BTCC 2000 - Oulton Park - Race 2
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00:00Lead independent Matt Neil will be hoping for some clear air in this
00:04afternoon's feature race after all the events of race one and he's in a great
00:08position to get it because just look where he is he's actually on the front
00:11row of the grid now remember Matt was the first independent ever to win a
00:15round of the British Touring Car Championship he did it last year at
00:18Donington now he's not going to win this afternoon if this guy's got anything to
00:21do with it Tom Christensen in the Honda great performance from Tom his first
00:25pole in the BTCC now have to put my hand up at this time and say they did get a
00:29little bit lucky because the original pole sitter was none other than LM Menu
00:33but he and his teammate Ricard Rydell they've been slung out kicked up the
00:37back of the field for a technical infringement I'll tell you what Waddy
00:39it's going to be a race in itself watching those two come through the
00:42field. With the lights all Tom Christensen's his first pole position of
00:46the year and also the first front row for Matt Neil in the lead independent
00:50Nissan. Anthony Reid's a little bit happier on row two even though he's
00:54still got those 40 kilograms on board alongside Jason Plato in the first of
00:58the Vauxhalls. James Thompson and Vincent Rademacher are in row three. The third of
01:03the Vauxhalls with Ivan Muller and Tarquini in row four. Colin Blair in his
01:08independent Nissan and lead class B James Kaye in his Honda Accord. Morrison
01:12and Collar are row six. Norton and Lemmer make up row seven. And finally on row eight
01:18with their now legal front wings Menu and Rydell.
01:23Ready for a start and Christensen creeping a bit and he's away. Nice start from him.
01:27Anthony Reid away well too and watch for those boards flying through the field
01:32remember there are two of them up the back and there's one of them up the
01:34front holding up everybody. And look that's Matt Neil and Jason Plato. Jason you want some son you can have some back.
01:40Plato and Matt Neil just swapping paint with each other into the first corner
01:44down the Cascades. There is Matt Neil. Plato right behind him. That's James
01:48Thompson sliding just underneath Ivan Muller. Getting the power on down to the
01:53back of the circuit now. Streaming down.
01:57Gives the hairpin for the first time. Let's hope we get through here cleanly. Here's where we had
02:00trouble in race one. There's Ivan Muller. James Thompson just sliding to the
02:04inside. Muller thinks to himself not in your life son I'm not gonna get hit twice
02:07in two races in this corner. But Christensen clearly in the lead. Great
02:12start from him. And what a difference a grid position makes. Christensen just cleared
02:16away. Matt Neil of course dropped front place to Anthony Reid but remember he's still an
02:19independent privately owned family run car.
02:23Through the chicane and a lovely sideways maneuver there from Ivan Muller. Look at where those
02:28fords are as well. Already up to the back of Tarquini. Very impressive from Menuhin
02:33Rydell but they're on a mission. And that mission is to get as far up as soon as
02:36possible then use the pit stops to give themselves track position and hopefully
02:40get into one of the top three positions.
02:44Jason Plato in the red box all behind Matt Neil in the red Nissan.
02:49Now we're on board with Gabriele Tarquini and that is a ford slipping underneath us.
02:53Very very wide there in the launch. Yes maybe just over braking into large but a
02:57large menu to slide through. And the body language of the car that says one thing
03:02to me that's purpose. He wants those positions now. And look Rydell goes through as well.
03:07Well we talked to Gabriele before about getting through at launch but it was actually
03:12passing not being passed. Maybe a problem for the spirited Italian. He doesn't
03:16usually give up positions that easily but he's dropped back a couple already to the
03:20fords. Now we're on board with Ivan Muller. Ahead of us is James Thompson.
03:24Now what did he do? Muller taking the wide line into that hairpin trying to tuck back.
03:28Let's have a look at the horsepower advantage up the hill.
03:31And look at the spurt of that Honda. Yeah I mean the line that Thompson took it was very
03:36defensive. Muller went one way then back the other way but just doesn't have the grunt where it counts.
03:40And that's up the hill. How did that happen Ben?
03:43A sea of red cars coming down the hill. That's Muller in the Vauxhall.
03:47Sideways again. Looks terrific. Rademacher his teammate right behind. Very much in touch with James Thompson.
03:52And not far behind them a couple of menacing fords coming over the crest of the hill.
