BTCC: Aiello and Rydell head the field at Brands Hatch

29 August 1999

Reigning champion Rickard Rydell and series leader Laurent Aiello claimed a pole position each for tomorrow's rounds of the Auto Trader British Touring Car Championship at Brands Hatch this afternoon. Rydell - Volvo's 1998 Swedish hero - and Aiello - Nissan's red-hot favourite to succeed him - monopolised the front row of the grid for both races. David Leslie and James Thompson shared the honour of top British driver, qualifying with a third and a fourth place each.

Aiello's pole position in the One Shot Shootout brings the Nissan ace another valuable championship point and he now holds a 15 point advantage in his title battle with team mate David Leslie, with six rounds of the 1999 series remaining. The Frenchman might have been celebrating a double pole had Rydell not dipped inside his time with just minutes of the earlier session remaining, but was happy to start both races from the front.

"Brands Hatch is a tight, narrow circuit," confirmed Aiello, who has now recorded eight pole positions in his maiden BTCC season. "It can be very difficult to pass cleanly here, so to start at the front of the grid should be a great advantage. It will not be easy though, because Rickard, David and James are all up there with me and look very good for the races. I was pleased with today's performance, although we could perhaps have set the car up a little better. If we had, maybe I would have had pole for both events."

Rydell's championship aspirations may only reach as high as third place after a difficult start to his defence of the title, but the Swede has shown excellent form in recent weeks and is determined to finish the season on a high note. "I really like Brands Hatch," said the champion. "We are very strong here and I hope that tomorrow will bring my second win of the year. I would really like to finish third in the championship for everyone that has been involved in the Volvo project over the years."

Leslie and Thompson lie second and third in the drivers' championship, but only Leslie has a realistic chance of taking the title. "I will have to get ahead of Laurent to make up ground and that may be difficult here," admitted the Scot. "As always, the rule will be not to take each other off with a silly overtaking move, so I'll just have to bide my time and see what happens."

Rounds 21 and 22 of the Auto Trader BTCC take place at Brands Hatch tomorrow.

AUTO TRADER BTCC QUALIFYING REPORT

Brands Hatch Indy Circuit - Sunday, 29 August 1999

Qualifying - BTCC round 21 - One Shot Shootout Weather: sunshine

1. Laurent Aiello (Fra) Nissan Primera 46.400sec 95.13mph

2. Rickard Rydell (Swe) Volvo S40 46.562s

3. James Thompson (GB) Honda Accord 46.641s

4. David Leslie (GB) Nissan Primera 46.694s

5. Matt Neal* (GB) Nissan Primera 46.719s

6. J-C Boullion (Fra) Renault Laguna 46.728s

7. Jason Plato (GB) Renault Laguna 46.832s

8. Peter Kox (Hol) Honda Accord 46.902s

9. Anthony Reid (GB) Ford Mondeo 46.975s

10. Vincent Radermecker (Bel) Volvo S40 47.013s

11. Alain Menu (Swi) Ford Mondeo 47.038s

12. Gabriele Tarquini (Ita) Honda Accord 47.286s

13. Yvan Muller (Fra) Vauxhall Vectra 47.295s

14. John Cleland (GB) Vauxhall Vectra 47.332s

15. Will Hoy* (GB) Renault Laguna 47.529s

16. Mark Blair* (GB) Vauxhall Vectra 48.139s



Qualifying - BTCC round 22 - Feature Race Weather: sunshine

1. Rickard Rydell (Swe) Volvo S40 46.522sec 94.88mph

2. Laurent Aiello (Fra) Nissan Primera 46.629s

3. David Leslie (GB) Nissan Primera 46.675s

4. James Thompson (GB) Honda Accord 46.694s

5. Peter Kox (Hol) Honda Accord 46.777s

6. J-C Boullion (Fra) Renault Laguna 46.815s

7. Vincent Radermecker (Bel) Volvo S40 46.890s

8. Matt Neal* (GB) Nissan Primera 46.920s

9. Alain Menu (Swi) Ford Mondeo 46.921s

10. Anthony Reid (GB) Ford Mondeo 46.965s

11. Jason Plato (GB) Renault Laguna 46.985s

12. Gabriele Tarquini (Ita) Honda Accord 47.018s

13. Yvan Muller (Fra) Vauxhall Vectra 47.137s

14. John Cleland (GB) Vauxhall Vectra 47.206s

15. Will Hoy* (GB) Renault Laguna 47.406s

16. Mark Blair* (GB) Vauxhall Vectra 48.087s



* Entries registered for the Michelin Cup for Independents