Sparks sure to fly as BTCC rolls into Croft

It’s testament to the success of the current BTCC rules that the season’s first real rumblings of discontent are only being heard as proceedings approach the halfway point at Croft.

And whatever criticisms may have been levelled at NGTC during its gestation since 2011, the issue at hand isn’t connected to it; rather it is one which has existed as long as rear-wheel drive machinery has competed in the championship.

West Surrey Racing’s Colin Turkington made most of the headlines at Oulton Park, taking two wins and a third en route to the championship lead, which he takes with him into North Yorkshire this weekend.

It may have been his first two wins from the front – the other pair having come from reverse grid draws – but the perceived advantage of the 125i package didn’t escape the attention of Triple Eight, or for that matter, TOCA.

Triple Eight supremo Ian Harrison and driver Jason Plato were both forthright in their views after Oulton, and the series bosses responded by ruling that WSR, and Rob Austin Racing, must run longer first gear ratios from this meeting to negate their advantage at the starts.

Something of a backlash followed Harrison and Plato’s comments, not least from fans on this site, and both moved to clarify their position of only calling for rear-wheel drive cars to be slowed at the start.

Whichever side of the fence you sit on, it makes the weekend a mouthwatering prospect. And who would believe already that this season, talked up for so long, is now nearly 50 per cent complete?

Longer first gear or not, Turkington and WSR head into the weekend as strong favourites, with the rejuvenated Rob Collard also likely to show strongly.

Behind the leader, Honda Racing Team’s Gordon Shedden has been the epitome of consistency in 2014 in the new Civic Tourer, largely putting triple champion team-mate Matt Neal in the shade. He and reigning champion Andrew Jordan will both be keen to take advantage of their lesser ballast, the latter after his worst weekend for a long time at Oulton.

Croft favoured the MGs last year, so Plato and Sam Tordoff will expect to fare well – as will Team BMR, the newest visitors to the BTCC’s winner’s circle. The Volkswagen CC finished on the podium here last year in the hands of Tom Onslow-Cole, and Aron Smith was left purring about the car after testing it for the first time at Croft earlier this year.

The 31-car field left Oulton Park relatively unscathed, meaning no mad dashes to finish repairs ahead of the weekend. It means the drivers can concentrate on the track, one which is clearly popular.

“Croft has a mix of everything from high-speed to low-speed, which makes it a real test of a chassis and a genuine challenge,” said Smith. “You need to have good rear stability and traction out of the final few hairpins.

“There are plenty of overtaking opportunities, too; you have to keep an eye on your mirrors everywhere, because you can go from first to 15th in a handful of corners.”

Speedworks Motorsport’s Tom Ingram added: “Croft is exactly the kind of circuit I really enjoy driving. There’s a mid-speed section at the start of the lap, followed by a high-speed section round the back and it ends up with a really slow-speed section. That makes it a very technical track and a difficult one to get the car set-up right for, which is a challenge I relish.”

The action gets under way with free practice one at 09.30 BST on Saturday.

BTCC Round 5 Croft – Entry List

No – Driver – Team Name – Car – Engine Builder/Marque
4 – Matt Neal – Honda Racing Team – Honda Civic Tourer – Neil Brown/Honda
52 – Gordon Shedden – Honda Racing Team – Honda Civic Tourer – Neil Brown/Honda
88 – Sam Tordoff – Triple Eight Race Engineering – MG6 GT – Swindon/TOCA
99 – Jason Plato – Triple Eight Race Engineering – MG6 GT – Swindon/TOCA
888 – Marc Hynes – Triple Eight Race Engineering – MG6 GT – Swindon/TOCA
1 – Andrew Jordan – Eurotech Racing – Honda Civic Hatchback – Neil Brown/Honda
30 – Martin Depper – Eurotech Racing – Honda Civic Hatchback – Neil Brown/Honda
5 – Colin Turkington – West Surrey Racing – BMW 125i M – Neil Brown/BMW
10 – Rob Collard – West Surrey Racing – BMW 125i M – Neil Brown/BMW
18 – Nick Foster – West Surrey Racing – BMW 125i M – Neil Brown/BMW
6 – Mat Jackson – Motorbase Performance – Ford Focus ST – Mountune/Ford
7 – Fabrizio Giovanardi – Motorbase Performance – Ford Focus ST – Mountune/Ford
44 – Jack Clarke – Motorbase Performance – Ford Focus ST – Mountune/Ford
33 – Adam Morgan – Ciceley Racing – Mercedes-Benz A-Class – Swindon/TOCA
80 – Tom Ingram – Speedworks Motorsport – Toyota Avensis – Swindon/TOCA
11 – Simon Belcher – Speedworks Motorsport – Toyota Avensis – Swindon/TOCA
101 – Rob Austin – Rob Austin Racing – Audi A4 – Swindon/TOCA
54 – Hunter Abbott – Rob Austin Racing – Audi A4 – Swindon/TOCA
39 – Warren Scott – Team BMR – Vauxhall Insignia – Swindon/TOCA
31 – Jack Goff – Team BMR – Vauxhall Insignia – Swindon/TOCA
9 – Alain Menu – Team BMR – Volkswagen CC – Swindon/TOCA
40 – Aron Smith – Team BMR – Volkswagen CC – Swindon/TOCA
48 – Ollie Jackson – Welch Motorsport – Proton Gen-2 – Welch/Proton-M
12 – Daniel Welch – Welch Motorsport – Proton Gen-2 – Welch/Proton-M
43 – Lea Wood – JWT Performance – Toyota Avensis – Swindon/TOCA
17 – Dave Newsham – AmD Tuning – Ford Focus ST – Mountune/Ford
67 – Robb Holland – Rotek Racing – Audi S3 Saloon – Swindon/TOCA
28 – Chris Stockton – BTC Racing – Chevrolet Cruze Hatchback – RML/Chevrolet
16 – Aiden Moffat – Aiden Moffat Racing – Chevrolet Cruze Saloon – RML/Chevrolet
20 – James Cole – United Autosports – Toyota Avensis – Xctechr/Toyota
21 – Glynn Geddie – United Autosports – Toyota Avensis – Xctechr/Toyota

Success Ballast

Colin Turkington +45kg
Gordon Shedden +36kg
Andrew Jordan +27kg
Jason Plato +18kg
Rob Collard +9kg

Timetable (All times BST)

Saturday
Free Practice 1: 09:30-10:10
Free Practice 2: 12:00-12:40
Qualifying: 15:45-16:15

Sunday
Race 1: 12:02 (15 Laps)
Race 2: 14:39 (15 Laps)
Race 3: 17:06 (15 Laps)