inside btcc - issue 26 - btcc 2013 at silverstone

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issue 26: sep 2013 ROCKINGHAM REVIEW / ANDREW JORDAN / DAN CAMMISH / MORE... PLUS - FILM STAR AND BTCC RACE WINNER, ROB AUSTIN... INSIDEBTCC.COM TITLE CHARGE JORDAN ON TOP WITH SIX RACES TO GO

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Andrew Jordan leads the 2013 BTCC by 30 points with six races remaining. We look ahead to Silverstone, plus exclusive features with Dan Cammish, Lea Wood, Adam Morgan, Rob Austin and much more!

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Page 1: Inside BTCC - Issue 26 - BTCC 2013 at Silverstone

issue 26: sep 2013

ROCKINGHAM REVIEW / ANDREW JORDAN / DAN CAMMISH / MORE...

PLUS - FILM STAR AND BTCC RACE WINNER, ROB AUSTIN...

INSIDEBTCC.COM

TITLE CHARGE

JORDAN ON TOP WITH SIX RACES TO GO

Page 2: Inside BTCC - Issue 26 - BTCC 2013 at Silverstone

Inside BTCC � www.insidebtcc.com

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Few would have expected Andrew Jordan to be taking a �0 point lead into the penultimate rounds of the BTCC season, but that’s exactly what the situation is in the title race after another action-packed weekend at Rockingham. The Pirtek Racing man won twice to take a handy lead in the championship, although the four drivers giving chase will be eager to show him that the fight for honours is still very much on. In this edition of Inside BTCC, we recap what happened at Rockingham and preview what is to come at the ‘Home of British Motorsport’, while we also have a full round-up of the results so far that have set up such a fascinating fight for the title. We chat to Rob Austin to find out more about his role in RUSH, catch up with Jordan to get his view on leading the championship, look at the possible return to the series of the Renault name and speak with Lea Wood after he wrapped up

the Jack Sears Trophy. Alongside the latest news from the BTCC and updates from the TOCA support package – including a feature with Formula Ford title winner Dan Cammish - we also fire ten quick questions at Airwaves Racing grid girl Gemma. 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. Until next time…

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 (www.psp-images.co.uk) or JAKOB EBREY (www.jakobebrey.com) unless otherwise stated.

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

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

IN THIS ISSUE...

SILVERSTONE PREVIEWLooking ahead to rounds 25, 26 & 27

5 - 6

ROCKINGHAM REVIEWWe look back at all the action from Rockingham

10 - 15

IN A RUSHRob Austin goes to Hollywood

16 - 19

JORDAN REAPS REWARDS OF MATURE APPROACHPirtek racing driver on top

20 - 23

DAN THE MANCammish sets sights on BTCC after F.Ford dominance

24 - 27

BEHIND EVERY MANMeet Airwaves Racing grid girl Gemma Newman

28 - 29

LATEST NEWSLatest from inside the BTCC paddock

32 - 35

WOOD TARGETS NGTCJacks Sears Trophy winner plans next move

36 - 37

SUPPORT RACE ROUND-UPLatest from the support race paddock

40 - 45

CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGSPoints tables after Rockingham

50 - 51

THE SEASON SO FARResults at-a-glance

52 - 53

Front cover images: Main - Andrew Jordan (PSP Images); Top right - Rob Austin (jakobebrey.com).Back cover: Grid girl (PSP Images).

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Six races, five drivers, four teams, three weeks, two circuits and one champion - the business end of the BTCC season is now well and truly here as the field heads to Silverstone for the penultimate rounds of the year.

For the first time since the inaugural edition of Inside BTCC over two years ago, it is an Independent driver who tops the times going into a race weekend after a fine performance from Andy Jordan - and a wretched one for Matt Neal - saw the Pirtek Racing man move into the points lead last time out.

Six points behind heading to Rockingham, Jordan came away from Corby 30 points clear after taking two more wins, which

moves him on to six for the season.

The reigning Indy champion will seek to maintain that advantage when the field arrives at Silverstone, but it promises to be a far from straightforward weekend for the points leader if previous form is anything to go by.

Twelve months ago, the

Honda drivers struggled for pace at the Home of British Motorsport due to the boost levels they were forced to run, and while it isn’t expected to be as bad this time around, Jordan is already bracing himself for a challenge on Silverstone’s long straights.

Defending champion Gordon Shedden is now second in the standings

after a solid showing at Rockingham but will face the same issues as Jordan when it comes to boost, meaning third-placed Colin Turkington will hope to take advantage to close the gap to top spot.

The eBay Motors man was on the podium again at Rockingham and could be the man to watch as he seeks to ensure he goes to Brands Hatch within striking distance in the title race.

Neal’s worst weekend of the year by some margin means he is now 34 points off the lead in fourth place, with his spin in race one and steering problem in race two meaning he picked up just seven points last time out.

By contrast, his previous

SILVERSTONE PREVIEW

LOOKING AHEAD TO ROUNDS 25, 26 & 27

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SILVERSTONERECENT HISTORY2012

Pole Jason Plato, MG6 GT

Race One Jason Plato, MG6 GT

Race Two Mat Jackson, Ford Focus

Race Three Jason Plato, MG6 GT

2011

Pole Matt Neal, Honda Civic

Race One Matt Neal, Honda Civic

Race Two Gordon Shedden, Honda Civic

Race Three Tom Chilton, Ford Focus

2010

Pole Tom Onslow-Cole, Ford Focus

Race One Tom Chilton, Ford Focus

Race Two Tom Chilton, Ford Focus

Race Three Tom Onslow-Cole, Ford Focus

2009

Pole Mat Jackson, Chevrolet Lacetti

Race One Mat Jackson, Chevrolet Lacetti

Race Two Jason Plato, Chevrolet Lacetti

Race Three Mat Jackson, Chevrolet Lacetti

2008

Pole Jason Plato, SEAT Leon TDi

Race One Jason Plato, SEAT Leon TDi

Race Two Fabrizio Giovanardi, Vauxhall Vectra

Race Three Mat Jackson, BMW 320si

SILVERSTONE STATSLENGTH 1.64 miles

2013 RACE LAPS 22

RACE DISTANCE 36.08 miles

LAP RECORD(QUALIFYING)

58.717secs (Jason Plato, 2012)

LAP RECORD (RACE) 59.056secs (Mat Jackson, 2012)

MOST WINS (1991-) 4 – Mat Jackson, Jason Plato, Tom Chilton

‘low’ was the 34 points he picked up on the opening weekend of the season at Brands Hatch.

The silver lining, if there is one, is that he will now carry less success ballast into the Silverstone weekend but Neal will need to use all of his experience to try and score big at the circuit where he clinched his second title back in 2006.

Jason Plato is the final man with a realistic chance of the title, but he took needs a big score at Silverstone to try and

keep himself in contention for Finals Day. The MG man has suffered his fair share of misfortune after a strong start to the year and for the former SEAT and Chevrolet man, nothing less than a win will do.

Outside the top five, Sam Tordoff retains a mathematical chance of lifting the title, but the more realistic aim for the youngster will be to try and maintain his current top six championship position. It remains a mark of his impressive campaign that he heads to

Silverstone just 58 points down on Plato in the standings.

Adam Morgan lost ground to Tordoff at Rockingham having been another driver to suffer his worst weekend of the year in Corby and will hope to challenge for the podium again in an attempt to overhaul the MG man. The Ciceley Racing man will have one eye looking over his shoulder however after with Mat Jackson seeking to build on a double podium weekend at Rockingham.

The Airwaves Racing man is level with Plato and Tom Chilton in terms of race wins at the circuit – including a first win for the NGTC-spec Focus twelve months ago.

Rob Austin and Aron Smith round out the top ten in the standings, with Austin in particular eager to maintain the

impressive form displayed by ‘Sherman’ in the last two meetings.

