Inside BTCC - Issue 23 - BTCC 2013 at Snetterton

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issue 23: aug 2013

SNETTERTON PREVIEW / MATT NEAL / SUPPORT RACES / MUCH MORE...

PLUS - SHAUN HOLLAMBY TALKS BTCC AND MORE...

INSIDEBTCC.COM

TURKINGTON DOMINATES EBAY MOTORS STAR HITS FORM AT HALFWAY POINT

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After the summer break, it’s almost time for racing to resume as the field heads to Snetterton for the sixth round of the �0�� campaign. Matt Neal is the man to beat once again going into the second half of the season but the likes of Andrew Jordan, Jason Plato, Gordon Shedden and Colin Turkington are hot on his heels in what looks set to be a classic conclusion to the title battle. In this edition of Inside BTCC, we recap what happened at Croft prior to the summer break and preview what is to come when the action kicks off again in Norfolk. We also have features with Trevor Turkington, Neal and Shaun Hollamby, Aron Smith takes over from girlfriend Lauren for the latest column going behind the scenes with Airwaves Racing and we catch up with the man responsible for spearheading the marshal recruitment drive seen at each

of the BTCC events. There is the usual recap of how things stand in the various TOCA support series and a round-up of the latest headlines from the summer break, alongside full championship standings and our results archive for the �0�� season. There is also the chance to win tickets to the eighth round of the year at Rockingham in our latest competition – get your entry in to stand a chance of winning! All in all, plenty to keep you busy going into the next race weekend… As usual, you can follow us on Twitter at @InsideBTCC or give us a like on Facebook at Facebook.com/InsideBTCC. You can also get in touch with us via e-mail on [email protected] if you have any feedback or suggestions you want to send our way.

WELCOME...


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CONTENTS

ABOUT INSIDE BTCC...

Inside BTCC is an independent publication that is in no way endorsed by, or affiliated to the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship or its organisers.

Photos are credit PSP IMAGES or JAKOB EBREY unless otherwise stated.

To get in touch, please email: [email protected].

Written, produced and edited by Matt Salisbury and Matt Lamprell.

IN THIS ISSUE...

NEAL VOWS TO FIGHT LIKE HELLHonda star on top at the halfway point

6 - 7

TREVOR TURKINGTONA father’s tale

8 - 11

LAUREN’S COLUMNAron Smith steps in...

12 - 15

NEWS IN BRIEFLatest BTCC news round-up

16 - 19

JACK OF ALL TRADESShaun Hollamby on BTCC and more

20 - 22

MEETING TEAM WILSONInside the blue gazebo

25 - 26

CROFT ROUND-UPTurkington dominates in Yorkshire

28 - 33

COMPETITIONWin tickets to Rockingham!

38

SUPPORT RACESRounding up the action from the support formulae

40 - 41

POINTS & RESULTSHow the 2013 BTCC season is unfolding

48 - 50

Front cover images: Main - Colin Turkington (jakobebrey.com); Top right - Shaun Hollamby (jakobebrey.com).Back cover: Grid girls (jakobebrey.com).


NEAL VOWS TO FIGHT LIKE HELL

For the fourth season in a row, Matt Neal tops the BTCC standings at the half way stage of the year – and the Honda man says he will fight hard to stay there when racing resumes

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Honda’s Matt Neal has vowed to ‘fight like hell’ to retain his place at the head of the BTCC standings when the season resumes at Snetterton.

Neal’s fourth win of the year in the final race of the weekend at Croft was good enough to give him a 19 point lead in the title race

ahead of Pirtek Racing’s Andrew Jordan, with Jason Plato and Gordon Shedden 17 points further back.

It marks the fourth successive season in which the three-time champion has led the way at the halfway stage of the season, having also gone into the summer

break as the man to beat in 2010, 2011 and 2012.

It’s also the biggest advantage he has held across those seasons, with the previous best being the nine point lead he had over Mat Jackson back in 2011 – when he went on to take the title for the third time.


Neal’s current advantage was partly established on the back of a strong weekend at Croft, where his race three win added to a brace of top four finishes earlier in the day.

It wasn’t without a scare either following two near-misses on the final lap of race three but keeping both his car on track was good enough to give him the largest ‘half time’ lead since 2009, when Colin Turkington took a 25 point advantage into the summer break.

“I swear that I almost pooed my pants on that final lap,” he reflected. “Turkington had had a moment of his own on the previous lap and we’d been trading a few tenths of a second all through the race. After his mistake, the guys came on the radio to say I had a gap and I thought I would take it easy – and then I got to Tower.

“The problem was that the puddle there was growing, and water was appearing where it hadn’t been before. I ended up putting a wheel off and lost momentum but I managed to recover and then when I got to the Esses in sixth gear, I just touched standing water with the left hand wheel and it dragged the front end in. For a moment I thought I was going head-on into the barriers and then the car had a bit of a fishtail and somehow I managed to save it.

“It was a good way to end a tough weekend, as I went into it with no aspirations about how it was going to go. Usually you get a feeling in your waters, but I was open-minded. I knew we were down on the boost and that I was heavy with the success ballast, so to qualify third and then take second, fourth and first on race day was unexpected.

Now, I think I’m going to start lobbying for to get the championship halved in length!”

Neal is one of five men to have tasted victory so far this season and he admitted that the open nature of competition at the front is something he expected to see continue.

“There have been a lot of winners, and a lot of podium finishers so far,” he said. “If you look at it, eBay had a strong weekend at Croft and MG had a rough one, but they will bounce back and it will be someone else who has a bad weekend.

“I think you could see five or six in the mix when it comes to the end of the season. I’ll enjoy the fact that I have the bragging rights over the summer but I’m realistic and I know that when we get to Snetterton, the boost probably won’t be in our favour and I’m also going

to be heavy thanks to the success ballast. Every weekend will be tough, but that is what the BTCC is all about.”

Of the half a dozen or drivers Neal feels will be in the mix come the end of the year, two are fellow Honda drivers in the shape of team-mate Shedden and Jordan and Neal admitted that he would like one of the two to be champion if he himself isn’t able to secure his fourth crown.

“It’s great to have three Honda drivers in the mix, but it makes it tougher,” he said. “I will fight like hell to win another title but as long as one of us does it – and I include Andy in the that – and we win the title for Honda, that is what matters.”

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TREVOR TURKINGTON A FATHER’S TALE

Inside BTCC talks to Trevor Turkington about the career of his BTCC title-winning son Colin in our second ‘father’s tale’ feature…

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At Croft twelve months ago, Inside BTCC sat down with Jason Plato’s father Tim to gain an insight into how he developed from an enthusiastic youngster into a driver who has now won more British Touring Car Championship races than anyone else alongside two championship titles.

On the return to Croft this time around, we thought it was time to speaking to another ‘racing dad’ in the shape of Trevor Turkington, father to series returnee Colin Turkington, about how his son came through the ranks to win the title in 2009.

Inside BTCC:

Colin is back in the BTCC after a few years away, and there has been a lot of work that has gone in from your end to make that happen, so how pleased are you to see him back in action?

Trevor Turkington:

We’re delighted. It’s been tough going and obviously he hasn’t been in the BTCC since he won the title in 2009. He was happy enough at that point to get away for a break, as he’d been here for a long time. The year after that, he spent a season in Scandinavia

and has done a few races in different series, so to finally be back here after four years if fantastic. It’s only when you’re away from the BTCC that realise just how high profile it is.

Inside BTCC:

As a father, when Colin was young, what was it that made you – and him – realise that this is what he wanted to do?

Trevor Turkington:

When he was very young, at walking stage, he would get on a little buggy we had and boot it


round the kitchen floor and the one thing he wanted was more power! He loved engines and wanted to go to rallies, and I used to take him and his older brother Gary to events as I used to rally myself. He would stand all day and watch a rally or some racing and then the BTCC was on TV on an afternoon and he would sit on the couch and watch it all the time. I realised he was into racing but I didn’t know how good he would be, or if it would just be a passing phase.

