BTCC: Battle Rages as Nissan Pair Share Spoils
2 August 1999
Volvo may have taken all four pole positions at Thruxton this year, but today,
in front of BBC TV’s live cameras, Nissan’s drivers completed a
clean sweep of BTCC race victories at the Hampshire circuit. Laurent Aiello
took the chequered flag in the Sprint race, but his lead at the top of the
drivers’ championship was ultimately cut to just ten points by team
mate David Leslie who recorded his third win of the year in the later Feature
race.
Afterwards, BTCC veteran John Cleland announced that he would be quitting
the BTCC at the end of the year. The 47-year-old Scot, champion in 1989
and 1995, has decided to leave the series he has graced for 11 years after
a disappointing season with the Vauxhall Vectra.
SPRINT RACE - Round 17
As the lights went green Aiello’s Nissan, from the outside of the
front row, surged past the Volvo of pole-sitter Rickard Rydell as the
Swede suffered from wheel-spin on the dirtier inside of the circuit.
Leslie held third in the second Primera, but was under intense pressure
from James Thompson and the Honda driver demoted the Scot soon after the
start.
An eventful first lap produced contact and passing manoeuvres throughout
the field. Leslie had little time to recover from Thompson’s pass
before Vincent Radermecker’s Volvo had shunted him down another
place. Menu and Plato came together on their first visit to the complex,
the Ford driver coming off worse and dropping to 13th while Plato held on
to seventh. Muller and Kox seem regularly to attract each other’s
attentions, on this occasion the Frenchman overcame the Belgian to
claim eighth.
Menu’s early drop towards the rear of the field threw the former
champion into the middle of a chaotic struggle with the Renaults of works
driver J-C Boullion and Independent pilot Will Hoy. Menu and Boullion
passed either side of the Arena Laguna on lap seven, as Hoy declined
the invitation to be the filling in the francophone sandwich. Hoy,
however, showed the value of his BTCC experience to reclaim the place lost
to the works Renault and then on the very last lap, he swept past the
Mondeo at the final corner to claim tenth place and another championship
point.
Once he had claimed the lead, Aiello might have hoped to pull away at
will, but Rydell had other ideas. The reigning champion is not giving
up his crown without a fight and he shadowed every move of the man most
likely to succeed him. The pair, separated by less than a second, pulled
away from a dramatic tussle that was unfolding for third.
Thompson’s initial race speed fell away, allowing the charging
Radermecker through to claim the third podium finish of his debut
season. The Honda then had to fend off a spirited challenge from a
resurgent Leslie, but on lap eight he could resist no longer and the
Scot took fourth. Aiello’s imperious drive to the flag was faultless
and brought him home just three seconds ahead of Rydell. Matt Neal came
home sixth for yet another win in the Michelin Cup for Independents.
Aiello: We have been competitive in the last few races but with no result.
Today we have delivered and I’m very happy. It looks easy from outside
the car, but everything has to be right to bring the victory. The team did
a great job and the car was much better today than yesterday.
Rydell: As soon as the lights went green, Laurent came past me. The track
is a bit dirtier on the inside and I got a lot of wheel spin. By the time
I reached the first corner, he was gone. I pushed very hard for the first
few laps, expecting the Nissan’s speed to drop off, but no such luck!
Radermecker: The car was great in the first few laps. I was able to get
past Leslie at the chicane, but he gave me a big whack as I went through.
After that, the car was not as good, but I still managed to catch James
and pass him. I’m very happy to be on the podium again.
Neal: Plato pushed me hard. He was better under braking, but he had
problems in the quick stuff where I was able to pull about 50 yards back
on him, so it was a bit of a see-saw battle.
FEATURE RACE - Round 18
Although Rydell made a better start to the Feature race, the Nissans
closed in and as the leaders approached the complex for the first time
they were three abreast. The Volvo prevailed, but Leslie lost out,
slotting in behind his team mate in third.
After starting from fourth, James Thompson soon found himself seventh
and under pressure from the Independent Nissan of Matt Neal. The Midlands
driver nudged the Honda and was pitched into a spin, collecting the second
Accord of the hapless Peter Kox as he disappeared into the grass. Thompson
was slowed enough by the drama to allow both Mondeos through and the Safety
Car came out while the debris was cleared.
When racing resumed, the pit stop window was open, but before the round
of stops were made, Rydell’s hopes of a race win had expired with
his engine, promoting Aiello to the head of the field. The Frenchman
pitted on lap 14 and was turned around in quick time, but on leaving
his garage, Aiello cut across the Volvo of Radermecker, incurring a drive
through penalty. Any thoughts of recovering the situation were dashed as
the Nissan was caught speeding in the pit lane on his drive through,
incurring a repeat penalty and he had to settle for fifth place.