Amongst the changes made for the Silverstone weekend, Aiden Moffat returns to action but in the NGTC-spec Volkswagen Passat driven by Andy Wilmot at Rockingham.

In the Jack Sears Trophy, Lea Wood wrapped up the championship crown at Rockingham and will hope to celebrate with more silverware to add to an already impressive collection.

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LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION! FILM STAR AUSTIN CLAIMS FIRST BTCC VICTORY AS JORDAN DOMINATES

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Double victory at Rockingham leaves Andrew Jordan sitting pretty at the top of the championship table with six races left.

RACE ONE

Jordan moved into the lead of the championship with victory in Rockingham’s first race.

Jordan’s win came in tricky conditions as the twisty Rockingham track dried as the race went on. The Pirtek Racing driver took the lead early in the race and survived having his lead eroded by an early safety car period to go and win for

the fifth time this season.

Jason Plato started the race from pole position, but the track was greasy after earlier showers and Jordan made the best start of all the front runners. While Plato was still ahead as they went into the Deene hairpin, Jordan soon made his move and squeezed into the lead by the end of the first lap.

Further down the order, there was drama on the opening lap. It happened on the approach to Gracelands and started with contact to the back of Will Bratt’s Proton, who

in turn collected Adam Morgan. Andy Neate and Will Bratt also found themselves out of the same race at the same part of the track.

The stranded cars needed to be moved to a safe position, so the safety car was brought out. That bunched up the pack, with Jordan at the front, ahead of Plato, Shedden, Tordoff and Neal.

It took five laps for the recovery operation to be completed so that racing could resume. Matt Neal came unstuck just before the restart, spinning his Honda Civic at the Brook chicane

JORDAN ON POLE FOR TITLE RACEPIRTEK RACING DRIVER MOVES AHEAD OF FACTORY-BACKED HONDA RIVALS

MATT LAMPRELL REPORTS

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and rejoining at the back of the pack.

Jordan quickly opened up a gap ahead of Plato in second. The MG didn’t have the pace to keep up with the leading Honda and was soon under pressure from Gordon Shedden, behind. While Shedden challenged Plato, he also had to defend from Airwaves Racing’s Mat Jackson.

Both Shedden and Jackson were past Plato within a couple of laps and then began a battle between themselves. Ultimately, it was the Ford that was

quicker and Jackson took second place on lap 14.

Further down the order, the WIX Racing Audi of Rob Austin was making rapid progress through the pack, while eBay Motors pair Colin Turkington and Rob Collard made up a series of positions.

With two laps to go, Austin passed Plato for fourth and then set about chasing Shedden to claim the final podium spot – which he managed at the final corner.

Jordan took the win, with Jackson in second and Austin,

third. Gordon Shedden finished the race in fourth place, ahead of Jason Plato and Colin Turkington. Rob Collard claimed seventh, while Newsham, Goff and Wrathall completed the top ten.

The only driver to risk slick tyres on the slippery track was S2000 contender, Lea Wood. He pitted at the end of the green flag lap to change his grooved rubber. However, the track dried slowly and it was only in the last few laps that he started to feel the benefit, with his laptimes improving by some

two seconds a lap. Wood claimed victory in the Jack Sears Trophy with a last-lap pass on rival David Nye.

RACE TWO

Rob Austin was a popular winner as he took his maiden BTCC victory in the second race at Rockingham.

Andrew Jordan started from pole after his first race victory, but Austin’s rear wheel drive Audi jumped off the line and led out of Turn 1 on the opening lap.

Mat Jackson claimed second away from the line, with Gordon Shedden, third. Jordan made a

Good weekend:ANDREW JORDAN One look at the points standings will explian why it was a good weekend for Jordan.

ROB AUSTIN Film star and now BTCC race winner.

ROCKINGHAM POLEFOR JASON PLATO

Jason Plato topped qualifying at Rockingham to claim his second pole position of the 2013 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship.

Plato’s time of 1:22.350 around the Rockingham circuit saw him top the session, ahead of MG KX Momentum Racing teammate Sam Tordoff to lock out the front row for Sunday’s first race.

Rob Austin looked like he might repeat his Knockhill pole position based on his pace early in the session. The Audi driver topped the times early on, but was toppled by Tordoff just before the halfway point in the session.

Tordoff was still quickest when the red flags came out with just over nine minutes of the session remaining. The stoppage was triggered by Frank Wrathall stopping out on track, but was only brief.

There wasn’t much time left after the restart, but there was just long enough for Plato to go quickest. Behind the two MGs, Rob Austin was best of the rest, taking third place. Andrew Jordan was the quickest Honda in fourth, ahead of Shedden, Jeff Smith and Matt Neal. Dave Newsham, Colin Turkington and Will Bratt completed the top ten on the grid.

RACE RESULTS - TOP 10sRACE ONE

1 Andrew Jordan (NGTC) 33:42.513 / 19 Laps; 2 Mat Jackson (NGTC) +3.379secs; 3 Rob Austin (NGTC) +9.071; 4 Gordon Shedden (NGTC) +9.271; 5 Jason Plato (NGTC) +14.803; 6 Colin Turkington (NGTC) +19.462; 7 Rob Collard (NGTC) +22.542; 8 Dave Newsham (NGTC) +23.939; 9 Jack Goff (NGTC) +24.395; 10 Frank Wrathall (NGTC) +25.319.

Independent winner: Andrew Jordan.

Fastest lap: Rob Austin (1:36.605).

RACE TWO

1 Rob Austin (NGTC) 22:52.302 / 16 Laps; 2 Gordon Shedden (NGTC) +3.351; 3 Colin Turkington (NGTC) +8.983; 4 Mat Jackson (NGTC) +10.569; 5 Sam Tordoff (NGTC) +10.696; 6 Jason Plato (NGTC) +14.784; 7 Dave

Newsham (NGTC) +17.290; 8 Andrew Jordan (NGTC) +20.076; 9 Tom Onslow-Cole (NGTC) +21.273; 10 Jeff Smith (NGTC) +26.154.

Independent winner: Rob Austin.

Fastest lap: Gordon Shedden (1:24.183).

RACE THREE

1 Andrew Jordan (NGTC) 28:49.860 / 19 Laps; 2 Colin Turkington (NGTC) +3.180; 3 Jason Plato (NGTC) +4.076; 4 Mat Jackson (NGTC) +10.327; 5 Gordon Shedden (NGTC) +12.587; 6 Sam Tordoff (NGTC) +15.076; 7 Matt Neal (NGTC) +20.831; 8 Dave Newsham (NGTC) +21.539; 9 Rob Austin (NGTC) +23.277; 10 Jeff Smith (NGTC) +25.044.

Independent winner: Andrew Jordan.

Fastest lap: Andrew Jordan (1:23.861).

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poor start and found himself down in fifth position.

Shedden took second place away from Jackson on lap two, while Rob Collard soon moved up to fourth at the expense of Dave Newsham.

After a frustrating first race, Matt Neal’s title hopes took suffered another blow when he retired on lap 10. Neal was running with long-time rival Rob Collard when the pair both ran off track. Collard also retired from the race, heading back to the paddock with

a puncture.

Ominous clouds loomed over the Rockingham track, but at the front of the race, Rob Austin would have been doing an in-car anti-rain dance as he closed on his maiden win. As it turned out, the rain held off and Austin was able to guide his Audi to the chequered flag.

There were cheers from the Rockingham grandstand as Austin crossed the line to take the win. Shedden finished second, while Colin Turkington passed Jackson in

the closing stages to take the final podium place. Jackson had to settle for fourth, ahead of MG pair Tordoff and Plato. Dave Newsham claimed seventh, with Jordan eighth and Tom Onslow-Cole, ninth. Jeff Smith completed the top ten.

Lea Wood took his second Jack Sears Trophy win of the day, finishing 19th overall in the leading S2000 car.