Inside BTCC:

At what stage did you realise he had talent and wasn’t just someone who loved cars?

Trevor Turkington:

When he started to race karts in the cadet class back in Northern Ireland, we soon learned they could be temperamental and unreliable. He sometimes had to miss a few races because of an issue, or would be at the front and then would have a breakdown, so it was a bit hit and miss. But there was one thing for sure. When the kart was running well, he was always at the front.

Inside BTCC:

At that stage, someone has to pay for it all and at that age, it usually comes down to the parent to foot the bill. Was there ever a time when you wished he’d just wanted to be an accountant or something like that so it wouldn’t cost you a fortune?

Trevor Turkington:

I certainly wouldn’t have wanted him to be an accountant – that wouldn’t have been a good idea at all! There is no doubt it has cost a few pounds across the years, although in the early stages when we ran him in karting, it wasn’t as expensive as it is to do it today. At first, we were just running at home for a bit of fun and for a family outing for both Gary and Colin, but as time moved on, he moved from karts – and not a lot of people know this into quad racing for a few years. Then he had a go at Motocross for a few races which isn’t really talked about…

Inside BTCC:

Is that because he wasn’t very good?

Trevor Turkington:

He never did it long enough to really have the opportunity to show what he could do. In quads, he was running at the front with Gary and as time moved on, he really was a saloon car man. He moved into Minis in Autograss and won the championship, then he went on to race Metros at Kirkistown circuit and then onto Fiestas in England. From there, it was on to touring cars. It has been some career and some story.

Inside BTCC:

When he moved into Fiestas, that was when people over here started to notice him and it ultimately led to him getting the opportunity with Dick Bennetts and WSR to move into the BTCC with the Atomic Kitten team.

Did you ever imagine, as he was going up the ranks, that he would actually make it to touring cars?

Trevor Turkington:

We never really imagined it and it wasn’t in our sights. We were just here for some fun and I can’t even remember why we came to England to race in the Fiestas. But the move from Tim Norton – who ran the team

he was with – into the BTCC was a big one. We had a lot of support from people we know to get Colin to where he now is, and we have to thank Dick Bennetts for giving Colin the opportunity to move into the BTCC. Like everything else in life, when you are given an opportunity, you have to take it and if it wasn’t for Dick and WSR, the whole thing wouldn’t have come together.

Inside BTCC:

Tim Plato last year said that he felt Jason’s debut in the BTCC was the moment that stood out for him rather than winning his title as it showed what he could do at the highest level.

When you look back at Colin’s career, is his championship the highlight or – like Tim – is it something else?

Trevor Turkington:

I would say the highlight would be back in 2003 when Colin won his first race. There were a lot of good drivers on the grid that season – like Yvan Muller – and it was Round 16 at Brands Hatch. To go out and beat those kind of drivers was something else. I’d have to say that was the

TREVOR TURKINGTON A FATHER’S TALE

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Inside BTCC �0 www.insidebtcc.com

highlight.

Inside BTCC:

You say that like it was yesterday…

Trevor Turkington:

We watch it on the TV and we still can’t believe that Colin was out there and was good enough to beat guys like that. When you get one win, that is you hooked for life and he went on to win the Independents’ title in 2007, 2008 and 2009 and of course won the overall championship in 2009. It was fantastic to win that, but I would say that first win – Brands Hatch 2003 - is the highlight.

Inside BTCC:

When you look back at Colin’s championship season, the first half of that year was really where it was won as he built himself a good points total and then it was all about being consistent and picking up the points going into the final at Brands Hatch.

People say that finale was one of the best ever and through the three races you had no idea who was going to actually come out on top. What emotions did you go

through?

Trevor Turkington:

It most certainly wasn’t good, and I’m sure that any other father who takes his racing seriously would have felt the same.

Throughout the whole year, Colin was under real pressure. He got a good start to the season and was looking good halfway through the season, but from the mid-point of the season to the end, it was almost downhill the whole way. We would go to the racing on Sunday morning and couldn’t eat as the emotions were so high with us wishing that it was all going to work out for him.

To head into the last day with three guys going for the title, Colin was on a hiding to nothing. He was fighting against Plato and Giovanardi, but also against Matt Neal as well as he was riding shotgun for Giovanardi in the Vauxhall team. Giovanardi was the main rival but it was almost two against one with him and Neal and that was no joke but Colin showed his metal and out manoeuvred both of them.

Matt Neal was up to his

games but he was working for Vauxhall and had to do what he had to do, although we felt it was a step too far trying to back Colin up into Giovanardi. Colin sorted him out anyway and put him onto the grass and in the end, he got the result he needed. We were obviously delighted with how things turned out.

Inside BTCC:

It’s not been the easiest start to his return with a new car but there have been wins and things are staring to look up, so what is achievable before the end of the year?

Trevor Turkington:

It’ll be hard to come back for the title so I think we have to go for race wins for WSR and for eBay; especially eBay as they have done a lot to get him back in the car. The only thing he can do for them is to go out there and win races and where he ends up in the championship, we’ll have to wait and see. The top three is something he could be happy with.

Inside BTCC:

Colin isn’t the only member of the Turkington family who races of course as there is

Gary as mentioned and also James. So how stressful does it get for you?

Trevor Turkington:

It would be good to see the three of them out in the same race one day. Maybe it could happen. James is racing a Fiesta back in Northern Ireland and he’s had eleven starts and eleven wins. It is stressful but maybe they could race together in the future.

Inside BTCC:

It would be good one of them could get a professional deal to look after the old man…

Trevor Turkington:

That would be nice as its nearly time for me to take it easy! But for now, we’ll keep doing what we’ve been doing, and will fly the flag for Northern Ireland.

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LAUREN’S ARON’S COLUMN...

In her latest column for Inside BTCC, Lauren Taylor doesn’t say much at all and instead leaves it to Aron Smith to bring us up to speed on how things are going at Airwaves Racing ahead of the second half of the season…

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You might know that Lauren has got herself a new job and she now feels that she’s above writing blogs - so it has been left up to me to fly my own flag!

In my opinion I have no idea why we bother taking these big long summer breaks. I’m at a loose end every weekend and I find myself watching any form of motorsport to keep myself entertained, and I’ve even ventured onto the dark side of watching WTCC.

I’ve had enough BBQs to last me a lifetime and now I’m ready to return to my usual haunt of a Zizzi’s on a Friday night before every race weekend!

It hasn’t been the easiest start to a season that I’ve ever had but I guess that’s life. Yes, I wanted to come out of the box swinging at Brands but it’s all starting to shape up once again. To be honest I was in a very

similar situation at this point last season, I was finding it difficult to find the ultimate set-up but then everything clicked…

There’s this indescribable feeling when you know the cars bang on the money. You literally come out of the pits, go around the first corner and that feeling emerges from deep within your stomach. Everything becomes easy again and rather than wrestling the car around the track, it begins to feel effortless and you’re barely thinking about what you’re doing.

And that my friends, is exactly how I felt at the two-day test a couple of weeks ago at Snetterton.

Everybody overlooks the fact that pretty much all the other teams have had a year of developing their cars and yes there has been the odd surprise package, but we haven’t caught that lucky break

of a reverse grid pole or anything like that to date. I wouldn’t even describe what we have experienced as being frustrating, but more unlucky.

Frustrating is when you’re annoyed at the situation, but this is completely different. Everyone at Airwaves Racing has been giving it 110%, but for some reason, it just hasn’t clicked to date. It’s a cruel sport because everybody only sees the name that’s’ on the side of the car while no credit is given to the team, and in my opinion I have the easy job. I literally fly over to see my immaculate car, drive it around all weekend and, to be fair, hand it back in a ball!

In between races the team slave away at the car, making the car perfect once again. There’s ridiculously long hours and if one thing goes wrong on a race weekend, the blame is well and truly

placed on them. Rarely is thanks given for their invaluable input, but this really is a team effort.

