Motor Sport
BTCC Memorable Drives: The Unsung Hero of 1999
Image taken from: Speedhunters.com
The 1999 British Touring Car Championship is remembered most fondly as both the year that Laurent Aiello won the title as well as the first time an independent won a race outright when Matt Neal stormed to victory during the first feature race of the year at Donington. Perhaps even many would remember the first ever night race in the BTCC at Snetterton where Peter Kox became the first Dutchman to win a race. However when I look back to 1999, I think of the return of a true legend who echoed what Ford did in 1993, competing in less than half of a season yet storming up the [independent] field. May I present the unsung hero of the 1999 season, the late great Mr Will Hoy.
For the 1999 season, Arena Motorsport entered an ex-works Renault Laguna which would be driven by Russell Spence. It was clear from the outset however that Russell Spence lacked both the machinery and determination to challenge for the top places. In his defense however, the lead independent was the mighty Matt Neal in the Team Dynamics Nissan that started the year making mince meat of even the works cars. The other independents never really stood much of a chance. For Spence, his season may well have been defined by his huge accident during qualifying at Oulton Park at Lodge Corner; his car cut the final corner and launched over the barrier. Luckily no one was hurt.
Ouch. Time to call for backup? Enter Will Hoy stage left. Image taken from: SuperTouringRegister.com
As the season headed for Snetterton and the first night race, it was announced that Will Hoy would be taking over duties in the Arena Motorsport camp for the rest of the year. This marked Hoy’s return to racing a Renault Laguna after two years racing for the Ford Mondeo team. Hoy was never going to follow in the footsteps of Matt Neal, given the obvious lack of performance in the Arena Motorsport Renault, but it didn’t stop him driving the wheel nuts off the car for the final six rounds of the year.
The independents field may have become somewhat depleted as the year went on, but that should take nothing away from Hoy. Incidentally, Will Hoy was the only independent driver in 1999 to finish every race he started, beating even Matt Neal on that front. The independents title of 1999 went down to Matt Neal, Mark Blair and Will Hoy. Even though Neal won by a country margin, what Hoy achieved was something staggering. At the end of the year, the finishing points were as follows:
- Matt Neal – 353 points (9th overall, 109 points) [26/26 rounds]
- Mark Blair – 183 points (16th overall, 11 points) [26/26 rounds]
- Will Hoy – 131 points (15th overall, 15 points) [12/26 rounds]
- Lee Brookes – 78 points (17th overall, 5 points) [14/26 rounds]
- Paula Cook – 41 points (Joint 18th overall, 3 points) [16/26 rounds]
- Russell Spence – 25 points (Joint 18th overall, 3 points) [14/26 rounds]
You are reading that correctly; Will Hoy competed in 14 rounds less than the top 2 and yet was only 52 points behind second place man Mark Blair. Taking an average of how many points Will scored per round, if he had competed in the full year he would have earned himself 283 points, which would have secured his 2nd place overall. Furthermore, this does not take into account the improvements that he would have made across the year with the consistent developments that come naturally with a full season’s racing.
The highlight of Hoy’s season however came in the final race of the year at a very wet Silverstone where a titanic battle took place between Neal, Muller, Radermecker and our man Will. Lap after lap the four cars were trading places, and even though it was obvious that Hoy lacked the horse power of the other cars, he never let up until the very end. The final two races of the year saw the Renault man take a 6th and a 7th overall. Hoy was never a man to suffer in the rain, as he proved in 1998 when he won at another wet Silverstone in a Ford Mondeo that was in no way the fastest car in the field. The man was very much the living proof that motorsport is as much about talent as it is machinery.
Will Hoy will always be remembered as one of the true greats of BTCC – a real gentleman and a hugely competitive racer.
1999 proved to be his final year in the BTCC (minus two races in Class B in 2000), and what an encore it was.
Here is to the unsung hero of the 1999 BTCC season, and to the true hero of the series. Will Hoy – this one’s for you.
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Keep Driving People!
Peace and Love!