03:56There they are. Menu is the first of them. Rydell is the second. Remember they started off the back of the grid.
04:01They were excluded. Menu originally was the pole sitter in this race.
04:05Now here's another busy Ford driver. Once again it's Anthony Reid.
04:09And once again it's Matt Neal chasing him. And this is the view back from Matt Neal's car.
04:13Because Jason Plato is desperate to have a piece of it.
04:16And Jason Plato I would think will not take too long. He's not going to be hung back by Matt Neal.
04:20He's not going to sit behind a car all race.
04:23He'll want to go through quickly and get as much air between himself and teammate Muller.
04:27Soon as he won't have to back off.
04:29It'll be one to watch. They're both rough tough boys. They both think he can make finesse with a sledgehammer.
04:33And they're going down through Cascades. Jason Plato trying to line him up.
04:37And Anthony Reid. That's a real concertina.
04:40And don't believe it again. Morrison failed again.
04:44Exactly the same place on the track. Yes it is. Big disappointment.
04:47And Muller. Oh that felt so good he thinks to himself.
04:51Someone got me in the backside in the first race. I'll see how it feels.
04:54Headbutting James Thompson out of the way in the hairpin.
04:57And Frenchman Ivan Muller said no it wasn't my fault. He backed into me.
05:02That felt much better being the hitter than the hitty I'm sure.
05:05And look at the front of that car. That was actually pretty cheeky.
05:08Just knuckled into the back of Thompson.
05:10I don't know whether he just carried too much speed in.
05:12But either way it was a reasonably firm hit.
05:14And actually demoted James Thompson one spot.
05:17Now we're on board with James and ahead of us is the hitter.
05:20This could be interesting. A bit of score settling looming.
05:23The double right hander Druids.
05:26Along this back straight.
05:28That's faster part of the track almost as anywhere.
05:30And then down into Lodge Corner where we talk with Gabriele Tauquini
05:33about where you brake and where you don't overbrake to land in that gravel.
05:36James Thompson is really very close to the back of Ivan Muller now.
05:40But as we can see our mate Christensen is way out in front.
05:43James Thompson P6. It's all done for us.
05:47Now there is Muller. There is Thompson.
05:49Christensen, Reid and Neal are the top three.
05:51Matt Neal the independent in the top third position.
05:53Then Plato, Muller and James Thompson as we can see rounding out the top six.
05:58Riccardo Adel is in ninth and Menu eighth.
06:00Not bad going what he's seeing. They did start right off the back.
06:03Well they certainly gobbled up the hors d'oeuvres.
06:05Now they're going to get into the meat and two veg of this race.
06:07And that's going to be a bit more challenging.
06:09Jason Plato trying a different line around the back of Matt Neal.
06:13And there's James Thompson up to his armpits and voxels.
06:16Now it's Rademacher under the back of him.
06:18As he goes through the hairpin and back up and over the hill again.
06:22Plenty of drive out of that corner for Rademacher.
06:24He's very much in touch with Thompson.
06:25Thompson is really pressuring.
06:26That's Muller with a bit in front of his car.
06:28That's Thompson right behind him.
06:30And Rademacher right behind him.
06:32Through the chicane getting the power on.
06:34Muller looked to get through there a little bit better than Rademacher.
06:37And then the spectre of the two Fords coming up behind.
06:40As KSB leader Alan Morrison for the second time this afternoon retires.
06:44One would suspect the same as the first time a gearbox problem.
06:47It's a fast car but it's proving frail.
06:49It's a disappointment because that car ought to be leading the championship by a comfortable margin.
06:53And just small issues have taken it out.
06:55And Alan Shunter-Brands didn't help either.
06:57Well this isn't a comfortable margin at all.
06:59This is Muller's margin over James Thompson.
07:03And Thompson is very much still in touch with him.
07:05Over through dearly.
07:06One of the voxels in already.
07:08And that is Muller.
07:09Very early stop for the Frenchman in the voxel.
07:12Let's see what his rationale is.
07:14Car comes to a stop.
07:16The front of the car only goes up.
07:18Left and right change.
07:20Let's see the clock.
07:21Let's see the clock.
07:225.4 seconds.
07:23Good job by the voxel team.
07:25I don't know whether that was a scheduled stop or whether he flat spotted his tyres in the
07:29continental he had earlier with James Thompson.
