British Touring Car Championship

[Rockposer]

Well the official entry list has finally been announced.

 

Official entry list: 2009 HiQ MSA British Touring car Championship

 

No. Driver (NAT), Team/Car, Spec

1. Fabrizio Giovanardi (ITA), VX Racing/Vauxhall Vectra, S2000 *

4. Colin Turkington (GBR), Team RAC/BMW 320si E90, S2000

5. Matt Neal (GBR), VX Racing/Vauxhall Vectra, S2000 *

9. Adam Jones (GBR), Cartridge World Carbon Zero Racing/SEAT Leon S2000

10. Tom Chilton (GBR), Team Aon/Ford Focus ST, S2000 *

11. Robert Collard (GBR), Airwaves BMW/BMW 320si E90, S2000

12 Jonathan Adam (GBR), Airwaves BMW/BMW 320si E90, S2000

15. Martyn Bell (GBR), Sunshine.co.uk with Tech-Speed Motorsport/Honda Integra, BTC

17. Harry Vaulkhard (GBR), Tempus Sport/Chevrolet Lacetti, S2000

18. TBC, Tempus Sport/Chevrolet Lacetti, S2000

20. TBC, Team Aon/Ford Focus ST, S2000 *

27. Liam McMillan (GBR), Maxtreme/SEAT Toledo, S2000

28. Jason Hughes (GBR), KWR Sport/MG ZS, BTC

29. Paul O’Neill (GBR), Sunshine.co.uk with Tech-Speed

Motorsport/Honda Integra, BTC

44. Stephen Jelley (GBR), Team RAC/BMW 320si E90, S2000

50. John George (GBR), TH Motorsport Racing with JAG/Honda Integra, BTC

52. Gordon Shedden (GBR), Team Dynamics/Honda Civic, S2000 *

55. Dave Pinkney (GBR), Team Dynamics/Honda Civic, S2000 *

63. Martin Johnson (GBR), Boulevard Team Racing/Vauxhall Astra Coupe, BTC

77. Andrew Jordan (GBR), VX Racing/Vauxhall Vectra, S2000 *

85. Dan Eaves (GBR), Cartridge World Carbon Zero Racing/SEAT Leon, S2000

 

Key

* Eligible for Manufacturers’/Constructors’ Championship

S2000 = Super 2000 (2004-present)

BTC = British Touring Car (2001-06)

 

 

As a C30 owner, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Volvo will try out their C30's at some point this season ready for a full entry next year.

[Captain Howdy]

Apparently Tempus is hoping to race 3 cars this year, although only 2 have been entered.

Its no secret that they are trying to do a deal with Jason Plato, which frankly, I really hope happens!

[Rockposer]

It wouldn't been the same without Plato.

[Captain Howdy]

We need someone to show Matt Neal for the dirty driver that he is, while Neal calls everyone else dirty!

[Captain Howdy]

oh, and gonna be at the brands opener as usual, but this year decided to upgrade to the paddock hill grandstand

[Rockposer]

Just found out that RS Components aren't sponsering VXR Racing this year so no free tickets etc

 

Guess I'll have to prise open my wallet, at least my son gets in for free.

[Captain Howdy]

Plato is in:

 

Jason Plato has made a last-minute entry into this weekend's British Touring Car Championship season-opener at Brands Hatch.

 

The 2001 champion, who has been without a drive since SEAT quit the series at the end of last year, has signed a deal to race a 2008-spec Chevrolet Lacetti run on an independent basis by the crack RML squad.

 

Plato, 41, is unsure if his deal will be extended to include a full season of racing, but is excited to be remaining in the series in which he made his name.

 

"This was too good an opportunity to miss." Plato said. "The BTCC has played such an important role in my life, so being at Brands Hatch is hugely important to me personally.

 

"At the moment, we don't know how long we'll be around. We're trying tremendously hard behind the scenes to put together a full programme for 2009. Right now, I'm just very excited to be teaming back up with some good friends and respected colleagues at RML."

 

Plato, a 47-time race winner in the BTCC, said he would not be content to run at the back of the field.

 

"We are so going into this as the underdogs, without a shadow of a doubt. But I've got great confidence in RML's ability to engineer a racing car and I've got to draw upon all my experience because I'm probably going to be a bit rusty.

 

"If we can get within 20 per cent of what Brawn GP did in Melbourne then we'll be doing well. We're certainly not there to make up the numbers," said RML boss Ray Mallock, who signed Plato when his squad ran the works SEAT team in the BTCC in 2004.

