race.
Picture Credit: Marc Waller.

Mat Jackson had been suffering from oversteer in his NGTC Focus all weekend, and he fell from his podium place to seventh behind Jason Plato. Matt Neal was lining up in twelfth behind Rob Collard and Rob Austin, with Neal making his move soon after. Austin was cautious of Collard, who retired shortly after with steering damage after some contact with the BMW. 

     Dave Newsham had a 2.3 second lead with three laps to go of the race, whilst behind him there was heartache for the BINZ Racing team. A gearbox issue with the Vectra diminished any possible chances of a podium finishing position for Lea Wood, which would have been his career best result had the Vectra held on. Onslow-Cole inherited the second place position, with Gordon Shedden close behind in third.
     Whilst Matt Neal and Rob Collard were battling over extra championship points with one lap to go, upfront, Newsham was starting  his final lap – three miles away from his first ever victory. The nerves could be felt from outside the car, as the team – including team principal Chris James who had retired early on in the race- anxiously looked on from the pit wall.
     Their nervous turned to emotion and celebration, as Newsham crossed the line in first place, followed behind by Tom Onslow-Cole, who equalled his season best result of second and Gordon Shedden in third. In doing this, Newsham became the seventh different winner of the BTCC in 2012. It was announced later on in the day, that Gordon Shedden had been excluded from the race results due to an over boost issue on his Honda Racing Civic, thus promoting Jason Plato to a third podium finishing position of the day and Mat Jackson finishing a heroic fourth in his Ford. Team mate Aron Smith also achieved his career best finish of sixth – a valiant effort for the Irishman in his first full season in the championship. Matt Neal recovered well after his earlier incident to finish eighth overall after his team mate’s exclusion.

Celebrations; Newsham was all smiles on the podium after his race three victory.
Picture Credit: Marc Waller.

With Shedden’s disqualification, Matt Neal retains his lead of the championship standings with 255 points, closely followed behind by the Scotsman with 247. Jason Plato has closed the gap, and is now two points behind Gordon in third. Andrew Jordan has extended his lead of the Independent’s Championship from Rob Collard, both on 265 and 217 points respectively.

Final Results:

1) Dave Newsham

2) Tom Onslow-Cole

3) Jason Plato

4) Mat Jackson

5) Andrew Jordan

6) Aron Smith

7) Frank Wrathall

8) Matt Neal

9) Rob Collard

10) Adam Morgan

11) Jeff Smith

12) Dan Welch

13) Nick Foster

14) Ollie Jackson

15) Andy Neate

Fastest Lap: Dave Newsham - Lap 2 - 1.59.283

Snetterton Race Two: Jordan takes the first win of the season for Pirtek Racing

Andrew Jordan has won the second Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship race of the day at Snetterton circuit – making it the first of the season for Pirtek Racing. Another action-fuelled race saw some exciting racing throughout the field.

     An engine failure at the end of the first race saw Rob Collard sitting out of race two – albeit three test laps - whilst Chris James was also having problems on the warm-up lap – and soon pulled into the pits with a driveshaft problem. Rob Austin was another victim of the formation lap, he too limping into the pits and retiring from the race.
     Jason Plato had an almighty start off the line with Andrew Jordan flying into second and Matt Neal into third after a strong launch off the line. Daniel Welch had a terrible start off the line and was caught up with Ollie Jackson and Adam Morgan, the latter spinning  off track, resulting in a puncture and eventual retirement. With Tom Onslow-Cole continuing his on track battles, this time with Dynojet’s Wrathall, Andy Neate was dicing for position with Dave Newsham, who was making his way through the field in his ES Racing Vectra having started from the back due to disqualification in race one.
     After the issues during the first lap, the Proton of Dan Welch came into the pits with a problem, but was able to re-join the race. Andrew Jordan was still in second place, and was closing the gap to the Triple Eight run MG of Jason Plato.
     Robb Holland, who suffered heavy damage after the race one incident with Adam Morgan, was out in track and running well, the Team HARD mechanics doing a great job between the two races. Scotsman Gordon Shedden was running strongly in fifth position, and closing in on Frank Wrathall in fourth place.
     With all the leaders running closely together, Neal saw an opportunity and went through to second place with Shedden too moving up the field. It was a case of old rivals meet again as Plato and Neal were now running together for the first time on track since the championship’s return.
     Mat Jackson was again having a strong race for Redstone Racing, and was sitting in seventh in the NGTC Ford, with Dave Newsham, who alike Shedden in race one, had had a storming race through the field to be in ninth place with a number of laps remaining.
     Despite making a move on Matt Neal for second, the Honda Civic having run wide at Williams, the sister Honda of Andrew Jordan couldn’t quite make the attack. Having had a somewhat quiet race one, Aron Smith was running in tenth position in the S2000 spec Ford ST, the Irishman finally getting some decent results after a shaky start to the season.