BTCC Memorable Drives: Groundhog Day at Oulton Park
Image taken from: insidebtcc.com
With the next round of the 2015 BTCC season at Oulton Park fast approaching, I thought I would take an alternative slant on proceedings. Instead of yet another Oulton Park preview post, of which you will find many, I thought it best to take a drive down memory lane. Today marks the glorious return of BTCC Memorable Drives, and I have chosen one of my favourite moments from the Super Touring era. What happens when you take Alain Menu in a blisteringly fast Renault and put him behind Paul Radisich in a not-so-fast Peugeot at Oulton Park?
The 1997 season of the BTCC was utterly dominated by Alain Menu in the Williams Renault. But the arrival of 1998 would not bring such returning fortune for the Swiss-ace. In a year dominated by cripplingly awful luck, Menu was not destined to win the title, despite often showing he had the fastest car on the grid. Nowhere else was this more apparent than at Oulton Park, where Menu had developed somewhat of a reputation in his years in the series.
After a rocky start to his 1998 campaign, Menu must have been relieved to arrive at Oulton Park, given his previous record. The sprint race confirmed his abilities once more with a resounding victory over Rickard Rydell in the Volvo. The feature race looked set to repeat his returning dominance as he shot off into the lead, and even managed to retain his advantage after the pit stop.
But the great touring car gods were not shining brightly for Menu on that day.
Cue Paul Radisich.
Image taken from: toplowridersites.com
The 1998 Peugeot was not the fastest machine to take to the track. What they did have on their side however was driving talent in the form of Tim Harvey and Paul Radisich. In the world of motorsport, sometimes defence can be just as profitable as offence. Paul Radisich was just about to prove that.
The charging Menu found himself behind Radisich as the theoretical race leader, but Radisich was still ahead of him on the road. The Peugeot team had told him to stay out as long as possible to get the point given to drivers who lead a lap of a race. Considering the entire BTCC community seemed to think that the Peugeot team were down on power and performance, Radisich put up a tremendous defensive effort against Menu. The frustration clearly got too much for Menu, who eventually shoved poor Paul Radisich out the way into Fosters, nearly losing the lead to Plato through Cascades.
After conceding defeat and having been swallowed up by the chasing pack, Radisich yielded and pitted at the end of the lap. Finally Menu had some clean air and a chance to drive away to his second win of the day.
Or so he thought.
A problem in the pits left Radisich stranded for what seemed like centuries, before finally being released. And I will give you three guesses who he exited the pits in front of. Oh yes, the Swiss ace once more had his view filled by his favourite Peugeot driver. As they flew down the Avenue into Cascades, Menu made his move again, leading to what may just be one of my favourite bits of commentary from Mr Charlie Cox,
“He must think he’s like Bill Murray in that movie groundhog day, every day’s the same! Every laps the same! Every time he comes around he has to pass Radisich! And he’s having to do it again! He’s passing Radisich… He’s more than passing Radisich he’s off!
In his eagerness to re-pass the Peugeot, Menu lost his usually unbreakable concentration and shot his Renault up the inside at the first opportunity he could find. Considering the field massing behind him, normally it is the most sensible thing to do to clear lapped traffic as soon as possible. But in his case, the phrase more haste less speed was applicable. He may have indeed thrown his car up the inside, but he did kind of forget to brake, shooting the car off wide onto the grass.
This uncharacteristically silly move from Alain Menu lost him not only the race lead, but ultimately a podium position as Anthony Reid would also pass him before the chequered flag.
But words can only do so much: for your viewing pleasure here is that incident for your aural pleasure:
Alain Menu is Bill Murray in Groundhog Day!
It just goes to show, motorsport is not just about overtaking. As Menu discovered to his detriment, sometimes a bit of thought and forward planning goes a very long way!
Let’s hope this weekend will be just as action packed!
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Keep Driving People!
Peace and Love!
BTCC 2015: Ascendancy and Tainted Supremacy at Thruxton
Almost a year ago now while writing my review of the 2014 BTCC round at Thruxton, I chose to go with the headline, “Honda Dominates at Thruxton Thriller”. Going into the weekend, my biggest concern was that I would have to run the same line. The Honda domination may have been apparent at Thruxton for the last four years, alas in 2015 their supremacy was not set to continue. But in this weekend filled with drama of the highest order, a new power is rising. Are we witnessing the rise of a new champion?