I’ve said before that I reckon that Alex (my number one) has spent more time with my little Nessie than his new born Oscar and he’s not the only one! Oly Collins just had a new baby and that’s why he was absent from his post at Croft. I’m also led to believe that Eddie already has bigger shoulders than his Dad.

And here we are once again as I finish writing this on the Monday morning before a race weekend. But this time it feels different.

It feels like Christmas has come. You know that feeling when you get all your new toys and you’re dying to show them off - well that’s how I now feel about our car.

In my opinion it’s turned

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a corner and I’m never one to come out with an outrageous statement like ‘I’m after podiums and wins’ but I’ve always found myself to be a bit more reserved. Of course having self-belief is important, but if you believe it enough, then you don’t have to go around convincing the paddock. So yes, I know for a fact that our car is substantially improved, but after that it’s all down to the racing.

The car is now in the ballpark and I’m bursting with confidence, but there’s another something else that is really driving me on. It’s more so the fact that I want to do it for everyone at Airwaves Racing as a thank you for all the hard work and for not losing their head with me. They are like my second family, and for sticking with little old me, they certainly deserve some results.

That elusive feeling of success is why every

driver races and for the first time all year I felt that at Snetterton. When I climbed out of the car at the end of the day everyone’s mood had changed. All of a sudden there was an air of confidence floating around our garage, and after hearing the sound of claps when I got out of the car, the feeling of why I started racing came flooding back.

It’s odd but at the pinnacle of saloon car racing I still get the same feeling as when I

started karting in some club championship! I’ve always said that I would literally race anything - even a shopping kart championship around the car park. It really doesn’t make a difference to me. I think some people enjoy the glamour of it, and don’t get me wrong that’s great, but I’d still be on the grid if there was no one watching!

On the run up to this weekend it’s been different, I’ve found myself more committed than ever. Training longer

and more often to make sure I’m ready for the real start to my season and to show everyone what we’re capable off. It really is like the first day back at school and I’m itching to show everyone what I can do.

I’ve no idea if I’ll be writing more of these blogs, it depends on how lazy Lauren is, but I’ve enjoyed this so hopefully if Snetterton goes the way it should, you’ll hear me harping on once again.

If you’re bored at Snetterton come say hello to Nessie, she’d appreciate it.

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Cole quits Team HARD.

James Cole has decided to step down from his drive with Team HARD. on the back of a tough start to his first season in the BTCC.

The former single-seater racer had endured a series of difficult weekends over the opening half of the year, leading to speculation in the Croft paddock that he was about to call time on his season ahead of schedule.

Within days of the fifth round of the year, the former Formula Ford title winner confirmed that that was indeed the case, having taken the decision to stand down from his drive with the team.

“This was a very hard decision to make,” he said. “The BTCC is a great championship. I moved into touring cars this season and it was meant to be the first chapter of my education into driving a tin-top car, but I didn’t feel that I was getting any real grounding into the skills needed by working with Team HARD. That has led me to seek new opportunities.

“My mechanics worked tirelessly, and I would like to thank them all for their efforts, but I felt that the best decision for my future would be to leave the team,” added Cole. “I will now look for opportunities with other partners who share the same vision as me and those with the capability of giving me the tools and the experience I need to progress as a top-level touring car driver.”

Who replaces Cole in the Insignia long-term remains to be seen, although American racer Robb Holland will be at the wheel at Snetterton for his first outing in NGTC-spec machinery.

Holland – who had been due to race an ex-Arena Ford Focus in the WTCC this year - will be competing in the BTCC for the first time this season, having previously driven Team HARD.’s Honda Civic at both Snetterton and Brands Hatch last year. Holland tested the car at both Snetterton and Brands Hatch during the summer break.

“Hopefully I won’t get punted off at Riches on the first lap this time!” he said. “In

between dodging all of the Caterhams and Radicals I was able to get some good running in at Brands Hatch and have a much better feeling for the Insignia then I got from the few laps I did at Snetterton.

“The NGTC cars are a completely different beastie than the S2000 Ford that I have been testing. The laps times are similar but how each car gets there is completely different. It’s a big challenge as a driver to switch between the various touring cars as they each require something completely different to go quickly. Hopefully I’ll be able to make the switch for this weekend and see if I can haul the Insignia further up the grid.”

Scott goes NGTC

Warren Scott has brought forwards his plans to switch to NGTC-spec machinery by agreeing a deal that will see his BMR Restart team run the second Team HARD. Volkswagen Passat CC.

While Tony Gilham’s team will build up the car and provide

assistance, Scott’s own team will take on the job of running the car on a race weekend after the decision was taken to call a halt to his Jack Sears Trophy campaign.

A series of issues with his SEAT Leon has blunted his challenge in his debut season, with just five finishes in the opening half of the campaign.

“This is a very exciting time for our team and a huge step forwards within the BTCC,” BMR team manager Mark Turner said. “We are thoroughly enjoying our racing in this series and we feel moving now to the NGTC shows our commitment to the BTCC long term.

“We have chosen the VW Passat CC NGTC and Team HARD because they fitted in with our future plans and we believe the support will be valuable to our team’s development. Team BMR will continue to keep its own identity, but will be in association with Team HARD.”

Ahead of the switch, Scott sampled NGTC-spec machinery for the first time when he drove the second

NEWS IN BRIEF NEWS IN BRIEF NEWS IN BRIEF NEWS IN BRIEF



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HARD. Insignia during testing at Snetterton.

MG head the pack at Snetterton test

MG pair Jason Plato and Sam Tordoff led the way in a two-day Dunlop tyre test at Snetterton, topping the times in all four sessions of on-track running.

Tordoff set the pace in both sessions on the opening day ahead of Plato, while the positions were reversed on day two as two-time title winner Plato saw off the challenge of his young team-mate.

“We’ve had a very good test these last two days – we’ve been doing a lot of race runs and we understand our car a little bit more,” he said. “I think it’s a strong development path we’re going on – if you look at the times both Sam and I have been quick all day long, and not just over one lap.

“We’ve stuck to our plan – we’ve not being going out to show off, we had a strict programme of tests to go

through and we’ve completed it which is important. It’s probably the best test we’ve ever done.”

Behind the MG duo, both of whom beat Frank Wrathall’s qualifying lap record, Jack Goff impressed to post the third fastest time in his Insignia with Rob Collard, Aron Smith and Colin Turkington rounding out the top six.

Elsewhere, sportscar ace Nick Tandy impressed at the wheel of the Addision Lee Motorbase NGTC Ford Focus and was inside the top ten throughout, while there was also top ten pace from Mike Jordan as the Pirtek Racing boss hit the track in Jeff Smith’s Honda Civic.

Further down the times, Robb Holland, Howard Fuller and Joe Girling all ran in the Insignia left vacant by James Cole’s departure from Team HARD. while Speedworks ran Ian Loggie, Chris Jones and Richard Hawken in place of Dave Newsham, who was away on holiday and unable to take part.

Honda were amongst the

teams not to take part in the group test and instead took the decision to run separate from the rest of the field in a test also attended by Ciceley Racing, AmDTuning.com, Speedworks, WIX Racing and IP Tech Race Engineering.

AmD makes Honda switch

AmDTuning.com will debut a new car at Snetterton after switching to a Super 2000-spec Honda Civic for the remainder of 2013.

The team has taken the decision to switch from its VW Golf in an attempt to clinch the Jack Sears Trophy, with James Kaye currently four wins behind Trophy leader Lea Wood.

Kaye tested the car at Snetterton last week with encouraging results and will now aim to challenge for class honours when racing resumes in Norfolk.

The new deal sees Kaye back behind the wheel of a Honda having previously competed in the Accord, Civic and Integra models earlier in his career.

“The opportunity to switch to the Civic arose as a result of James’ relationship with Honda and it was too good to miss,” team boss Shaun Hollamby said. “I’d like to say a massive thank-you to Team Dynamics and to Honda for allowing us to use what is undoubtedly one of the best engine-chassis combinations ever seen in the championship.