RACE THREE

Andrew Jordan extended his lead in the BTCC title race

to 30 points with victory in race three. The Pirtek Racing driver benefitted from a reverse grid pole position to lead from lights to flag and take his second win of the day. With Matt Neal’s disastrous weekend ending with a

seventh place, Jordan heads to the penultimate meeting of the season at Silverstone in a commanding position in the championship.

Colin Turkington once again made a strong start to race, moving up to third

Bad weekend:MATT NEAL Finds himself 34 points behind the championship leader with six races left.

ROB COLLARD Tough outing for the eBay Motors racer.

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away from the line, the eBay Motors driver enjoyed an early battle with Sam Tordoff.

Just as in the first race of the day, the first lap ended with the safety car out on track. This time it was the result of a clash that saw Rob Collard’s BMW make heavy contact with the barrier heading towards Gracelands. Collard was the unfortunate victim of an incident that unfolded around him, but he ended up being rocketed into the barrier.

At the restart on lap five, Jordan continued to lead from Tordoff and Turkington. The MG driver challenged for the lead through the first couple of corners, but once Jordan managed to

fend off that initial advance, the Honda seemed to have the pace to hang on at the front.

Jason Plato challenged Colin Turkington for third as the race passed its mid-point, but the MG KX Momentum racer also had to defend from Mat Jackson.

The momentum shifted in Turkington’s favour as the race went on and he was able to claim prise second place away from Tordoff on lap 12. Tordoff in turn then ceded third to Plato, and subsequently lost fifth to Gordon Shedden.

Over the last few laps, Plato again put the pressure on Turkington. He briefly took second

on the final lap, only for Turkington to take the place back at the next corner.

The rain that was forecast to arrive held off until after the race and Jordan went on to take his sixth win of the season and extend his advantage in the title race. Turkington finished second, ahead of Plato in third. Mat Jackson claimed fourth, with Shedden fifth and Tordoff ending up sixth. Seventh

in race three was the best result of a disappointing weekend for Matt Neal. Dave Newsham, Rob Austin and Jeff Smith completed the top ten.

Andrew Jordan said, “I was over the moon to win the first race. We were lucky with the reverse grid, but you’ve got to take that when it comes your way. I didn’t want to take too many risks in the last race, but

the car was just so good.

“There’s still six races left so a lot can happen. We’ve had a fantastic day today, but there’s a long way to go yet.”

Lea Wood secured the Jack Sears Trophy with S2000 victory in round 24. His tally of victories can not be bettered with just six races remaining.

Andrew Jordan’s lead looks healthy with six races remaining. A strong outing at Silverstone will make the Pirtek Racing driver very hard to catch.

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With Ron Howard’s film charting the rivalry between James Hunt and Niki Lauda now in cinemas, Inside BTCC catches up with Rob Austin to talk about his role in the big hit of the autumn

IN A RUSH...

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BY MATT SALISBURY

If you’re a fan of the BTCC then you can’t have failed to notice the fact that WIX Racing’s Rob Austin has added a new string to his bow this year, having taken up a role in the new hit film RUSH.

Just days before heading to Rockingham, where he was able to celebrate a popular first British Touring Car Championship win, RUSH opened in cinemas to give the general public the opportunity to see the film that the F1 press pack has been raving about for months.

It therefore seemed like the perfect time to sit down with Rob at Rockingham to chat about his involvement in what seems set to be one of the cinematic hits of the year…

Inside BTCC:

Now RUSH is in cinemas we can actually refer to you as a movie star. So how does it feel now fans can see the finished thing?

Rob Austin:

I’m just really, really proud. The reviews have been really positive and everyone who I’ve spoken to says they love it. I’m hugely proud to have been a part of it.

Inside BTCC:

Normally when a new film is released, you expect to see the odd negative review pop up, but it appears that RUSH has been universally popular…

Rob Austin:

So far so good! When you are involved in racing, I suppose you could rip it to shreds if you wanted to over things like a scene

that is meant to be Monza being at Brands Hatch, but the fact is that you can’t recreate everything.

The budget wasn’t huge for it but the story line is really good and what they have done with it is fantastic. I think Daniel Brühl does a brilliant job as Niki Lauda, and Chris Hemsworth is also excellent as James Hunt. The background stuff away from the circuit between them is what really makes the movie, and that is what will make it a huge success because means that it doesn’t just appeal to race fans.

Inside BTCC:

You play a character yourself and do the cars…

Rob Austin:

And some of the precision driving as well – I did a chunk of that too. Jochen Mass, Harald Ertl, Clay PS

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Regazzoni – quite a few actually. So I did some driving, we provided our historic F1 car for some of the filming and we built and ran the replicas that were used in the filming. I got to play my little part as Brett Lunger, which was cool as well.

Inside BTCC:

The replicas obviously had to look the part, but how similar were they to the cars they were supposed to be when you went under the skin?

Rob Austin:

They were very, very, different. Obviously an F1 car isn’t suitable for the kind of work you have to do while filming; it can’t be used to do all the starts and to go back and forth all the time. They aren’t cars that are supposed to be practical!

We based the replicas on a Mygale Formula Renault chassis, the last of the spaceframe cars, and then used Formula Ford running gear. We had to chop them about a bit to get the Ferrari bodywork to fit, but we made it work.

If I’m being honest, I was worried about how realistic the cars would look. We were invited to the studio when we had finished them

and we knew that the replicas and the real cars would be there. I was first to arrive and unloaded the car and then went to the truck to make a brew. The real Ferrari had arrived and when I came back, the two were side-by-side.

I looked at them both and at first, I thought mine was the real deal. That was a moment where I felt really proud, and knew we had

done a good job.

Inside BTCC:

How much work had to go in to building and maintaining the cars?

Rob Austin:

It was hard work and we put a lot of effort into making them look right. Running the cars was epic, although people don’t always understand how it works. While they weren’t F1 cars, it’s still a racing car that needs attention and time. We had several sets of body kit with high air intakes and low air intakes, and they would expect us to swap the bodywork and change stickers in minutes, which you just can’t do.

We’d finish filming one day, and they were long days, and we’d be expected to reprep the car, load the

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truck up, travel for three hours and then be ready to go again at 7am the next morning. It was constant like that for weeks on end and there was a lot of work and logistics involved.

We had my Surtees, three replica cars and then the camera car to transport, and my truck can only carry three cars. That meant we had to bring in a second truck and a second driver, and all the time we were also working on the touring cars as well. The whole logistical side of things was a complete nightmare, but it was interesting at the same time.

Inside BTCC:

Was the precision driving side of things something you’d done before?

Rob Austin:

That all came on the back of my involvement in the film. Obviously they knew what I did so wanted to use me as a driver. It turned out that my old mate Niki Faulkner was involved with that side of things which was nice as we go back a long way. It was good to be able to work with him.

Inside BTCC:

People like Ben Collins do a lot of filming work. Is it something you’d like to do more?

Rob Austin:

Me and Niki hadn’t spoken for a while before the film, but he’s said that when he has a job and it doesn’t coincide with me being busy, then he’ll give me a shout. It’s something I’d love to do more.

Inside BTCC:

You held your own premiere for the film. Did it go as well as you expected?

Rob Austin:

I never imaged it could do so well. There were so many people who came along and they were all enthusiastic about it and were dressed in 70s gear. There was a lot of champagne too, which was a bonus! We had a target of £20,000 and in the end we managed to raise £19,000 so we just missed out on the target we had. Maybe I should ask my mate Ron if he can top it up!

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Andrew Jordan admits that a more mature approach to his racing has helped him hit the front in the BTCC standings

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At both Snetterton and Knockhill, Andrew Jordan was able to outscore Matt Neal to start eating into his advantage at the head of the BTCC standings, enabling him to close to within six points of top spot going into the Rockingham weekend.