07:31But either way a very early stop.
07:33Now here's the second of the voxels.
07:35Jason Plato which will now be the lead voxel.
07:37And he is still very much at play with Matt Neil in the Nissan.
07:40But Jason Plato is the wily of the two in terms of racing.
07:43He's the man that will get the job done.
07:45But of course he doesn't want to stay behind Matt Neil too long either.
07:48Track position.
07:50Very close to us now.
07:51This is the view back from Matt's car.
07:53Jason hunting us.
07:54You can see how tight that Knickerbrook chicane is.
07:56They go all the way down to second gear.
07:58Wash off all the speed.
07:59And this is the drag back up Clay Hill.
08:01Not a lot in it power-wise.
08:03I think the Nissan's got the slight advantage.
08:05But Plato really just drives that voxel a little bit harder than Matt Neil does in the Nissan.
08:10And that just balances out the difference between the two cars.
08:13Matt dancing around that corner there.
08:15The Druid's double right-hander.
08:17Down the back straight into Lodge Corner.
08:19Nicely covered.
08:20Moves to the inside to make sure Plato can't get a look.
08:22Here's the view from Plato's car.
08:24What can he do?
08:25Matt moves to cover.
08:26This is what he can do.
08:27He's pitting.
08:28Yeah, a good move from Plato.
08:29He decided, I'm not going to get past quickly.
08:31I'll dive into the pits.
08:33Put on my fresh rubber.
08:34Find clear track position.
08:36Stops the car now again.
08:38Front's only been changed.
08:39Jacked up.
08:40Wheels on.
08:41Clock ticking away.
08:42Not as quick.
08:43Well, just about the same time.
08:44At the same time, Rickard Rydell comes in.
08:46The whole car gets jacked up.
08:47Front and rear.
08:49Looks like it's going to cost him a few tenths of a second.
08:516.52 against 5.48.
08:54Now, I don't think that's because the whole car was jacked up.
08:56I think just Vauxhall are doing a great job in the pits at the minute.
09:00Now, the question is with Vauxhall, though,
09:02are they actually having their pit stops enforced
09:04because of track circumstance?
09:06Or do you reckon they were actually trying to get out this early in any case?
09:09I think it's really more to get track position.
09:11Plato saw he wasn't going to get past Neil that quickly.
09:13Muller made the same decision.
09:15So, let's go in.
09:16Try and find ourselves a clear bit of track.
09:18Make up the time that we would have lost if we'd stayed out any longer.
09:21And hope that Matt, Neil, and the rest of the field get it wrong.
09:24Well, there's the third Vauxhall that has not got a clear piece of track.
09:27And Vincent Rademacher.
09:28And he was harrying the back of James Thompson's Honda.
09:31That's the man to remember, though.
09:32Tom Christensen in yet another Honda.
09:34He's our race leader.
09:36Second Honda in.
09:37Gabriele Tarquini.
09:38Again, the front only being changed.
09:41Honda, that high jacked up position.
09:43Honda say it doesn't cost us time.
09:45Usually it looks like it, but 5.64 seconds.
09:48Good job from Honda as well.
09:50Pulling down the pit lane.
09:53Let's see where that leaves his track position.
09:57Big squirm under power as he stands on the gas.
10:02Just coming out in front of Richard Rydell on the board.
10:06And there's Mr Blair, our second Michelin Cup independent runner.
10:10Big tyre smoke from him as he leaves.
10:12Now, here's Rydell.
10:13And as we know, ahead of us is Tarquini.
10:19Tom Christensen, certainly in the feature race super.
10:22Never been headed.
10:23Got a clear track ahead of him.
10:24Can decide when he wants to come in.
10:27But he must make it before the end of lap 21,
10:29because that's when the pit stop window closes.
10:32On board with Rydell.
10:33Tarquini is ahead of us.
10:35Moving to cover.
10:36Coming down into Lodge Corner.
10:37Not covering well enough.
10:39Rydell has just slid straight through.
10:40A little bit of contact there.
10:41But that looked easy.
10:42Tarquini's had a number of cars go through into Lodge Corner.
10:44Maybe he's just not comfortable with his car there.
10:46But it seems so easy for all the other competitors.
10:49Alain Menu rejoins the track.
