BTCC Testing at Silverstone: Sure-footed Aiello edges closer to title
18 September 1999
QUALIFYING - ROUNDS 25 & 26Silverstone, Northants - Saturday, 18 September 1999
Laurent Aiello claimed a pair of pole positions for the final rounds of the Auto Trader British Touring Car Championship at Silverstone this afternoon and in the process took a giant step towards securing the 1999 Drivers' title. The Frenchman needs just one point from tomorrow's races to claim the crown in his first BTCC season.
Aiello's only threat this weekend was posed by Nissan team mate David Leslie, but the Scot had accepted that a minor miracle was required for him to overhaul the man who has led the series since the beginning of May. In the first qualifying session, Aiello claimed a convincing pole, while Leslie had to be content with fourth.
The fickle Silverstone weather could have played a part in the second session, but in the end it was Leslie himself who was the victim of a sudden shower. With just four drivers left to run in the One-Shot Showdown, it began to drizzle. Leslie battled on a slippery track with four unsuitable slick tyres, but his time was the slowest thus far. Had the weather worsened, Aiello would have been even more badly affected, but the Gallic gods were smiling and the rain abated, allowing the champion-elect to register his tenth pole position of the campaign.
"I know what I have to do tomorrow," said a delighted Aiello. "I hoped to be on the front row, but I didn't risk anything to try to take pole position. I guess I was very fortunate that the rain stopped before I went out this afternoon - five minutes earlier would have put me on the back row, not the front. I am very close now, but I'll only relax when it is all over."
Leslie was left to rue his luck. "I knew it would take something extraordinary for me to have a chance, but everything has gone against us. The rain was just one of those things. Realistically, it's all over now, but I'm still delighted with my best ever finish in the BTCC and with what we have achieved this season."
Joining Aiello on the front row will be the two manufacturers departing the series after this weekend. Jason Plato's Renault Laguna is second for the Sprint race and out-going champion Rickard Rydell's Volvo S40 will bow out from the front of the Feature race. Both will be hoping for a good send off for their respective teams.
Rounds 25 and 26 of the Auto Trader BTCC take place at Silverstone tomorrow (Sunday) in front of BBC Grandstand's live TV cameras.
AUTO TRADER BTCC QUALIFYING REPORT
Silverstone International Circuit - Saturday, 18 September 1999
Qualifying - BTCC round 25 - One Shot Shootout Weather: overcast, some drizzle 1. David Leslie (GB) Nissan Primera 1min 23.245sec 97.26mph 2. Laurent Aiello (Fra) Nissan Primera 1:23.258 3. James Thompson (GB) Honda Accord 1:23.637 4. Rickard Rydell (Swe) Volvo S40 1:23.766 5. Jason Plato (GB) Renault Laguna 1:23.899 6. Vincent Radermecker (Bel) Volvo S40 1:23.901 7. Peter Kox (Hol) Honda Accord 1:23.966 8. Anthony Reid (GB) Ford Mondeo 1:24.130 9. Matt Neal* (GB) Nissan Primera 1:24.220 10. J-C Boullion (Fra) Renault Laguna 1:24.255 11. Yvan Muller (Fra) Vauxhall Vectra 1:24.412 12. John Cleland (GB) Vauxhall Vectra 1:25.800 13. Will Hoy* (GB) Renault Laguna 1:25.825 14. Mark Blair* (GB) Vauxhall Vectra 1:26.897 15. Alain Menu (Swi) Ford Mondeo 1:27.546 Qualifying - BTCC round 26 - Feature Race Weather: dry, overcast 1. Laurent Aiello (Fra) Nissan Primera 1min 23.187sec 97.32mph 2. Jason Plato (GB) Renault Laguna 1:23.509 3. James Thompson (GB) Honda Accord 1:23.584 4. Matt Neal* (GB) Nissan Primera 1:23.725 5. Yvan Muller (Fra) Vauxhall Vectra 1:23.747 6. Rickard Rydell (Swe) Volvo S40 1:23.935 7. Anthony Reid (GB) Ford Mondeo 1:23.971 8. Vincent Radermecker (Bel) Volvo S40 1:24.087 9. John Cleland (GB) Vauxhall Vectra 1:24.212 10. Alain Menu (Swi) Ford Mondeo 1:24.318 11. Will Hoy* (GB) Renault Laguna 1:24.474 12. Peter Kox (Hol) Honda Accord 1:24.548 13. Mark Blair* (GB) Vauxhall Vectra 1:24.586 14. J-C Boullion (Fra) Renault Laguna 1:25.904 15. David Leslie (GB) Nissan Primera 2:26.591 * Entries registered for the Michelin Cup for Independents
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