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Posted
Oct 06 2009, 03:31 PM
by
Jonathan Moore
with 6 comment(s)
The last round of the British Touring Car Championship is all about the title fight: three races and three men in a fight to be the 2009 champion. First up is the points leader, Colin Turkington in the West Surrey Racing-run BMW 320. The Northern Irishman has been racing in the BTCC since 2002 and has already won the Independents' title for the last two years, but now he's leading overall with 249 points. Next up is Italian Fabrizio Giovanardi. He's won the British series for manufacturer...
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Posted
Oct 03 2009, 11:38 AM
by
Jonathan Moore
with 8 comment(s)
Six months ago the Arena Ford Focus team barely made the opening round of the 2009 British Touring Car Championship and qualified near the back. They rarely bothered the front-runners over the first half of the championship and a first points-paying position – 10th, back at the Croft circuit – was celebrated like a win. Fast forward to this weekend's final three races and we're back at Brands Hatch, this time on the long Grand Prix configuration. But now the Focus is not only...
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Posted
Sep 07 2009, 05:40 AM
by
Andy Blackmore
with 10 comment(s)
The BMW 320Si is one of the most popular and successful touring cars of the modern era. In this car feature, we will look at the Team Airwaves British Touring Cars of Jonathan Adam and Rob Collard with the aid of images from Peter Still, John Brooks and Jonathan Moore. The BMW 320si is a S2000 class touring car introduced at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2005. Over 2000 production road cars were built to suit homologation. The production cars are powered by a 2-litre unit based on the older E46’s...
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Posted
Sep 04 2009, 07:07 AM
by
Andy Blackmore
with 2 comment(s)
John Brooks was on duty at Silverstone last weekend, so we have a hugh gallery of images form Rounds 22, 23 and 24 of the British Touring Car Championship with some additions from our friends at PSP-Images. A few driver changes. Ex Formula 1 driver, Johnny Herbert joined Team Dynamics, replacing James Thompson who has commitments in the Danish, World Touring Car Championships and the Australian V8 Supercar championship – busy boy! Tom Onslow-Cole was also called up as a stand in for the second...
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Posted
Sep 03 2009, 11:35 AM
by
Andy Blackmore
with 3 comment(s)
Another catch up post! This time we focus on the latest rounds of the British Touring Car Championship at Knockhill. Silverstone will follow tomorrow. The Knockhill rounds took place in mid August. A smaller field than normal as a couple of teams decided to skip this Scottish Round. After a few lack-luster results, Jason Plato dominated the first race of the day in his Chevrolet Lacetti from Pole Position. Local boy, Gordon Shedden was close behind, under pressure from the Airwaves BMW’s of...
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Posted
Aug 07 2009, 12:58 PM
by
Andy Blackmore
with 9 comment(s)
It has been a while, with a long summer break, but the British Touring Car Championship returned to the track last weekend at Snetterton, in Norfolk. Current Champion Fabrizio Giovanardi and Colin Turkington shared the top spot of the podium during the three race event. Turkington was a little fortunate to take the final race win of the day after original winner, James Nash, was excluded. Jason Plato started the day in pole position for Race One in his Silverline Racing Chevrolet Lacetti. Turkington...
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Posted
Jun 18 2009, 10:56 AM
by
Andy Blackmore
with 6 comment(s)
The British Touring Car Championship visited Yorkshire last weekend where Team RAC and Colin Turkington took the honours in two of the three races, and now leads the championship. Team RAC started race day off in dominant fashion. Colin Turkington leading team-mate Stephen Jelley home from Pole Position in race one. The actual race was shortened after a huge accident between Tom Chilton in the Ford Focus and Harry Vaulkhard in the Cheverolet Lacetti. ... Vaulhard had previous sustained damage with...
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Posted
Jun 01 2009, 11:40 AM
by
Andy Blackmore
with 1 comment(s)
The British Touring Car Championship visited the North West of England on the weekend, with three rounds at a sunny Oulton Park. Colin Turkington won the first two events of the day in his Team RAC BMW 320Si. Turkington took the lead in the opening race from the line, overtaking the all-Chevrolet front row of Jason Plato and Matt Jackson. Plato followed Colin home in 2nd while his team mate, Jackson suffered a puncture on the penultimate lap while in 3rd. Jackson eventually finished in 19th place...
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Posted
May 26 2009, 10:20 AM
by
Andy Blackmore
with 4 comment(s)
One of the most visible, if not successful touring cars of the last decade is the SEAT Leon S2000 race car. Surpassed only by the BMW 320Si, the SEAT has been the choice of many drivers and teams in National and World Touring Car Championships. The SEAT Leon Cupra is a 5 door hatchback based loosely on the Golf 'A5' platform and available in Europe and parts of South America. This is the second generation of the Leon and is regarded as one of the better hot-hatches in the European marketplace...
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Posted
May 25 2009, 04:50 PM
by
Andy Blackmore
with 12 comment(s)
Before the days of Audi domination in Sportscars, the German manufacture had a similar dominance in Touring car racings, otherwise known as ‘tin-tops’. Some of Audi’s greatest successes were in the Supertouring era of the 80s and 90’s. Supertouring was a 2 litre based European Touring car Formulae which most national championships followed. However, Audi had previously taken part in touring car racing. In 1980, Audi UK fielded a couple of Audi 80’s for Stiring Moss and...
