BTCC 2000 - Thruxton - Race 1
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00:00...by driving at Indianapolis.
00:02I enjoy the speed, because it's exhilarating to drive.
00:04It's a case of don't look at the scenery as you're going past.
00:09There are times you get scared in racing cars,
00:12and Troxler's most certainly one of those times.
00:14You know, every lap's a different event.
00:16The surface is not completely flat,
00:18so it gives you big moments sometimes.
00:21Oh, yeah. It gets a bit exciting in certain places.
00:25Because the car's moving a lot, like a wave's car.
00:29And it's really fun.
00:38It's so different from other tracks
00:39that it takes you about the first hour of practice
00:41just to re-acclimatise to the extra speed.
00:44I mean, our lap speeds are well over 100 miles an hour.
00:46Especially the fastest part, the Goodwood and the Kerch,
00:50is very, very nice to drive.
00:52When you come into the chicane at Thruxton,
00:54all you can see is the grandstands in your face,
00:57and you're wondering if you're going to make it around the corner.
01:01You watch before qualifying all the other circuits,
01:04and then you wander over to the toilets here.
01:06These are the busiest toilets with drivers packed out
01:09before qualifying every time they go on the circuit.
01:11I love this track.
01:13I wish the whole championship was here in Upton Park.
01:15It'd be nice. And Bronze Grand Prix.
01:17Proper tracks.
01:21Thruxton is murder on all the car's components,
01:24but one factor is more important than any other,
01:26and that is tyre wear.
01:27And that's because Thruxton gives the car's rubber an absolute belter.
01:34The speed's OK if you're in control,
01:36but if a tyre goes bang, as they've certainly been known to here,
01:40you're in for a pretty wild ride.
01:43There's nothing worse than, you know,
01:45being turned into Church 140 mile an hour
01:48and the front tyre departed.
01:50I think a cold sweat goes through you.
01:51It's a pretty unnerving thing
01:54when you're doing 130 mile an hour plus.
01:58For a tyre manufacturer,
02:00Thruxton is just as big a challenge as it is for the drivers.
02:06We made a special tyre just for this circuit.
02:09It's using more advanced materials in the construction.
02:12It is very secret, and you'll notice we'll count everyone out of our trucks
02:15and count them all back to make sure we've got them.
02:18But they are designed to cope specifically with this circuit,
02:21with the new surface.
02:22Everything's been taken into consideration,
02:24including if it gets even hotter than it is now.
02:27Everybody's trying to make sure that we don't have a problem,
02:30that it's safe, really, and, of course, use exciting racing.
02:37Yvonne Muller knows all about the pitfalls of Thruxton.
02:39He's been bitten by it more than once.
02:42And the track is faster this year, but it's also smoother, fewer bumps.
02:46So what part of that is actually making the track quicker?
02:49There is two parts.
02:50First, the surface is brand-new,
02:52and normally on the new surface, the grip is very high.
02:56And also because now we don't feel so much the bump like last year.
03:00So there is two reasons we take the speed.
03:03So we're coming down to a corner like Church,
03:05which is the mother of all corners, the fastest corner in Britain.
03:09You don't go through any corner faster than here.
03:11What's the difference in speed now?
03:13Yeah, for sure, it's the most expensive corner, I would say,
03:16because for my grey hair.
03:18And this corner is very, very exciting.
03:21Now, it's nearly flat in sixth gear.
03:24The speed in this corner is 140 miles per hour, more or less.
03:30But you have to be very smooth with the steering wheel.
03:33It's quite hard for the neck.
03:34And it's very exciting and very nice.
03:37Nearly flat out, not completely flat out.
03:40Nearly flat out.
03:41I think we can do flat out,
03:43but it's too big a risk to lose the time to do this
03:48because sometimes you can have a big oversteer
03:50because there's still some bump.
03:52I passed two, three times flat out,
03:54but I noticed it was not really a big gain.
03:58And the gain was too small compared to the risk.
04:01And the grey hair.
04:02Exactly.
04:04And if you're wondering why we're talking to Ivan
04:05about the fastest way around Thruxton,
04:08well, consider this.
04:09Only a week ago at Donington,
04:11the Vauxhalls were in the middle of the pack.
04:12They were also Rands.