Jordan’s aim for the seventh round of the campaign was clear; to try and take more points out of the triple champions advantage and possibly establish a slender lead to take into the penultimate round of the year at Silverstone.

What the reigning Independents’ champion couldn’t have expected was to come away from Corby with a lead of 30 points with just six races left to run this season.

Jordan’s move to the

championship lead was aided by previous leader Neal enduring a wretched weekend that would yield just eleven points, although the Pirtek Racing man still had to get the job done himself on track to benefit.

Having qualified fourth, a storming start in race one saw him lead by the time the first lap was completed and he wouldn’t be headed as a fifth win of the year was secured. Although he could only take his ballast-laden car to eighth in race two, the silver lining was pole for race three thanks to reverse grid draw, which in turn was converted into a sixth win.

It means Jordan has now won more races this season than in the rest of his BTCC career to date, while his tally of six

wins is one greater than Colin Turkington and two greater than both Jason Plato and Matt Neal; three drivers who share six championship titles between them.

Crucially though, it is that 30 point advantage that will see Jordan – the first Independent driver to head the standings after a race weekend since Mat Jackson back in 2011 – make the trip to Silverstone as the man the rest are chasing in the title race.

“I honestly didn’t expect to come away from Rockingham with this kind of lead,” Jordan admitted. “The plan going into the weekend was to be consistent, and to be consistently just ahead of Matt because he is so quick and races so well. Unfortunately for him,

he had a lot of bad luck – which could easily hit us next time out – so it was important for us to capitalise. However, I didn’t think we’d come away from the weekend with two wins, and to get one each in the wet and dry was good.

“The car is very good and I’m enjoying my racing at the moment. Confidence is a big thing, and having the right mindset is also important. I’m coming into race weekends looking forward to it and wanting to do well, so when everything then goes to plan, it is more enjoyable. I’ve put a lot of hours in with the boys to be the best I can be and everything is working well.

“I was only hoping to sneak into the lead at Rockingham, but to be 30 points ahead is great.

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JORDAN REAPS REWARD OF MATURE APPROACH

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However, there are still six races to go…”

The first three of those races will come at Silverstone, a circuit where the Honda drivers struggled for pace last year thanks to the boost restrictions imposed on the Civic.

Although things are unlikely to be as bad this time around, Jordan admitted that Silverstone would be a tough weekend for the Honda teams, who would need to simply gain the best results possible from the penultimate meeting of the year.

“Last year Matt was tenth and I was eleventh in qualifying at Silverstone,” Jordan admitted. “We really struggled there and while I don’t think it

will be as bad in terms of boost this time around, it won’t be our strongest circuit by any stretch of the imagination. We know that we aren’t quick in the straights, but my aim will simply be to outscore the other Honda drivers as that is all I can measure myself against. If others are quicker because they have more boost then I can’t worry about it. Moaning won’t help, and I just have to do what I can do.”

There is little doubt that Jordan is one of the most improved drivers on the grid this season, having added the ability to consistently challenge for victories to the speed he has shown ever since making his debut in a Honda Integra back in 2008.

Ask him where the improvements have come from however, and the 24-year-old admits that it is something that is hard to explain.

“I think some of it is down to experience,” he says. “Last year I only won race and it really pissed me off as Gordon won eight times on his way to the title. I didn’t want a repeat of that, and I think that there is also an element of believing you can do something and not putting too much pressure on yourself. I can’t really put my finger on it, but I know that the team are working their arses off and I’m trying to do all I can with them to help improve things.

“I’ve looked at the

approach that Matt and Jason have as when they have a car that is good, they score well. If they don’t have the car for whatever reason, they make sure that they take the points where they can. I’ve looked at them and what they have done to take championships and it’s shown that there is no need to take risks in every race.

“If I want to challenge for the title, it’s all about being there the whole time.”

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Dan Cammish wraps up the Formula Ford Championship with a perfect record and now turns his focus towards a BTCC future

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DAN THE MAN...

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Dan Cammish has set his sights firmly on a securing a drive in the BTCC after bringing the curtain down on his championship winning Formula Ford programme at Rockingham.

The 24-year-old extended his astonishing run of success at the Corby circuit to wrap up the title, with three more wins allowing him to end his season early with a record of 24 wins in 24 starts.

Cammish’s run to the title capped a successful return to action after serious injuries sustained in a Formula Renault accident at the Motorland Aragon circuit in Spain ruled him out of the entire 2012 season.

Forced to look for a way

in which to re-launch his career this season, Cammish took the decision to return to Formula Ford to chase outright championship honours, having previously won the Scholarship Class back in 2009.

It proved to be the correct choice, with Cammish emerging as the dominant force after inking a deal with defending champions JTR. As well as joining the likes of Ayrton Senna, Eddie Irvine and Jenson Button on the list of Formula Ford title winners, the Yorkshireman also broke the record for most consecutive wins and most wins in a season in a campaign that was all-but-perfect.

In fact, he only missed out on two pole positions

all season, and his fastest race lap was only bettered on five occasions.

“It’s been a fantastic season, but to be honest with you, I didn’t expect it to go as well as it did,” he said. “Coming back into the championship, I knew I would be able to win races and fight for the title, but I never expected to win 24 races out of 24. It’s unbelievable really.

“People kept asking me about the winning run but I didn’t feel any pressure to keep it going and I expected to be beaten eventually. That just didn’t happen and it was only really when I got to Rockingham that I made it my mission to make sure that I ended the year with a 100 per cent record. I wanted to make sure I

stayed unbeaten.”

While many of his rivals will aim to move further up the single-seater ladder, Cammish’s own focus is on taking his career in a different direction, with his aim being to now make the move into tin-tops.

His success in winning the Formula Ford crown will see Cammish now test one of Motorbase’s NGTC-spec Fords, with hopes that the test will be the first step on a successful BTCC career.

“After my accident in 2012, I really needed to be racing somewhere where there was good exposure for me, and Formula Ford was the right place with the TV package that the touring

Dan Cammish wraps up the Formula Ford Championship with a perfect record and now turns his focus towards a BTCC future

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cars have,” he said. “I knew that my single-seater days were going to be over after this year as the budgets required to go up the ladder are so great. You can do the BTCC on the budget you would need for half a season in F3 and there is also the fact that I’m 24, which is old in terms of single-seaters but means I’ll still be a youngster in touring cars.

“The chance to test with Motorbase is a fantastic opportunity for me. Getting used to front-wheel drive will be the big thing, but I’m confident that I will be able to do a good job. Hopefully this opportunity will be the first of many for me in a touring car.

“Obviously, I’ve seen

what Motorbase can do from close quarters this year through the Ford and Mountune connection and also because of the fact I’m now working with [Motorbase PR officer] Nicki. The team is full of great people and I’ll have the chance to show them what I can do, but I’m open about my options for next year and there is a lot of work to do.”

That work starts now, with

Cammish having taken the decision to end his 2013 campaign now the title is won to work on putting a deal in place for next year.

“Part of the reason why its time to call it a day is to put the budget towards next year, but there is also no need for me to carry on,” he admitted. “The title is won and I can bow out now with my record intact and let someone else come in and

have a go. I’ll still be at Silverstone and Brands Hatch to help JTR as I’m still very much part of the team, and I’ll be looking at the data and doing some driver coaching to help the team out where I can.

“Because I won’t be racing, I’ll also have the chance to spend some time in the touring car paddock talking to people about next year as I know how important it will be to keep my name in the frame when people are looking at the options available for 2014.”

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BEHIND . EVERY MAN... .

The saying goes that ‘Behind every man there is a good woman’ – but the opposite could be true in the BTCC paddock.