Aron Smith had a much better weekend at Snetterton.
Picture Credit: Marc Waller.

With two laps to go, it was looking tight at the top, with Matt Neal running quicker than Jason Plato. The Honda Racing driver was setting up for a move on his arch rival once more, whilst team mate Shedden was also trying to make a move on Andrew Jordan at Montreal, but had to settle for fourth.
     Coming out of Agostini, Jason Plato went slightly wide but held on to his leading place, but with dirty tyres going through Oggies, Plato was going to have to be weary of Neal making a move on the straight. A tap from Matt Neal at Coram saw Plato slide and the Honda take the lead, regaining second place a tap back from Jason Plato resulted in Matt Neal flying across the grass – Andrew Jordan grabbing the opportunity with both hands to take the lead of the race going onto the final lap. Gordon Shedden, with damage to the front wing of his Honda Civic, also made his move for Shedden whilst the scuffle between Plato and Neal broke out. Jason managed to hold onto third place with Matt Neal making his way back to fourth.

Chasing Cars; The leaders chase each other into Riches before chaos unfolded.
Picture Credit: Marc Waller.

But it was Andrew Jordan, who took his long awaited win across the line, followed closely behind by Gordon Shedden and Jason Plato. Mat Jackson scored another solid result for Redstone Racing in sixth, with Dave Newsham driving well from the back of the grid to finish in eighth. Robb Holland got into the points on his debut weekend, ending the race ahead of Ollie Jackson in fourteenth.

Relief: Jordan finally celebrates a win this season.
Picture Credit: Marc Waller.

Going into the final race, Matt Neal and Gordon Shedden were tied in the championship standings, with both on 247 points overall. Who would be leading come the end of the day?

Final Results:

1) Andrew Jordan

2) Gordon Shedden

3) Jason Plato

4) Matt Neal

5) Frank Wrathall

6) Mat Jackson

7) Tom Onslow-Cole

8) Dave Newsham

9) Lea Wood

10) Aron Smith

11) Jeff Smith

12) Andy Neate

13) Nick Foster

14) Robb Holland

15) Ollie Jackson

Fastest Lap: Gordon Shedden - Lap 3 - 1.58.460

Snetterton Race One: Plato wins an action packed first race

Jason Plato has won the first race of the day at Snetterton on the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship’s return. Having secured the lead from lights out, Jason held on throughout the race to take the victory in his KX Momentum Racing, Triple Eight run MG.

Lights to flag victory; They don't say Snetterton's Jason's most successful
circuit for nothing...
Picture Credit: Marc Waller

Dave Newsham, who came back to form this weekend, had a very good start in his Team ES Racing Vauxhall, and managed to get ahead of Frank Wrathall’s Dynojet Toyota off the line. Adam Morgan, who had his best ever qualifying on Saturday afternoon, had a spin from fifth position after putting a wheel on the grass - which put him on the back-foot for the remainder of the race.

     Matt Neal, who was disappointed after qualifying, was dicing for position with Dan Welch, whilst Ollie Jackson was closing in on Chris James in his AmD Tuning VW Golf. Two team mates also battling for track position, were Rob Collard and Tom Onslow-Cole in their eBay Motors BMWs.
     Gordon Shedden had a disastrous start to his weekend, after a fire at the end of Saturday’s first free practice session left Gordon starting from the back of the field for the first race. A storming start through the field saw the Scot lying in fourteenth place after just one lap – and was in a good position to make a move on Jeff Smith’s sister Pirtek.
     A big excursion for Adam Morgan and BTCC newbie Robb Holland brought their race to a shuddering halt. With Holland’s Team HARD Civic sitting on the tyre walls, the safety car was brought out for a number of laps, whilst marshals did a brilliant job of clearing the track, and re-building the tyre wall ready for the re-start.

This incident between Robb Holland and Adam Morgan resulted
in a lengthy safety car period.
Picture Credit: Marc Waller.

