British Touring Car Championship
Donington Park - Preview
By MJP Media | 6 April 2012
Following the thrills and spills at the opening rounds, the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship now heads to Donington Park on April 14th and 15th for the 2nd meeting of the 2012 season.
Jason Plato leads the championship going to Donington Park
Brands Hatch provided a thrilling opening to the 2012 BTCC season with all the excitement and drama that we have come to expect from the UK's premier motorsport series. With all cars now adopting the Next Generation Touring Car specification turbo-charged engines, the racing was expected to be closer than ever and we were not disappointed.
A stunning qualifying lap put Dave Newsham on pole for race 1
Dave Newsham surprised many people in the paddock by topping the timesheets in qualifying thereby getting pole position for the first race of the season in his Team ES Racing.com Vauxhall Vectra - a fantastic achievement for the relatively small team. Rob Collard won race 1 in his eBay Motors BMW 320si with defending champion Matt Neal winning race 2 in his Honda Civic for the Honda Yuasa Racing Team.
Race 3, which was temporarily halted following a 7-car incident at the Druids hairpin when oil was dropped on the track, was won by former BTCC champion Jason Plato in the MG KX Momentum Racing MG6 following a close battle with Andrew Jordan's Pirtek Honda Civic. With the four key events of the weekend (qualifying and 3 races) going to four different drivers, teams and vehicle makes and only 2 drivers not gaining any championship points from the opening meeting, the 2012 season is shaping up to be closer than ever. Jason Plato currently heads the table on 52 points with Matt Neal on 48 and Andrew Jordan on 45.
Matt Neal in the Honda Yuasa Racing Team Civic
The 2012 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship now moves to Donington Park in Derbyshire on April 14th and 15th. For tickets to what is sure to be a fantastic event, visit the Donington Park web site or call the Ticket Hotline on 0844 873 7343. Live race-day coverage can be seen on ITV4, ITV4-HD and www.itv.com with regular reports from the weekend appearing in these pages.
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Race reports and previews from the British Touring Car Championship plus British interests in other international Touring Car series
BTCC - Donington Park - Preview
Following the thrills and spills at the opening rounds, the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship now heads to Donington Park on April 14th and 15th for the 2nd meeting of the 2012 season.
BTCC - Brands Hatch - Race 3 Report - 1/4/12
Jason Plato wins the final race of the day at Brands Hatch for MG KX Momentum Racing following an action-packed race.
BTCC - Brands Hatch - Race 2 Report - 1/4/12
Matt Neal takes victory in the 2nd race as Jason Plato gets his first podium finish for MG KX Momentum Racing.
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
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
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
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
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.
Home hero Gordon Shedden is ready for the 2012 BTCC season
Dalgety Bay's very own Gordon Shedden looks forward to the 2012 British Touring Car Championship season in an exclusive interview with the Daily Record during testing at Cheshire's Oulton Park circuit.
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.
Thorney Motorsport announce Rob Hedley as their 2nd BTCC driver
Thorney Motorsport has announced Rob Hedley as their 2nd driver for the 2012 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship as well as an exciting partnership with the Daily Mirror Online.
Honda Racing continue testing the new 2012 BTCC Civic
The Honda Racing Team's new Civic hit the track for the second time this week with a visit to Leicestershire's Donington Park, five weeks before the 2012 BTCC season gets under way at Brands Hatch on Sunday 1 April.