Rockingham Thread

[Allyc85]

Cant believe no one has started a thread for this with the champioship battle hotting up! Practise 1 has been n gone with Adam fastest..

1. Jonathan Adam Airwaves BMW BMW 320si 1min 24.231secs I
2. Matt Neal VX Racing Vauxhall Vectra 1min 24.366secs C
3. Fabrizio Giovanardi VX Racing Vauxhall Vectra 1min 24.397secs C
4. Jason Plato Racing Silverline Chevrolet Lacetti 1min 24.439secs I
5. Andrew Jordan VX Racing Vauxhall Vectra 1min 24.615secs C
6. Mat Jackson Racing Silverline Chevrolet Lacetti 1min 24.723secs I
7. Stephen Jelley Team RAC BMW 320si 1min 24.800secs I
8. Paul O'Neill Sunshine.co.uk with Tech-Speed Honda Integra 1min 24.843secs I B
9. Tom Chilton Team Aon Ford Focus ST 1min 24.906secs I C
10. Tom Onslow-Cole Team Aon Ford Focus ST 1min 25.139secs I C
11. Colin Turkington Team RAC BMW 320si 1min 25.198secs I
12. Harry Vaulkhard bamboo engineering Chevrolet Lacetti 1min 25.292secs I
13. Gordon Shedden Club SEAT SEAT Leon 1min 25.375secs I
14. James Nash RML Chevrolet Lacetti 1min 25.381secs I
15. Anthony Reid Team RAC BMW 320si 1min 25.437secs I
16. Dave Pinkney Team Dynamics Honda Civic 1min 25.473secs I C
17. Rob Collard Airwaves BMW BMW 320si 1min 25.532secs I
18. Johnny Herbert Team Dynamics Honda Civic 1min 25.914secs I C
19. Matt Hamilton TH Motorsport Honda Civic 1min 27.347secs I B
20. John George TH Motorsport with JAG Honda Integra 1min 27.688secs I B

..though Autosport cant be arsed to report on the BTCC and would rather concentrate on World Series by Renault and F2!

[Allyc85]

Combined practise times from sessions 1 and 2..

Combined practice times:

Pos Driver Car Time
1. Mat Jackson Chevrolet 1m24.200s
2. Jonathan Adam BMW 1m24.231s
3. Stephen Jelley BMW 1m24.257s
4. Matt Neal Vauxhall 1m24.288s
5. Fabrizio Giovanardi Vauxhall 1m24.397s
6. Tom Chilton Ford 1m24.432s
7. Jason Plato Chevrolet 1m24.439s
8. Andrew Jordan Vauxhall 1m24.615s
9. Colin Turkington BMW 1m24.750s
10. Paul O'Neill Honda 1m24.843s
11. Rob Collard BMW 1m24.980s
12. Gordon Shedden SEAT 1m25.037s
13. Tom Onslow-Cole Ford 1m25.069s
14. Anthony Reid BMW 1m25.125s
15. Harry Vaulkhard Chevrolet 1m25.292s
16. Johnny Herbert Honda 1m25.362s
17. James Nash Chevrolet 1m25.381s
18. David Pinkney Honda 1m25.473s
19. Matt Hamilton Honda 1m27.245s
20. John George Honda 1m27.262s
21. Martin Johnson Vauxhall 1m27.607s

Great performance by Chilton up in 6th place :D :D

[VkmSpouge]

Qualifying Times:

1 Jason Plato 1m24.087
2 Jonathan Adam 1m24.194
3 Mat Jackson 1m24.300
4 Stephen Jelley 1m24.353
5 Paul o'Neill 1m24.505
6 Gordon Shedden 1m24.553
7 Fabrizio Giovanardi 1m24.568
8 Rob Collard 1m24.626
9 Johnny Herbert 1m24.656
10 Tom Chilton 1m24.700
11 Andrew Jordan 1m24.711
12 James Nash 1m24.744
13 Harry Vaulkhard 1m24.776
14 Colin Turkington 1m24.801
15 Matt Neal 1m24.937
16 Dave Pinkney 1m25.088
17 Tom Onslow-Cole 1m25.232
18 Anthony Reid 1m25.377
19 Martin Johnson 1m26.800
20 Matt Hamilton 1m28.969
21 John George No Time

