[BTCC] Round Ten, Brands Hatch GP 08-09 Oct, Races 28,29 & 30

[crmalcolm]

Finals day is back upon us again, and the BTCC heads back to the Brands Hatch GP circuit.

As the first season with the M-Sport engine and hybrid, there has been a lot to learn behind the scenes for the future. There are voices claiming that the hybrid is not working, and that the M-Sport engine is not good enough. But it wouldn’t be the BTCC without some complaints! We have also seen the reigning champion switch to FWD, and no matter the result this weekend, Sutton has surely demonstrated that he is one of the greatest talents the BTCC has seen, no matter what he drives.

Brands Hatch has always been a popular circuit for BTCC/BSCC meetings hosting no less than eight rounds and twelve championship races in the inaugural season. Given the association with series, it seems fitting that one of the class winners in the very first BSCC race was Jack Sears, with John Sprinzel the other class winner. That same day, Tommy Sopwith was also a class winner, and the two were tied at the end of the very first finals day, again at Brands Hatch before the shootout.
The layout back then is very similar to the current Indy layout, although with different corner names to those currently used. The design utilising the natural amphitheatre to create a layout that offers great viewing opportunities and significant elevation changes to challenge all types of racer.



The first time we saw NGTC machines running as constructor entries on the Indy circuit, the race wins were taken by Collard in a BMW, Neal in a Civic and Plato in an MG. The results were shared between RWD and FWD cars, and across a range of manufacturers. There appeared to be no specific advantage to any particular setup.

Last time round, Ash Sutton claimed his third BTCC title, securing the coveted prize before winning the final race of the season in style. The Laser Tools Racing star had been leading the standings since the second event of the 30-race campaign and had managed the gap back to the chasing pack ever since. A top six finish in each of the first two contests around the legendary 2.43-mile Grand Prix circuit was enough to move Sutton into an unassailable points lead, and with the pressure he took an impressive victory in the finale. It was a largely dominant display throughout the year from Sutton, as he scored a total of 27 top ten finishes and recorded only one non-finish all season.


Sutton is now on the verge of potentially moving level with Andy Rouse and Colin Turkington who each have four titles to their name. Colin Turkington, himself will be looking to move clear and take his fifth title setting a new BTCC record, whilst Hill and Ingram are both looking for their first overall championship win.

Qualifying is scheduled to be on the ITV Hub at www.itv.com/btcc, and the session starts at 1535hrs. Sunday coverage will be on ITV4 with final details still to be confirmed.

The full timetable is as follows:

Time	Activity	Championship	Laps
Saturday, October 8
09.00 – 09.20	Qualifying	Millers Oils Ginetta GT4 SuperCup Championship
09.30 – 10.10	Free Practice	Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship
10.30 – 11.00	Qualifying	The Quaife MINI CHALLENGE
11.10 – 11.25	Qualifying	Michelin Ginetta Junior Championship
11.35 – 11.55	Qualifying	ROKiT F4 British Championship
12.05 – 12.45	Free Practice	Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship
12.45 – 13.15	Lunch Break
13.15	Race	Millers Oils Ginetta GT4 SuperCup Championship	15 mins
13.50	Race	The Quaife MINI CHALLENGE	20 mins
14.25 – 14.55	Qualifying	Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain
15.05	Race	Michelin Ginetta Junior Championship	15 mins
15.40 – 16.10	Qualifying	Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship
16.25	Race	ROKiT F4 British Championship	20 mins
17.00	Race	Millers Oils Ginetta GT4 SuperCup Championship	20 mins
17.35	Race	The Quaife MINI CHALLENGE	20 mins
Sunday, October 9
09.00 – 09.30	Pit Lane Walkabout / Autograph Session
10.00	Race	ROKiT F4 British Championship	20 mins
10.35	Race	Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain	17
11.15	BTCC Pit Lane Opens
11.30	Race	Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship	15
12.10	Race	Michelin Ginetta Junior Championship	20 mins
12.35 – 13.05	Lunch Break
13.05	Race	The Quaife MINI CHALLENGE	20 mins
13.40	Race	Millers Oils Ginetta GT4 SuperCup Championship	20 mins
14.15	BTCC Pit Lane Opens
14.30	Race	Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship	15
15.10	Race	ROKiT F4 British Championship	20 mins
15.45	Race	Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain	17
16.25	Race	Michelin Ginetta Junior Championship	20 mins
17.00	BTCC Pit Lane Opens
17.15	Race	Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship	15

Early weather forecast shows that both Saturday and Sunday are forecast for 18deg with a chance of showers.



