BTCC Title Decider

A trip to a British Touring Cars race has become an annual event in recent years, courtesy of my friend Mark. This year it was Brands Hatch and the title deciding final Sunday of the season. Mark and I and five respective sons and their friends set off early as usual in order to arrive in time to walk the pit lane and see the cars and their drivers close up. Mark mentioned that he had a friend, Andy, who worked as part of the pit crew for the indomitable David Pinkney, a long-time BTCC racer and someone who lives just down the road from us both. A call to Andy alerted us to the fact that Pinkney hadn't been having a good weekend - his engine had blown on the Saturday - and that he wasn't going to be driving but this fact allowed us access to a relaxed pit garage and meant that the boys - and Mark - even had an opportunity to sit in Pinkney's 2 litre Vectra.

Andy was incredibly generous with his time and took the boys through the finer points of the car's performance enhancement over a standard Vectra in accessible detail. These cars are a pretty serious racing proposition and I was amazed at the level of monitoring that goes on to ensure teams play by the scrutineering rules. Tyres contain electronic chips that are read by a reader at the entrance to the pit lane, for example and the engines are sealed units that are limited in terms of tuning. Pinkney's Vectra looks impressive decked out in his trademark pink theme - everything in the team is pink, even Pinkney's helmet and the team bus - but the technology involved in running the car is really quite eye opening and I was impressed, despite the fact that uninitiated the car appeared to me to be just another Vauxhall Vectra...

A big thank you to Andy for giving us the opportunity to see the car properly. Of course once in the paddock we were able to wander around and see the side of BTCC that normally only the corporates sponsors and assorted hangers-on have access to. Drivers, past and present, also tend to be on this side of the pit lane and Mark's sharp-eyed son spotted one well known celebrity driver, someone I'd seen a few weeks previously racing at Goodwood in a Mark VII Jaguar. Mark - a shy and retiring type - took the opportunity to have his photo taken with the very gracious Tiff Needell:

So what of the racing itself? Well it was an interesting day and Brands is a great circuit from a spectator's point of view. The BTCC races weren't the most exciting as the first two (of three) were led from pole by Jason Plato, who in winning the second took the overall Championship. Plato has been an incredibly consistent driver coming second in the last 5 championships, I think. This Championship is his second and is clearly well deserved. The weather on the day was excellent but in typical autumnal fashion it began to get very chilly once the sun began to set and by the third and final race of the day we were all beginning to feel the effects of being on our feet all day. Plato had an opportunity to turn his 60 BTCC wins, equalling Andy Rouse's record, into the greatest numbers of wins ever but things didn't go his way and he finished well down the pack, having started back in eighth (an effect of the BTCC rules). Once again, then, a good day out, thoroughly enjoyed by all. Thanks, as always, to Mark for the tickets and for doing all the driving, fuelled wonderfully on the way down to Brands by still warm homemade sausage rolls. I'm certain that we'll be back spectating next year...

BTCC, Rockingham, 20th September 2009

Last Sunday I took my son and his best friend from school to see the penultimate round of the British Touring Cars Championship at Rockingham. This was our first visit to the circuit and I found it a novel experience. Laid out in a gently banked oval, the track was built to cater for the type of racing associated with the famous Indianapolis 500, often called 'Indy Car' racing. The infield contains the corners and chicanes, which means that the spectator can only view the racing from the grandstands that form a crescent around the outside edge of one side of the oval. It is possible to access a viewing area above the pits and this does offer an exciting perspective; however, this is standing room only and is limited in terms of numbers. There is no chance then, to move around the circuit positioning oneself at interesting sections of the circuit throughout the day. Despite this we did manage to find a position in the stands by the afternoon that gave a good overview of the racing but still allowed for some sense of the formidable speed of the cars as they exited the straight and entered a long left-hander, called simply 'Turn 1', before negotiating the hairpin at Deane into the infield. What makes BTCC so exciting for fans of the series is that the pit lane is opened between races, allowing access to the drivers and a close-up glimpse of the cars. For my son and his friend, autograph hunting and freebie collecting (caps, posters, etc.) is all part of the fun. The first touring cars race of the day (there are three per meeting) was won by Stephen Jelley in the Team RAC BMW320si. The second was won by the ever popular Jason Plato in a Chevrolet Lacetti, while the third saw Jelley on the top of the podium once more, achieving his first two wins in BTCC. Mat Jackson was third and second respectively and looked to be heading for victory in the final race when he was shunted off the track by Giovanardi in his Vauxhall Vectra VXR. The racing in BTCC is always close and exciting and makes for a great day's motor racing. Also competing in their respective championships were Porsche Carreras, Formula Renault and my favourites, the G50 Ginettas. All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable day, very much helped by the late September sunshine…