The BTCC 2007 is nearing its end

Nine down, one to go: ahead of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship title showdown at Thruxton on 14 October, it’s time to for a spot of number crunching and to reflect on exactly how the major players have performed so far in 2007…

Let us take a race weekend in chronological order, starting with Saturday’s qualifying sessions and the art of stringing together the ultimate lap time. King of the heap here, with four pole positions from nine qualifying sessions held is Team RAC BMW driver Colin Turkington. His feat in 2007, of course, can now not be beaten with only Thruxton’s qualifying session to go. Gordon Shedden (Team Halfords Honda) and Darren Turner (SEAT Leon) have come closest, with two poles apiece, while the other has fallen the way of Vauxhall’s title hopeful Fabrizio Giovanardi.

That means, therefore, season-long championship leader Jason Plato has no pole to his name in 2007, although a major contributing factor towards this is that his SEAT Leon will, come season’s end, have contested eight of the ten qualifying sessions loaded with maximum success ballast – an additional 45kgs in weight.

But when it comes to racking up the finishes, no one touches Plato, for he has scored points in every one of the 27 rounds held to date – an achievement no other driver has managed – and finished 15 of those on the podium. Giovanardi is next up, close behind on 14 podium finishes but with two non-scores (one of those a retirement). Shedden, third in the standings and 68 points behind Giovanardi, has suffered eight non-finishes, twice while looking strong for a race victory begging the question: what might have been…

Giovanardi, though, is on top when it comes to number of race wins – he leads Plato 8-6 and that will prove crucial in the event of a points tie-break. Shedden has four wins (which could have been six) while Turner’s Knockhill double last weekend has seen him draw level 3-3 with Turkington. Turner and Turkington, it should be said, could have had at least two more wins apiece. Turner saw a potential double – like that which he achieved at Knockhill – wrenched away at Rockingham when his car broke down as it lined up in pole position for race one. Turkington looked comfortable in the lead of Croft’s second race only to slip on oil, fall back into the pack and be spun around, while at Snetterton he was excluded from race one victory when his car failed the post-race eight check. Indeed, had he kept that win then perhaps he would have also ‘doubled up’, further adding to his tally.

Shedden it is who leads the fastest race lap table, with six in total ahead of Giovanardi (4), Plato, Turkington and reigning champion Matt Neal (3). Should Giovanardi tie with Plato for the title, then, as already highlighted, he would win due to his (current) greater number of wins – that being the case, many will assuredly point to the fastest lap he shared with Mike Jordan at Oulton Park to earn a vital extra point. Had, of course, Jordan lapped just one thousandth of a second faster…

Likewise, if Plato wins by a point then many might say it was that which he earned for leading Croft’s second race thanks to Turner allowing him to briefly move past into first place before regaining the position yards before the finish.

Meanwhile, Neal’s season, after two seasons spent sweeping to back-to-back titles, has been tough at times – he has led just 39 out of 531 laps completed to date, around half the amount of his team-mate Shedden who is third in the rankings on 75 behind Plato (101) and Giovanardi (134).

And it is the Italian maestro who stands head and shoulders above the rest when it comes to miles led: out of 913 covered, he has completed 246 of those in front. Plato follows on 164, from Shedden (144) and Turkington (112).

Out of those laps completed, 30 have been held under a safety car period – incredibly, the only meeting that did not require a safety car period was Knockhill, regarded by many as among the notorious for incident.

Finally, by reaching 913 miles post-Knockhill, it means that the BTCC will break the 1000-mile barrier at Thruxton’s Finals Day meeting (its scheduled 48 laps equating to 113 miles).

2007 BTCC season stats after 27 of 30 rounds:
Poles: Turkington 4; Shedden & Turner 2; Giovanardi 1
Different winners: 8 (from 27 rounds)
Wins: Giovanardi 8; Plato 6; Shedden, 4; Turkington & Turner (3); Neal, Jackson & Onslow-Cole (1)
2nds: Plato & Neal 5; Shedden & Turkington 4; Giovanardi & Onslow-Cole 3; Jackson, Chilton & Jones 1
3rds: Plato, Turner, Jordan & Chilton 4; Giovanardi, Neal & Jackson 3; Shedden & Turkington 1
Fastest laps: Shedden 6; Giovanardi & Turner 4; Plato, Turkington & Neal 3; Jordan & Chilton 2; Jackson 1
Bonus point for leading: Giovanardi & Turkington 8; Plato & Shedden 7; Turner, Jordan & Onslow-Cole 3; Neal 2; Jackson & Pinkney 1
Laps led (out of 531): Giovanardi 134; Plato 101; Shedden 75; Turkington 63; Turner 53; Neal 39; Onslow-Cole 24; Jordan 20; Jackson 17; Pinkney 5
Miles led (out of 913): Giovanardi 246; Plato 164; Shedden 144; Turkington 112; Turner 71; Neal & Onslow-Cole 47; Jackson 37; Jordan 28; Pinkney 11

* miles led rounded to nearest whole figure