The Goodyear Wingfoot Award will go to a BMW driver this season. Hill currently leads the standings by 15 points from Turkington, and so if Turkington gets pole, then Hill only needs to qualify 11th or better to take the honours.

In the Jack Sears Trophy, Thompson has one hand on the trophy with a lead of 49 points. There are 60 points available on the day and only Gamble is within reach. A maximum score would see Gamble move to 451 points. All Thompson needs to do is finish two races in last place and he will get enough points to secure the crown.

In the BTCC Independents Teams Championship, Rich Energy BTC Racing leads Car Gods with Ciceley Motorsport by 25 points. This one might be close, and with engine penalties already seen this season, BTC will be hoping for reliability and a consistent set of results to take this title.

The Independents Trophy is already secured by Josh Cook. His challenge for the main title hit stumbling blocks along the way, but he will still take this honour for the season and BTC are guaranteed to have some silverware, regardless of what happens in the Teams Championship.

In the BTCC Teams Championship, NAPA Racing UK has a healthy 42 point lead over Team BMW. This title should be wrapped up early in the day, and marks a successful first season in the BTCC for the NAPA brand.

The BTCC Manufacturers/Constructors Championship remains mathematically open between BMW and Motorbase Performance / Ford. BMW has a strong 73 point lead and should also wrap this one up early – but with 111 points available across the weekend, DNFs can really impact results.

And lastly, the BTCC Drivers Championship. With a maximum of 67 points available across the weekend, then theoretically any one of the top 5 can take the title. The pre-meeting coverage will surely highlight that 5 drivers are in contention, but realistically the top three have a significant gap over Turkington (but not insurmountable) and Butcher has about as much chance as we have of seeing Lewis Hamilton standing in for his brother!
The standings are:

Driver	Points	Wins	2nds	3rds
Ash SUTTON (NAPA Racing UK)	345	3	5	4
Jake HILL (ROKiT MB Motorsport)	340	3	8	0
Tom INGRAM (Bristol Street Motors with EXCELR8 TradePriceCars.com)	338	4	3	3
Colin TURKINGTON (Team BMW)	318	3	4	4
Rory BUTCHER (Toyota GAZOO Racing UK)	273	1	1	5

Here’s hoping that the title is decided without controversy, that the discussion revolves around the on-track talent, the driver-bashing can be put aside for a while and may the best driver win…………..

And finally, this weekend also looks like the last time we will see a couple of former champions on the grid.

Firstly – the Infiniti Q50. This model has had a bit of a chequered past, initially a factory-backed entry in 2015, the car struggled for results and looked to be a bit of a damp squib. Then, after a full rework and re-homologation by Laser Tools and BMR, it came good and in the hands of Sutton took the overall Drivers Championship – the first time a TOCA-powered car took the overall title.