04:13Now, well, they're the car to beat.
04:16Only a week later.
04:17Go figure.
04:19At Donington, Ford dominated qualifying,
04:22took a one, two, three in the sprint,
04:24and won the feature despite heaps of success ballast.
04:27But at Thruxton, things had changed.
04:29Ricard Rydell got a second for the sprint,
04:32but that aside, it was glum faces and perplexional round.
04:36Compare and contrast with Vauxhall.
04:39Their best grid position last week was seventh.
04:42Yet Ivan Muller had taken pole for the sprint.
04:45And before that, Jason Plato headed a one, two, three
04:50for the feature race.
04:51Try asking Ford the secret,
04:53because Vauxhall sure wasn't letting on.
04:58I can't tell you exactly because I'm not driving a Vauxhall,
05:00so I don't know what their car is like.
05:01But what happens is that some cars perform better on some circuits.
05:05Maybe to have the 40 kilos is a bit of a disadvantage at Thruxton.
05:08Maybe, you know, their car is quite good on the fast corners.
05:12And that's how it's going to be.
05:13This championship is so close.
05:15It's very competitive and we are all very evenly matched.
05:22Of the others, Honda took its turn playing catch-up.
05:25Donington hero Gabriele Tarquini
05:27had to play second fiddle to Tom Christensen.
05:32While former Nissan man David Leslie
05:34sat in for the still injured James Thompson.
05:37My task for myself is to finish the two races.
05:40Score points in both races.
05:42Basically finish as high up as I can.
05:44The idea is not to block my copy book and be a good boy for this.
05:54The Vauxhalls are supposed to be the cars to beat around here,
05:57but for the sprint race at least,
05:58Ivan Muller is the only Vauxhall driver
06:00who's managed to swim his way upstream
06:02all the way to the front row of the grid.
06:04He's actually surrounded by Fords.
06:06Got Ricard Rydell alongside him on the front row
06:08and right behind him, Anthony Reid.
06:10So for the first couple of corners at least,
06:12Ivan's going to have his hand...
06:13Alongside Ricard Rydell on the first of the Fords.
06:16Anthony Reid and Vincent Rademacher make up row two.
06:19And surprisingly, championship leader Menuhin and Plato on row three.
06:23Row four sees lead independent Matt Neal
06:25and the first of the Hondas, Tom Christensen.
06:27Row five is all Hondas, Tarquini and Leslie,
06:30and then class B runners Morrison and the Peugeot,
06:32Lemmer and the Honda, James Cairn, his Honda,
06:35and finally, Colin Blair after a troublesome practice.
06:38And the revs are up, ready for a start.
06:40Muller jumps away cleanly. Nice start from him.
06:42Reid looks as though he's getting away well.
06:45Muller, Reid up the inside of Rydell.
06:47Yes, it looks like Anthony Reid has already picked up a spot
06:50into the first corner.
06:52Over the top through Allards.
06:54That's Rademacher right behind them.
06:56Into the complex for the first time.
06:57Reid right behind Muller.
06:59Rydell trying his Swedish shuffle around the outside,
07:01but it won't work because Reid cuts it off.
07:04Reid tries to move across to the inside,
07:06has a lunge, but Muller can't do it.
07:07So through the first set of complexes,
07:10and it's Muller from Reid, from Rydell.
07:11Here's Rademacher in fourth.
07:14Now towards Noble.
07:17Tyre still cold, first lap.
07:18Really got to concentrate here, looking for a way through.
07:21That's Rydell ahead of us,
07:22and Rademacher is trying to squeeze his way through there.
07:24Rademacher really on a charge early,
07:26heading down the church now.
07:28Now here's the third of our fours,
07:29El Emenu in fifth place.
07:32That's Rademacher. We're coming into church corner,
07:34trying to squeeze through there.
07:35That's not going to work, but it was very, very close enough.
07:37El Emenu aggressive in the opening lap.
07:40Very brave of El Emenu, but of course, this Thruxton circuit,
07:43freshly resurfaced, tons of grip,
07:46and a punt on the inside like that clearly was on for Emenu.
07:49Well, is this on for Plato?
07:50This is Jason Plato right behind El Emenu.
07:53Emenu might be on the charge, but he's on the thread as well.