In the latest feature in Inside BTCC where we fire ten quick questions to the girls who bring some glamour to proceedings on a race weekend, we catch up with one of the lovely ladies from Airwaves Racing…

NameGemma Newman

TeamAirwaves Racing

How long have you been involved in motorsport?Since 2007

How did you get involved?Through a competition for British Superbikes

Were you a fan of racing before?Yeah

What is the best thing about being involved?Meeting the fans

What is the worst thing about being involved?Having to spend time with Aron Smith! (Answered with a little help from Lauren…)

Do you have another job away from the paddock?I’m training to be a nurse

What car do you drive?A FIAT 500

Who is your favourite driver - outside your own team?Jack Goff

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SELL YOUR RACE CAROR BIKE FOR FREE!Get online and check out what is probably the UK’s biggest collection of competition Bikes and Cars available for sale.From Track Racers and Trials Irons to Classic TT bikes.Rally Cars to Ex F1 beasts we have got the lot.

FIND US ONFIND US ONFacebookFacebook

PADDOCK42.COM TWITTERFOLLOW US ON

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BTCC releases 2014 race dates

Sticking very much to the old adage of ‘if it ain’t broke, the don’t fix it’, the BTCC has released its race dates for the 2014 season, with the same circuits in the same order on the schedule next year.

The season will therefore kick off once again on the Brands Hatch Indy circuit in late March before heading to Donington Park, Thruxton, Oulton Park and Croft prior to the summer break.

Racing then resumes at Snetterton, with Knockhill, Rockingham, Silverstone and the Brands Hatch GP circuit them following in a hectic spell in the second half of the year.

It has also been confirmed that the annual Media Day will again be held at Donington Park on Tuesday 18 March.

2014 BTCC Calendar

Rounds 1,2,3 Brands Hatch Indy 29/30 MarchRounds 4,5,6 Donington Park 19/20 AprilRounds 7,8,9 Thruxton

3/4 MayRounds 10,11,12 Oulton Park 7/8 JuneRounds 13,14,15 Croft 28/29 JuneRounds 16,17,18 Snetterton 2/3 AugustRounds 19,20,21 Knockhill 23/24 AugustRounds 22,23,24 Rockingham 6/7 SeptemberRounds 25,26,27 Silverstone 27/28 SeptemberRounds 28,29,30 Brands Hatch GP 11/12 October

Dunlop extends BTCC tyre deal

Dunlop has extended its deal to act of official tyre supplier for the BTCC, inking terms on a new ‘multi-year’ contract.

Dunlop has held the role of sole supplier since 2003 and will continue to supply competing teams with a full range of dry and wet tyres for 2014 – including the Soft Option rubber introduced into the series this season.

“The BTCC is one of the most prestigious and important championships in Europe,” Dunlop’s James Bailey said. “We are delighted to be re-appointed as Official Tyre Supplier.

“The introduction of the Dunlop Sport Maxx Soft option tyre has introduced a new strategic variable, and shows our continued commitment to innovating in this Championship.”

Series boss Alan Gow meanwhile welcomed the announcement of an extended deal.

“Dunlop have been our tyre-supplier since 2003 - and certainly wouldn’t still be today unless they were a responsive, enthusiastic manufacturer of the highest quality race tyres,” he said. “Our partnership has been incredibly close and mutually rewarding.

“To be honest, the BTCC just wouldn’t feel the same without the great team at Dunlop Motorsport supporting us and we are delighted to extend our partnership further.”

Moffat switches to HARD.

Aiden Moffat will race the ex-Tom Onslow-Cole Volkswagen Passat in the final two rounds of the season after inking a deal for Silverstone and Brands Hatch.

The 16-year-old made his debut at Knockhill in a Finesse Motorsport-run Chevrolet Cruze but will step up to NGTC-spec machinery for his second weekend in the series following a myriad of issues on home soil.

Moffat tested the Passat, which was driven by Andy Wilmot at Rockingham following Onslow-Cole’s move to Airwaves Racing, at Brands Hatch ahead of his debut.

“Aiden is a real star of the future in the BTCC,” team boss Tony Gilham said. “We’ve been talking to him for a while and we’re delighted to be able to give him this opportunity for the rest of the season. He showed good promise at Knockhill but unfortunately the reliability wasn’t there in his car.

“We hope to change all that by providing a reliable and quick car for him show his potential. There’s no pressure on him but we’re excited to see how he gets on before hopefully building a long-term relationship.”

NEWS IN BRIEF | NEWS IN BRIEF | NEWS IN BRIEFPS

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Adam Morgan says that his family-run Ciceley Racing team is ready for the challenge of developing an all-new NGTC spec car for the 2014 BTCC season after confirming rumours that it will bring Mercedes-Benz to the championship next year.

After speculation emerged in the paddock at Rockingham, the team has now gone public with plans to develop a racing version of the latest Mercedes-Benz A Class, which will mark the first time that the German marque has been represented in the series.

It will also increase the number of manufacturers represented on the grid since the introduction of the NGTC spec regulations to a dozen.

“It’s really good to have the news out in the open,” Morgan told Inside BTCC. “There is no doubt that it is going to be a big challenge for us, but the fact that we have [engineer] Paul Ridgeway onboard will certainly help because of the knowledge and experience

that he has. I’ve improved as a driver and the whole team has grown over the past twelve months, and we are ready for the challenge.

“We know there is a lot of work to do, but hopefully we can get the car completed in time to get plenty of testing under our belt before the season starts, so we can then hit the ground running when we get to Brands Hatch.”

The move will bring the Ciceley Racing team in-line with the family business Ciceley Commercials, which has a number of dealerships selling and servicing Mercedes-Benz trucks and vans.

For that reason, Morgan insisted that a Mercedes was the only option if the team was to move away from the Toyota Avensis it has campaigned to much success during 2013.

“The reality was that we would run a Mercedes or stick with the Toyota we have already,” Morgan continued.

“With the family business, the Mercedes was the obvious choice, but if building a car hadn’t been an option, we’d have stuck with the Avensis for another season.

“We’ve been talking about it for months and have been getting things in place and talking to the people we needed to talk to. We wanted to keep things under wraps and for there to be an element of surprise about what we were doing, but when things started to leak out, we didn’t want to be at the centre of loads of rumours and speculation. That’s why we took the decision to go public and make everyone aware of what the plans are.

“This is a completely private programme and we have no backing from Mercedes for next season, but if we are able to do a good job then maybe we can generate some interest from them in what we are trying to do for the future.”

While the serious work has

still to start, Morgan admitted he was surprised by the positive reaction from fans to the announcement of what is planned for his third season in the championship.

“Being completely honest, I didn’t expect to get the kind of response we had to the announcement,” he said. “The social networks have gone crazy with the reaction from fans, and everything that I’ve seen and read has been positive, which is great. Obviously the more interest there is, that better than is for us as it can help to bring potential sponsors and commercial partners onboard for next year.

“At the same time, that puts the pressure on a bit as I’ve already seen people online saying that they think the car will be at the front next year. Of course, that is the aim that we have, and we have high hopes that we’ll produce a good car that will allow us to hit our targets.”

CICELEY READY FOR MERCEDES CHALLENGEAdam Morgan insists that family-run team has high hopes for all-new NGTC programme - MATT SALISBURY REPORTS

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RENAULT NAME SET FOR RETURN

BY MATT SALISBURY

The Renault name is set to return to the BTCC for the first time in more than a decade after Welsh chartered engineer Philip Morgan was revealed as the man behind plans to create an NGTC-spec version of the third generation Megane.

News that a Renault programme could be in the pipeline first emerged in Motorsport News

following Knockhill, with a road-going version of the car – complete with NGTC style body kit – wowing crowds in the Rockingham paddock.

Morgan – the father of Clio Cup racer Alex – has started the Megane project through his MDA Wheels business, with the project having been ongoing under the radar for much of the year.

The current aim is to have

a completed race car on track before the end of the year, with Morgan then aiming to lease the Meganes to teams on a customer basis, rather than actually finding a team to run them on his behalf.

