BTCC NEWS // NEXT STOP BRANDS HATCH

The Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship heads to the iconic Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit this weekend for the next instalment of Britain’s favourite motor racing series. The UK's most revered circuit with its fast flowing corners and steep undulations plays host once more to the BTCC which last visited back in October 2009... [read more]

After taking a pair of race wins last time out at Rockingham two time BTCC champion Matt Neal and Team Honda will be looking to carry on with the fine form they showed last weekend. Neal was victorious in both the first and the last races at Rockingham and in fact led both encounters with ease. Race two however did see the Civic struggle to remain competitive when laden with success ballast but with Brands having fewer slow corners this could well be less of a problem at the Kent venue.

Team WSR driver Rob Collard certainly believes that the Hondas should show well, telling BTCC.net “Overall, that Honda is the best car on the grid at this moment as a complete package. At Thruxton and Rockingham in every session and every race it is right up there whereas everyone else is a bit up and down. “It’s got good straight line speed, good handling, good durability and is very strongly built.

"He had one difficult race in race two at Rockingham when he took on success ballast but I’m not so sure that was all down to the extra weight as he’d had pretty much the same at Thruxton and was still flying".

Current Championship leader Jason Plato who took the first ever BTCC victory for the Chevrolet Cruze last weekend in race two thinks the GP circuit will suit his new charge but remains very sceptical as to whether he can show the kind of domination he achieved at last seasons finale (also on the GP circuit), where he claimed three race victories in one day.

Perhaps the most consistent driver apart from Matt Neal at Rockingham was Team Airwaves BMW pilot Steven Kane. The Irishman showed great race craft to come away from the venue with a points tally of 26, which took him to third place in the overall drivers championship table just a couple of points behind Matt Neal. "I am in confident mood for Brands said the Irishman, "But you should never get complacent, as the BTCC has an abundance of talented drivers and teams". He added "Consistency is the key to success so I shall keep trying to rack up the points and if race wins come along so much the better".

Team Aon endured yet more frustration last time out after Tom Chilton had promised so much with pole position. For Brands The LPG Fords will be fitted with new softer suspension which Chilton believes should mean that the Focus will be quicker over a full race distance rather than just one lap.

The man from Poole in Dorset told btcc.net " “I’m sure that Brands and Oulton Park which follows will be our best two circuits because they have a number of uphill sections and our engine is producing a lot of torque– I know what Jason was enjoying when he drove that turbo-diesel SEAT in 2008!

"I’m 14th in the points now but, provided the softer suspension does what we think it will do, I’m aiming to come out of Oulton in third – it might sound like a near-impossible goal but we have to go for it. I’ll have to start carrying success ballast in my car if I do start winning, but hopefully the LPG-turbo engine can help overcome that.

Hereford's Lea Wood (pictured above) is set to start his first ever BTCC race at the Kent circuit after missing both Thruxton and Rockingham. 25 year old Wood who attended the season launch at Brands back in March will be competing for his family run team Wood Racing in a BTCC spec Honda Integra. Team manager Greg Wood feels the run up to Lea's debut in the ultra competitive series has been just right "Lea has had a lot of preparation and, with the funding in place, we are looking forward to the weekend. It’s going to be a very exciting season ahead.”

Wood's previous racing experience includes karting and Hot Rod oval racing before he competed in the 2008 Renault Clio UK Cup.

Racing kicks off at 10.10am on Sunday and full information regarding ticket prices and grandstand seats can be found here

Brands Hatch GP Circuit BTCC Statistics:

Length/2.30 miles
Number of laps/15 laps
Distance/34.50 miles
Lap Records:

Photo/Editorial: Neil Tozer