“The guys have been fantastic – they were incredibly helpful when we were testing at Snetterton and have worked flat out to get the car ready for us. It was important from our point of view that there was a dialogue with the Dynamics engineers, and they were very enthusiastic about getting the car out there again.”

The deal to run the Civic could be the first step in AmD running an NGTC-spec Honda next year, with the car being ‘top of the list’ of the options available for 2014.


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Neate set for Snetterton debut

Andy Neate will make his long-awaited debut in the Team Club 44 Chevrolet Cruze at Snetterton following a successful test at the circuit last week.

Neate, who had originally hoped to make his first appearance in the car earlier in the year, completed a shakedown test at the Norfolk venue and is also set to run at Mallory Park before the race weekend.

“I am clearly delighted to get the car finished and finally get to drive it – it really is a huge achievement and I’m grateful to everyone involved,” he said. “I have driven many cars for a number of teams down the years but I must admit it was a surreal feeling to be sitting in my own car - built by our team.

“The NGTC rules mean this is an investment for the next two or three years – it’s not just about now. I am committed to the BTCC and I want to be here for many years to come, with the plan

being to also run a second car next year and beyond.

“The remainder of this season will hopefully be a good shop window for other drivers to see what we can do, and that we’re seen as a competitive option for 2014. The great news is that we’re here now and I am really looking forward to racing!”

Wrathall does the double at Silverstone

Frank Wrathall took a double win in the Super Touring Car Trophy during the annual Silverstone Classic.

Driving a Vauxhall Cavalier owned by his engineer Jonny Westbrook took victory in the opening race after the initial winner Neil Smith was excluded from the results after his Alfa Romeo clashed with Stewart Whyte’s Honda on the final lap.

Smith’s exclusion saw Tom Harvey promoted into second place, with an engine issue having earlier dropped him away from the fight for victory. Craig Davies completed the podium

finishers although there was disappointment for Patrick Watts, who crashed out in his Peugeot early on.

The second race saw Wrathall lead from start to finish to take a second success ahead of Whyte’s ex-David Leslie Accord and Davies, although the issues in race one meant Harvey and Watts were both left to watch from the sidelines.

Watts had however enjoyed success in the Brands Hatch Superprix event earlier in the month as he took victory in the Peugeot 406 he had raced back in the 1990s.

Watts won the second race of the weekend at Brands despite starting twelfth on the grid ahead of the Nissan Primera of James Dodd, with John Cleland third as he returned to action in his Vauxhall Vectra.

Both Watts and Cleland had been forced out of race one with a loose wheel and suspension damage respectively, allowing Dodd to take a comfortable win ahead of Derek Palmer and Simon Garrad.

Marshall Amps to back BTCC gig Fans attending the Snetterton round of the BTCC will be in for an extra treat following the announcement of a campsite rock gig, which will take place on Saturday night. On the weekend that the IP Tech Race Engineering team makes its debut, team sponsor Marshall Amplification will support the gig which will see local band 80*2*90 perform a series of classic rock anthems. A BTCC rising star is also due to make a special guest appearance. The event, open to those camping at the circuit, will take place at 8pm in the Campsite marquee bar.


JACK OF ALL TRADES

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To most fans attending BTCC events, or watching at home on ITV4, Shaun Hollamby is known as the man who oversees the AmDTuning.com programme having focused on the role of team principal after racing the team’s Volkswagen Golf back in 2010.

While the BTCC programme - alongside the day job overseeing things at the AmD Tuning base in Essex - takes up plenty of his

time, Shaun is one of the increasing number of drivers who lends his experience to the commentary box to give an added insight to race coverage.

In the same way that Honda’s Matt Neal is a regular on Eurosport’s World Touring Car Championship coverage, Shaun has appeared in the DTM commentary box on numerous occasions in the past – with his most recent

outing coming at the Red Bull Ring in Austria in early June.

“I love doing a bit of commentary, especially when the racing is live,” Shaun admits. “The DTM is a world class series for teams and drivers, and it’s a privilege to be involved with it. It’s all thanks to Andrew Marriot that I’m able to do some commentary, and I’d probably do a bit more if the events didn’t clash.

“I enjoy chatting about what is going on, and like giving an opinion without just sitting on the fence, which I think is the key thing to it. It really winds me up when people are politically correct all the time. My view is that is a driver makes a mistake, you should say that they have and try to explain why.”

While the chance to commentate on the DTM

Shaun Hollamby is known to many for his BTCC role with AmDTuning.com, but he’s done a lot more besides in his motorsport career…


doesn’t come around often, it does given Shaun the opportunity to see at close quarters another which – like the BTCC – has undergone a series of changes in recent years.

New regulations and a new manufacturer in BMW have boosted what was already a popular series, and Shaun admits it’s interesting to see how the two series’ compare.

“The cars are a lot more aero efficient in the DTM but while the racing is close, there isn’t the ‘cut and thrust’ that you get in the BTCC,” he said. “In British Touring Cars, it’s all about action and about hard racing. The DTM is somewhere between single-seaters and touring cars but I’d have to admit that there isn’t always the same excitement. When you go to watch the BTCC, you know you will see some great racing, and I’m not sure you can always say the same with the DTM.

“The key difference really between two is money, as the DTM has huge manufacturer backing and

arguably wouldn’t be there without it. In the BTCC, it all about keeping costs down so that teams like AmDTuning.com are able to compete. There is no way we’d be able to race if the costs were comparable to the DTM.

“When you walk into the DTM paddock, you’re greeted by these huge showrooms from Audi, Mercedes and BMW; it’s just unbelievable. But that’s because it is all about selling cars. That’s great until there is a change in management at the top and the new person doesn’t like motorsport – what happens then?

“That’s one thing that the BTCC has got right. Alan Gow and his team are well aware that you can’t rely on the manufacturer teams and need privateers. Manufacturers may come and go, but privateer teams will always want to be part of the grid.”

Shaun’s DTM commentary role is only part of the work he carries out ‘on the other side’ however, with his other work being something

that BTCC fans may not be aware of…

“I can probably say that I’ve tried every role in motorsport,” he says. “I’ve done marshalling, commentary, time-keeping, been a team owner and been a driver; you name it, I’ve done it! It doesn’t mean I’ve been very good, but I’ve had a go!

“When I was younger, I actually worked for Formula One Management, and I still do sometimes, on the TV side of things. When I first started, the coverage came from the local broadcaster but it is now all controlled by FOM. I was senior director from 1999 to 2002 and it’s a huge challenge to be in control of a team of cameramen and have to tell people a story. It’s a very high pressure role but the only real downside to it is the travelling. It sounds good to be able to travel the world, but the reality is that you end up sat in a small room pressing buttons. Doing it from home would be ideal!

“It’s interesting work to carry out as there are times

when I’ve sat at home watching a race and wonder why something hasn’t been shown. There are always lots of reasons as something more important may have happened, or an incident might have been missed because a camera has panned around following another car. The good thing in F1 now is that there are so many onboard cameras that most things are seen.

“What I enjoyed the most was being the person who was telling the story to the fans watching on TV. People do sometimes say that that the racing in F1 can be boring, but there is always something going on and you certainly see a lot more now than at times in the past.

“FOM has pushed forward with the broadcasting and now when you watch F1, once the lead battle is sorted, they’ll drop back into the field to see the racing elsewhere. There is always something going on and a battle to watch.”

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The blue marshal recruitment gazebo is now a firm fixture in the BTCC paddock, with Peter Wilson and his team of volunteers giving up their time at every race weekend to try and sign up more people for the marshalling cause.

‘Team Wilson’ have been involved in the recruitment process for a number of years and Inside BTCC took the chance to find out more during the Croft weekend…

Inside BTCC:

When you first started off with the venture, did you ever envisage that you would sign up as many people as you have done?

Peter Wilson:

No, not at all. Previously I was the recruitment officer for the North East region and we had an issue at both Cadwell Park and Croft where we were always short of

marshals. Martyn Bell had just won the Kumho BMW Championship and he asked if he could come along to Cadwell to have a go at marshalling and see what we did and he was on my post. We got talking and then a few months later, I saw the announcement that he was going to be moving into the BTCC.