“We wanted to bring a different car to the grid and Renault are one of the manufacturers who aren’t represented at the moment,” he said. “We looked at various different

cars before settling on the Megane, but we have some history with Renault through Alex’s racing. He’s been out of racing for five years before coming back in the Clios this season, but previously he raced in the Formula Renault Eurocup against the likes of Daniel Ricciardo, Jean-Eric Vergne and Valtteri Bottas, so we have a lot of memories associated with Renault.

“For technical reasons

Privateer programme possible for 2014 as work starts on NGTC-spec Meganes

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that I won’t go into, there are certain things that drew us to the Renault as our aim to have the best car out there. We are aware that that is a huge ask, but in order to try and build the best car, you have to start with the best base which is what we have tried to do.”

Work on the first two cars, which will be powered initially by the Swindon-developed TOCA engine, is already well underway ahead of the start of a test and development progamme.

In fact, work on the cars has been ongoing since well before the 2013 season even got underway, with Morgan keen to avoid saying too much too early about the plans he had.

“We started this project back in January, so it’s been going on for a long time,” he said. “However, we are doing this properly, and spent a lot of time researching things before we made the investment. We’ve done a lot of work

on the styling and have produced the first body panels, which is what can be seen on the road car. The two race car shells are being worked on, and hopefully we’ll have a development car out on track later this year.

“With any project it is easy to talk, but we want to deliver. Our plans are on programme as the aim was always to get a car to Rockingham, but we didn’t want the publicity early on as things tend to change with a project like this. However, we are happy with where we are at the moment.”

Talks are already underway with potential customers who could run the cars next year, with at least one existing Clio Cup outfit believed to be amongst those interested.

“They are basically customer cars that I have commissioned, and I have suppliers who are doing the work for me,” Morgan added. “Those suppliers have been chosen carefully and they are now

working on the cars.

“When they are finished, it is up to a driver to take a car off us and go to a team, or for a team to them off us. Obviously the cars aren’t proven at the moment so I don’t think we’ll have people clamoring over them, but we have had a lot of interest already from drivers who want to drive one.

However, Morgan was eager to point out that his plans wouldn’t even have been considered had the BTCC not adopted the Next Generation Touring Car regulations, further showing the accessibility that has been created by the new rules.

“I own the Vauxhall Astras that were raced by Giovanardi and Turkington and they are great Triple Eight-built machines,” he said. “However, they cost Triple Eight and Vauxhall a lot of money! I looked at the NGTC regulations to see how they differed to the Astras that we own, and I saw that

they allowed people with entrepreneurial aspirations to have a go. The more information I picked up, the more I realised we could do it.

“The NGTC regulations are set up for people like me to have a go, and we’ve spent a lot of time in putting together the plans that we are now working through.”

Renault hasn’t been represented on the grid since 2002, when Rob Collard raced a Clio 172 in the Production Class, while it was 1999 when the Williams-run factory team competed in the ‘main class’ with a pair of Lagunas driven by Jason Plato and Jean-Christophe Boullion. Russell Spence and the late Will Hoy also raced a Laguna in 1999, run by Arena International.

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WOOD TARGETS NGTC AFTER SEARS SUCCESS

When the BTCC entry list was released at Donington Park back in March, much was made of the fact that the battle for the championship seemed set to be one of the most tightly-fought in recent years.

Amongst the contenders for the Jack Sears Trophy however, one name stood out against the others in Lea Wood.

While Motorbase’s Liam Griffin and AmDTuning.com’s James Kaye were both expected to challenge for honours, Wood was installed as the immediate favourite with many to lift the title, having impressed throughout 2012 at the wheel of his Vauxhall Vectra – scoring points in 23 of the 30 races.

Wood’s position as favourite came despite

the fact that he hadn’t even planned to enter his S2000 car at all, having instead hoped to join Speedworks to drive its NGTC-spec Toyota Avensis.

When that deal proved to be a step too far budget wise, deals were done to get the Vectra out on track, but the season started in tough fashion at Brands Hatch with a failure to even start race two and then disqualification from race three putting him on the back foot.

A win in race two at Donington Park would kick-start his challenge, with doubles at Thruxton and Oulton Park and then a single win in the final race of the weekend at Croft putting Wood firmly in the box seat when it came to the championship

as his closest rivals struggled to keep pace.

A hat-trick at Snetterton and a win in race three at Knockhill when Griffin was denied a treble of his own following contact from Kieran Gallagher’s NGTC-spec Insignia meant Wood headed to Rockingham with a chance to seal the title if results could go his way.

A fine drive after pitting for slicks on a damp circuits at the end of the green flag lap saw Wood win the opening race in Corby, and he doubled up in race two – meaning closest rival Liam Griffin had to win race three to deny Wood the crown.

When gearbox gremlins that had blighted his day then prevented Griffin from even taking the start, Wood’s title success

was confirmed, and he duly celebrated with a 13th success of the campaign.

“Obviously we didn’t expect to win the title so early,” he reflected. “We’ve had some great racing amongst the S2000 cars that have been out there this season, and for most of the year our car has been faultless. We did struggle at the first round as we did a driveshaft and then failed the ride height test after putting some new dampers on, but our problems there were largely down to the fact that we’d only made the decision to run the Vectra less than two weeks before the season started.

“It was a bit of a kick in the teeth to be honest but we went away from the circuit, picked ourselves up and just got back

Wood targets NGTC after Jack Sears Trophy successLea Wood looks to make the move into a Next Generation Touring Car on the back of his Jack Sears Trophy title win

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WOOD TARGETS NGTC AFTER SEARS SUCCESS

on with it. To get to the end of the weekend at Rockingham having wrapped up the title with six races remaining is great.”

Wood’s run to the title was aided to an extent by issues encountered by his two main rivals, with seven DNFs since the summer break hitting Griffin’s campaign and a series of reliability issues – alongside three missed rounds – ending any hope Kaye had of celebrating his return to the series with a title to his name.

That’s not to say Wood had it all his own way, with six of the nine drivers to have race S2000 machinery this season having tasted victory.

“It’s not been an easy season at all,” Wood said. “It’s a shame that

Liam had his problems at Rockingham and that James wasn’t there, but David Nye was at the front in race one and I only just got the grip at the end to take that win.

“It would have been nice to have all of the S2000 cars out at each race, but you can only beat what is in front of you. It would have been easy to make a mistake and I had to make sure I kept picking up the wins.”

With Super 2000 machinery set to be phased out over the winter as more teams embrace the NGTC regulations, Wood is set to go down in history as the only S2000 driver to win the Jack Sears Trophy, although series boss Alan Gow has already said he would like to see the award be given out for

something else in future.

For now however, Wood said he was proud to be the first winner of the trophy as he already starts to look towards the future.

“At the start of this year, we really pushed to go down the NGTC route and it didn’t happen,” he reflected. “In hindsight, it was probably for the best. This year has really helped me, and to win trophies has been a huge boost for the team. Hopefully it has put us in a good position for next year and it’s now down to us to keep pushing and talking to sponsors to see what we can do.

“We’ve really enjoyed the S2000 class this year but it was only ever a twelve month thing and that meant it was important

for us to wrap it up, and we’ll go down in history as the only winner of it. We have to now push on and try and to make the move to NGTC as we’ve shown what we can do, and we have to build on it.

“We could do a car ourselves, but in all honesty, I don’t think we’d build a car because of the time and the costs involved. If we were to run the car ourselves, we’d probably look to buy a car and then change it to suit us, as we did with our Honda Integra and then with the Vauxhall.”

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SUPPORT RACE ROUND-UP

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

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Match point Ingram

Barring a disaster at Silverstone, Tom Ingram will be able to celebrate title success in the Michelin Ginetta GT Supercup after another fine showing at Rockingham.

