Sport   Other Sports   Touring Cars

British Touring Car Championship
Brands Hatch - Race 1 Report - 1/4/12

By MJP Media | 1 April 2012

Rob Collard wins the 1st race of the 2012 BTCC season in front of a bumper crowd at Brands Hatch amid dramatic action further down the field.

Rob Collard celebrates winning the first race of the 2012 season
Rob Collard celebrates winning the first race of the 2012 season

The first race of the 2012 MSA Dunlop British Touring Car Championship got under way in dramatic style at Brands Hatch with incidents galore. From pole position, Dave Newsham got a good start off the line in his Team ES Racing Vauxhall Vectra. Rob Collard also got a good start with his eBay Motors BMW 320si, passing the Honda Yuasa Racing Team Civic of Matt Neal and Newsham to take the lead.

Collard doing battle with Neal ahead of Newsham and Plato
Collard doing battle with Neal ahead of Newsham and Plato

Collard maintained his lead over Neal and Newsham until Neal and Newsham passed him on lap 9. Behind them, a duel was developing between Tom Onslow-Cole in the eBay Motors BMW 320si and Jason Plato in the MG KX Momentum Racing MG6. Newsham regained the lead on lap 14 before contact with the hard-charging Plato put him into the gravel at Paddock Hill and out of the race.

Aron Smith crashes out on lap 15
Aron Smith crashes out on lap 15

Rob Collard was now leading the race again followed by Matt Neal in 2nd and Tom Onslow-Cole 3rd. The three maintained their positions to the end of the race giving the first victory of the 2012 season to a delighted Rob Collard and the WSR eBay Motors Team. Jason Plato finished in 4th place ahead of Gordon Shedden in 5th and Andrew Jordan 6th.

Elsewhere in the race, various incidents caused the retirements of Adam Morgan, Frank Wrathall, Aron Smith and John Thorne.

Touring Car content supplied by MJP Media

Olympus Camera

A VIEW FROM THE DRIVER'S SEAT

A regular account of life in the British Touring Car Championship from the driver's point of view

Car Wars - Episode 2: Attack of the Cloned Parts Car Wars - Episode 2: Attack of the Cloned Parts
Team boss and lead driver of Mirror Online-sponsored Thorney Motorsport British Touring Car Team John Thorne explains the new Next Generation rules as he prepares his car for the new season.

Car Wars - Episode 1: The Insignia Menace Car Wars - Episode 1: The Insignia Menace
Mirror Online-sponsored Thorney Motorsport are prepping their Vauxhall Insignias for the new British Touring Car Championship season. Team boss John Thorne explains how it's done.

Preparing for British Touring Cars in 2012: We meet team owner John Thorne Preparing for British Touring Cars in 2012: We meet team owner John Thorne
We caught up with the man running the Mirror Online-sponsored Vauxhall Insignia in the 2012 British Touring Car Championships, John Thorne.

View from the driver's seat: British Touring Car driver John Thorne View from the driver's seat: British Touring Car driver John Thorne
Thorney Motorsport team owner and driver John Thorne prepares his Mirror Online-sponsored team for the 2012 British Touring Car Championship.

Mirror Online partners up with British Touring Car team Thorney Motorsport Mirror Online partners up with British Touring Car team Thorney Motorsport
BTCC team announces major additions to its team for 2012, including sponsorship from Mirror Online.

 

TOURING CARS - LATEST NEWS

Race reports and previews from the British Touring Car Championship plus British interests in other international Touring Car series

BTCC - Brands Hatch - Race 1 Report - 1/4/12 BTCC - Brands Hatch - Race 1 Report - 1/4/12
Rob Collard wins the 1st race of the 2012 BTCC season in front of a bumper crowd at Brands Hatch amid dramatic action further down the field.

BTCC - Brands Hatch - Qualifying - 31/3/12 BTCC - Brands Hatch - Qualifying - 31/3/12
Dave Newsham from Inverness secures pole position for the first race of the 2012 British Touring Car Championship at Brands Hatch.

BTCC - Brands Hatch - Free Practice - 31/3/12 BTCC - Brands Hatch - Free Practice - 31/3/12
Rob Collard and Andrew Jordan top the timesheets in free practice at Brands Hatch ahead the first race of the 2012 BTCC season.

BTCC - 2012 Season Preview BTCC - 2012 Season Preview
The 2012 British Touring Car Championship gets under way in just over a week and a half when the teams and drivers make their way to Brands Hatch in Kent on March 31/April 1 for the opening rounds of the 2012 season.

Honda's woes as problems hit the new NGTC Civic Honda's woes as problems hit the new NGTC Civic
The legendary reliability of the Honda Racing Civics was for the first time under question this week as a number of issues seemed to beset the car.

Smith shines in British Touring Car testing at Oulton Park Smith shines in British Touring Car testing at Oulton Park
Oulton Park in Cheshire played host to the latest BTCC testing this week with appearances by the Motorbase, Honda Racing and Speedworks teams ahead of the season which starts on 1st April at Brands Hatch in Kent.