Jason Plato had a good re-start, with the Proton of Dan Welch was also looking quick, and closing in on the Honda Civic of Matt Neal.  Tom Onslow-Cole lost out to Rob Collard on the re-start, whilst up with the leaders, the rubbing is racing attitude of the BTCC was certainly making its appearance. A close shave with Plato allowed Frank Wrathall to sneak through and take second from Newsham.

     eBay Motors team mates Rob Collard and Tom Onslow-Cole were dicing over eighth position, with Shedden looking on – and now sitting in tenth position.
     Mat Jackson in the newly introduced NGTC Redstone Racing Ford Focus was having a brilliant race and had got up to eleventh position having passed Jeff Smith’s Pirtek Honda.  Meanwhile down in the midfield, Andy Neate had been pushed off the track and slid, resulting in the MG Momentum racer having to settle for fourteenth.
     With only two laps remaining, Andrew Jordan was hot on the tail of Dave Newsham’s Vauxhall, the Pirtek racer looking for a last minute podium in the closing stages. AmD Tuning’s Ollie Jackson had to pull into the pits with a problem, resulting in retirement. Despite catching the MG of Jason Plato, Frank Wrathall wasn’t going to be able to retain his starting position before the fall of the chequered flag.
     A feisty move from Jordan saw him push through to take third position, with Newsham chasing him down and re-took his rightful place, before contact between the two resulted in Andrew taking the final podium place.
     Nobody was going to stop Jason Plato on this, his most successful circuit, and took the win from Frank Wrathall and Andrew Jordan. Just before the final few corners, Rob Collard, who had been running strongly throughout the race, grounded to a halt at Brundle with an engine failure. Mat Jackson brought the NGTC Focus home in a worthy ninth place (later turning into an eighth), despite the car only being finished at 7am on Saturday morning. Gordon Shedden finished up in a remarkable seventh position, having started the race from the back of the grid. 

Olympic Spirit: Jason "Does a Mo" after winning the first race of the day.
Picture Credit: Marc Waller.

Dave Newsham finished the race in fourth position, however was later disqualified for his ES Racing Vectra being underweight, resulting in him having to start from the back of the field for the second race of the day.

Final Results: 
1) Jason Plato
2) Frank Wrathall
3) Andrew Jordan
4) Matt Neal
5) Dan Welch
6) Tom Onslow-Cole
7) Gordon Shedden
8) Mat Jackson
9) Lea Wood
10) Jeff Smith
11) Nick Foster
12) Rob Austin
13) Tony Gilham
14) Aron Smith
15) Andy Neate

Fastest Lap: Jason Plato - Lap Two: 1.58.682

It's the final countdown...

Well, this is it. After seven long weeks, the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship makes it's welcome return this weekend, with rounds sixteen, seventeen and eighteen taking place at Snetterton on the new 300 circuit layout.
     With the weather looking dry for the moment, this weekend will see the second half of the season get under way - with the battle for this year's notorious title heating up. The big question leading up to this weekend is; can the Honda duo continue their dominance in the second half? Matt Neal and Gordon Shedden respectively, have been the big stars of the BTCC over the last five weekends, with the pair taking an astounding ten race wins so far this year.
     The summer break has brought a number of changes and developments to the field. MG Momentum hope to continue their good run with Jason Plato - who currently holds third place in the championship standings - and Andy Neate, who had his best outing of the year last time out at Croft.
     Redstone Racing will be looking to continue their points haul in the second half of the season, after strong start to the year was overshadowed by a string of bad luck in the last few rounds. After a test at Brands at the beginning of the summer break, the team made improvements in the S2000 Ford Focus' tyre management - something that they seem to have struggled with since the start of the season. It was announced this week that the team would only be running two Fords at Snetterton, with Liam Griffin sitting out due to work and family commitments.
     Dave Newsham, who started the 2012 season a high, will too be looking to return to his early form after the break. The Team ES Racer has been the victim of a few mechanical niggles over the past few rounds, so will be hoping for a clean set of results at Snetterton.
     Tony Hughes, who stepped aside at Croft to allow Paul O'Neill to drive the Toyota Avensis, will re-join the team at Snetterton, alongside team mate Adam Morgan, who will be looking to challenge for some good results after an encouraging couple of days testing at Pembrey Circuit at the beginning of the month.
     Team HARD have also altered their drive line up over the summer break. It was announced early on in the gap, that American racer Robb Holland would be joining the HARD squad for Snetterton and Knockhill. Holland's appearance in the championship makes him the first American to race in the series since the 1970s. With Robb taking the reigns of the S2000 Honda Civic, questions were asked to whether Tony Gilham would be racing at Snetterton. With rumours pondering a NGTC move, the announcement was made today (Tuesday) that Gilham would be joining forces with Thorney Motorsport, to drive the NGTC Vauxhall Insignia. With Gilham on board, the Thorney Motorsport team will be hoping to improve the running of the Insignia with Gilham's knowledge and experience over the weekend. Gilham won't see or drive the car until the first free practice session on Saturday morning, but will be looking to achieve some positive results.
     So, with five rounds of the championship left before things wrap up for the year at Brands Hatch in October, it's all to play for Championship wise. The Honda pair of Matt Neal and Gordon Shedden head up the championship standings - with just one point separating them. Jason Plato is close behind in his MG Momentum MG, with Pirtek's Andrew Jordan and eBay Motors' Rob Collard battling it out for the Independents title.
     Catch the coverage of this weekend's racing actions from Snetterton live on ITV4 from 11:30 through until 18:00, with qualifying being shown online on Saturday afternoon. Trust me, you won't want to miss it.