Secondly – Timothy Jason Lazarus Plato. A stalwart of the BTCC grid since 1997, he announced that this would be his final season in the BTCC. There is still talk that he might change his mind, but if not this feels like the end of an era with Matt Neal also seemingly not to return.
A two-time champion, Plato may not have been the favourite of all. But there is no doubting his ability and character have contributed so much to what has made the BTCC great over the last few decades.
His biography at BTCC.net reads:
“Jason Plato has won more races than any other driver in the history of the BTCC.
Making his debut with Williams-Renault in 1997, Plato sent shockwaves down the pit-lane by taking pole position at his very first attempt at Donington Park,?going on to finish third overall in his maiden BTCC season. He remained with the Renault squad until it withdrew from the championship at the end of 1999.
After moving to the factory Vauxhall outfit alongside Yvan Muller, Plato secured his first title in 2001 before leaving the series for two years.
Returning in 2004 with new manufacturer SEAT, he continued to notch up victories at an impressive rate but could not convert them into a second championship for his employer – although he did become the first driver to win a BTCC race behind the wheel of a diesel-powered car in 2008.
Driving an RML/Racing Silverline Chevrolet, Plato finally tallied his second BTCC title in 2010 before signing for the Triple Eight-run MG squad in 2012. He finished third in the championship in 2012 and 2013 and helped MG to win the coveted Manufacturers’ title in 2014 as he placed runner-up in the Drivers’ classification.
For 2015, Plato joined the fledgling and ambitious Team BMR, piloting a Volkswagen CC to second overall once again. In 2016, he stayed with BMR as the outfit switched to a factory-backed Subaru Levorg GT.
The team started slowly but came into its own as the new package began to gel. Plato achieved a podium hat-trick at Oulton Park and a rostrum double at Croft. He was one of eight drivers in contention to win the overall Drivers’ title heading into the final weekend of the season but ultimately fell short, finishing seventh.
Plato continued with Adrian Flux Subaru Racing in the Levorg for 2017 and endured a tumultuous campaign, though he did score a victory and his 50th BTCC pole position at Knockhill. He returned with the outfit in 2018 but once again struggled to make an impact.
For 2019, Plato switched to Sterling Insurance with Power Maxed Racing and its front-wheel drive Vauxhall Astra, having secured his maiden BTCC title with the Luton-based manufacturer back in 2001. He finished seventh in the Drivers’ standings, scoring a single victory in the final round of the season at Brands Hatch.
Plato remained with Power Maxed Car Care Racing for the 2021 campaign following a 12-month sabbatical from the series, with race one at Thruxton marking his 600th BTCC race start.
The 2022 campaign sees Plato move to Rich Energy BTC Racing, partnering Josh Cook and Jade Edwards in a Honda Civic Type R. “

[S griffin]

Can't wait. My first trip to Brands since 2001. Hopefully the weather is better than it was then

[sceptic]

Originally Posted by crmalcolm

And lastly, the BTCC Drivers Championship. With a maximum of 67 points available across the weekend, then theoretically any one of the top 5 can take the title. The pre-meeting coverage will surely highlight that 5 drivers are in contention, but realistically the top three have a significant gap over Turkington (but not insurmountable) and Butcher has about as much chance as we have of seeing Lewis Hamilton standing in for his brother!
The standings are:

If there are 67 points available, then surely Butcher being 72 points behind Sutton makes it impossible for him to win?

[crmalcolm]

Originally Posted by sceptic

If there are 67 points available, then surely Butcher being 72 points behind Sutton makes it impossible for him to win?

Well spotted -
When I highlighted the current points table in my browser to check the gap, the highlighting made the '3' look like an '8' and I initially read Butcher's score as being 278. When transposing the data, it has entered (correctly) as 273 - but I failed to pick up on the figures

[redshoes]

Originally Posted by crmalcolm

The Goodyear Wingfoot Award will go to a BMW driver this season. Hill currently leads the standings by 15 points from Turkington, and so if Turkington gets pole, then Hill only needs to qualify 11th or better to take the honours.

Can't say I normally pay much attention to this, but quite an interesting stat. The top 4 in Wingfoot points are also the top 4 in the overall championship, albeit in a slightly different order.

The penalty of having less hybrid is supposed to make it harder for the championship leaders to qualify well, but I think this just proves that teh cream always rises to the top.

[crmalcolm]

Originally Posted by redshoes

Can't say I normally pay much attention to this, but quite an interesting stat. The top 4 in Wingfoot points are also the top 4 in the overall championship, albeit in a slightly different order.

The penalty of having less hybrid is supposed to make it harder for the championship leaders to qualify well, but I think this just proves that teh cream always rises to the top.

Another sub-context to this.

The top 9 in the Wingfoot standings all have a qualifying map available for their engine. Butcher and Cook (5&6 in the main standings) do not.