07:55Through the complex and across the start-finish line
07:58for the first time.
07:59Plato really putting him under pressure,
08:00but up at the front, it's Muller.
08:02Then it's Reid.
08:04Through a hard corner, that's a tricky one.
08:05Then it's Riedel, Emenu now.
08:07We're looking back. There's the battle ahead of us.
08:09That's Rademacher up in front, coming into the complex.
08:13Having a look down the inside,
08:15Rademacher to the left of us, and he's tagged him.
08:17Well, that's one way.
08:18One box all down, two to go.
08:20Well, we may have had the Snooker World Championship on TV,
08:22but this is Muda Racing's version of that sport.
08:25Well, trying to regroup now.
08:26We're on board with Rademacher,
08:28trying to work out what on earth that was all about.
08:30Now, Emenu is ahead of us.
08:31In through Noble Corner, obviously not.
08:34Get out of that, my friend.
08:36Just get out of the way.
08:37Well, Vincent Rademacher's going to develop a complex
08:40if he's not careful. He's just been head-butted by Emenu.
08:43Now, Plato's on the horn,
08:44telling the team to get him out of the way.
08:46Let me pass him.
08:47Well, Jason, of course, wants to get into contact
08:49with the lead group as soon as possible,
08:51and Rademacher really is the number three driver
08:53in the box-all team.
08:59On board with Rademacher down the back straight.
09:01Plato's lurking around here somewhere.
09:02There's the fellow that just knocked him off ahead of us,
09:04Al Emenu, into the complex.
09:07Turning in, he's very close to Emenu now.
09:08He's trying to have a lunge. That's it, boy.
09:10Have a run back at him.
09:11Plato right on Rademacher's bumper.
09:13Meantime, this is very, very busy for box-all.
09:17Across the strike again.
09:18Plato looking as though he's trying to line up Rademacher.
09:21Through Allards.
09:22And he's really, really on attack mode,
09:24and it doesn't look at this stage
09:25as though Rademacher's giving him any space at all.
09:28Now, here's a view back.
09:29We're on board with Matt Neal, and this is Tarquini lunging at us.
09:32Oh, you can feel that.
09:34Matt Neal's been the victim of many of the factory teams so far this year,
09:38and nothing's really gonna change.
09:39Where are they? Well, there they are.
09:41There's Tarquini. We're looking back at him.
09:42And look, right behind this, Christensen.
09:44Now, we're on board with Tarquini.
09:46He's got his teammate Christensen behind,
09:48and Matt Neal, the quarry, dead ahead.
09:50Through Noble Corner.
09:52Rocking on the suspension really quickly now.
09:54Can he hold it in tight, Tarquini?
09:56He's trying so hard to get a tighter line through there
09:59and a run down the church, but I reckon he slowed himself up in the process.
10:02Yes, he got too close to the back of the Nissan,
10:04lost a little bit of aerodynamic in the front,
10:06had to back out of the throttle to check the car,
10:08and there's the result.
10:09He didn't only lose aerodynamic, he lost a place.
10:13A bit of tag team going on here.
10:14Okay, I've had a lunge at him.
10:16Tarquini, I've softened him up.
10:17Now, Christensen, you go and see what you can do with Neal.
10:20Now, talking of softening up, there goes Jason Plato.
10:22Rademacher moves to the side.
10:24His indicator is on, so that wasn't a forced pass.
10:27He let him through. Manners are breaking out all over the place this afternoon.
10:30Well, we've got Müller and Plato and Rademacher
10:33fighting for this championship for Vauxhall,
10:35but really, Müller and Plato are the two drivers
10:37that the team are focusing upon.
10:40Well, as they form an orderly queue in the Vauxhall team,
10:42they're doing much the same up the front with Ford.
10:45There's Alain Meunier. Now, Plato, can he get any closer?
10:47Remember, there's a little bit of a score to settle here
10:50because Rademacher was nerfed by Meunier only a lap ago.
10:53Rademacher will be thinking to himself,
10:55okay, you go and sort him out, Jason,
10:56see if you can catch him up and return the favour.
10:59Out onto the back of the circuit, and I'll tell you what,
11:01that Vauxhall of Jason Plato, that red car there,
11:03looks pretty quick on this part of the track.
