BTCC: Oulton Park preview: Bumer to Bumper in Title Chase
19 May 2000
For immediate release: 19 May, 2000 BUMPER-TO-BUMPER IN BTCC TITLE CHASE And success could weigh down challengers at Oulton Park It's tight at the top of the 2000 Auto Trader British Touring Car Championship, as the action heads to Cheshire's Oulton Park for rounds nine and ten on Bank Holiday Monday (May 29). And with Honda breaking its duck at Knockhill, Scotland, courtesy of Italian Gabriele Tarquini's masterful victory in round eight, the title chase has been blown wide open. Four drivers are separated by seven points, with the following pack just nine points further adrift, and the undulating nature of the Oulton Park Island circuit is likely to bring the contenders even closer. For weight penalties imposed on the winners in Scotland should play a major role next weekend. Joint championship leaders Rickard Rydell and Alain Menu, both of Ford Team Mondeo, have 40kg and 30kg of success ballast in their cars respectively, while third-placed Anthony Reid, in another Mondeo, carries 40kg. But Vauxhall Motorsport's Yvan Muller, winner of rounds five and six, has a ballast free Vectra in fourth place and his team-mate Jason Plato, round two victor, also has no added weight. Says Plato, who lies fifth in the title race: "I think we'll go well at Oulton Park. The ballast seems to affect us harder so without any extra weight we should have a good weekend. Also, Oulton is a drivers' track and we work better on those sort of circuits. "It will be hardest for the weight carriers out of the Island hairpin because the exit is uphill and that's where we could have an advantage. We're also getting a new engine development for the Oulton weekend and that will help a lot - there's definitely more power coming." In the Honda camp, young hotshot James Thompson will be aiming to use his weight-free Accord to the maximum to catch up lost ground. The Yorkshireman, out for four races following concussion injuries sustained at the season's opening meeting at Brands Hatch, returned to the fray in Scotland and finished second in round eight - only to be disqualified when his car failed a post-race technical check. Tarquini, in sixth place, leads the Redstone Team Honda challenge but will have 40kg of ballast added after his Knockhill victory, so the Accord attack could be down to the hard-charging Thompson. If 26-year-old Thompson can repeat his performance of last year on the Island track - where he beat the all-conquering Nissan of Laurent Aiello by a massive 12 seconds and set the lap record - he could bring himself within reach of the early season leaders. Thompson says: "It was good last year, the Accord performed very well on the Island circuit. I think our car will be good again there this year, even with weight added. IN some ways it's a shame I don't have any weight to carry as it underlines the lack of success I've had so far this season. I'm disappointed with the outcome of the last race but I'm confident of having a reasonable result at Oulton. "Obviously having missed four races and recording only two finishes from the first eight rounds I'm in a difficult position. I'm fired up to win races for Honda but being 69 points behind the championship, I've got a lot of work to do." Not to be taken lightly is the challenge from reigning Michelin Cup for Independents champion Matt Neal. He showed at Knockhill just what he can do in his Nissan Primera with a fourth-placed finish overall. Neal was second at Oulton last season and could be a threat again this year. The Team Dynamics Max Power Racing star says: "We've not had a lot of luck so far this season so I think Knockhill was a turning point for us. The car is now pretty much sorted. We've had the engine wound up for us and we've got a bit more grunt. "I still think we can spring one on the manufacturer teams. The competition for a race win has never been stiffer, everyone is pushing very hard at every race. But if everything comes together then we can do it. If we do, the beers will be on me again!" The Class B ranks will be boosted in Cheshire, giving spectators an even closer race-within-a-race. So far, Alan Morrison's Touring Car VIP Club Peugeot 306 and the Barwell Motorsport pair of Mark Lemmer (Honda Integra) and James Kaye (Honda Accord) have provided most of the close on-track action in the category. But they will face stiff competition at Oulton Park from series returnees Robert Collard and Marc Nordon. Their Bintcliffe Sport Racing Nissan Primeras have suffered engine woes since the start of the season and the team decided to miss Knockhill to sort out the power problems. John Bintcliffe, a former BTCC race winner with Audi and now Class B team owner, says: "We had a bit of a sabbatical to go testing and I think we've got the engine sorted now. Hopefully we'll be able to score some points at Oulton Park." BTCC spectators at the picturesque Cheshire track will also be able to witness an exciting package of support race action, including the 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 Oulton Park on Saturday, May 27. Qualifying takes place on Sunday (May 28), with the races on Monday, May 29. Round seven (Sprint Race, 15 laps, 35.4-miles) is scheduled to start at 12.45pm with round eight (Feature Race, 30 laps, 70.8-miles) getting the green light at 3.30pm. Oulton Park ticket hotline: 01829 760301