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British Touring Car Championship
Brands Hatch - Free Practice - 31/3/12

By MJP Media | 31 March 2012

Rob Collard and Andrew Jordan top the timesheets in free practice at Brands Hatch ahead the first race of the 2012 BTCC season.

Rob Collard - fastest in the first free practice session
Rob Collard - fastest in the first free practice session

After months of waiting, the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship finally took to the track for the start of the 2012 season with the first of two visits this year to Brands Hatch in Kent. Having adopted the Next Generation Touring Car specifications, all the cars on the grid for 2012 are now running with turbo-charged engines, providing a more level playing field and hopefully leading to even closer racing.

Rob Austin going well in practice at Brands Hatch
Rob Austin going well in practice at Brands Hatch

Top of the time sheets in the first free practice session was Rob Collard in the eBay Motors BMW 320si, closely followed by Rob Austin in the Rob Austin Racing Audi A4. Collard's team-mate Tom Onslow-Cole was 3rd fastest with Andrew Jordan's Pirtek Motorsport Honda Civic 4th. Dave Newsham did well to end the first session in 6th place behind the Redstone Racing Ford Focus of Mat Jackson.

Honda Yuasa Racing struggled with defending champion Matt Neal in 11th and team-mate Gordon Shedden in 21st just behind Andy Neate and former champion Jason Plato in the MG KX Momentum Racing MG6 in 19th and 20th.

Andrew Jordan - fastest in the second free practice session
Andrew Jordan - fastest in the second free practice session

In the second free practice session it was Andrew Jordan who topped the timesheets ahead of Matt Neal in 2nd who had clearly overcome the problems of the earlier session. Also improving on their previous time was Jason Plato who ended the second session in 5th place behind Tom Onslow-Cole in 3rd and Rob Austin in 4th.

With the first meaningful running of the cars now over, all eyes will now be on this afternoon's qualifying session which will determine the grid for the first race of the 2012 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship tomorrow.

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