With action, controversy, overtaking galore and the strongest competition the series has had in years, this weekend’s BTCC season opener brought the championship back to its heyday. Race one was the first sign that touring cars were back to their panel-bashing best. Although, James Thompson led from lights to flag, behind him positions were changing throughout the sixteen-lap race. At the start, Thommo made a blinder of a start, putting to rest the ghosts of all his bad starts last year. Matt Neal also got away well, jumping from fourth to second ahead of Muller. He pushed Thompson all the way but the VX Racing Vauxhall was able to hold off the Team Computeach Honda to the end. As the field reached the complex of Campbell, Cobb and Segrave, there were tussles all the way down the field, with contact almost inevitable. Colin Turkington, Carl Breeze and John George were all spun off in separate incidents. Wallace pitted to retire, as did Breeze after he was tagged by Michael Bentwood at Noble. The Sureterm driver said, «I am very disappointed. I had got from 15th to 7th in three quarters of a lap — the car looked good. I was flat in 5th gear at 110mph when Bentwood hit me from the rear, spinning me infield. He had made a bad start and tried to regain all his places in one lap, which was never going to work.» Dan Eaves took Jason Plato, moving him up to 5th behind Anthony Reid. Behind them, there was an incredible scrap for tenth between Charlie Butler-Henderson, Rob Collard, Tom Chilton and James Kaye. Collard got past Butler-Henderson and began to pull away from the other three whilst Kaye attacked Chilton. But before Kaye could get past, Chilton overtook Butler-Henderson and went out to catch Collard. On lap 14, he finally took him the final chicane at to move him up to provisional pole for race two. There was even more incentive than usual because the race two grid was set from the results of the first race. However, the top ten finishers of race one were reversed for the race two grid. This made a tenth place finish in race one much more important than eleventh place. This also meant that tenth place was more valuable than seventh or eighth place. With this in mind, Plato backed off on the final lap, letting teammate Rob Huff and Michael Bentwood through. Now down to eighth, racin’ Jason slowed down coming up Woodham Hill to allow Shaun Watson-Smith past. The South African Team PSP driver, however, was not having any of it. He, too, backed off, and the two of them crawled to the line. Tom Chilton, however, was going at full racing speed and came out of the chicane right behind the comical scene of Plato and Watson-Smith going at snails pace. He just about didn’t catch them and Watson-Smith stayed behind Plato to put his Proton on the front row for race two. It was Thompson’s race, but he had to fight for it. Matt Neal was only 0.6 seconds behind at the finish, ahead of Muller, Reid and Eaves. So, it was Chilton alongside Shaun Watson-Smith on the grid for race two, with Plato light on ballast in third. Chilton stalled on the grid, and was forced to watch the pack engulf him. When he finally got going, he was a long way down the pack, his chances of becoming the youngest ever BTCC winner evaporating at least for the time being. On the other hand, Dan Eaves made a brilliant start, moving from sixth on the grid to the lead by the time that he reached the complex. Rob Huff got past Plato for second but Jason almost immediately got him back. On lap two, the reversed grid rule took its toll on the top finishers from race one. Thompson was taken out of the race when Matt Neal, who retired further round the lap, hit him heavily at the exit of Segrave. Huff was also involved in a separate incident with Shaun Watson-Smith. Charlie Butler-Henderson was given a drive-through penalty for jumping the start, but didn’t lose too much time as the field was crawling behind the safety car, which was deployed following the carnage of the opening laps. At the restart, Eaves led away whilst behind him Shaun Watson-Smith held a spectacular slide at Cobb. Plato was not put off by arch-rival Yvan Muller attacking him from behind and charged past Dan Eaves into the lead at the complex on lap seven. The crowd’s reaction was awesome. Many had been waiting for a moment like this to confirm the fact that Jason is back. After that, the race got even better. Muller fought his way up to second and chased after Plato, trying to force the Englishman into a mistake. Michael Bentwood was the third and final driver to pass Eaves in a fantastic move round the outside at the Club chicane, to take the final podium spot. Collards, in his three-year old specification Astra, remember, hassled Eaves for fourth but just could not get by. It was a very