The Chevies of Plato and Jackson doing very well. Jonathan Adam set a very good time too. I think Paul o'Neill's performance was excellent. Johnny Herbert continuing to improve. Colin Turkington not looking good at all, the one piece of hope for him is that Stephen Jelley has qualified ahead of Giovanardi. Anthony Reid not having a fun time. Matt Hamilton on a steep learning curve.

Any reason why Martyn Bell is not racing this weekend?

[BDunnell]

Colin Turkington not looking good at all, the one piece of hope for him is that Stephen Jelley has qualified ahead of Giovanardi. Anthony Reid not having a fun time.

Yes, Jelley continues to offer Turkington far better support.

[Matty]

Didn't Hamiltons engine die, causing a red flag?

Hopefully he'll be out there tomorrow.

[MG2004]

I think Paul O'Neil, Gordon Shedden and Johhny Herbert all did amazingly well there!

[Allyc85]

Agreed, Johnny seems to be getting quicker by the session!

[Daz]

Shame to see Colin so low down on the qualifying timesheets. It can't be helped crashing on someone else oil and hope this incident doesn't cost Colin the title.

[VkmSpouge]

Didn't Hamiltons engine die, causing a red flag?

Hopefully he'll be out there tomorrow.

I hope so. It was not a very good day for TH Motorsport as both cars are right at the back after encountering problems in qualifying.

[VkmSpouge]

Race Result 1:

1 Stephen Jelley
2 Jason Plato
3 Mat Jackson
4 Rob Collard
5 Jonathan Adam
6 Fabrizio Giovanardi
7 Andrew Jordan
8 James Nash
9 Paul o'Neill
10 Colin Turkington
11 Gordon Shedden
12 Anthony Reid
13 Harry Vaulkhard
14 Tom Onslow-Cole
15 Dave Pinkney
16 Martin Johnson
17 John George
18 Tom Chilton
DNF Matt Hamilton
DNF Johnny Herbert
DNF Matt Neal

Great win for Stephen Jelley! Really the icing on the cake after a pretty good year. I have to say at the end of last year I would have expected WSR to have dropped Jelley because he had been pretty bad but they stuck with him and that decision has been vindicated so I will happily eat my words :)

I was not very impressed by Jason Plato driving right up the back of Jonathan Adam to take second place. Mat Jackson taking an incredible 7th podium in a row.

Fabrizio Giovanardi will be very happy with his race, taking 4 points off Colin Turkington's championship lead. Turkington may come to rue that spin after running into an unexpectedly slow James Nash. Shame Paul o'Neill faded towards the end he had been looking on course for a good result, maybe his tyres had gone by the end?

One last thing; what on earth happened at the first corner to get Matt Neal onto the grass and out of control? Johnny Herbert very unlucky to get hit but judging by the Vectra shaped dent in that side of the car he was fortunate the impact was not on the driver's side.

[VkmSpouge]

Race 2 Result:

1 Jason Plato
2 Mat Jackson
3 Fabrizio Giovanardi
4 Colin Turkington
5 Jonathan Adam
6 Stephen Jelley
7 James Nash
8 Andrew Jordan
9 Tom Chilton
10 Johnny Herbert
11 Harry Vaulkhard
12 Anthony Reid
13 Dave Pinkney
14 Martin Johnson
DNF Paul o'Neill
DNF Gordon Shedden
DNF Matt Hamilton
NCF Matt Neal
DNF John George
DNF Tom Onslow-Cole
DNF Rob Collard

Jason Plato took his 50th BTCC win with a fine move on Mat Jackson. Fabrizio Giovanardi narrowed Colin Turkington's championship lead further still. I think Stephen Jelley did well to lead as long as he did until Jackson got past. Good race for Tom Chilton and Johnny Herbert coming from a long way back to claim points finishes. Chilton will now start from pole position.

