BTCC testing Brands Hatch
1 April 2000
FORD ONE-TWO IN FINAL PRE-SEASON BTCC TEST Brands Hatch Friday 31 March 2000 Weather: Cloudy / Dry Ford today topped the timesheets for the first time this year as the Auto Trader British Touring Car Championship held its final official test session before the start of the season next weekend. Sweden’s Rickard Rydell, the 1998 Champion, was quickest two tenths of a second faster than last year’s pole position time set by Laurent Aiello - with his team-mate and 1997 Champion Alain Menu, of Switzerland, second on the Brands Hatch Indy circuit. Ford were 1-2-3 until the final ten minutes, but Scottish ace Anthony Reid’s Mondeo was pushed back to fourth by the Honda Accord of Italian, and 1994 Champion, Gabriele Tarquini. Vauxhall’s Oxford-based Jason Plato, racing a Vectra, finished the day fifth fastest on the 1.2-mile track, marginally ahead of his team-mate Yvan Muller, of France. Amazingly, the drivers between third and ninth place were split by less than a tenth of a second, a sign of the thrilling action expected in this year’s 24-race series. Said Rydell: “With the season starting next week, it is good timing on Ford’s part to be quickest today. The car has felt good in all the tests so far and it has been getting stronger and stronger. It is good for me to know that I am on the pace of Alain and Anthony. “Next week it will be all different though. There have been different people fastest in most of the tests this year and I think this season is going to be one of the closest and most exciting we’ve had. There are a lot of drivers who are going to win races and there will be a lot of competition for the championship.” Brands Hatch hosts Rounds 1 and 2 of the 2000 Auto Trader British Touring Car Championship on Sunday, April 9, on the longer Grand Prix circuit. Both races will be live on BBC Grandstand. TOP TEN TESTING TIMES FROM BRANDS HATCH (Friday, March 31) 1 Rickard Rydell (Swe) Ford Team Mondeo Ford Mondeo Zetec 46.216s 2 Alain Menu (Swi) Ford Team Mondeo Ford Mondeo Zetec 46.371s 3 Gabriele Tarquini (Ita) Redstone Team Honda Honda Accord 46.434s 4 Anthony Reid (GB) Ford Team Mondeo Ford Mondeo Zetec 46.453s 5 Jason Plato (GB) Vauxhall Motorsport Vauxhall Vectra 46.502s 6 Yvan Muller (Fra) Vauxhall Motorsport Vauxhall Vectra 46.506s 7 Matt Neal (GB)* Team Dynamics Nissan Primera GT 46.516s 8 James Thompson (GB) Redstone Team Honda Honda Accord 46.517s 9 Tom Kristensen (Den) Redstone Team Honda Honda Accord 46.524s 10 Vincent Radermecker (Bel) Vauxhall Motorsport Vauxhall Vectra 46.718s * = Independent