10:51Just ahead of Ivan Muller.
10:53Muller's our man in seventh position.
10:55On board with him now.
10:56Down through Cascades.
10:57That Ford looks very uncomfortable with cold tyres.
11:00Yeah, but brand new tyres in the front of a car.
11:02They're stone cold, remember.
11:04It's a bit like tramlining.
11:05The car really wants to take its own direction.
11:07Well, what's going to happen now?
11:08We've got a big right-hand turn.
11:11Side by side.
11:12That isn't going to work for Muller.
11:14Menu just holding on.
11:16He's just got to hang on to this until the tyres get warm.
11:19Yeah, I think once you get down to the hairpin,
11:21if you can maintain your position, then you're OK.
11:23Once you get up the hill, down the run, into the chicane,
11:25there's not much Muller's going to do now.
11:27Menu's got it under control,
11:28and Muller's going to have to live with that.
11:30Through the knickerbrook chicane.
11:32Jumping the kerbs.
11:33Now back on up Clay Hill.
11:37Ford has got plenty of mumbo.
11:39Once those tyres are hot, he's away.
11:41Sweeping left-hander here.
11:43Then they drop a couple of gears.
11:48Watching the man at work.
11:51Now ready for another Vauxhall pit stop.
11:53This is Rademacher.
11:55Vauxhall guy's got to work.
11:57Hunter guy's got to work.
11:58Let's watch the times.
11:59Rademacher in there.
12:004.48.
12:01Well, that is absolutely awesome.
12:035.56 for Thompson.
12:05Thompson, of course, was the first of the cars in.
12:07Rademacher makes up almost a second.
12:09But it's not enough to put him ahead of Thompson in the race.
12:12Blinding stop, though.
12:13Rademacher having a great day,
12:15and that's got to be the stop of the day.
12:17Now Rademacher has moved out right alongside of Muller.
12:20And now that Menu, and he's just ahead of Menu.
12:22Menu's trying to slide down the incline, and he does so.
12:25Menu slides past Rademacher, down through Cascades.
12:28Muller, who was in that battle, slides alongside him as well.
12:31Two Vauxhall side-by-side, one with cold tyres,
12:33the other with hot tyres, and lots of attitude,
12:35because he is in a battle with LM Menu.
12:38Rademacher very smoothly lets his team-mate through there.
12:41Vincent Rademacher is the number three driver of the team,
12:43and even Jason Plato gets priority over Vincent Rademacher.
12:46See what you were saying, though, John.
12:48You can see Rademacher's car still twitching.
12:50Yeah, under acceleration, the cars are scrambling for grip.
12:53One tyre gripping slightly more than the other
12:55and just pulls the car one way, then the other.
12:57It should level itself out in the space of half a lap,
13:00but for Rademacher, it's taking a bit longer.
13:02Very focusing half a lap as the car tries to steer from the rear,
13:06with hot rears and cold fronts.
13:09Menu, Muller.
13:13Very, very dirty, that Vauxhall.
13:15It is. It's not comfortable.
13:16A car that's set up to be slightly oversteery
13:18in normal race conditions,
13:20when you put it in balance of hot, cold tyres,
13:22it does make it focusing for that half lap or so.
13:25Now, we're on board with Muller.
13:26We're just passing Norden in the Class B,
13:29and coming across the start-finish line.
13:32Now, we've got Old Hall Corner next,
13:33the first corner after the pit straight.
13:37Very tight, tricky old bend,
13:39and then they go down Cascades, and it's all blind,
13:41and it's not a place to be blind
13:42when you've got poor old Mark Lemmer
13:44with these nasty Class A boys again.
13:46I don't know what Mark Lemmer's thoughts must be,
13:48but he must say,
13:49please, guys, I'm getting out of your way,
13:51but don't drive into me once again.
13:52Oh, did you see that with Van Muller?
13:54Watch me pull a rabbit out of her hat.
13:56How did he do that?
13:57Somehow slid past Lemmer,
13:58and in doing so, moves himself past Helen Menuh as well.
14:03There's an example of how to read an overtaking situation.
14:05Muller, the opportunist,
14:07Menuh just overran in the back of Lemmer,
14:09and that was the only opportunity that Muller needed.
14:12Through he went, job done.
14:15Pollard now being passed by this same group.
14:20Muller, let's see if he can capitalise on that.
14:22He's moving up to James Kay now, the lead Class B runner.
14:25There's Anthony Reid.
14:26He is yet to pit.
14:27You can see that because he's still got the yellow stripe
14:29under his name on the window.
14:30Remember that as a reminder.
14:32Once they've pitted, they take that strip off
14:34so we know where they're up to,
14:35and you guessed it.
14:37It's Matt Neil chasing him.
14:39I'd say this is a marriage made in heaven, these two.
14:42Matt Neil and Anthony Reid welded together.
14:44I think they'll have to share a car home.
14:46Now, meantime, our race leader is Tom Christensen,
14:48and he's very much on his own wadi.
14:50And he still hasn't made that pit stop.
14:52That sticker in the window says,
14:53I'm still on my original set of tyres,
14:55but he's got no need to make a pit stop.
14:57He can choose the opportunity when he wants.
14:59Alan Menue thinking to himself,
15:01will someone get these voxels out of my head?
15:03This is driving me mad.
15:04Muller's ahead of him and had just gone past him.
15:06Rademacher is now behind him,
15:08and now Rademacher is darting from one side to the other.
15:10I've got hot tyres, says Vincent.
15:12I want to play too now.
15:14Menue having to cover.
15:15He is not having an easy time at this.
15:16He did start off the back of the grid,
15:18but his progress has been slowed.
15:20Yeah, it was a very strong start indeed.
15:22Looked purposeful,
15:23but he still only managed to get up
15:25into the bottom half of the top ten.
15:27And all of a sudden,
15:28both voxel drivers are looking very menacing.
15:30A scalp Alan Menue.
15:31Wouldn't that be nice for Rademacher?
15:33Vincent Rademacher really with his tail up now.
15:36On the charge.
15:37Menue having to defend.
15:38Menue moving to the inside of the track.
15:40Rademacher having a look down the inside.
15:42Locks him up.
15:43Just kidding, Alan. Sorry.
15:44I'll tell you what,
15:45Menue was cute as a wagonload of monkeys.
15:47He tempted Rademacher to make that pass,
15:49then shut the door.
15:50Rademacher locked the brakes up mightily.
15:52Probably flat-spotted his tyres in the meantime.
15:54Back on board with Matt Neil.
15:58Yeah, James, you've got Matt Neil
16:00just exiting the pit now again on cold tyres.
16:02Well, there's the word from the pits.
16:04Thompson is coming up,
16:05and he knows he's been told
16:06that Neil's just coming out on cold tyres.
16:08There's Tomo, there's Neil.
16:09He's got three corners,
16:10basically to get the job done.
16:11Into Cascades, down the short,
16:13straight into the island hairpin bend.
16:15And then from there,
16:16down the rush, down into the chicane.
16:18Now, Thompson, look at the acceleration of the Honda.
16:20That's horsepower.
16:21And drive off the corner.
16:23A prey and predator.
16:25James Thompson, so much grip.
16:27He's going to drive around the outside.
16:28Matt Neil thinks,
16:29I don't think so.
16:30I'm going to hold the inside line.
16:33Tyres heating up all the time
16:34over the crest of the hill.
16:35There's a nasty chicane
16:36called Nickerbrook at the bottom.
16:37This is going to end in tears.
16:39Matt Neil defends.
16:40James trying to find a red on the outside.
16:42Kissing Wim Weeris.
16:43Just holds him off.
16:44Well done, Matt.
16:45That was good driving.
16:46You were courageous.
16:47You were purposeful.
16:48You did the right thing
16:49at the right time.
16:50It does look menacing,
16:51the front of that.
16:52I think it's the paint job
16:53on those Hondas.
16:54That and the headlights
16:55makes it look absolutely terrifying.
16:56Like some big brain
16:57trying to find us.
16:58Now, here's our race leader,
16:59Christensen,
17:00into the pits.
17:01Watch your pit lane.
17:02Speed limiter.
17:03We need a big push
17:04in this pit lane.
17:05Watch the limiter.
17:0640 miles an hour
17:07in the pit lane.
17:08Down to the Honda pits.
17:09Right at the end of the pit lane.
17:11Christensen pits late.
17:13Drives the car.
17:14Comes to a standstill.
17:15Car goes up again.
17:16Look at the height
17:17of the front of the car.
17:19Wheels on.
17:20Clock stops.
17:21Six seconds exactly.
17:22Quick enough.
17:23And the team didn't
17:24put themselves
17:25under pressure
17:26in the process.
17:27Push.
17:28Plato's coming up behind you.
17:29Don't let him through.
17:30Push hard.
17:31Push hard.
17:32Plato's beat you.
17:33Plato's beat you.
17:34Hold it.
17:35Christensen,
17:36the race engineer,
17:37vying for my job
17:38as commentator,
17:39explaining to us
17:40in no uncertain terms
17:41that Plato
17:42was bearing down on him.
17:43And there we can see it.
17:44Christensen ahead of us.
17:45Plato behind.
17:46But that indicator
17:47isn't saying pass me, is it?
17:48It's a dummy.
17:49I think he's trying
17:50to confuse Jason Plato.
17:51Probably as much
17:52as we're confused.
17:53But look at the advantage
17:54of Christensen.
17:55Oh, he locks it up.
17:56But can Plato cut back?
17:57That was as close
17:58as you like.
17:59Those tyres are cold.
18:00Plato now.
18:01Can he do it?
18:02Side by side.
18:03And they're trying
18:04to get a tow over the hill.
18:05Twitching all over the place
18:06from Christensen's car,
18:07like you said.
18:08Cold tyres make it
18:09unmanageable.
18:10But still enough
18:11drive for that Honda
18:12to just pull out
18:13an advantage.
18:14This is an important part.
18:15Cold tyres won't make
18:16this nigger
18:17pass.
18:18Well, it just looks
18:19like Christensen
18:20for the first time
18:21this race was under pressure
18:22from Plato
18:23into the hairpin bend.
18:24But he's got it back.
18:25He's in control
18:26and pulling away
18:27from Plato.
18:28Not all that much grip,
18:29though.
18:30That didn't look
18:31very comfortable.
18:32Little bit of understeer
18:33there from Christensen.
18:34Plato using all the kerbs
18:35and more.
18:36Looks stunning.
18:37Plato right on
18:38the ragged edge.
18:39Give that guy
18:40a quick car.
18:41He'd win this championship
18:42at a country mile.
18:43Well, he's got a chance
18:44to win this race.
18:45This guy has it,
18:46and he's off in
18:47quite a big way
18:48down the back
18:49of the circuit
18:50near the lake.
18:51Obviously,
18:52Colin's OK.
18:53But a big moment
18:54for him in any case.
18:55Now, here's a big moment
18:56for the Class B guys
18:57because they're getting
18:58driven all over
18:59by this battle
19:00between Matt Neal
19:01and James Thompson.
19:02We're looking back
19:03from Matt's car
19:04and James is still
19:05chasing it.
19:06Makes a change
19:07for Matt Neal
19:08to have pressure
19:09rather than be
19:10trying to apply
19:11the pressure
19:12as they come up
19:13now into this
19:14double-rider turn.
19:15Matt Neal
19:16in the middle of the
19:17middle lodge
19:18round the outside.
19:19Nowhere's impossible.
19:20Matt Neal's having
19:21a great drive.
19:22He's in fourth position
19:23outright.
19:24He's an independent
19:25and he's right up there
19:26near the sharp end
19:27of the pile of works cars.
19:28In through Lodge Corner
19:29and here comes
19:30James Thompson.
19:31He's on a hunt
19:32once again.
19:33He's not alongside
19:34as almost is he?
19:35Yes.
19:36Can't quite do it
19:37across the strike.
19:38Fist up in the air.
19:39He's frustrated.
19:40Matt's driving
19:41to defend.
19:42And we've even got
19:43Tim Harvey in the pits
19:44right on the boot
19:45of his driver.
19:46This is a great drive.
19:47Matt Neal in fourth.
19:48James Thompson in fifth.
19:49And there's Ivan Muller
19:50as if you needed to be told
19:51in sixth place
19:52in the red Vauxhall.
19:53They are as close as that.
19:54Down onto the back
19:55of the circuit.
19:56Now James Thompson
19:57looks as though
19:58he's lost a bit of momentum
19:59there.
20:00Muller's challenging.
20:01He's got to keep
20:02his eyes ahead of him.
20:03He's got to keep
20:04one eye on the mirror.
