The ultimate BTCC 2009 preview
Despite talk of the impact that the current economic climate would have on the grid, a strong nineteen-car grid is on the menu for round one of the 2009 British Touring Car Championship. The series is headlined by double champion Fabrizio Giovanardi and perennial series stalwarts Matt Neal, Colin Turkington and Gordon Shedden. TouringCarTimes are proud to present the 2009 BTCC season preview!
The big change is the loss of the works SEAT team and with them fan favourite Jason Plato.
That shouldn’t detract though from what looks like being another excellent season on the horizon, full of potential questions.
How will the new Ford Focus go?
Can Turkington step up to be a title contender?
Will Giovanardi walk it to a hattrick?
As for the answers to these questions, well we’re just going to have wait six months until we return to Brands Hatch in October to find out.
VX Racing Vauxhall – Vectra
#1 Fabrizio Giovanardi; #5 Matt Neal; #77 Andrew Jordan
For the second year running Giovanardi arrives at the opening round at Brands Hatch with the number 1 on his Vectra, and if his recent pace in testing at the Kent circuit is anything to go by then he looks on course to become the first driver to complete a hattrick of BTCC titles since Andy Rouse (1983-85).
Breaking Yvan Muller’s eight-year-old BTCC lap record (under current regs) on the Indy circuit has set out his stall – he’s the clear favourite and the man for everyone else to beat.
The first person looking to beat him will be teammate Neal (the only other former BTCC Champion on the grid, at least for now!), who won’t want another season like last year in the Italian’s shadow. Adding to this intriguing mix, via the revolving door of the third VX Racing seat, is Andrew Jordan one of the revelations of last term.
At just 19 years of age, Jordan still has a lot to learn in Touring Cars, but if his 2008 exploits are anything to go by then expect to see him in the fight for podiums from the off for he is a potential star of the series in years to come. Neal could well find himself having to look over his shoulder at Jordan, rather than concentrating on beating Giovanardi.
Team RAC – BMW 320si E90
#4 Colin Turkington; #44 Stephen Jelley
The main opposition to Vauxhall in testing has come from the quartet of BMWs entered for the series, with Turkington the man likely to lead that group. The Northern Irishman and Stephen Jelley are part of an unchanged line-up for Team RAC, and West Surrey Racing will be hoping that Jelley can pick up where he left off with pole position at the final meeting last year after a season where he had been put in the shade by his teammate.
Turkington set the pace in testing on Media Day at Rockingham before being lower down the pecking order after the Brands Hatch test. This has led to the Vauxhall duo of Neal and Giovanardi beginning the traditional BTCC war of words early, accusing Colin of “playing games” by not being at his maximum, something Turkington neither denied nor confirmed.
With two of the three drivers who finished above him in last seasons championship currently without drives, Turkington should be the main challenger to Giovanardi, but as for how strong that challenge is, we shall have to wait and see.
Cartridge World Carbon Zero Racing – SEAT Leon
#9 Adam Jones; #85 Dan Eaves
Despite the loss of the works team, there will still be a pair of Leon’s on the grid thanks to the new Cartridge World team, who have the very ambitious aim of being the first carbon neutral racing team – both ex-WTCC cars will be powered by bio-ethanol as a part of this bid.
The team sees the welcome return of Dan Eaves, who has been out of the BTCC since the end of 2005. Still the only man to win three BTCC races in a meeting, if Eaves can recapture the form he showed in his last season and the Leon proves more reliable than it did in with the diesel engine in ’08, then he should be a contender for race wins.
The big question though is the team, a new set up who have been talking of a BTCC entry for two seasons. If they can provide the technical back up, then both Eaves and teammate Adam Jones are more than capable of fighting for victories.
Team AON – Ford Focus ST
#10 Tom Chilton
Tom Chilton returns to the familiar surroundings of Mike Earle’s Arena team, though his car will be anything but familiar.
Arena are building and developing the Focus themselves, which could prove to be beneficial if the car turns into a world-beater, or a millstone if problems occur.
So far in testing the car has been slow in the speed traps and doubts remain over how quick development will be on the car with only one driver to do the work. It’s a big ask for Chilton to take on the development of a new car solely, but for him the potential benefits will outweigh the risks.
A frustrating trio of seasons with Vauxhall and Dynamics has seen other drivers move ahead of the 24-year-old in the ‘bright young thing’ stakes, but success in the AON branded Focus could catapult him back to the forefront of people’s minds. On the other hand…
Airwaves BMW – BMW 320si E90
#11 Rob Collard; #12 Jonathan Adam
The second team running a pair of BMW’s are once again Motorbase, rebranded as Airwaves thanks to a new sponsorship deal. Rob Collard is retained from the 2008 line-up, joined by series newcomer Jonathan Adam.
The double SEAT Cupra Champion has shown impressive form in testing, setting the second fastest time at Brands Hatch behind Giovanardi and looks the better bet than Collard to take Motorbase’s first BTCC win. Adam could also be a dark horse for the championship, as we know the 3-Series is a winner, the key being how quickly he adapts to the rough and tumble of the BTCC, and whether he can replicate Giovanardi’s knack of staying out of trouble.
Sunshine.co.uk with Tech-Speed Motorsport – Honda Integra
#15 Martyn Bell; #29 Paul O’Neill
The big news is the return of fans favourite Paul O’Neill, six year’s on from his last season in the BTCC. O´Neill is only going to take part in two or three races, but race winning pedigree is likely to give the Tech-Speed a lift as the team run the two ex-Eurotech Integra’s under the Sunshine.co.uk banner.