At that point, I had a word with Martyn and asked if there was something we could do about recruitment and he

invited us to come along to the events and join him but we were quite naïve at the time. We simply stood in the pits with a clipboard during the pitlane walkabout and in the first year, we signed up something like 120 people. At the end of the year, I sat down with the rest of the team and we said that 120 was a good figure, but that there were 250-300,000 people at the ten events.

We agreed that we were in the wrong place and

needed to get into the public area. We spoke to the circuit owners and they were happy to give us a free space in the trade area. Each of the circuits have done that, and we wouldn’t be able to do it without that support. The BMMC bought us a gazebo and on the first day we were in the public area, we signed up more people than we had done in the previous season.

At that point, there was myself, my late wife Hilary, my brother Ken and his partner so we were given the name ‘Team Wilson’ – and it just stuck.

Inside BTCC:

There must be a lot of time that goes into what you do, and not just at the circuit…

Peter Wilson:

That’s a very astute point. I start organising things on the Thursday and

Inside BTCC meets up with Peter Wilson from Team Wilson, the volunteers present at every round of the series signing up prospective marshals to help work trackside at race meetings around the UK

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MEETING t TEAM WILSON t


then I travel to the circuit and set up on Friday. Throughout Saturday and Sunday, it is a case of signing up as many people as possible and then when I get home, I have to input the data into a spreadsheet, which then goes to the MSA and is distributed to the various clubs. Those clubs will then make contact with people to provide them with information and to invite them to take part in a taster day, which is the ideal way to see what goes on.

Inside BTCC:

You mentioned the loss of your wife. How tough was it to carry on after that?

Peter Wilson:

In marshalling, you make a lot of friends so I had a lot of support and I think I only missed one event. Because my wife was so keen to do this, it would have been wrong to stop doing it following her death, and I got a lot

of help from the friends I have made My brother and his partner are now doing other things so I’m on my own on weekends but I get help from fellow marshals, and quite often they are people who have signed up with me.

Inside BTCC:

The support you gained after your wife’s death, is that almost something you can use to promote marshalling? The social aspect of it?

Peter Wilson:

You do make friends for life through marshalling. The thing that I like is that it is a team event, and team events are something that you don’t get much chance to do these days. Whenever you go out marshalling, you are working with new people, making new friends and learning something new about different people and about the sport.

Inside BTCC:

Do you still find time to marshal yourself?

Peter Wilson:

I marshal when I can, when I’m not doing the recruitment stuff. I’ll do events at Cadwell Park and was also at the British Grand Prix.

Inside BTCC:

Why did you want to marshal in the first place?

Peter Wilson:

I’m the eldest of five lads. My father was always keen on motorsport and we had a Bedford Dormobile. Our weekend was all about going to watch motorsport as a result. Back in the 1960s, myself and one of my brothers were at the circuit and thought we’d like to see what it was like on the other side of the barriers. The rest is history.

Inside BTCC:

So how many people do you hope to recruit this year?

Peter Wilson:

A lot of it is down to the weather as that can have an impact on the crowd and how they move around. We’d hope to sign up around 1200-1500 and each of those will be offered the chance to do a taster day where they will see exactly what being a marshal is all about.

Inside BTCC:

So you’ll be in the trade area if people want to know more?

Peter Wilson:

That’s right. People can come and find us at the circuit and if they aren’t coming along, they can go to www.marshals.co.uk and sign up there through the link on the homepage.

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TURKINGTON SHINES WET WEATHER FAILS TO DAMPEN EBAY MOTORS PARTY AT CROFT


Colin Turkington came close to joining the exclusive BTCC ‘hat-trick’ club at Croft, winning twice and then going on to finish second in the third race of the day.

After claiming pole position, Turkington went on claim the first win of the year for the all-new eBay Motors BMW 1 Series, bringing himself right back into contention ahead of the second half of the season.

RACE ONE

Turkington made the most of his pole position, along with a gamble on running the soft compound Dunlop tyres early

in the day to claim a comfortable victory in the first of the day’s three races.

The rear-wheel-drive BMW made a strong start from pole position to lead Matt Neal and Jason Plato as they went through Clervaux for the first time. In the second eBay Motors BMW, Rob Collard challenged Plato and Neal at the start, but ended up spinning and dropping down the order as the pack approached the chicane.

Plato was soon also under pressure from Gordon Shedden and could only hold off the Honda until the second lap. Turkington was

quickly starting to open up a gap, at the rate of around a second a lap.

Close racing during the first few laps inevitably ended with a few early casualties. Among them were Mat Jackson, who made contact with a tyre bundle, and Dave Newsham, who dropped down the order in his Speedworks Toyota, before pitting.

A brief burst of rain around the halfway point threatened to make things difficult, but there wasn’t enough water to affect the track significantly.

After his first lap

TURKINGTON WINS TWICE AT CROFTEBAY MOTORS STAR MISSES OUT ON HAT-TRICK AS NEAL HOLDS ON TO POINTS LEAD

MATT LAMPRELL REPORTS

TURKINGTON SHINES

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issues, Rob Collard was the driver making the quickest progress through the pack. All three eBay drivers were on the soft tyres in the opening race and all were charging. Collard had his sights set on getting back into the top ten, while Nick Foster challenged and then passed Jason Plato for fourth place on lap 12.

In the final few laps, it was the battle at the bottom of the top ten that provided the most interest. Collard and Michael Caine were both pushing hard and trading paint as they challenged first Jeff Smith and then

Adam Morgan.

At the chequered flag, Colin Turkington took the win for eBay Motors, just under 10 seconds ahead of Matt Neal in second and then Gordon Shedden in third.

Colin Turkington said, “We looked at the weather forecast and we gambled on the soft tyres for the first race. With so much chance of rain, we just wanted to give ourselves the best chance of running on the soft tyres at some point. If it rained early in the day, then hopefully I’d have been on them on race two or race three.

“I had a good gap with a few laps to go, so I was in the luxurious position of being able to manage the tyres. That helped us, but the BMW was really strong out there and it’s great to get the first win under our belt.”

Fourth place went to Nick Foster in the second eBay Motors BMW, ahead of Jason Plato, Andrew Jordan and Sam Tordoff. Michael Caine, Rob Collard and Tom Onslow-Cole.

On his BTCC debut, Addison Lee Motorbase’s Jake Hill took victory in the Jack Sears Trophy.

RACE TWO

Rain just before the start of the second race made it a tough task to choose the right tyres, but Turkington managed to win for the second time in as many races.

MG KX Momentum pair Jason Plato and Sam Tordoff

gambled to start the race on grooved wet tyres and it looked like it was paying off in the early stages.

Turkington led away from the line, but Jason Plato leapt past both Matt Neal and Turkington at Tower to lead on the opening lap. With Tordoff through into second, the duo quickly edged out

Good weekend:COLIN TURKINGTON The best weekend of his BTCC career. MATT NEAL Leading the championship at the halfway point.

TURKINGTON ON POLEAT CROFT

Colin Turkington grabbed a last-gasp pole position at Croft in a session that was disrupted by a red flag with four minutes remaining.

Jason Plato looked set to be heading for a second straight pole, having set a best lap of 1:24.613 when the red flag came out, but Turkington jumped to the top of the times with his final lap of the session. It was the first pole position for the new-for-2013 BMW 1 Series.

It was a sprint to the flag in the final four minutes, after Joe Girling’s Chevrolet Cruze hit the barrier and caused the session to be stopped with 3:59 left on the clock.

Plato’s pole seemed

secure, but Turkington was one of the last drivers to cross the line and he was able to squeeze enough time out of his eBay Motors BMW to put him top of the times. His teammate Rob Collard was also among the late improvers, but could only manage to climb to sixth on the grid.

Turkington was joined on the front row of the grid by Jason Plato. Matt Neal and Gordon Shedden claimed third and fourth respectively, ahead of Andrew Jordan and Collard.