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Posted
May 19 2009, 11:05 AM
by
Andy Blackmore
with 5 comment(s)
After some uncertainty earlier in the month, due to construction work for the 2010 British Grand Prix, the Donington rounds of the British Touring Car Championship took place this past weekend.The series added two new race winners for this season, making 8 winners in 9 races. Current champion, Fabrizio Giovanardi in his 888 Vauxhall Vectra was initially on pole for the first race of the day, but his times were stripped when the car wouldn't start in scruitneering. The start of a tough weekend...
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Posted
Apr 29 2009, 02:00 PM
by
Andy Blackmore
with 9 comment(s)
The high speed Thruxton circuit near Andover played host to rounds 4,5 and 6 of the British Touring Car Championship last weekend. We had three winners – making it six different winners from the first six races. What other championship can claim that? Three new entries this weekend. Matt Jackson (leading, above) joins Jason Plato at RML with the Chevrolet Lacetti, while ex-champion James Thompson replaced Gordon Shedden in the Team Dynamics Honda Civic. Paul O’Neill made a welcome return...
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Posted
Apr 23 2009, 11:20 AM
by
Andy Blackmore
with 4 comment(s)
Rounds 4,5 and 6 of the British Touring Car Championship takes place at Thruxton, the UK's fastest circuit this weekend. We also see the welcome return of 2002 and 2004 BTCC Champion, James Thompson and 2008 Championship runner-up, Matt Jackson. BTCC race winner, Paul O'Neill (aka Mel C's brother) also makes a very welcome return to the series in a Honda Integra.. Thompson, who campaigned a Honda Accord in last years World Touring Car Championship, joins Team Dynamics and will be running...
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Posted
Apr 14 2009, 08:30 AM
by
Jonathan Moore
with 5 comment(s)
The next round of the BTCC is at Thruxton in Hampshire at the end of this month, but in the meantime here is some more behind the scenes eye candy from the opening Brands Hatch round. BTCC pit garages are highly professional, spotless places: check out the Vauxhall pits. From what I've seen Auto Glym is obviously the number one product around here, as despite all the panel bashing and gravel collected during the races all the teams are constantly polishing their cars. There's never much time...
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Posted
Apr 10 2009, 07:28 AM
by
Dino Dalle Carbonare
with 11 comment(s)
Was just sent this video of British BTCC driver and Fifth Gear TV presenter, Jason Plato, recovering from what looked like an imminent spin at Brands Hatch. Check out how Jonathan Adams in the BMW 3-series hits Jason, throwing him sideway in his front-wheel-drive Chevy Lacetti. He gets hard on the power and winds on opposite lock to get the car back in line from the 90º slide. Pretty insane, and I thought quite appropriate for the drift month we are having here at Speedhunters!
Dino Dalle Carbonare
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Posted
Apr 05 2009, 04:54 PM
by
Jonathan Moore
with 4 comment(s)
The first three races of the 2009 British Touring Car Championship may have lacked the usual outcome of season debuts - ie. half the cars ending up as scrap - but it certainly didn't lack for action. Initially pole man Mat Neal lost the lead off the line to the Rob Collard and Colin Turkington's BMWs. There was the usual dogfight on the sprint down to Paddock: Jonathan Adam's BMW was fired off the track as Stephen Jelly's BMW was sandwiched by Adam and Gordon Shedden's Civic....
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Posted
Apr 04 2009, 04:23 PM
by
Jonathan Moore
with 7 comment(s)
There were some last minute returnees to the first round of Britain's favourite 'roundy-roundy' racing, but none more high profile than crowd favourite Jason Plato. Left high and dry by the works SEAT team closure and having not scored a drive over the winter, British race engineering specialists RML rustled up a car for him: a 2008 works Chevy Lacetti. Although the BTCC has lost last year's surprise indy success story, Mat Jackson, there's still strength up front, and the top...
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Posted
Apr 02 2009, 01:00 PM
by
Andy Blackmore
with 10 comment(s)
The 2009 British Touring Car Championship kicks off at Brands Hatch this weekend. The BTCC is the premier racing series in the UK and consists of ten race weekends with three rounds at each event The BTCC run two classes, based on production cars. At the front, the FIA S2000 class, which allows 4-5 door cars running with engines no bigger than 2000cc. The engine can come from another car in the manufacture range, which allows teams to choose the best engine and car for racing. Bodywork, Suspension...
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Posted
Mar 19 2009, 03:21 PM
by
Andy Blackmore
with 5 comment(s)
The British Touring Car Championship held their media day today with the majority of teams showing off their 2009 outfits. We will have a full preview later in the month, but this image shows three of the leading cars in the 2009 Championship. Team Dynamics have lost their Halfords Sponsorship, but now have a cool black and silver livery for the Civic. GM is represented by the Vauxhall brand. Fabrizio Giovanardi is current champion. Arena Motorsport return to the series with their new Ford Focus...
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Posted
Mar 04 2009, 04:26 PM
by
Andy Blackmore
with 18 comment(s)
I always look out for good shots of the cockpits of racecars. Its a hard area to photograph, particularly during a busy race weekend. The 'office' for a race driver is very different from a normal road car. Here is a small selection to wet your appetite for the 2009 season of competitions. British Touring Car Championship driver Tom Chilton (above) sits in his new race car, the Team Aon Ford Focus ST. The car, developed by Arena International (who use to run the old BTCC Honda team) is typical...
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