20:05He knows he's going
20:06to get tagged
20:07as they come into
20:08the hairpin bend
20:09but look Muller.
20:10You can see
20:11as he puts the power on.
20:12The front wheels
20:13are just losing
20:14a little bit of grip
20:15down through cascades.
20:16Still manfully leading
20:17Class B.
20:18He's just going to
20:19hang on to this.
20:20He's 11th position
20:21outright.
20:22Down into the hairpin.
20:23And James Kay
20:24a little bit clunky
20:25on the downshifts.
20:26These cars of course
20:27have got a regular gearbox
20:28not the sequential one
20:29of these cars
20:30the Superturos.
20:31Tom Christians
20:32is really on one there.
20:33The car getting
20:34all sorts of
20:35wandering attitude
20:36down through the
20:37back of the circuit.
20:38Yes, talk about
20:39a wandering attitude.
20:40That's Mark Norton
20:42taking to the grass
20:43and then pulling off.
20:44This is some sort
20:45of a problem.
20:46Look at that.
20:47Look at the oil lining
20:48straight.
20:49Huge bubble of oil
20:50trailing off the car.
20:51That's into the hairpin.
20:52Oh, look at that.
20:53There's somebody
20:54who's had the problem
20:55exactly the very problem
20:56we've seen.
20:57That oil slick
20:58that went down
20:59has caught out
21:00Jason Plato
21:01as well as one of
21:02the hunters ahead of him.
21:03Yes, that was a very
21:04big moment for Plato.
21:05Very, very quick
21:06down through there.
21:07Now, these guys
21:08are coming up
21:09on the same oil.
21:10Matt's been caught out
21:11as well.
21:12Matt's run deep.
21:13James has obviously
21:14seen a different line
21:15and tucked back through.
21:16Neil's recovered
21:17side by side.
21:18That's Rickard Rydell
21:19in the Ford.
21:20He is pulling off
21:21as well.
21:22Unrelated, I assume.
21:23Yes, Rydell's
21:24pulled off.
21:25He's come off
21:26at Cascades.
21:27He's taken the short
21:28loop down
21:29at the chicane
21:30but his day's work's
21:31over now as well.
21:32James Thompson
21:33has really made up
21:34a lot of time
21:35on Matt Neil.
21:36Matt getting caught out
21:37by that oil spill
21:38from Norton's car
21:40Climbing back up the hill.
21:41Oil should be off
21:42the tyres by now.
21:43I assume this part
21:44of the track is clean.
21:46There's our race leader
21:47Tom Christensen.
21:48I guess everybody
21:49will be on the radios
21:50warning everybody else
21:51about the oil.
21:52Talking about oil,
21:53look at the back
21:54of Christensen's car.
21:55He's turned on
21:56a 007 smoke screen.
21:57Big problems.
21:58Yeah, there's oil
21:59smoke now.
22:00That smoke looks
22:01to me as if it's oil
22:02dripping onto the
22:03exhaust system
22:04rather than an
22:05engine problem.
22:06We need to have
22:07a little look
22:08as well.
22:09This is an absolute
22:10nightmare for Christensen.
22:11He's our race leader.
22:12He's got such
22:13a good position.
22:14Now that's
22:15looking back
22:16from Matt Neil's car.
22:17Matt Neil has hit the oil
22:18for the second time
22:19and he's off.
22:20And Matt Neil's
22:21not only off,
22:22he's on the original
22:23Alton Park circuit
22:24all the way down
22:25to the hairpin bend
22:26which is miles away.
22:27That's a very long line.
22:28Now he's off the track
22:29doing some grass cutting.
22:30Drives back across
22:31the track.
22:32Now he's doing
22:33more grass cutting.
22:34Now he's going
22:35to get fogged.
22:36He'll refuse
22:37to let go of the
22:38oil at this rate.
22:39OK, now here's
22:40Tom Christensen
22:41means I'm back
22:42at the front
22:43of this oil.
22:44This is terrible.
22:45He's leading
22:46from Plato.
22:47His win is within
22:48grasp here and yet
22:49at the same time
22:50this looks like
22:51a really big problem.
22:52And he's laying
22:53huge black stripes
22:54all around the
22:55Alton Park circuit
22:56and that's oil.
22:57Has he got enough
22:58remaining in the car
22:59to finish this race?