incident-stricken race. Rob Huff, Tom Chilton and Carl Breeze all retired due to accident damage. Breeze had made another good start but then had Chilton chop across in front of him and Luke Hines hit him off the track. He recovered but then had to pull off at Church — a 140mph corner. By now it was a seven-way battle up front with only six seconds covering Plato, Muller, Bentwood, Eaves, Collard, Hines and Reid. The order was to remain the same over the last four laps with the exception of Reid finding a way past Hines. But it could have so easily been Muller’s race — he pushed Plato all the way to the chequered flag, finishing a mere 0.45 seconds behind the elated Seat driver. Plato described the win as ‘the most satisfying of my career so far.’The stage was set for another Plato/Muller fight in the third race of the day. The pair of them lined up on the front row as they had done countless times during the 2001 BTCC season. Behind them should have been Michael Bentwood, but his Astra suffered engine problems and could not make it to the start, leaving Dan Eaves on a rather lonely row two. Plato took the lead but could not hold it for more than two corners. Muller took advantage of the fact that he had a slightly lighter car than Plato, and dived past him as the rivals turned into Campbell. Before long, Reid had also barged his way past the Seat Toledo driver. Again, there was contact at the complex when Luke Hines in the #57 Vauxhall tipped South African Shaun Watson Smith into a spin, the Proton driver careering off the track into retirement. Later on, Rob Huff entertained both the crowd and the ITV1 viewers watching live at home by smashing up his front spoiler on the curves at the Club chicane. At the front it was Muller, only 2.4 seconds ahead of Reid, followed by Plato and Thompson as Luke Hines passed Colin Turkington for fifth. The main interest come the end of the race was whether or not Jason Plato could hold off James Thompson. In the end the Yorkshireman got past around the outside of Noble corner to take an incredible third from the back of the grid. In the last few laps, Muller pulled away from the chasing pack and won quite convincingly. «Once I was in front I knew they would fight behind me so it was my chance to escape,» said Muller. «All in all, It’s been a very good day for me.» Anthony Reid was delighted with his second place podium finish. Reid said: «This is a terrific result for our team, but I was lucky to finish the race. My car’s engine almost blew up in the second race, but somehow it held together.» Matt Neal could only manage ninth with a Honda not fully repaired from its race two shunt. With a third, a second and a first, Frenchman Yvan Muller led the championship with a comfortable lead at the top of the table from Anthony Reid, who also led the HarrierZeuros Independent’s Trophy. Murray Walker introduced a BMW press conference, which featured Sir Frank Williams and Dr Mario Theissen of BMW and all of the 2004 Formula BMW UK Championship drivers. The conference was to celebrate history being made this weekend with the first ever round of the Formula BMW UK championship. The championship had already been running in Germany for three years and began in Asia last year. Indeed, such has been the success of these championships that a series in the USA will also be set up later this year. The formula is expected to grow even more, but a fifth championship will probably not be set up until at least 2006, according to Dr Mario Theissen. As Murray Walker put it, A company of BMW’s magnitude putting money into a new, emerging formula has to be good. This is a stepping stone to Formula 1 and possibly becoming world champion.’ Dr Mario Theissen explained how drivers could progress through Formula BMW to Formula 3 or the Formula 3 Euroseries: Formula BMW is optimum preparation for F3,’ he said. Through Formula BMW, many drivers have developed experience to work up the ranks: Christian Klien is now a Jaguar Formula 1 driver; Timo Glock and Niko Rosberg are F1 test drivers. All three of these drivers took exactly that route. Sir Frank Williams and Dr Mario Theissen also gave advice to the upcoming driver talents competing in this year’s Formula BMW UK championship. Do not lose too much time at the start,’ said Sir Frank. To win you should always aim to be in the top three or four at the end of the first lap. You should also try to put 100% effort in the whole time: whether you are in the car during a race or out the car during a team briefing. Michael Schumacher is not necessarily the most talented driver in Formula 1 right now but he is the most focused and works the hardest. No one will stand a chance of beating him until they go about their racing in the same frame of mind.’ Category: