Photo: PSP

Race Preview: Silverstone Returns

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The BTCC returns to Silverstone this weekend, after it’s absence on the 2007 calendar, it returns in 2008 for the penultimate race of the season. Some mystery still surrounds the reasoning behind Silverstone missing the 2007 season, however it will be most remembered for the season finale in 2006 when Matt Neal took a second championship in a row in front of a massive crowd. The short National layout will be used. Silverstone also aims to help celebrate 50 years of the BTCC with a legends parade as reported here at TouringCarTimes.com

Previously at Silverstone
Silverstone made the headlines in 2007 after it was dropped from the BTCC calendar. The reason has never been officially announced and therefore we have to go back to the 2006 season to look at what happened previously. Silverstone was host to the season finale in 2006, and the Championship battle that had raged all season long, was set to end at Silverstone. Bumper crowds poured into the circuit, causing issues with traffic but that wasn’t to dent the spirits.

Matt Neal won the Championship in race 1, but both race 2 and race 3 were full of spectacle. Most notably, Mike Jordon had a massive crash heading towards the pit straight, that resulted in a helicopter flight to the hospital. Thankfully he recovered and was back in the driving seat for 2007.

The season far
The 2008 season has been very exciting. At the start people questioned whether SEAT would have any chance against Vauxhall after choosing to race a pair of turbo-diesels. In actual fact SEAT have dominated a number of races this season, however their reliability has made both the job hard for both Plato and Turner. Giovanardi currently leads the championship and could potentially finish the weekend 2008 champion depending on the circumstances of other drivers in contention.

Schedule
Saturday 30 August
09.00 – SEAT Cupra Championship Qualifying
09.30 – Formula Renault UK Championship with Michelin Qualifying
10.00 – HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship Free Practice
10.50 – ELF Renault Clio Cup Qualifying
11.30 – Ginetta Junior Championship Qualifying
11.55 – Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain Qualifying
12.35 – HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship Free Practice
13.15 – Lunch Break
14.00 – SEAT Cupra Championship Qualifying
14.30 – Formula Renault UK Championship with Michelin Qualifying
15.00 – HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship Qualifying
15.45 – ELF Renault Clio Cup Race
16.25 – SEAT Cupra Championship Race
17.05 – Ginetta Junior Championship Race

Sunday 31 August
09.30 – Formula Renault UK Championship with Michelin Race
10.10 – Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain Race
10.55 – Church Break
11.10 – BTCC Pit Lane Opens
11.20 – HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship Race 1
12.00 – SEAT Cupra Championship Race
12.40 – Lunch break
12.40 – Pit Lane Autograph Session
13.40 – BTCC Pit Lane Opens
13.50 – HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship Race 2
14.20 – ELF Renault Clio Cup Race
15.00 – Ginetta Junior Championship Race
15.30 – Formula Renault UK Championship with Michelin Race
16.10 – BTCC Pit Lane Opens
16.20 – HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship Race 3
17.00 – Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain Race