Interview: Aron Smith

Redstone Racing's newest recruit Aron Smith started his first full season of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship at the beginning of the year. Halfway through the season, and with two weeks to go until the season gets back under way, I spoke to the Irishman, to get his thoughts on the season so far - and what's left to come this year...

You're now halfway through your first full season in the British Touring Car Championship. How are you getting on so far?

Well, to say it's been up and down would be an understatement. It seems I may have broken every mirror in the country with the luck I've been having, but I guess that's life! I've loved every single second so far, and the team are like my new family.

Swings and roundabouts: Smith hasn't had the season he would have
hoped for so far in 2012.
Picture Credit: Marc Waller.

You started off on the TOCA package with the Renault Clios - how much of a transition is there between the Clios and the Touring Cars?

It's a different kettle of fish altogether. The cars are more of a racing car, and the actual racing is a lot more fierce - but that's what makes the championship what it is. Apart from the actual racing side, the other thing that's been a read surprise is fan support. Up until this season, I felt like I was racing for myself, but now it's completely different. Having people come over and wish you luck before each race is really inspiring. I know that probably sounds silly, but I love feeling like I can make anyone's day even 1% better!

How are you getting on working with Redstone Racing for this season? You have a very experienced team mate in Mat Jackson, did this help you in your step up to touring cars?

Looking in from the outside, you don't get to see just how much of a team effort it is. Every single one of the team are amazing at what they do, and all of us are there to do our best. It's an environment like no other, and being around the team pushes me further that you could imagine. Good old Mat, where do I even start?! In fairness, having him in the team has been such a help. I don't think he gets the respect he deserves because he is definitely one of the best drivers on the grid, so to learn from him is great.

Part of the family: Aron has settled in nicely at Redstone Racing, describing
team mate Mat Jackson as "one of the best drivers on the grid".
Picture Credit: Marc Waller.

Do you have any expectations for the remainder of the year?

Hopefully to move further up the grid! There's a lot of very competitive drivers on the grid and names I've grown up watching so all I want is to try and get one over on them! I'm one to never set really stringent goals because if you don't accomplish them, you'll end up being disappointed. All I can do is my best - so hopefully that's good enough!


And finally, race days are a busy time for any racing driver. Could you describe a race day in the like of a racing driver?
Race days are absolutely manic! I'm at the track from 8am to have breakfast with the team, and we have a bit of a pre-brief over breakfast, which normally consists of the team slagging my Irish accent - which supposedly mimics sounds off "Big Fat Gypsy Weddings"! Then it's all down to business, running through everything we need to try for the first race. Race one is, in my opinion, the most important race of the weekend. A solid result in race one normally means you're on for a good weekend. After that, there's normally very little time before race two, so it's straight into a debrief to see if we need to change anything for race two. After race two, I feel like I could eat a baby through a tennis racket, so getting lunch is key! We all do a Q&A for the Redstone guests over lunch before heading back to the truck for a debrief with the engineers. After race three, you'll find me wheel spinning out the gate to catch a flight home from the nearest airport! So basically, that's my Sunday. The day goes so fast that you barely notice what happens to everyone else, so watching the replay of the three races is always a surprise to see what actually happened!

Aron will hoping to move his little "Red Devil" up the pecking order
as we enter the second half of the 2012 season.
Picture Credit: Marc Waller.