The race was thus thrust into the hands of David Leslie. The Scot grasped
the opportunity and maintained his composure in blistering heat that saw
the temperatures in the car rise to nearly 70°C. Leslie took the
chequered flag over 16 seconds clear of his nearest challenger to close
the gap at the top of the championship. Vincent Radermecker added a second
place to his earlier third to complete a fine weekend for Volvo’s BTCC
rookie.
Alain Menu filled the final podium place after a superb charge through the
field. Having again found himself shuffled down the pack on the first lap,
the Swiss former champion recovered to secure Ford’s first podium
since Oulton Park in May. Will Hoy had a race-long battle with the other
Mondeo of Anthony Reid and although Reid finally claimed seventh place,
Hoy took a well-deserved class victory in the Michelin Cup for Independents.
Leslie: I had a very good start, but didn’t want to risk taking
either of us off and came out third. After Rickard’s retirement,
I thought we’d be on for a Nissan 1-2, but Laurent got himself
into trouble and I was presented with the win. The title race is getting
very exciting.
Radermecker: I enjoy Thruxton very much and the car is really good in
these fast corners. It was difficult to keep in touch with the top three,
but the car was better after the pit stops.
Menu: I ran out of room outside Thompson, put two wheels on the grass and
found myself down in 11th again. I just went for it after that and it paid
off, but the car was very good.
Hoy: After a terrible test here, the guys have done a fantastic job and
shown that Arena is a serious team. The car was excellent in the fast
corners, but we struggled in the slow stuff. I’m delighted to
take the Michelin Cup win but I’ve got no sponsors to thank!
AUTO TRADER BRITISH TOURING CAR CHAMPIONSHIP
Thruxton Circuit / 1 August 1999
Round 17 / 16 laps / 37.70 miles / 60.65 km
1.. Laurent Aiello FRA Nissan Primera 20m 47.191s 108.80mph
2.. Rickard Rydell SWE Volvo S40 +3.105s
3.. Vincent Radermecker BEL Volvo S40 +11.420s
4.. David Leslie GB Nissan Primera +12.089s
5.. Jason Plato GB Renault Laguna +22.605s
6.. Matt Neal* GB Nissan Primera +23.197s
7.. James Thompson GB Honda Accord +24.447s
8.. Yvan Muller FRA Vauxhall Vectra +25.907s
9.. Peter Kox HOL Honda Accord +27.358s
10.. Will Hoy* GB Renault Laguna +32.681s
Michelin Cup for Independents winner: Matt Neal (GB) – Nissan Primera
Fastest lap: Rickard Rydell SWE Volvo S40 1:16.215s, 111.29mph
Round 18 / 34 laps / 80.102 miles / 128.89 km
1.. David Leslie GB Nissan Primera 46m 05.796s 104.26mph
2.. Vincent Radermecker BEL Volvo S40 +16.057s
3.. Alain Menu SWI Ford Mondeo +19.603s
4.. Jason Plato GB Renault Laguna +19.808s
5.. Laurent Aiello FRA Nissan Primera +26.159s
6.. Yvan Muller FRA Vauxhall Vectra +30.861s
7.. Anthony Reid GB Ford Mondeo +38.429s
8.. Will Hoy* GB Renault Laguna +39.153s
9.. Peter Kox HOL Honda Accord +41.002s
10.. Mark Blair* GB Vauxhall Vectra + 1 lap
Michelin Cup for Independents winner: Will Hoy (GB) – Renault Laguna
Fastest lap: Rickard Rydell SWE Volvo S40 1:16.780s, 110.47mph
Championship positions (provisional after 18 of 26 rounds)
Drivers
1 Laurent Aiello (Fra) 169
2 David Leslie (GB) 159
3 James Thompson (GB) 124
4 Jason Plato (GB) 109
5 Rickard Rydell (Swe) 107
6 Yvan Muller (Fra) 90
7 Vincent Radermecker (Bel) 89
8 Matt Neal* (GB) 87
9 Peter Kox (Hol) 80
10 J-C Boullion (Fra) 63
Michelin Cup for Independents
1.. Matt Neal (GB/Nissan) 254
2.. Mark Blair (GB/Vauxhall) 120
3.. Lee Brookes (GB/Honda) 78
Manufacturers
1.. Nissan 356
2.. Honda 208
3.. Volvo 189
Teams
1.. Vodafone Nissan Racing 151
2.. Team Honda Sport 97
3.. Williams 91
Michelin Racer of the Year
1.. Mark Blair 51
2.. Lee Brookes 24
3.. Russell Spence 22
Auto Trader British Touring Car Championship