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Brands Hatch End Of Season Review

By MJP Media | 29 October 2012

Now that the dust has settled following the final meeting of the 2012 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, we take a look back at the last three races from Brands Hatch and see how the season concluded.

Gordon Shedden lifts the BTCC Drivers Championship trophy

After the penultimate meeting of the year at Silverstone where the Honda Yuasa Racing Team drivers struggled with their Honda Civics, no fewer than 3 drivers still had a realistic chance of lifting the BTCC Drivers Championship trophy. Gordon Shedden arrived at Brands Hatch with 364 points, Jason Plato with 249 and Matt Neal with 333 but with 67 points available from the last three races, the championship was still wide open.

Matt Neal won the first race of the day with Gordon Shedden finishing 5th and Jason Plato 8th. This result gave Shedden an 18 point lead over Plato and brought Neal to with 2 points of Plato. Shedden needed just 4 points from the last 2 races to secure the championship title and he did so in style, finishing the second race in 2nd place ahead of team-mate Matt Neal in 3rd.

A maiden BTCC victory for Aron Smith in race two

Whilst the main source of excitement was Gordon Shedden being the first Scottish driver to win the BTCC Drivers Championship since John Cleland in 1995, race two also produced another 'first' - a maiden BTCC race win for young charger Aron Smith in the Redstone Racing Ford Focus who drove a sensational race in the wet conditions. Whilst other drivers were bumping into each other and spinning off the track, Smith kept out of trouble and took the chequered flag to the delight of both his team and family.

With the Drivers Championship already in the bag for Gordon Shedden, the Honda Yuasa Racing Team drivers continued their dominance in race three with Matt Neal finishing 2nd and Gordon Shedden 3rd. Their pair had also won Honda Yuasa Racing Team the Teams Championship and Honda/Dynamics the Manufacturers/Constructors Championship. Meanwhile, Frank Wrathall also made history in race three, scoring his own maiden BTCC race win. The young driver from Preston had always looked strong in his Dynojet Toyota Avensis and the outright victory in the final race of the season was a fantastic way for Wrathall and the Dynojet team to end the year.

Frank Wrathall takes his maiden BTCC victory in race three

At the end of a thrilling season, Gordon Shedden won the BTCC Drivers Championship with Matt Neal 2nd and Jason Plato 3rd. The Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship resumes on 30th/31st March 2013 at Brands Hatch in Kent for what is certain to be another fantastic season.

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