[BDunnell]

Well, black marks to Plato and Team RAC in that third race. Plato's shove on Turkington looked totally unnecessary, and I thought his retirement was but surely RAC should have made Jelley let Turkington through sooner. Nonetheless, another great drive by Jelley, Chilton did really well, good damage limitation by Turkington, and how aggressive is Herbert?

[VkmSpouge]

Race 3 Result:

1 Stephen Jelley
2 Andrew Jordan
3 Tom Chilton
4 Colin Turkington
5 Mat Jackson
6 Jonathan Adam
7 Johnny Herbert
8 Gordon Shedden
9 Tom Onslow-Cole
10 Martin Johnson
11 Fabrizio Giovanardi
12 Jason Plato
13 John George
14 Matt Hamilton
DNF Anthony Reid
DNF James Nash
DNF Paul o'Neill
DNF Matt Neal
DNF Rob Collard
DNF Dave Pinkney
DNF Harry Vaulkhard

You wait two years for a win and then two come at once, well done Stephen Jelley!
Congratulations to Tom Chilton and the Arena for their best result of the season. The Focus still isn't quite up there with the front runners but it has come on leaps and bounds.
I was not at all impressed with Jason Plato and Fabrizio Giovanardi's driving in that race. Plato's move on Turkington wasn't on and Giovanardi's punting Mat Jackson off (no 9th podium in a row) was reminicent of when he did the same to Mike Jordan some time ago.
The action in the middle of race was really hectic and Johnny Herbert has showed he can really learn the touring car style of racing very quickly, he put a very good move on Giovanardi.
I was cheering Martin Johnson on as he grabbed tenth out of the last corner. Well done, Martin! :D

Championship Standings:
1. Colin Turkington 249
2. Fabrizio Giovanardi 236
3. Jason Plato 221

[BDunnell]

Giovanardi's punting Mat Jackson off (no 9th podium in a row) was reminicent of when he did the same to Mike Jordan some time ago.

Yes, I'd forgotten about that. Giovanardi looked to be carrying far too much speed in to that corner.



I was cheering Martin Johnson on as he grabbed tenth out of the last corner. Well done, Martin! :D

Me too. A great moment for him, I'm sure. And what a sight to see the ancient privateer Astra Coupe passing the current works Vectra!

Other than that, one comment is that — unless his arrival in the team has spurred Jelley on to greater things — Reid's presence in the third RAC BMW seems rather pointless. It pains me to say it, because I was delighted with the news of his return, but he's simply not on the pace and contributing nothing to Turkington's title chase. Maybe that extra ballast is really hurting him, but I'm surprised that of the two drivers who joined the series at Silverstone it's Herbert who's mixing it with the leaders and dishing out the hard racing, and Reid who's not doing very much near the tail of the field.

[UltimateDanGTR]

I know Giovanardi on Jackson was not on, but what a brilliant race! one minute turkington is looking good for a good result, then Giovanardi, then Turkington again, it was just mental. Plato was a bit silly on Turkington and paid for it, while Team RAC could've done more for Turkington in terms of stephen jelley. but all that just provided brilliant racing, especially Herbert and his little civic vs Gio and his huge Vauxhall. Great action packed racing even if some from the experienced boys was a bit naughty. Well done chilton today as well, and jelley for two wins. shame for jackson.

Today we saw Hebert become a touring car driver, and a good one at that, and the championship look very very spicey for the finale at brands. I say bring it on!

[VkmSpouge]

Other than that, one comment is that — unless his arrival in the team has spurred Jelley on to greater things — Reid's presence in the third RAC BMW seems rather pointless. It pains me to say it, because I was delighted with the news of his return, but he's simply not on the pace and contributing nothing to Turkington's title chase. Maybe that extra ballast is really hurting him, but I'm surprised that of the two drivers who joined the series at Silverstone it's Herbert who's mixing it with the leaders and dishing out the hard racing, and Reid who's not doing very much near the tail of the field.