The JHR driver won both races in Corby to make it nine victories for the season and move further clear of defending champion Carl

Breeze.

Heading team-mate Rob Boston for victory in race one, Ingram then dominated race two to win by more than 30 seconds and put one hand on the title.

Behind, Breeze maintained second place in the standings despite only managing a best finish of sixth at Rockingham and he is still almost 100 points up on Matt Nicoll-Jones.

The Academy Motorsport man however can’t afford to relax after Mark Davies’ closed to within five points of third place with his fifth podium finish of the year.

G50 Cup title winner Sean Huyton celebrated a move up to the G55 category with a podium finish first time out in his Academy-run car.

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GINETTA GT SUPERCUP

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Gelzinis closes in on Carrera Cup lead

Just four points separate Michael Meadows and Jonas Gelzinis heading into the penultimate rounds of the Porsche Carrera Cup GB after the Lithuanian racer closed in on the points lead at Rockingham.

Although neither driver was able to take a victory at the Corby circuit, a failure to score from Meadows after an error in race one allowed Gelzinis to slash his advantage, with a brace of podium finishes from the

two races.

Meadows failed to even pick up the bonus point he would have earned in race one for posting the fastest lap, with his car being excluded post-race for a technical infringement.

While Meadows has won more races, Gelzinis has been more consistent, with the battle between the two now heading to Silverstone for the latest two rounds in what is proving to be an intriguing battle for honours.

Although the championship

fight would now seem to be a two-way affair, the battle for victory in the latest rounds of the year is likely to be a five-way affair.

Rory Butcher heads into the event on a high on the back of a double win at Rockingham, which has allowed him to move up to third in the standings ahead of Dan Lloyd, who lost valuable points with a DNF in race one last time out. Behind them, Dean Stoneman will be keen to challenge for victory on his return having served a two-race ban at Rockingham.

While the fight for overall honours remains as close as ever, Victor Jimenez will aim to wrap up the Pro-Am1 title, with a 60 point lead over Dan De Zille going into the weekend. If he can stay at least 45 clear, the Spaniard will be champion.

The Silverstone field meanwhile will be boosted by the addition of cars from the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge, which has already been won by Justin Sherwood.

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PORSCHE CARRERA CUP GB

FORMULA FORD GB

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Cammish bows out

At least one new winner will emerge from the latest rounds of the Dunlop MSA Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain after Dan Cammish wrapped up the title at Rockingham – and then elected to stand down from his drive.

Another hat-trick for the JTR man made it 24 wins from 24 and put him out of reach of his closest rivals, with the Yorkshireman stepping down to focus on trying to

put together a BTCC programme for 2014.

With Cammish out of the equation, the fight for victory is set to be an interesting affair, with Harrison Scott aiming to pick up the points that he needs to wrap up second in the standings. Scott has taken no fewer than 13 podium finishes and a trip to the top step would go some way towards confirming himself as runner-up, with Nico Maranzana having already ended his programme.

Juan Rosso, Sam Brabham, James Abbot, Jayde Kruger, Camern Kaminsky and Andy Richardson.

Although Cammish won’t be on track, his title-winning car will appear at Silverstone as 19-year-old Max Marshall takes over in what will be his return to the series after taking part in two rounds back in 2011.

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Woodhead lifts Junior crown

Harry Woodhead joined the list of champions on the TOCA package after wrapping up the Ginetta Junior Championship crown at Rockingham.

Although he failed to run during the latest rounds of the season, the HHC man finished on the podium in both races to put himself out of reach of his rivals with four races of the season still to run.

With Woodhead out of reach, the main focus now will be on the battle for second sport between Will Palmer

and Keith Donegan.

Palmer’s first win of the year in race two at Rockingham have him the advantage, wit the pair split by only two points with four races to run.

Another close battle also appears to be developing behind, with Tom Jackson only ten points clear of James Kellett after he too took a first win of the campaign at Rockingham.

Ollie Chadwick remains sixth, although he is now eleven points behind Kellett after losing ground at Rockingham.

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GINETTA JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP

RENAULT UK CLIO CUP

Page 45: Inside BTCC - Issue 26 - BTCC 2013 at Silverstone

Inside BTCC ��www.insidebtcc.com

Files moves closer to Clio crown

Josh Files moved closer to the Renault UK Clio Cup title with another strong weekend at Rockingham, which left him 40 points clear – with dropped scores taken into account - with just one round yet to run.

With the Clio field not now in action until Finals Day at Brands Hatch, Files will have to wait a bit longer

to try and wrap up the championship crown, having extended his advantage last time out.

Files finished on the podium in both races in Corby while closest rival Paul Rivett all but admitted his hopes of defending the title he won last year were over after contact in the opening race damaged his left-front wheel and put him into retirement.

Contact on lap one and a lock-up later on at Deene meant Rivett then lost further ground with sixth in race two.

Behind the top two, Alex Morgan retained his third place in the standings despite seeing nearest rival James Colburn close in but the two wins at Rockingham went the way of Scuderia Vittoria.

Stefan Hodgetts took

victory in race one but it was team-mate Ant Whorton-Eales who produced the drive of the weekend to win race two from twelfth on the grid, a storming start seeing him blast into a lead that he would keep for his first win in the series.

RENAULT UK CLIO CUP

Page 46: Inside BTCC - Issue 26 - BTCC 2013 at Silverstone

Inside BTCC �� www.insidebtcc.com

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

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Page 47: Inside BTCC - Issue 26 - BTCC 2013 at Silverstone

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Page 50: Inside BTCC - Issue 26 - BTCC 2013 at Silverstone

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2013 BTCC POINTS 2013 BTCC POINTS DRIVERS CHAMPIONSHIP MANUFACTURER/CONSTRUCTOR