Lea Wood was the first of the Jack Sears Trophy runners, in 22nd, ahead of Airwaves Racing’s BTCC debutant Jake Hill.

RACE RESULTS - TOP 10sRACE ONE

1 Colin Turkington (NGTC) 21:46.663 / 15 Laps; 2 Matt Neal (NGTC) +9.334 secs; Gordon Shedden (NGTC) +9.552; 4 Nick Foster (NGTC) +12.819; 5 Jason Plato +18.580; 6 Andrew Jordan +20.810; 7 Sam Tordoff (NGTC) +27.961; 8 Michael Caine (NGTC) +34.881; 9 Rob Collard (NGTC) +35.040; 10 Tom Onslow-Cole (NGTC) +36.178.

Independent winner: Colin Turkington

Fastest lap: Colin Turkington (1:25.290)

RACE TWO

1 Colin Turkington (NGTC) 22:20.699 / 15 Laps; 2 Gordon Shedden (NGTC) +2.987; 3 Tom Onslow-Cole (NGTC) +9.035; 4 Matt Neal (NGTC) +12.012; 5 Andrew Jordan (NGTC) +13.680; 6 Rob Collard (NGTC) +13.785; 7 Nick Foster (NGTC) +15.159; 8 Adam Morgan

(NGTC) +17.359; 9 Dave Newsham (NGTC) +27.774; 10 Jeff Smith (NGTC) +28.523.


Fastest lap: Gordon Shedden (1:25.856)

RACE THREE

1 Matt Neal (NGTC) 24:06.538 / 15 Laps; 2 Colin Turkington (NGTC) +0.631; 3 Andrew Jordan (NGTC) +4.321; 4 Gordon Shedden (NGTC) +8.484; 5 Dave Newsham (NGTC) +11.769; 6 Jason Plato (NGTC) +19.061; 7 Sam Tordoff (NGTC) +19.320; 8 Nick Foster (NGTC) +23.463; 9 Aron Smith (NGTC) +27.357; 10 Jeff Smith (NGTC) +38.946.


Fastest lap: Sam Tordoff (1:33.130)

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an advantage at the front, making the most of the extra grip they enjoyed on the slippery track.

However, the rain didn’t last and Turkington was soon closing back in on Tordoff. Lap three saw the eBay Motors driver up to second and then he was back in the lead next time around.

The tide had turned and both Plato and Tordoff rapidly dropped down the order. They stayed out on track on their wet tyres – if the rain had returned, they might just have come back into the race, but in the end,

they had to suffer being lapped by the leaders towards the end of the race.

At the front, Turkington came under pressure from Gordon Shedden, but the Honda Yuasa Racing driver couldn’t find a way past and had to settle for second.

Third place went to the impressive Tom Onslow-Cole, ahead of Matt Neal. Rob Collard crossed the line fifth, but a post-race penalty for gaining an unfair advantage dropped him to sixth behind Andrew Jordan. Nick Foster took seventh, with Adam Morgan

eighth. Another penalty victim was Jeff Smith, who ended up tenth, behind Dave Newsham.

Colin Turkington said, “It was tougher with 45kg on the BMW. The track conditions were very slippy everywhere. During the mid-phase of race, I tried to manage the gap to Gordon. Credit to team though, they gave me a great car.”

eBay Motors team boss Dick Bennetts said, “It’s unbelievable. It was a gamble this morning to choose the soft tyre. We

thought it might rain, and then we would carry it to race two or three.

“We didn’t know what the weather was doing, but we stuck to our guns and chose slicks in race two. We were very worried about Jason, but his wets

faded away as it dried out, so it’s a fantastic result.”

RACE THREE

Matt Neal won a very wet final race at Croft, just managing to prevent Colin Turkington from making it a memorable hat-

Bad weekend:ADAM MORGAN Suffered throughout the weekend. MAT JACKSON Really needs an upturn in fortunes.

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trick.

If race one was dry and race two mixed, race three at Croft was definitely wet. The clouds started depositing their contents about 20 minutes before the race was scheduled to start and continued well into the race.

A reversal of the top eight from race two had put Adam Morgan’s Toyota on pole position for round 15. However, there was nothing that Morgan could do to prevent Nick Foster from jumping into the lead at the start of the race – his rear-wheel-drive BMW coping well with the slippery surface on the grid.

Morgan’s first lap was a poor one, losing second place to Matt Neal and then running wide at Sunny and dropping further down the order. There was worse to come for Morgan though, as his Sunday ended the same way as his Saturday had – in the barrier at

Clervaux.

Foster led the race until lap three, when Matt Neal overtook him to claim the lead. Turkington had started the race in eighth, but another strong start had seen him make rapid progress through the pack and he was soon into second behind Neal.

In such treacherous conditions, there was clearly a chance for Turkington to make it a treble – but there was just as much of a chance of ending up in the barriers. The gap stayed steady at just over a second until the last few laps, when Turkington eased off. Had he kept the pressure on, he might have been close enough to capitalise on Neal’s last lap dramas.

The Honda driver had two scares on the last lap, but just managed to hold on to take the win. A few more corners and Turkington may just have joined the elite ‘hat-trick club’.

Neal said, “The rain was coming down harder and puddles were getting bigger. I thought it was all over, but somehow I managed to hold onto it. I thought the cleaning bill for my overalls was going to be horrendous at that point.”

“We’re only halfway through the season, but it’s great to be leading. It’s going to be game on when we get to Snetterton.”

Turkington took second, saying, “I saw Matt go a bit wide on the last lap, but I was already a bit nervous with my own car at that point, so I’m pleased with second. It’s my best score ever on a BTCC weekend. It leaves us pretty confident going into the second half of the season.”

Andrew Jordan finished the race in third to retain his second place in the championship, ahead of Gordon Shedden in fourth

and Dave Newsham, fifth. MG pair Jason Plato and Sam Tordoff finished sixth and seventh respectively after being among the quickest drivers on the track in the second half of the race. Nick Foster ended up eighth, while Aron Smith and Jeff Smith completed the top ten.

Lea Wood was the only classified finisher in the S2000 class, so took another Jack Sears Trophy win.

At the halfway point in the 2013 BTCC season, Matt Neal leads the championship race with 224 points. Andrew Jordan is second with 205, ahead of Jason Plato and Gordon Shedden, jointly on 188. After his strong performance at Croft, Colin Turkington sits fifth, with 184 points.

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With the BTCC title race set to hot up through the second half of the year, we’ve teamed up with Rockingham to offer you the chance to win tickets to the eighth round of the season in September.

With thanks to the

team at Rockingham, we’ve been given no fewer than FIVE pairs of tickets to give away for the event at the Corby circuit, which is set to play a pivotal role in deciding who emerges from the 2013 season victorious.

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WIN ROCKINGHAM TICKETS

To be in with a chance of winning, all you have to do is answer the following simple question:

Which two drivers took victory in the Rockingham races last season?

A: Rob Collard and Aron SmithB: Jason Plato and Gordon SheddenC: Frank Wrathall and Matt Neal

Simply send you answer along with your name, address and contact phone number to [email protected] to be in with a chance of attending the event on 15 September.


WIN ROCKINGHAM TICKETS

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SUPPORT RACE ROUND-UP

We look back at all the action from the support race paddock at Croft...

Record-breaker Cammish keen to win again

Dan Cammish will seek to extend his record-breaking run of victories when the Dunlop MSA Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain resumes at Snetterton – with the championship leader having won every race so far this season.

Cammish made it 15 straight wins at Croft and is now just three away from equalling Scott Malvern’s record for a season, which he could match in Norfolk.

Despite a commanding position in the championship however, Cammish isn’t likely to have it all his own way with his rivals having closed the gap to the front as the season has gone on.

Harrison Scott ended Cammish’s pole run at Croft and has led races this season, with his aim being to add to the seven podiums he has secured so far while also attempting to move ahead of Nico Maranzana in the race for second in the standings.