It is quite surprising that Reid's form has been so poor. I know he has been doing plenty of other racing in the past few years so it's not like he isn't race sharp. Running with late entry ballast is probably hurting him but Turkington and Jelley seem to cope with ballast well enough. That said Reid's introduction to the team has seemingly fired a rocket up Jelley's behind, he's been there helping Turkington out for the past couple of meetings.

[Sarah]

I only saw the 3rd race. It was amazing how Colin didn't spin off. Herbert was looking good and I was pleased Tom got his podium place and Martin overtaking Gio at the end was great. Can't wait for Brands!

[BDunnell]

From BTCC.net — 'To further compound Giovanardi’s misery, he later received an official reprimand from officials and two penalty points on his competition licence for his barging-off of Jackson.'

[ATF]

Well, black marks to Plato and Team RAC in that third race. Plato's shove on Turkington looked totally unnecessary, and I thought his retirement was but surely RAC should have made Jelley let Turkington through sooner.

Yes Plato's move was completely out of order - no chance of getting cleanly up the inside so just he just decided to barge his way through - as he did at Snetterton!

[Les]

really enjoyed the racing this weekend - excellent performances from a lot of people but I do have to say I was disappointed for Colin - why on earth did Jelley not let him past in race 3. Not a team player at all in my eyes.

Great result for Aon & TC - they have worked so hard to get that car up to speed. At media day it was over 4 seconds off but now a podium finisher - brilliant. Lovely to see Mike Earle grinning and Tom celebrating again.

And a nice first weekend to Matt Hamilton... started off a little shaky but he'll soon get up there.

And lastly - big cheer to Martin Johnson - that one point in race 3 was so so sweet.

[tisme]

Yes Plato's move was completely out of order - no chance of getting cleanly up the inside so just he just decided to barge his way through - as he did at Snetterton!

He did the same to Adam in race 1. It seems to be an acceptable move now!

[wedge]

I'm flabbergasted! Stephen Jelley has been doing rather well of late and has the makings of a decent-solid touring car driver

[Bezza]

Great race 3.

Giovanardi whinging about Herbert over on crash.net

Bit rich considering his move on Jackson was appalling. Vauxhall bulllying didn't work out this time.

[nightwish]

Cant see why Giovanardi is whinging his driving has been very aggressive this season and has been lucky to get away with it.Colin has still got it all to do at Brands Hatch with the Vauxhalls out to get him plus Giovanardis best mate Jason Plato

[BDunnell]

I'd say Giovanardi is getting a bit desperate. Yes, Herbert was very tough with him, but surely Gio ought to be able to take it. It's a shame he comes across as a hypocrite in this one.

[mattie007]

Great racing from Rockingham once again!
How does Plato get away with so much!
Well done Jelley aswell!

[wedge]

I'd say Giovanardi is getting a bit desperate. Yes, Herbert was very tough with him, but surely Gio ought to be able to take it. It's a shame he comes across as a hypocrite in this one.

To be fair he's no worse than some. Unlike others Gio is a classy racer for most of the season with little contact involved.

Only when the heat is on do we see questionable moves from Gio. I remember Thruxton a couple of years ago he pulled off some very aggressive moves when it came down to the wire between him and Plato.

[BDunnell]

Only when the heat is on do we see questionable moves from Gio.

Precisely what I mean. He reminds me rather of Alain Menu in this respect.

[thetrooper_uk]

A great weekend worth of racing and the 3rd race was mental. Brands is looking like it'll be just as good and I hope it goes all the way to the last race.
I'm not a big fan of Jelley really as he seems to be all about himself and didn't help out with Turks title bid, in fact he made it much harder for him.
It hasn't taken Herbert long to get into the touring car style of driving has it lol.
I just hope they all race hard but fair in the last round and don't spoil the finale.

[christophulus]

Race 3 was a great race - not impressed with Plato one bit though. Move was absolutely not on - how has he not been reprimanded before?

I'm happy Turkington is still in the lead but with Plato still having a mathematical chance of the title I reckon he needs to give him a wide berth next time out :s