1 Andrew Jordan 338 1 Honda/Dynamics 768

2 Gordon Shedden 308 2 MG/Triple Eight 689

3 Colin Turkington 305

4 Matt Neal 304 TEAMS CHAMPIONSHIP

5 Jason Plato 276 1 Honda Yuasa Racing 588

6 Sam Tordoff 218 2 MG KX Momentum Racing 478

7 Adam Morgan 190 3 Pirtek Racing 455

8 Mat Jackson 162 4 eBay Motors 446

9 Rob Austin 150 5 Airwaves Racing 304

10 Aron Smith 133 6 Ciceley Racing 190

11 Jeff Smith 132 7 Speedworks 157

12 Tom Onslow-Cole 125 8 WIX Racing 146

13 Dave Newsham 124 9 PPCGB.com/Kraftwerk Racing 116

14 Rob Collard 106 10 Dynojet 70

15 Nick Foster 90 11 Welch Motorsport 59

16 Frank Wrathall 68 12 RCIB Insurance Racing 58

17 Dan Welch 53 13 Rob Austin Racing 21

18 Jack Goff 34 14 Addison Lee Motorbase 15

19 Will Bratt 28 15 Wheel Heaven/Houseman 13

20 Ollie Jackson 24 16 Team BMR Restart 2

21 James Cole 11 17 IP Tech Race Engineering 1

22 Michael Caine 8 18 AmDTuning.com 0

23 Lea Wood 8 19 BTC Racing 0

24 Liam Griffin 6 20 M247 Racing 0

25 James Kaye 5 21 Finesse Motorsport 0

26 Robb Holland 3

27 David Nye 3

28 Kieran Gallagher 3

29 Warren Scott 1

30 Howard Fuller 0

31 Chris Stockton 0

32 Andy Neate 0

33 Joe Girling 0

34 Aaron Mason 0

35 Jake Hill 0

36 Mike Bushell 0

37 Paul O’Neill 0

38 Aiden Moffat 0

39 Andy Wilmot 0

Page 51: Inside BTCC - Issue 26 - BTCC 2013 at Silverstone

Inside BTCC �1www.insidebtcc.com

2013 BTCC POINTS 2013 BTCC POINTS

INDEPENDENT DRIVERS INDEPENDENT TEAMS

1 Andrew Jordan 396 1 Pirtek Racing 417

2 Colin Turkington 354 2 eBay Motors 383

3 Adam Morgan 266 3 Airwaves Racing 306

4 Mat Jackson 223 4 Ciceley Racing 288

5 Aron Smith 202 5 WIX Racing 242

6 Jeff Smith 198 6 Speedworks 234

7 Tom Onslow-Cole 196 7 PPCGB.com/Kraftwerk Racing 223

8 Dave Newsham 188 8 RCIB Insurance Racing 159

9 Rob Austin 187 9 Welch Motorsport 153

10 Nick Foster 162 10 Dynojet 147

11 Rob Collard 161 11 Wheel Heaven/Houseman 115

12 Frank Wrathall 111 12 Addison Lee Motorbase 76

13 Dan Welch 98 13 Rob Austin Racing 54

14 Jack Goff 72 14 Team BMR Restart 47

15 Ollie Jackson 70 15 IP Tech Race Engineering 27

16 Will Bratt 57 16 AmDTuning.com 24

17 James Cole 39 17 M247 Racing 24

18 Lea Wood 38 18 Finesse Motorsport 3

19 Liam Griffin 21 19 BTC Racing 0

20 Warren Scott 14

21 Michael Caine 13 JACK SEARS TROPHY

22 David Nye 13 1 Lea Wood 13

23 James Kaye 11 2 Liam Griffin 6

24 Robb Holland 8 3 James Kaye 2

25 Mike Bushell 5 4 Joe Girling 1

26 Kieran Gallagher 5 5 David Nye 1

27 Howard Fuller 5 6 Jake Hill 1

28 Joe Girling 4 7 Warren Scott 0

29 Andy Neate 4 8 Aaron Mason 0

30 Andy Wilmot 4 9 Aiden Moffat 0

31 Jake Hill 3

32 Chris Stockton 0

33 Aaron Mason 0

34 Paul O’Neill 0

35 Aiden Moffatt 0

Page 52: Inside BTCC - Issue 26 - BTCC 2013 at Silverstone

Inside BTCC �� www.insidebtcc.com

2013 BTCC RACE RESULTS

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 4Matt Neal 21 4 1 3 4 3 1 1 2 6 4 4 2 4 1Michael Caine - - - - - - - - - - - - 8 DNF DNSRob Collard DNF DNF DNF 15 12 12 13 13 15 10 NC 11 9 6 14Tom Onslow-Cole 14 DNF 16 13 10 6 3 2 4 15 11 DNF 10 3 12Mat Jackson 20 7 10 12 13 9 7 15 7 7 20 19 DNF DNF 13Aron Smith 9 DNF 11 11 8 7 9 10 5 DNF 14 10 14 12 9Jake Hill - - - - - - - - - - - - 18 17 DNFDan Welch 11 14 12 NC 15 11 14 DNF 11 14 9 DNF 17 11 DNFFrank Wrathall 6 DNF 8 7 DNF DNF 15 19 DNF 23 12 9 20 13 DNFDavid Nye 18 DNF 17 23 DNF DNS 22 21 18 22 22 NC 21 15 DNFRob Austin 3 DNF DNF 14 DNF DNS 19 18 DNF 13 8 5 13 14 11Will Bratt 12 DNS 14 25 19 14 18 22 17 17 13 6 15 18 DNFJames Kaye 15 12 DNS 19 DNF DNF DNF DNF 19 - - - DNF 19 DNFAiden Moffat - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Dave Newsham DNF 9 DNF 9 7 DNF 8 12 9 8 6 14 DNF 9 5Nick Foster NC 10 13 17 16 15 24 16 13 12 15 8 4 7 8James Cole DNF 13 DNF 22 18 17 17 14 14 18 17 13 19 DNF 15Andy Wilmot - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Howard Fuller - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Kieran Gallagher - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Chris Stockton - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Colin Turkington 8 8 9 8 9 1 6 11 10 5 3 2 1 1 2Jack Goff 13 DNS NC 18 14 16 12 9 DNF 16 DNF 12 16 DNC DNFAdam Morgan 7 6 4 5 5 5 10 8 12 9 7 3 11 8 DNFRobb Holland - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Warren Scott 22 15 DNF 26 DNF 19 DNF DNF 21 DNF DNS DNF DNS DNS DNSLea Wood 16 DNS DSQ 24 17 DNF 21 20 16 19 18 DNF 22 16 16Andy Neate - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Mike Bushell - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Ollie Jackson 10 DNF DNS 16 NC DNF 16 17 DNF 24 16 15 DNF DNS DNFAaron Mason - - - - - - - - - 21 DNF DNS - - -Jeff Smith 5 3 7 10 11 10 5 6 6 11 10 18 12 10 10Paul O’Neill - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -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 3Sam Tordoff 4 5 3 6 6 4 4 7 8 2 21 7 7 21 7Joe Girling DNS DNS 18 21 DNF 18 23 DNF 20 - - - DNS DNS DNSJason Plato 1 1 5 4 2 8 2 5 22 1 1 DNF 5 20 6

Page 53: Inside BTCC - Issue 26 - BTCC 2013 at Silverstone

Inside BTCC ��www.insidebtcc.com

2013 BTCC RACE RESULTS

16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

Gordon Shedden 3 7 1 2 3 DNF 4 2 5Matt Neal 9 2 8 7 5 2 14 DNF 7Michael Caine - - - - - - - - -Rob Collard 10 DNF 9 6 4 3 7 DNF DNFTom Onslow-Cole 12 9 17 13 13 DNF DNF 9 12Mat Jackson 8 4 2 12 9 7 2 4 4Aron Smith 6 3 3 10 DNF 15 13 15 13Jake Hill - - - - - - - - -Dan Welch 17 DNF 20 DNF 11 6 DNF DNS DNSFrank Wrathall DNF 10 11 14 12 DNF 10 13 DNFDavid Nye 20 DNF 18 DNF 21 14 21 21 19Rob Austin 15 14 12 3 2 4 3 1 9Will Bratt NC 16 DNF 20 DNF 10 DNF DNS DNFJames Kaye DNF DNF DNS - - - - - -Aiden Moffat - - - 21 DNF DNS - - -Dave Newsham 18 8 DNF 11 10 DNF 8 7 8Nick Foster 14 12 10 16 14 8 11 12 14James Cole - - - - - - - - -Andy Wilmot - - - - - - 18 20 18Howard Fuller - - - - - - 17 17 DNFKieran Gallagher - - - 22 20 13 - - -Chris Stockton - - - - - - - - -Colin Turkington 4 6 6 1 1 DSQ 6 3 2Jack Goff 11 DNF DNF - - - 9 14 DNFAdam Morgan 7 5 4 5 DNF 9 DNF 11 11Robb Holland 21 15 14 - - - - - -Warren Scott DNF DNS DNS DNS 16 DNF 19 18 17Lea Wood 19 13 15 19 19 12 20 19 16Andy Neate 22 17 16 - - - DNF DNS DNSMike Bushell - - - 18 17 DNF - - -Ollie Jackson 16 11 13 15 15 11 15 16 15Aaron Mason - - - - - - - - -Jeff Smith 13 DNF 19 - - - 12 10 10Paul O’Neill - - - DNF DNS DNF - - -Liam Griffin DNF DNF DNF 17 18 DNF DNF DNF DNSAndrew Jordan 5 1 7 8 6 1 1 8 1Sam Tordoff 1 18 5 9 8 DNF 16 5 6Joe Girling - - - - - - - - -Jason Plato 2 DNF DNF 4 7 5 5 6 3

Page 54: Inside BTCC - Issue 26 - BTCC 2013 at Silverstone