They aren’t the only podium finishers eager to topple Cammish from the top step either, with the likes of Juan Rosso, Camren Kaminsky, Sam Brabham, Andy Richardson and Jayde Kruger all aiming to open their victory accounts.

Additions to the grid at Snetterton come in the form of Connor Mills, who debuts with newcomers Meridian Motorsport, and Zaid Ashkanani who will race a single-seater car for the first time with SWB Motorsport.

Meadows maintains slim lead

Michael Meadows will hope to put the disappointment of Croft behind him and extend his lead in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB at Snetterton.

Meadows saw his lead cut from 23 points to six on a tough weekend in the North East, with a podium in race one being followed by a retirement in race two following a first lap accident that put five cars out.

Jonas Gelzinis was the man to benefit most from that incident by taking the race two victory which, allied to a fourth place in race one, means he has closed right in on Meadows in the title race.

The top two in the standings have broken away somewhat from the chasing pack, with Dean Stoneman in third some 34 points off the championship lead.

Stoneman won the opening race at Croft but as then excluded for causing the accident in race two. It means he has work to do at Snetterton to bring that gap down, but should be firmly in the mix at the front, with Dan Lloyd and Rory Butcher also seeking to make up lost ground having also been caught up in the multi-car Croft incident. In Pro-Am1, Spanish racer Victor Jimenez retains his healthy class lead having scored almost double the points of closest rival Dan De Zille. The class is set to be boosted at Snetterton with Karl Leonard due to return for the first time since Oulton Park and George Brewster also in action after a strong showing at Croft saw him take second overall in race two.

Pro-Am2 meanwhile will see Keith Webster and Will Goff do battle on Goff’s home circuit.


Files leads into home event

Josh Files will hope to strengthen his position at the head of the Renault UK Clio Cup standings on home soil having become the new championship leader at Croft.

A win and third place in the North East saw him leap ahead of Paul Rivett after a tough weekend for the defending champion saw him pick up his lowest score of the season to date.

Files’ win at Croft was his first in the series and he holds a slender three point lead over Rivett in the standings, who won twice at Snetterton last year and will be eager to return to form after a puncture early on in race two at Croft dented his challenge.

Behind the top two, Alex Morgan will seek to maintain his impressive season having cemented third spot in the standings at Croft, while just three points cover Stefan Hodgetts, James Colburn and Lee Pattison in the race for fourth spot.

Of the three, Hodgetts heads to Snetterton as something of the form man in the series, with his win in the second race at Croft being his third in as many meetings.

As well as defending the overall lead, Files will also be eager to cement his position at the head of the Graduate Cup standings while Simon Belcher extended his lead in the Masters Cup at Croft but is still only 15 points clear of closest rival Graham Field.

Ingram stamps his authority

Tom Ingram will take a lead of more than 100 points into the sixth meeting of the Ginetta GT Supercup having dominated the final meeting prior to the summer break.

The JHR man took victory in all three races at Croft to extend a run that has seen him finish inside the top two in eleven of the 14 races run to date.

Ingram is now 102 points clear of defending champion Carl Breeze, who lost valuable ground when he failed to score in the final race at Croft.

While the top two have broken away from the rest, the fight for third remains as hot as ever, with Matt Nicoll-Jones just four points clear of reigning G50 champion Mark Davies, with young Spaniard Pepe Massot eleven points further back.

Rob Boston rounds out the top six thanks to a strong weekend at Croft that included two podium finishes – including a season best of second.

Dan Norris-Jones’ decision to move up to the G55 class back at Oulton Park means Sean Huyton’s virtually unchallenged lead in the G50 class is now 220 points. Woodhead extends 100

per cent record

Harry Woodhead continues to match Dan Cammish in maintaining a 100 per cent record in the support package with ten wins from ten in the Ginetta Junior Championship.

Another two victories at Croft allowed him to further strengthen his lead in the standings and he heads to Snetterton with a lead of 135 points in the title race.

While the HHC man has been the dominant force thus far, it’s a much closer battle behind for second

place, with 14 points covering three drivers.

Woodhead’s HHC team-mate Will Palmer currently holds the place but lost points to both Tom Jackson and Keith Donegan at Croft prior to the summer break.

Jackson is now eleven points down on Palmer in the title race, with Donegan just three further back.

Behind them, James Kellett remains fifth with the top six completed by Ollie Chadwick, who endured another challenging weekend at Croft.


After the traditional summer break, the battle for the BTCC title bursts back into life at Snetterton for the latest three rounds of the season.

Heading to the longest circuit on the schedule, there is little surprise to see Matt Neal leading the way given the Honda man has been the driver to beat at this stage of the campaign for the last three years.

His current advantage over Andrew Jordan sits at 19 points, with the three-time champion hoping to avoid a repeat of the drama there was last year when he clashed with arch rival Jason Plato while fighting for victory in race two. That came after the pair had clashed at turn one in the opening race twelve months earlier…

However, Neal has just two wins to his name in Norfolk and hasn’t actually stepped onto the top of the podium at the circuit since 2006. This weekend would be the ideal time for Neal to put that right although his rivals will be keen to ensure his winless streak continues.

Jordan was the beneficiary of the Neal/Plato clash last year

as he took his first win at the circuit, and the Pirtek Racing ace will seek to maintain is solid campaign to date to maintain his challenge on the overall title – while also keeping his advantage at the head of the Independent standings.

The top two however would do well to keep an eye on Plato, who heads to Snetterton buoyed by the performance of MG

during the recent two-day Dunlop tyre test.

Plato has won eleven times at Snetterton across the years, nearly four times more than anyone else currently on the grid, and Snetterton was the circuit where MG turned a corner last year as the double champion roared back into contention for the title after a challenging start to the season.

With ground to make up again this time around, Plato is sure to be right in the mix for victories as is Gordon Shedden; the defending champion currently level on points with Plato in the title race at the half-way stage of the campaign.

The Scot is the second most successful driver on the grid with three wins to his name and – like Pi

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SNETTERTON PREVIEW


Plato – needs a good weekend to bring himself closer to top spot in the standings.

Only four points further back is Colin Turkington on the back of his strong performance at Croft prior to the summer break, with the eBay Motors man seeking to show his pace in the North East was no flash in the pan, while Sam Tordoff ran strongly in the recent test and could be a good bet to break his victory duck and challenge for a maiden win.

With teams having worked hard over the summer break to improve their cars, numerous others could be factors at the front with the likes of Aron Smith, Mat Jackson, Adam Morgan and Rob Collard optimistic about their chances of fighting at the sharp end of the field.

The grid this weekend could yet be the biggest of the season so far, with Andy Neate finally giving a debut to his IP Tech Race Engineering-run

Chevrolet Cruze, while Team HARD.’s second Insignia will be out in the hands of Robb Holland following the departure of James Cole.

The NGTC ranks will also be boosted by the addition of the BMR Restart VW Passat, with Warren Scott set to race the car for the first time after switching from his SEAT Leon.

Scott’s move means a reduced entry in the Jack Sears Trophy, with Lea Wood seeking to

maintain his current lead in the race for the crown ahead of Liam Griffin and James Kaye.

Griffin will be keen to make up lost ground after missing the Croft round, while Kaye’s decision to switch to an ex-Team Dynamics Honda Civic should see the AmDTuning.com man right in the mix for a third win of the year.

