Andrew Jordan expects odds to be even in extended BTCC race

Andrew Jordan qualified as the best-placed BMW for Race 1 at Snetterton, and the top rear-wheel drive car for the 60-mile Diamond Double event, but says it won’t be as easy a ride as some are saying for the rear-wheel drive cars.

Jordan put his West Surrey Racing BMW 125i M Sport sixth on the grid for the special one-off race at 17:15 BST tomorrow, which will run over an extended 20 laps on the 2.97 mile circuit.

“I’m really happy with that,” said Jordan to TouringCarTimes. “With everyone running the same weight, I think it shows the ultimate pace, with us being the top rear-wheel drive and six-tenths off,” he added.

“My target was to be the top BMW, and we need to convert this into some good results tomorrow – if we stay smart I think we’re in a good position.”

With the rear-wheel drive cars known to look after their tyres over a distance, Jordan was quick to challenge the belief that they would have a significant advantage in tomorrow’s special event race.

“Everyone’s saying that (the rear-wheel drives will have an advantage), but if you look at Thruxton where the front-wheel drive cars used to drop off a cliff, they don’t these days,” he explained.

“We’ll see; I think we’ll be strong at the end of the race, but we can hurt our rear tyres just as well as the front-wheel drives can hurt their fronts. We’re in a strong position, but we need to just stay smart.”