11:05He looks as though he's really putting Meunier under pressure.
11:07They've somehow found a performance with the car at Thruxton.
11:10It looks good. I'm sure for the driver, it feels good.
11:13Well, it's all very neat because we've got Reid in the first Ford,
11:16Rydell in the second Ford, Meunier in the third.
11:18Don't forget, there's a fella called Müller way up the front
11:20in the lead Vauxhall, and look,
11:22there's Jason Plato in the second of the Vauxhall,
11:24and he's thrown the tow rope on the back of Meunier's car.
11:26He's getting hauled down the back straight.
11:28They're doing 150 miles an hour.
11:30They're about to hit a very nasty circaine.
11:32Time to brake, boys.
11:34Hard under brakes, belches of smoke out of the back of the Plato Vauxhall.
11:38I don't know if that was tyre smoke or engine smoke.
11:40Now, meantime, Matt Neil, it's getting busier and busier.
11:43He's trying to get through the complex
11:44just when you thought it was safe to get back in the water.
11:47Menacing-looking Honda of Tom Christensen
11:49munching all over the back of Neil's Nissan.
11:53Across the start-finish line again. This is a real headache for Neil.
11:56Yeah, Matt Neil's trying to look forward,
11:57but he's being forced to look at his mirror all the time,
12:00and he's not getting any second anywhere on the track to relax.
12:03Well, there's a guy's mirrors that are very full.
12:05That's Alain Meunier in the Ford
12:07because he's got Jason Plato crawling all over the back of him,
12:09right behind the pair of them,
12:10as the men were on board with Rademacher.
12:13Remember, only a couple of laps back, he was tapped by Meunier.
12:15He'll be sitting in the box seat now, thinking,
12:17OK, Plato, go and settle the score for me.
12:19But he's actually looking very quick.
12:21Rademacher looks as though he's almost challenging.
12:23He's as quick as Plato.
12:24Well, he seems to be taking a much better line
12:26through Goodwood Corner,
12:27giving himself more exit speed on the run down into Church.
12:30But, of course, Team Auditor Rodion plays.
12:33Well, he's got a great view.
12:34Belts of smoke from Plato's car as they're through Church.
12:37So quickly. New surfers on this track.
12:40They're pushing 140.
12:41That's a very, very difficult corner at the best of times.
12:44Running in close proximity to other competitors, it's frightening.
12:49A couple of smoke. The blue smoke is tyre smoke.
12:51The grey smoke, as you can see,
12:53is engine smoke out of the back of Plato's Vauxhall.
12:56In formation through the chicane, across the start-finish line.
12:59Now, this is where Plato starts to look strong.
13:01This is where he looks as though he can line up Menuh through Allards,
13:04over the back of the circuit, over the brow of that hill,
13:07then down into the next complex.
13:08What can he do?
13:09Menuh defends, covers the inside.
13:11I think that was tyre and engine smoke.
13:13Yeah, he really had to get left-hand dyne
13:15to avoid hitting the back of Menuh.
13:17The back step died, but he got it all in this time.
13:20Tagged him! That was as close as you like.
13:22Plato gives him a left hook
13:24and then almost gives him a right jab as well
13:26as Menuh slides back across the track.
13:28So lucky not to get cleaned up by Plato on the rebound.
13:31But here's all the action between Cobb and Seagrave.
13:34Plato tags Menuh on the rear corner.
13:36At the boost on balance, Menuh spins across the grass,
13:39cuts across the racetrack and, oh, well,
13:41you'll never get closer than that without contact.
13:44And a wry smile goes across the face of Vincent Rademacher,
13:47who thinks to himself,
13:48that's my big brother, Jason. He'll sort out the score.
13:50You hit me, Alain, and Jason will sort you out back again.
13:53Now, talking about being sorted out, here's Christensen...
13:55Hang on. Christensen slowing.
13:57That was Christensen, who's been menacing the back of Matt Neal's car.
14:00Looks like he's got a big problem.
14:01Yeah, that left-front tyre has just blown midway
14:03between Church and the chicane.
14:05That just forces the loads on the left-front side of the car.
14:08Too much for Christensen's Honda.
14:10Well, don't smile too much, Matt,
14:11because you've still got Tarquini to deal with.
14:14There's Matt now, and he's actually on a bit of a charge
14:16because he's closing up onto the back of that pair.
14:19The Proxor's ahead now. We're on board with Tarquini.
14:22He's chasing Neal, and ahead of Neal is Rademacher and Plato.
14:26In through the first part of the complex.
14:30The middle section, this is the important part,
14:31where they need to get the power down
14:33so they can have maximum momentum onto the back straight.
14:35Matt Neal's slithering out of the back end of that complex.
14:38Now, here's Christensen.
14:39Left-front off. New one on.
14:41Car back, I'd put, of course, in a 16-lap sprint for his APS.
14:44Really, all he can do is just drive to the finish.
14:47I told you so.
14:48This is the view from Matt Neal's car, and now it's Tarquini.
14:51How many Hondas are out there, he's thinking to himself.
14:53Every time I turn around, there's another one
14:55wanting to take a piece out of the back of my car.
14:57Through the complex, through the chicane, rather,
14:59and across the strike again.
15:01Out over the back of the circuit, Tarquini on board with him.
15:04Matt Neal is much closer this time, and he's squirming.
15:06Yeah, Matt's braking very hard on the steering wheel.
15:08You can see the front wheels one way, then the other.
15:10But look at this down in the complex.
15:12After you yet again, but Matt Neal won't be saying,
15:14that's a Tarquini. That's the difference.
15:17One teammate, there you go.
15:18Jason Plato was let through by Rademacher in real racing,
15:20which is following.
15:22Now, Matt Neal defends and stops the guy on the Honda trying to pass.
15:25That's the difference.
15:26But I'll tell you what, Tarquini is going to pass at this rate.
15:28He's really, really nearing.
15:30Well, watching Matt Neal looking behind him, rather than looking ahead,
15:33Tarquini's got the advantage.
15:35This is the part of the circuit a couple of laps back, remember,
15:37where Tarquini brought himself undone.
15:39He had a little bit of a lunge at Matt Neal
15:41through that very fast right-hander,
15:42and lost all his momentum, and Christensen got through.
15:45Christensen is now out of the equation.
15:46He's in the back of the field after his blown tyre.
15:49Now it's up to Tarquini. What can he do?
15:50Through Church Corner again.
15:52Here are the two sashaying Vauxhalls.
15:54It's Jason Plato and Rademacher still very much in touch, Waddy.
15:58This is the duel for fifth position.
16:01It's the first time this year we've seen the three Vauxhalls
16:02really run through equally all through a race.
16:05Feltchers of smoke out of those Vauxhalls
16:07as they go down through the gears into the brakings.
16:09And I'll tell you what, they'd never pass an MOT like that.
16:12On board with Tarquini,
16:13trying to catch Neal across the start-finish line again.
16:16And he's getting closer as they come into our launch.
16:18But watch the Nissan.
16:19Looked terrible last time through.
16:21A little bit better this time.
16:22Very, very focusing, though, for Matt Neal,
16:24because the car's rocking all over the place,
16:26and Tarquini has really got a bit of a role on.
16:28What can he do?
16:29Hangs wide, tries to carry speed through.
16:31This is the middle part of the corner.
16:33Turns in. Oh, he felt the breeze from that one.
16:36Well, he couldn't get any closer without having contact.
16:39Tarquini got out of the throttlers.
16:40Matt just scythed his way across the front of the Honda.
16:43That's a manoeuvre we've seen Rydel do very successfully a few times.
16:47But now look at the gap. Tarquini's lost momentum again.
16:49We saw that open up when we looked back from Neal's car.
16:52Yeah, but wait until you see at the end of this lap.
16:54Now, Louise, further back as they come through Goodwood,
16:56all the way down through Church, up to the chicane.
16:59Tarquini will be back on the bootlid of the Nissan.
17:04Rademacher starting to lose a little bit of position now
17:07to his teammate, Plato.
17:08But remember this guy up the front of the field.
17:10This is Ivan Muller.
17:11He got away brilliantly from pole position,
17:13has been leading since the race began,
17:15and has got a very, very comfortable lap.
17:17It's a copybook drive by Muller,
17:19making it look extremely easy.
17:22In fact, it's really rather disappointing.
17:24Ivan Muller is the most spectacular Touring Car driver.
17:27And he's not giving as much spectacle, is he?
17:29No, he's not. He's making it all look too easy.
17:32But Richard Rydel's not making it look too easy.
17:34He's coming under a bit of pressure now
17:35from Jason Plato in the second of the box halls.
17:37There he is, Rydel on the left, Plato on the right, into the complex.
17:42Rydel moves to cover. Now, Plato has a lunge down the inside.
17:45Rydel's one right. I don't believe it.
17:47Plato has actually slipped through.
17:49Rydel has had the Swedish shuffle shuffled on him.
17:51Now Tarquini's trying exactly the same thing.
17:54But he's done it with braille.
17:55He's actually body-contacted himself and launched Matneil.
17:59Let's have a look again and see this incident.
18:01Tarquini, he dives down to the left.
18:03Matneil cuts across the way he did in one lap.
18:06But this time, the contact is inevitable.
18:09Now, who's recovered from that?
18:10We're on board with Matneil looking back,
18:12stretching ahead, so he's still rolling.
18:14I don't know what happened to Tarquini.
18:15He went to the beaches after that on the infield.
18:17Don't know if he's restarted.
18:19Muller, meantime, is about to go through the complex for the last time
18:23and take this race out.
18:24Anthony Reid is in second position.
18:25Here's more action. They're fighting all the way to the wire.
18:28That was Rademacher trying to sneak around the outside of Rydel.
18:31Couldn't do it. But Muller first. Reid second.
18:34And what a drive from Jason Plato.
18:35Muscles his way up into third position.
18:37And Rydel hangs on to fourth.
18:40Real balance in the result, though.
18:42A perfect shuffle between Vauxhall and Ford.
18:44Vauxhall, Ford, Vauxhall, Ford, Vauxhall in the top five.
18:47Muller, great drive start to finish.
18:49Anthony Reid capitalised on a brilliant start.
18:51Then Plato, Ricard Rydel,
18:53and then Rademacher rounding up the top five.
18:55Remember, Alan Menuh was in that lead bunch of Fords
18:58until he's coming together with Plato in the middle of the race.
19:00David Leslie is the lead Honda home.
19:02Matneil, the lead independent in the Nissan.
19:04Then the walking wounded, Menuh and Christensen.
19:09You had to be careful, I guess, with all those Fords milling around you.
19:12You were on your own on the front row.
19:13Yeah, I was a bit worried in the first corner with two Fords behind me,
19:17but it was perfect.
19:19I make also a really good start.
19:23Then I had a bit of space in the first corner, which helped me a bit.
19:27So what's it like racing on this track?
19:29We were talking about the speed of it in qualifying.
19:32Is it different in a race pace?
19:34Yeah, it's very different.
19:35You know, last year, this circuit, I really hated this circuit last year.
19:39Now I love it.
19:41Fair enough, Ivan.
19:42Of Ivan Muller, a huge golden trophy and a massive French smile.
19:47Well, we've got to learn about tyre wear, what's going to happen this afternoon.
19:51They've only got the feature race to go by so far, haven't they?
19:53Yeah, and again, it's...
19:57Tyre wear, what's going to happen this afternoon?
19:59They've only got the feature race to go by so far, haven't they?
20:02Yeah, and again, it's territory that's unknown because it's a long race.
20:06Determining where you make your pit stops is going to be critical.
20:08If you want to come in early, get back out on a clear track,
20:11which might be the smart thing to do,
20:12but your second set of tyres is going to have to go a long way
20:15on a track where teams have really not got that expertise.
20:18So it is a gamble, which could actually work to the advantage of us
20:21because we might just see something happening we hadn't expected.
20:25We're going to even see Class B cars having to pit
20:28because they're really struggling for tyre wear.
20:29Yeah, they are. I mean, for some reason,
20:31they've got a different tyre, a different size of tyre,
20:33a different compound of tyre, and they're really struggling.
20:35I mean, towards the end of the 16-lap sprint race,
20:38Alan Morrison's tyre was just on the very edge.
20:41Now, these cars don't stop mandatorily,
20:44but they may have to stop out of choice.
20:45But they've got to get the old wheel and brace out
20:47and do the four nuts on the underside.