The British Touring Car Championship is in itself daunting enough for any brave soul to undertake, let alone when it includes the fastest circuit in the UK. A tweet posted by WSR driver Sam Tordoff perfectly encapsulates the experience of Thruxton for a driver:
“Back at @thruxtonracing for @DunlopBTCC today where skill is swapped for balls”
I could very easily dedicate an entire post to the circuit itself, with its potent mix of high speed corners and tricky chicanes. All the tracks on the BTCC calendar are not for the faint hearted, but it is at Thruxton that the brave come forward from the herd. To conquer Thruxton is to conquer your own consciousness; your logical mind would tell you to lift, but those who lift are those who lose. You must separate yourself from your conscious self, tap into the primal animalism and unleash the beast within you.
As the race weekend arrived, Honda were a sure fire bet for top honours across the board. But as qualifying rolled around everyone was in for a shock when Irishman Aron Smith grabbed a sensational pole in a time of 1:16.785, beating the Shedden Honda by 0.02 seconds. After qualifying, Smith admitted his delight at scoring his first pole,
“I am certainly over the moon with that. Saturday is always the hardest day of the weekend so to come out on top is brilliant”
Smith did not have the best luck – while Neal has attracted some negativity with his driving style
Sadly, Smith would not see his brilliant lap translate into a win in the first race. After being bogged down on the start, he slipped behind the two Hondas and into the grips of a certain Adam Morgan who was capitalising on his immense effort on the Saturday. The deciding moment came on lap 8 when Smith suffered a puncture at one of the fastest parts of the track, causing a buttock clenching spin. To his credit, Smith saved the car and limped back to an eventual 21st. At the top end of the field, the spoils went to the Honda duo, headed by Flash himself, followed closely by the Mercedes of Morgan. Further down the field, there were some great battles between Josh Cook, Sam Tordoff, Tom Ingram and Rob Collard scrapping for position all race long.
Gordon Shedden was delighted with not only his victory, but the performance of the Civic Type R,
“To get another win and one-two with the new Civic Type R is a fantastic feeling. I got a great start so straight away I was in some clear air, which made the all-important job of looking after the tyres quite a bit easier. By the time I was at the Complex for the first time I’d broken the tow, and from then on I could manage the pace – the car was perfect.”
The Honda domination was set to evaporate in the second race, which saw a race long battle royale between the front row men of Jason Plato and Rob Collard; Collard got the jump on Plato off the line, not that Plato let him get away with it easily. Unlike years gone by, the racing was thrilling yet clean. For the rest of the field however, the race was not so clean cut. A coming together off the line between Morgan and Priaulx saw the rest of the field scatter in avoidance. For Jeff Smith and Josh Cook especially, they found themselves acting as dynamic Dunlop advertising having collected the boards at the edge of the track. To avoid overheating, this did force them both into the pits. The Honda of Neal was not to fare too well, colliding pretty forcefully with the Team BMR machine of Smith, forcing Neal into an early retirement. The race win would eventually fall to Plato, achieving a monumental 90th career win,
“I’m getting closer to 100 wins! I don’t think I’ll be able to get them all this year, the championship is too competitive, but it’s getting closer.”
Relentless action up and down the field all weekend
As the grid formed up for the final race, Adam Morgan found himself on pole alongside the determined Andy Jordan, keen to get his first win in 2015. But Morgan was untouchable; even after a safety car period following an incident with Warren Scott, Adam was set to win comfortably in his Mercedes. Further down the field, Matt Neal found himself up to his old tricks, ramming into the back of Josh Cook’s Chevrolet on the entrance to the Club chicane. But the star of the show was always going to be Morgan, who cruised home to an impressive victory ahead of Andrew Jordan and Sam Tordoff,
“It’s an incredible feeling – it was great to win at Brands but doing it on the road is another level. I’ve wanted to get a lights-to-flag victory for so long, and to do it around Thruxton is amazing”
As the lights go down on another thrilling weekend at Thruxton, Shedden leads the drivers’ standings ahead of Turkington, Neal, Plato and Jordan. However, the top six are separated by a mere 16 points, proof of the strength and success of the BTCC, thanks in no small part to the NGTC regulations. Of the big names in the title chase, it is Turkington who has in many ways impressed me the most. Throughout the year so far, Turkington has managed to remain outside the limelight, yet scores consistent finishes that has left him 2nd in the standings. This is most probably the best approach to have; consistency is the name of the game after all. There is no better way to achieve regular results than to avoid trouble.