[porsche962fan]

Sutton will be champion ! , so no hype whatsoever

the only real question who will finish 2nd Tingram or Hill

[steve_r]

I am really looking forward to this. There is almost nothing between the top 3 and if Turkington can stick his car somewhere on the front two rows for race 1 then he is not out of it either.

It would be nice if at least 3 of them were still in with a shout come the final race.

[S griffin]

Originally Posted by porsche962fan

Sutton will be champion ! , so no hype whatsoever

the only real question who will finish 2nd Tingram or Hill

You don’t know how it will turn out

[mick bennett]

Ash Sutton



No problamo!!

[porsche962fan]

Originally Posted by S griffin

You don’t know how it will turn out

yes I do, Sutton has too much ( divine ? ) luck

[Mike Harte]

Originally Posted by porsche962fan

yes I do, Sutton has too much ( divine ? ) luck

Was it the golfer, Gary Palmer, that said that the more that he practised, the luckier he got? Maybe the same could be said of Ash Sutton.

[porsche962fan]

be serious, it could so easy go wrong for him for once when he had contact like when he hit Cook at Thxuton or last round when his rear wheel cover got lose but the fragile NGTC toe link was alright but as said he has too much luck

[thetool]

Will Powell's had enough and won't be there. Not sure if anyone would really notice if it weren't for the press release.

[redshoes]

Originally Posted by thetool

Will Powell's had enough and won't be there. Not sure if anyone would really notice if it weren't for the press release.

Replaced by Carl Boardley, assuming he doesn't get sick again

[Millvi]

Originally Posted by redshoes

Replaced by Carl Boardley, assuming he doesn't get sick again

Link to the Press Release https://www.btcc.net/2022/09/30/boar...-hatch-finale/

[Evantra]

Originally Posted by Millvi

Link to the Press Release https://www.btcc.net/2022/09/30/boar...-hatch-finale/

Nothing to say about / from Powell. Not sure he'll be back next year.

[crmalcolm]

Originally Posted by Millvi

Link to the Press Release https://www.btcc.net/2022/09/30/boar...-hatch-finale/

Interesting comment from Boardley that implies he is/was only taking 1 year away from BTCC?

[Evantra]

Originally Posted by Evantra

Nothing to say about / from Powell. Not sure he'll be back next year.

'Business commitments' via TCT.

[SSmith]

Originally Posted by crmalcolm

Interesting comment from Boardley that implies he is/was only taking 1 year away from BTCC?

That's how it sounded to me too. I thought he had announced he was retiring at the end of 2022? Maybe the racing bug has bitten again?

He does own 2 TBLs so maybe he will come back and use one of those licences for himself at Team HARD in 2023. Honestly, a potential Boardley, ATS, Thompson, and Hamilton/highest bidder lineup does not sound bad for Team HARD in 2023. If Boardley keeps and loans the other licence to Team HARD again in 2023, I guess we could see Parfitt stay and drive either a 5th CUPRA or something else.

Unless Motus One gets hold of a TBL or two, or works as a title sponsor/partner team to Team HARD, I'd be surprised to see Powell return in 2023.

[crmalcolm]

Boardley likes a RWD and has 2 TBLs that might be of interest to MB Motorsport?

[SSmith]

Originally Posted by crmalcolm

Boardley likes a RWD and has 2 TBLs that might be of interest to MB Motorsport?

That is a possibility. I guess the next question would be whether he would drive the 2nd MB entry were such a loan/deal to materialise? MB would probably try and buy 2 BMWs (which would leave us with 7 of the things on the grid...) and Boardley went quite well in the old BMW 125i M Sport in 2020.

[Also, apologies that this is in the Brands Hatch thread as opposed to the general 2023 thread]

[Pickles]

I'd be very surprised to see MB go it alone, it's a huge step to set up a whole new team when they could quite easily continue as they are.

[Sodemo]

I’ll be rooting for Hill seeing as Turks is practically out of it, however my guess is it will be a Sutton title.

[Pickles]

I'm slightly surprised that Hill hasn't already wrapped it up, at times this year he's been blistering. Sutton's done his usual job of dragging a car much further up the grid than it should be, shocked at the difference in pace between him and Cammish.