Preview – Going north to Knockhill

The BTCC heads north of the border for the annual visit to the Knockhill racing circuit this weekend, as the championship battle begins to heat up. Two wins at Snetterton have put Fabrizio Giovanardi firmly in the hunt to displace Colin Turkington at the top of the standings, but can Matt Neal and Jason Plato also begin to claw back the Team RAC driver’s advantage?

Last time out at Snetterton the championship battle was narrowed down to four runners, following Rob Collard’s spectacular exit from race three, and this weekend Jason Plato will know he needs a strong performance to stop it being reduced to just a trio of potential champions.

For Plato, Snetterton was a massive disappointment, with only race two’s podium for consolation, likewise Matt Neal had a tough weekend, his elevation onto the race three podium following James Nash’s exclusion being the sole bright spot.

While the tight and twisty Knockhill is likely to suit the Vauxhalls, particularly if inclement weather conditions hit as so often is the case when the BTCC visits, anticipate the BMWs to be strong also. Turkington expects the Team RAC machines to be in good shape this weekend, telling the official series website that he believes the BMW now “seems suited to almost any kind of track”, an ominous warning for Giovanardi and co.

On paper the rear wheel drive of the Munich machines should help launch them out of the final hairpin, and of course off the start line. However the last outright BMW win at Knockhill came courtesy of Steve Soper back in July 1994, and in recent seasons the car hasn’t seemed suited to the Scottish track, and in particular its kerbs and wet weather conditions.

Knockhill is also just one of three tracks that Turkington hasn’t won on in the BTCC. However the smart money is on that figure decreasing to two come Sunday evening, and with Silverstone and Rockingham still to come, the Northern Irishman could have completely erased that statistic by the end of the season.

Giovanardi though is hoping for that poor weather that will help him pin back Turkington, saying “I’m sure we can win again this weekend, but it would help if the weather was bad, as we know we’re strong in these conditions.”

Third man in the championship battle is Neal, who like Vauxhall, hasn’t won in Scotland for three years. The double champion also hasn’t won since the opening race of the season, and in recent races has seen his championship lead turn into a 47-point disadvantage.

In both his championship seasons Neal won at Knockhill, possibly a sign if he climbs onto the top step of the podium this weekend?

Both Neal and Giovanardi are in a private battle as each bids to secure their third BTCC title, but currently the momentum seems to be with the Italian as he seeks a hattrick of titles, something only achieved three times before. Should Gio win the 2009 title, he’ll rank alongside Bill McGovern, Win Percy and Andy Rouse in having won three straight titles.

While Turkington and, to an extent, Giovanardi can drive for points and podiums, Neal and certainly Plato know that only wins will be enough to keep them in contention. And with Plato promising via the official series website that it “is now win or bust, I’ve nothing to lose so the others had better watch out” then there would seem a high chance of fireworks by the Fife this weekend.

Knockhill also sees James Thompson’s final BTCC outing of the season, before he departs for WTCC and Australian V8 duties for the remainder of the season. Expect Thommo to want to go out on a high however.

Thompson’s absence from the final three rounds should allow Collard to secure fifth in the series, as the Airwaves BMW driver currently enjoys almost a 30-point advantage over Stephen Jelley and Andrew Jordan in the standings. A weeklong family holiday should have given Collard ample time to recover from his Snetterton shunt, meaning he, like Thompson, Nash and Mat Jackson, should all be in the running for a reverse grid victory on Sunday afternoon.

For Scottish touring car fans, the best chance of a home win comes from Jonathan Adam, who admitted to the BTCC website that “if there’s anywhere I want to get my first win in the BTCC it’s going to be at Knockhill. That would just be so special.”

Adam has been knocking at the door for sometime, so to take his first victory at his home circuit would be something of a fairytale, although he’d do well to bear in mind that Scottish BTCC star John Cleland only won once at Knockhill in his whole touring car career.

Gordon Shedden is the other possibility for a home win, although with Clyde Valley Racing still to get the Seat running consistently towards the front of the pack, it seems likely that Shedden’s best bet will be a points scoring finish.

The meeting is the home round for Shedden’s Cartridge World team too, and with the Seat Leon suited to corners, and the Spanish marque having scored wins in each of the last three years at Knockhill, then it should see the best performance yet from Adam Jones and co.

With on paper at least ten faster cars though, they’re going to require a high attrition rate and a little luck to make it a fourth year of Seat success in Scotland.

Further down the grid Tom Chilton will be starting his 200th BTCC race on Sunday, having missed just three events since his debut as a 16-year-old in 2002. The Team Aon Ford Focus underwent chassis, engine and aero modifications over the summer with Chilton confident that the team will soon take the step forward that will seem them competing for points over the final few rounds of the season.

Finally, Thursday sees the Dunlop British Touring Car Festival taking place in Edinburgh, a chance for autographs and to see BTCC (and support race) machinery in action on Johnston Terrace. A midday autograph session will be followed by an afternoon of demonstrations, with ten BTCC stars provisionally lined-up to perform in their machines in front of the backdrop of Edinburgh’s famous castle.

Previous Winners
2008: Jason Plato (x2), Darren Turner