The Integra’s proved in the hands of the Jordan’s last year that they were still capable of picking up podium finishes on their day and that will be the barometer by which O’Neill’s performance will ultimately be measured. There are plenty of younger drivers coming into the series, and if O’Neill wants to return to a top line seat one day, then he needs to perform in the Honda.
Teammate Bell is less likely to trouble the podium if his past three campaigns are anything to by, although this year finally see’s the 44-year-old into a more competitive package that should give him a chance of picking up points if others ahead fall off the road.
Tempus Sport – Chevrolet Lacetti
#17 Harry Vaulkhard
The newly created Tempus sport make their BTCC bow running an ex-WTCC Lacetti for Harry Vaulkhard. Despite not having recorded a BTCC victory for 25 years, Chevrolet are still the championships fifth most successful manufacturer, and there is a suspicion that Vaulkhard (or a potential teammate) could end that drought this season.
The car is a proven winner at WTCC level and the driver acquitted himself well in 2008, while Tempus have recruited well with ex-RML staff so the potential definitely is there. It just remains to be seen whether that potential can be converted into reality, perhaps on a day when front running cars hit trouble.
Maxtreme – SEAT Toledo Cupra
#27 Liam McMillan
Liam McMillan arrives in the BTCC from the Spanish SEAT Leon Supercopa, and he’ll be sticking with the Iberian company, for what is only his fourth season of racing, the highlight being winning the 2006 SAXMAX Championship.
Since then he’s recorded two mid-table seasons in one make SEAT series, but performances towards the end of last season suggest he could have the potential to go far. In a five-year-old Toledo though, it could well prove to be a testing first season in the BTCC.
The experience of legendary ex-GR Asia engineer Paul Ridgway will definitely be of benefit in getting McMillan up to speed, so don’t be surprised to see the car getting into the points as the season progresses.
KWR Sport – MG ZS
#28 Jason Hughes
Team boss Jason Hughes returns in his venerable MG ZS, which has received extensive work over the winter, making Hughes confident of pulling a surprise.
Extra power from the Judd engine and weight loss for the car will improve performance, but the question is by how much? Additional questions linger over Hughes fitness as he comes back from a knee surgery at the beginning of February that has so far kept him from running the car in pre-season.
TH Motorsport with JAG – Honda Integra
#50 John George
Cornishman John George returns with a new colour scheme for his fourth BTCC season, having acquired David Pinkney’s Honda Integra. The switch comes after George exited the 2008 season in an ambulance, having destroyed his Integra with a multiple roll during the final round of the season at Brands Hatch.
The 48-year-old shook off these memories by setting his fastest ever lap of the Kent circuit in pre-season testing, but even with this form it’s likely to be another season towards the back of the grid for the popular driver.
Team Dynamics – Honda Civic
#52 Gordon Shedden; #55 David Pinkney
It’s all change at Dynamics in 2009, out goes the bright orange colour scheme and Halfords sponsorship and Chilton, and in comes the veteran of the grid David Pinkney and a stunning new black livery.
Shedden remains and he’ll be hoping to recapture his winning form of 2006 and 2007. The Scotsman looks the best bet for a Honda victory in 2009 with teammate Pinkney unlikely to trouble the top spot of the podium going on previous form.
With the new rules regarding the makes championship, it’ll be intriguing to see how Dynamics fair against Arena and former driver Chilton, as arguably the Civic is a car coming towards the end of its development cycle, while the Focus is in theory on the way up.
Boulevard Team Racin – Vauxhall Astra Coupe
#63 Martin Johnson
Front running Clio Cup team Boulevard step up to the BTCC with 47-year-old Martin Johnson, who is also making his debut in the series. The team won the teams and drivers title in Clio’s back in 2004, with Johnson teammate to champion Paul Rivett.
Boulevard are likely to find this season far more challenging however, as they’ll be running the ageing Astra Coupe formerly campaigned by Erkut Kizilirmak, while Johnson hasn’t set the world alight in Clio’s, indicating it could be a long a year for both parties.
The Possibles
The elephant in the room in all of this is 2008 runner up, Plato. Left without a drive when SEAT pulled the plug, the 2001 BTCC Champion has been linked with a number of seats over the winter, but as yet none has seemed to fit.
The latest story links him to Tempus’ second Chevrolet, with team boss Richard Coleman admitting that they were in talks, but nothing has been finalised.
Several other teams have potential additional cars that could make it to the grid should a driver with enough funding appears, while further variety could be added to a grid that already boasts ten types of car, during the season by Ian Court, who has launched a unique bid for sponsorship via text messaging, and his Alfa Romeo 156.
Finally the big news over the winter that will have excited anyone with memories of estate cars, Rickard Rydell and Kelvin Burt’s huge smash at Oulton Park, is the return of Volvo. Maybe.
The Swedish marque made a brief appearance at the British round of the World Touring Car Championship last summer and look set to repeat this in the BTCC this summer as a possible precursor to a full campaign in 2010.
Noting has been confirmed yet with several drivers linked to the project, ranging from STCC regular Robert Dahlgren to surprise, surprise Plato, so the story looks set to run and run.
The 2009 season of the British Touring Car Championship starts next weekend – be sure to follow all the action during the year at TouringCarTimes!
