BTCC: Rivals' extra weight boosts Honda hopes
15 April 2000
Thompson ain't heavy, he wants to kick-start his title challenge Five drivers have gained weight since the first two rounds of the Auto Trader British Touring Car Championship, bringing a smile to pre-season title favourite James Thompson. He hopes the extra load on board his rivals' cars will play into his hands as the series moves to Donington Park for the Easter break. Honda's Thompson had a weekend to forget at Brands Hatch last time out - something he wants to put straight at Donington on Easter Monday (April 24). With rivals Jason Plato, Yvan Muller (both Vauxhall), Alain Menu, Rickard Rydell and Anthony Reid (all Ford) carrying success ballast, the young Yorkshireman believes he could have a small but significant advantage. A new rule introduced this year by series organiser TOCA gives weight penalties to race-winners, as well as second and third placed drivers, for the duration of the following meeting, including testing, qualifying and racing. The Ford team could be hit worst in qualifying on Easter Sunday. Menu recorded two pole positions at Brands with team-mate Rydell completing an all-Mondeo front row for both races. But 1997 champion Menu carries 40kg at Donington, after his round one win, while 1998 title winner Rydell will have 20kg after finishing third in the same race. Thompson, still feeling the effects of his spectacular round two crash, when his Accord impacted the Brands tyre barrier backwards with a force of 12G, says: "The weight is going to make a difference. Because we haven't got any weight penalties, we should have an advantage of about three tenths of a second per lap. Hopefully that will help us have a good weekend and get our season going. "I could have had two podium finishes at Brands if it hadn't been for a spin in the first race and the crash in the second. I feel we didn't do ourselves justice in the first two races - so I want to rectify that at Donington. We started well last year and finished badly; hopefully this year we'll start badly and finish well." However, championship leader Plato, ahead of Menu and Muller by two points going into rounds three and four on Easter Monday (April 24), is not worried by the 40kg he has to carry in his Vectra. Oxford-based Plato, who won round two on his debut for Vauxhall, says: "The only effect I think the penalty will have is that it will make the car heavier! I don't think it will have a crucial effect on the car's performance. If it does make a difference, I hope to be quicker than the others by more than that anyway." Plato adds: "I'm dead chuffed I'm leading the championship, but it's only by two points and the season's only just started. I'll start thinking about the championship if I'm still in front with two races to go! The best thing about the first meeting was that I won a race with the Vectra and recorded a fastest lap. There's still plenty to come from the car; we have to improve its qualifying set-up and keep on improving its race performance." Another looking to banish memories of the season's first meeting is defending Michelin Cup for Independents champion Matt Neal. With a non-finish in round two, he handed the lead of the Independents division to newcomer Colin Blair, the first time since 1998 that someone else has topped the Michelin Cup title chase. Stourbridge-based Neal, however, has fond memories of Donington Park, having scooped £250,000 there last year by winning a race outright. On Easter Monday he will not only be trying to wrestle back his Independent leader's tag, but also attempting to out-gun the manufacturer teams to take victory for a second successive year. Rounds one and two at Brands Hatch saw the debut of Class B with Northern Ireland's Alan Morrison dominating the first race, with a win, fastest lap and pole position, then crashing out of the second in spectacular fashion. His Peugeot left the Kent track needing a major session at the panel-beaters but he will be back in action at Donington Park with the car as good as new. Also at Donington will be Bintcliffe Sport Racing's second Class B car driven by the highly-rated Robert Collard, of Hampshire. He missed the first two races as his Nissan Primera was not ready. But team manager John Bintcliffe, a former BTCC race-winner with Audi, says Collard will be at Donington, alongside team-mate Marc Nordon, to make his BTCC debut. However, Barwell Motorsport's James Kaye, another former BTCC works driver, will be doing his best to fend off their challenges in his Honda Accord to retain his lead in Class B. BTCC spectators at Donington Park also will be able to witness an exciting package of support racing action, including: Slick 50 Formula Ford ZETEC; Ford Credit Fiesta ZETEC; Autobytel Lotus; Formula Renault 2000; and Elf Clio Renaultsport UK Cup championships. The BTCC contenders are testing at Donington Park, on the 1.96-mile National circuit, on Good Friday, April 21. Qualifying takes place on Easter Sunday, April 23, with the races on Easter Monday, April 24. Round three (Sprint Race, 18 laps, 35.28 miles) starts at 12.45pm with round four (Feature Race, 36 laps, 70.56 miles) getting the green light at 3.30pm.