 

"There's a convenient gap in the WTCC calendar, meaning some of our personnel were available for Brands and we have some 2008 kit still lying around so it would have been a shame not to put it to good use at Brands Hatch.

 

"Plus, Jason is very well known at RML - it's a perfect combination and we're all delighted even if it is a last minute entry that we can be on the BTCC grid together again."

[Rockposer]

That's great news

 

Got my tickets through this morning, so I'll be trudging up Paddock Hill on Sunday morning.

[Rockposer]

A cracking day's racing.

 

 

There was a C30 going round the track, shame it was only the course car!

 

[Captain Howdy]

It was a great day.

Sadly had to leave before the last race as had to be somewhere else, especially seeing as Plato won (ok, not on the track, but a wins a win).

 

Shame that guy in the Genetta race got penalised after he won with no bonnet!

[Captain Howdy]

Btw, what was the point of Leason in that diesel BMW?

It was shit two years ago when Kerry was driving it, and it seems even worse now.

 

Shame the Fords were poo as well!

[Rockposer]

Leeson's car was just a waste of an entry.

 

I left before the last race, but managed to watch it on the tv when I got home.

 

Plato's recovery after his shunt at the start of Paddocks was unbelievable.

 

Click here for footage

[Captain Howdy]

beautiful save.

not surprised tho that adam got penalised for that.

[Rockposer]

Congratulations go to Colin Turkington for a deserving win for 2009.

 

The last three races of this season were fantastic, although Matt Neil was up to his usual nasty driving tactics!

[Captain Howdy]

Matt Neal is a dirty cunt and should be penalised for all the shit he does, especially as he is always crying foul of Plato.

What he did to Jackson, was bloody disgusting.

 

The races tho, were frikkin awesome, and Plato drove a blinder.

 

Well done to Turkington and WSR, its always nice to see a story like this, with a true privateer team winning.

 

I do hope Giovanardi stays on next year, as he has been really good for the championship, and the relationship between him and Plato is great to see (which must have irked his team mate Neal, no end).

[Rockposer]

I've met Giovanardi a couple of times and he is genuinely a nice guy. Always been a Plato fan but I felt sorry for Tom losing on the line! My son was gutted, he's a fan of Tom.

 

I've no wish to meet Matt Neil as I wouldn't be able to keep my mouth shut.

[Captain Howdy]

Been a Plato fan for years, and also a huge fan of both Toms (Chillton and Onslowe Cole), so yeah, as happy as I was for Plato, I certainly was gutted for Tom, but thats pretty much what makes the BTCC so great, take nothing for granted.

 

I met Gio in his first year for Vauxhall when it was him, Chilton and Smith.

At the time he seemed somewhat subdued as he was new to the series, and Chilton and Smith were both doing a fine comedy act with the fans, but he has certainly come out of his shell since then. You only have to look at the tv interviews he does to see how nice a guy he is.

 

I actually used to be a fan of Neal when he was a proper privateer back in the day, when he was really taking the fight to the big boys, but once Dynamics got those Integras, which quite frankly should never have been in the championship as they were, in Platos words, mini GT cars.

He became such an arrogant, whiney, cheating cock, it was unbelievable.

He would piss and moan that Plato had done this, and Plato had done that, but was doing far worse himself.

You only have to look at what he did to Plato the year before last, when he used his Honda to block him, so he could hand his future team mate the title, and the way he drove in the last races this year, to see that the guy should not be in a top line racing formula.

Problem is, now that Vauxhall has dropped out, he will probably walk straight back into a seat at Dynamics.

Lets face it, after the piss poor performance he has had in the Vauxhalls, he is hardly a hot property these days, so I am sure he will go running back to daddy.

[Rockposer]

I've got my fingers crossed that as promised the Volvo C30's will be in the BTCC next season, especially after they cleaned up in the STCC.

[Captain Howdy]

I thought that they had decided against running in the BTCC and were looking at the WTCC.

I do hope that the pace of the Focus in the last couple of events is an indication of where they are gonna start the season next year. It will be nice to have some competition for the Chevys and BMWs now that Vauxhall is gone (although I am sure the cars will return in the hands of other teams like the Astras did).

 

It would be nice to see some more manufacturers even if they are not factory entries, as that always adds for more interest.

[Captain Howdy]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kx_KQJBvdms

[Rockposer]

Great to watch it again

 

Plato

[Captain Howdy]

Good news is that RML plan on returning again next year, but are unsure whether they will bring back the Lacetti or switch to the Cruze model.

They also want Plato to return with them, which is no real surprise, and considering how they became probably the strongest team on the grid by the end of the season, you have to say, they have a good chance of re-signing him.