The rise of a new challenger
I believe that the race weekend at Thruxton was not just another round of the championship, but a snapshot of the moment when people will say that the championship underwent an evolution. For years, it has well been known that Thruxton has been a track dominated by Honda. And yet, in 2015 Honda was only able to secure one victory across the weekend. Add to that a superior victory by Adam Morgan in the Mercedes and a picture starts to materialise of a shift in the balance of power in the series.
If we look back at the races so far, much of the focus has shifted onto the newer faces in the championship such as Moffat, Cook and Morgan. Since the start of 2015, Morgan has laid the foundations of what may well be a challenge for the championship. He lies 6th in the standings, a mere 16 points behind series leader Shedden. After four years in the championship, Morgan has become a highly competitive and quick driver and has provided a more consistent drive already this year than many of the titans of the touring cars. On top of that, Aron Smith has made his intentions clear; his drive in the final race at Donington has most definitely become one of the drives of the last few years in a single race. The standings may be challenged by the usual suspects, but I am beginning to ponder whether the tides are changing and their power is slipping.
As the series heads off to the rolling hills of Oulton Park, the championship is moving into a new era where I highly doubt we will again see one team or driver run away with the title like in previous years. We may only be three race weekends in, but I can see the battle remaining as close fought as it currently is. If Thruxton proved anything it is that the superpowers of the past may not have retained the supremacy they once reveled in; new powers have risen to challenge the once unattainable dominance. The critics of the past have fallen silent; this is touring car racing at its very best.
This is the British Touring Car Championship.
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Keep Driving People!
Peace and Love!
All Images Credited To: BTCC.net
The More Things Change….
Being the circuit commentator for Sydney Motorsport Park has a few advantages; I’ve met quite a few of Australia’s best or more well known racing drivers and, occasionally, get to work and be involved in some pretty high profile events, such as the Top Gear Festival. Saturday 15th February was a big day as it was the official test day for Australia’s top tier racing category, the V8 Supercars and I was the MC for the event.
As is the wont of the weather, it was wet, wetter than standing underneath Niagara Falls, it felt like. It certainly didn’t stop the cars nor did it stop the crowd. Both built slowly; the crowd was considerable by midday and the cars times dropping rapidly per lap as the rain eased and the track dried. Of prime interest was the new entrant to the category, a revisiting of an oddly popular name for the sport: Volvo. The car is the S60, the team is Garry Rogers Motorsport, known for their left of field approach and fostering of young talent, in this case Kiwi born Scott McLaughlin, alongside experienced Swedish driver Robert Dahlgren. With GRM’s long term backer, Valvoline, prominently displayed on the sides, the cars looked the part but the party piece is the engine. A 60 degree vee configuration and of five litres capacity, it doesn’t have the same bass note of the rest of the field, instead it’s a higher pitch, certainly not unpleasing to the ear. With work being done by the Swedish company’ performance arm, Polestar, it’s a return to Australian tin top racing after a break of over fifteen years. Here’s a look at the car: http://www.volvocars.com/au/all-cars-my13/volvo-s60/Pages/video.aspx.
After the rain had stopped, times dropped and dropped quickly; at one stage there was a new quickest time every couple of laps before plateauing. To give an indication, laps were around one minute forty six seconds (1.46) to start off before bottoming out at one minute thirty!
Another highlight was the now traditional grid walk, with the cars lining up on the main straight and the crowd being able to walk around them. This was kicked off by a stunning announcement from the larger than life Betty Klimenko, head of the Erebus Racing team. Rather than spending a fortune on a media driven team launch, Klimenko decided instead to donate what she estimated may have been spent to the Westmead Childrens Hospital. The sum? A tidy $50, 000 thank you….
The Volvos performed well, perhaps better than expected; having said that, Dahlgren’s car was the only one to momentarily retire, with a power steering hose coming loose and spraying fluid onto the hot engine, laying down a sizeable smokescreen. Given the field, 25 cars in all, was spread by a mere 2.5 seconds at the end of the test day, it bodes well for the return of Volvo to Australian motorsport, with their first real test being at the fabled Clipsal 500, in Adelaide, covering the first weekend of March. The more things change, the more they stay the same. Welcome back, Volvo.
Level 2, 9 Help Street