Snetterton beckons as BTCC returns after summer break
The British Touring Car Championship roars back into action in Norfolk this weekend, on the longest circuit of the season at Snetterton.
Once a place where outright speed on the Revett Straight would often make a huge difference to results – witness the LPG-powered Fords in 2010 – the track is now a much more technical affair.
This season will be only the third excursion on the Snetterton 300 layout, which sees the touring cars doing lap times in the two-minute bracket, and a 12-lap race distance more akin to a WTCC event.
The classic corners at Riches, Coram and the Bomb Hole remain, coupled with an infield which rewards a well-balanced chassis.
The admittedly-limited form guide would put Jason Plato high on the list of potential victors this weekend, as the only driver to win a race on both the previous visits to the 300 layout.
Plato and Triple Eight MG team-mate Sam Tordoff were also blisteringly quick at the mid-season tyre test at the track last month – but with championship rivals Honda Racing Team skipping the proceedings, comparisons are hard to make.
Plato is understandably upbeat ahead of the meeting.
He said: “We’ve made progress in all areas with the car – in terms of handling, how we use the tyres and getting the most from the softer Dunlop rubber that we have to use this year.
“I am full of confidence. We have the tools to do the job and we are going to get it done.”
Championship leader Matt Neal has won twice in Norfolk, while nearest rival Andrew Jordan took his first win of last season at the track, following a controversial clash between Plato and Neal.
Gordon Shedden, Mat Jackson and Dave Newsham are the other three winners on the 300 layout, with the former no doubt keen to re-ignite his title defence this weekend.
There are changes in both man and machinery for the meeting.
The departed James Cole is replaced at Tony Gilham Racing by American Robb Holland, who made his debut for the team at the same meeting last season.
The Denver driver will pilot one of the team’s Vauxhall Insignias, while Jack Sears Trophy runner James Kaye has switched from his Volkswagen Golf to an ex-Team Dynamics Honda Civic.
The weekend will also see the long-awaited debut of Andy Neate, in the IP Tech Chevrolet Cruze.
Neate has been out testing his new machine at Mallory Park this week, following a shakedown at Bruntingthorpe Airfield.
Practice gets under way at 09:25 BST on Saturday, with the first of the three races at 12:02 BST on Sunday.