SNETTERTONRECENT HISTORY2012

Pole Frank Wrathall, Toyota Avensis

Race One Jason Plato Plato, MG6 GT

Race Two Andrew Jordan, Honda Civic

Race Three Dave Newsham, Vauxhall Vectra

2011

Pole Jason Plato, Chevrolet Cruze

Race One Jason Plato, Chevrolet Cruze

Race Two Gordon Shedden, Honda Civic

Race Three Mat Jackson, Ford Focus ST

2010

Pole Alex MacDowall, Chevrolet Cruze

Race One Jason Plato, Chevrolet Cruze

Race Two Jason Plato, Chevrolet Cruze

Race Three Gordon Shedden, Honda Civic

2009

Pole Jason Plato, Chevrolet Lacetti

Race One Fabrizio Giovanardi, Vauxhall Vectra

Race Two Fabrizio Giovanardi, Vauxhall Vectra

Race Three Colin Turkington, BMW 320si

2008

Pole Jason Plato, SEAT Leon TDi

Race One Jason Plato, SEAT Leon TDi

Race Two Jason Plato, SEAT Leon TDi

Race Three Mat Jackson, BMW 320si

SNETTERTON STATSLENGTH 2.99 miles

2013 RACE LAPS 12

RACE DISTANCE 35.88 miles

LAP RECORD(QUALIFYING)

1min 57.595secs (Frank Wrathall – 2012)

LAP RECORD (RACE) 1min 58.460secs (Gordon Shedden - 2012)

MOST WINS (1991-) Jason Plato – 11

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2013 BTCC CALENDAR30-31 March, Brands Hatch Indy20-21 April, Donington Park National4-5 May, Thruxton8-9 June, Oulton Park Island22-23 June, Croft3-4 August, Snetterton 30024-25 August, Knockhill14-15 September, Rockingham28-29 September, Silverstone12-13 October, Brands Hatch GP


2013 BTCC POINTS STANDINGS


DRIVERS CHAMPIONSHIP MANUFACTURER/CONSTRUCTOR

1 Matt Neal 224 1 Honda/Dynamics 501

2 Andrew Jordan 205 2 MG/Triple Eight 448

3 Jason Plato 188

4 Gordon Shedden 188 TEAMS CHAMPIONSHIP

5 Colin Turkington 184 1 Honda Yuasa Racing 400

6 Sam Tordoff 148 2 MG KX Momentum Racing 324

7 Adam Morgan 129 3 Pirtek Racing 309

8 Jeff Smith 113 4 eBay Motors 252

9 Tom Onslow-Cole 97 5 Airwaves Racing 141

10 Dave Newsham 80 6 Ciceley Racing 129

11 Aron Smith 79 7 PPCGB.com/Kraftwerk Racing 99

12 Mat Jackson 61 8 Speedworks 90

13 Nick Foster 57 9 WIX Racing 50

14 Rob Austin 52 10 Dynojet 43

15 Rob Collard 46 11 Welch Motorsport 42

16 Frank Wrathall 42 12 RCIB Insurance Racing 37

17 Dan Welch 38 13 Rob Austin Racing 15

18 Will Bratt 22 14 Addison Lee Motorbase 15

19 Jack Goff 20 15 AmDTuning.com 5

20 James Cole 11 16 Wheel Heaven/Houseman 3

21 Michael Caine 8 17 Team BMR Restart 1

22 Ollie Jackson 7 18 BTC Racing 0

23 Liam Griffin 6 19 IP Tech Race Engineering 0

24 James Kaye 5 20 M247 Racing 0

25 Warren Scott 1

26 David Nye 1

27 Lea Wood 0

28 Howard Fuller 0

29 Chris Stockton 0

30 Andy Neate 0

31 Joe Girling 0

32 Aaron Mason 0

33 Jake Hill 0




INDEPENDENT DRIVERS INDEPENDENT TEAMS

1 Andrew Jordan 253 1 Pirtek Racing 268

2 Colin Turkington 223 2 eBay Motors 231

3 Adam Morgan 184 3 Ciceley Racing 198

4 Jeff Smith 166 4 Airwaves Racing 172

5 Tom Onslow-Cole 145 5 PPCGB.com/Kraftwerk Racing 161

6 Aron Smith 124 6 Speedworks 140

7 Dave Newsham 121 7 WIX Racing 121

8 Nick Foster 101 8 RCIB Insurance Racing 105

9 Mat Jackson 100 9 Welch Motorsport 104

10 Rob Collard 85 10 Dynojet 92

11 Rob Austin 76 11 Addison Lee Motorbase 64

12 Dan Welch 73 12 Wheel Heaven/Houseman 57

13 Frank Wrathall 67 13 Rob Austin Racing 36

14 Jack Goff 49 14 AmDTuning.com 31

15 Will Bratt 47 15 M247 Racing 24

16 James Cole 39 16 Team BMR Restart 18

17 Ollie Jackson 24 17 BTC Racing 0

18 Liam Griffin 16 18 IP Tech Race Engineering 0

19 Lea Wood 16

20 Michael Caine 13 JACK SEARS TROPHY

21 James Kaye 11 1 Lea Wood 6

22 David Nye 7 2 Liam Griffin 4

23 Warren Scott 4 3 James Kaye 2

24 Joe Girling 4 4 Joe Girling 1

25 Jake Hill 3 5 David Nye 1

26 Chris Stockton 0 6 Jake Hill 1

27 Howard Fuller 0 7 Warren Scott 0

28 Andy Neate 0 8 Aaron Mason 0

29 Aaron Mason 0


2013 BTCC RACE RESULTS

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

Gordon Shedden 19 DSQ 2 1 3 2 25 3 1 3 2 17 3 2 4

Matt Neal 21 4 1 3 4 3 1 1 2 6 4 4 2 4 1

Michael Caine - - - - - - - - - - - - 8 DNF DNS

Rob Collard DNF DNF DNF 15 12 12 13 13 15 10 NC 11 9 6 14

Tom Onslow-Cole 14 DNF 16 13 10 6 3 2 4 15 11 DNF 10 3 12

Mat Jackson 20 7 10 12 13 9 7 15 7 7 20 19 DNF DNF 13

Aron Smith 9 DNF 11 11 8 7 9 10 5 DNF 14 10 14 12 9

Jake Hill - - - - - - - - - - - - 18 17 DNF

Dan Welch 11 14 12 NC 15 11 14 DNF 11 14 9 DNF 17 11 DNF

Frank Wrathall 6 DNF 8 7 DNF DNF 15 19 DNF 23 12 9 20 13 DNF

David Nye 18 DNF 17 23 DNF DNS 22 21 18 22 22 NC 21 15 DNF

Rob Austin 3 DNF DNF 14 DNF DNS 19 18 DNF 13 8 5 13 14 11

Will Bratt 12 DNS 14 25 19 14 18 22 17 17 13 6 15 18 DNF

James Kaye 15 12 DNS 19 DNF DNF DNF DNF 19 - - - DNF 19 DNF

Dave Newsham DNF 9 DNF 9 7 DNF 8 12 9 8 6 14 DNF 9 5

Nick Foster NC 10 13 17 16 15 24 16 13 12 15 8 4 7 8

James Cole DNF 13 DNF 22 18 17 17 14 14 18 17 13 19 DNF 15

Howard Fuller - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Chris Stockton - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Colin Turkington 8 8 9 8 9 1 6 11 10 5 3 2 1 1 2

Jack Goff 13 DNS NC 18 14 16 12 9 DNF 16 DNF 12 16 DNC DNF

Adam Morgan 7 6 4 5 5 5 10 8 12 9 7 3 11 8 DNF

Warren Scott 22 15 DNF 26 DNF 19 DNF DNF 21 DNF DNS DNF DNS DNS DNS

Lea Wood 16 DNS DSQ 24 17 DNF 21 20 16 19 18 DNF 22 16 16

Andy Neate - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Ollie Jackson 10 DNF DNS 16 NC DNF 16 17 DNF 24 16 15 DNF DNS DNF

Aaron Mason - - - - - - - - - 21 DNF DNS - - -

Jeff Smith 5 3 7 10 11 10 5 6 6 11 10 18 12 10 10

Liam Griffin 17 11 15 20 DNF DNF 20 DNF DNF 20 19 16 - - -

Andrew Jordan 2 2 6 2 1 13 11 4 3 4 5 1 6 5 3

Sam Tordoff 4 5 3 6 6 4 4 7 8 2 21 7 7 21 7

Joe Girling DNS DNS 18 21 DNF 18 23 DNF 20 - - - DNS DNS DNS

Jason Plato 1 1 5 4 2 8 2 5 22 1 1 DNF 5 20 6


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Documents

Inside BTCC - Issue 23 - BTCC 2013 at Snetterton