23:00Well, there's
23:01Mark Norton.
23:02He's got a good
23:03view from down
23:04at the bottom
23:05of the track
23:06and this guy is
23:07playing plenty
23:08of oil of his own.
23:09We'll be able
23:10to see him soon
23:11to see whether
23:12they can pass him.
23:13Now where's the gap?
23:14He's only got this
23:15lap, he's on the
23:16last lap.
23:17Has he got enough
23:18to hang on?
23:19I think he's
23:20going to make it
23:21alright but the
23:22big worry I would
23:23have had for Tom
23:24Christensen is that
23:25he might have
23:26got onto the
23:27penultimate lap
23:28and then been
23:29flagged off
23:30because he's
23:31putting so much
23:32oil down
23:33in this circuit.
23:34You can only
23:35see the oil
23:36and it looks as
23:37though he's
23:38buttoning it
23:39off, just taking
23:40it nice and
23:41gently, coasting
23:42it home.
23:43Yes, he's decided
23:44he knows he's
23:45got the message.
23:46You can see
23:47the oil, the way
23:48it's slicked
23:49onto the
23:50boot lid of
23:51the car, it's
23:52gone from
23:53white to
23:54almost black.
23:55And he's
23:56got his
23:57headlights ablaze.
23:58He knows he
23:59can push it
24:00home from
24:01here.
24:02That's the
24:03last corner.
24:05Yeah.
24:11The
24:12EU makes it
24:13up to six, then
24:14Radamacher,
24:15Tarquinie,
24:16Neal and
24:17K in
24:18Class B
24:19rounds out
24:20the ten.
24:21Christensen
24:22lets off some
24:23steam and
24:24then remembers
24:25he was paying
24:26his wages.
24:27But what
24:28about the
24:29last few
24:30laps?
24:31What can you
24:32do at
24:33an oil leak or exhaust, I didn't know exactly what it was. Obviously I could see it was
24:37oil but I was not sure where it came from. I could feel a bit under my rear tyres. But
24:42there was a lot of oil from where it cut anyway. So I don't know exactly from where it caught
24:47but it gave me a lot of problems. What I did, I was short shifted and went as flat as I
24:50could through the corners because I still had the big lead. I was worried but I'm very
24:54very pleased now.
24:56Also on the podium, you guessed it, 10 out of 10 for Mr Consistency, Anthony Reid.
25:02This year we've got a car that's capable of winning the championship. The Mondeo is
25:05very very fast, Alan Menuhin has already scored four race wins. I've got to work on my qualifying
25:12to be honest. Sometimes the car is very quick, other times I have a problem with the balance
25:19of the car so I've got to look at being faster. I have proven that I can beat Alan in qualifying
25:24and I've got to work on that side of things. My race pace, nothing to complain about, it's
25:29very good. So I'm looking forward to the next few races to try and find that first
25:35elusive win.
25:37So no win for Reidy still, but he's right on the tail of Alan Menuhin in the title battle.
25:42Menuhin's reached his century of points, but Reid's not out of it on 93. And it's still
25:47a sort of a Ford lockout of the top spots, with the non-scoring Ricard Rydell holding
25:51on to third, but jointly with Vauxhall's Jason Plato.
25:55Ivan Muller drops to fifth position, Gabriele Tarquini is top Honda on sixth, Tom Christensen
26:00picks up a spot to seventh, and Matt Neill is the lead Michelin Cup independent driver
26:04in ninth. A double Class B win then for James Kay, but he's looking for even more out of
26:10Honda to keep taking the fight to Alan Morrison.
26:14This engine we have here is three and a half mile an hour down on both the Peugeot and
26:18the Nissan, and the Silverstone circuit is a good power circuit. So I need a new engine
26:24for there, we've got a lot of work to do, but having two wins here, you know, I can
26:28say to Honda, you know, I would like this. Can we have it? And we'll see what happens.
26:36Kay's bumper weekend leapfrogs him ahead of Alan Morrison in the points, 103 versus 95.
26:43And Mark Lemmer's not a million miles away either. Oh, and hallelujah, Robert Collard
26:48finally manages to register a score. Tom Christensen's first ever BTCC victory makes
26:54it six different winners from ten races. It's that competitive. Silverstone next, so expect
27:00more of the same.