British Touring Car Championship 2002 rounds 9 and 10: Mondello. Story by TOCA News Team, images by Kelvin Fagan.
Vauxhall protagonists Matt Neal for Egg Sport and Yvan Muller for Vauxhall
Motorsport left Irish shores this evening with a win each after two fabulous
Green Flag 2002 MSA British Touring Car Championship encounters relished by
an enthusiastic crowd of 10,000 race fans.
Although Neal therefore goes top of the championship points table, it is
Vauxhall Motorsport's James Thompson who's arguably gained the most
advantage this weekend. Two second place finishes and a consequentially
hefty points haul leaves him just one point adrift of Neal in the overall
standings, despite being docked five championship points for a fifth engine
change. At this crucial half way point in the championship, the Emerald Isle
was always going to produce some sparkling Green Flag BTCC action.
Sprint Race
Egg Sport's Matt Neal won an incident-packed Sprint Race this afternoon,
after two Safety Car interventions and the retirement of early leader Yvan
Muller for Vauxhall Motorsport. Muller's team mate James Thompson drove a
gritty race to secure the Runner up slot despite carrying 42kgs of success
ballast, from Team Petronas Syntium Proton's David Leslie who superbly
secured the team's third podium of the season.
A text book start by pole-sitter Muller saw him comfortably maintain his
advantage into the first corner, aided by Gareth Howell's attack on Thompson
for second. Howell, who immediately made the position his, then spent the
next three laps defending from the red and white Vauxhall Astra Coupé and by
the time Thompson found a way past, he was a full five seconds adrift of the
flying Frenchman. With Muller out on his own in front, Thompson had to
concentrate on pulling away from the impressive Howell, who was likewise
being harried by Matt Neal for Egg Sport. Neal was taking no prisoners and
on lap seven he swept past Howell's Team Atomic Kitten MG ZS into Holiday In
Ireland Bend, before dealing similarly with Thompson and taking second
place. Lady Luck then smiled on the popular Englishman as, just seconds
later, race leader Muller lost all power and pulled off the circuit into
retirement. Neal proceeded to deal effectively with two Safety Car
interventions and the very close attentions of Thompson over the final few
laps, keeping his hard-fought advantage to the flag - and subsequently
securing his second victory of the season.
Neal declared:
"I needed that! I've been getting worried as I've won one race a year over
the past three years - so it's been great to break that habit! This is the
first time back to Mondello in over 12 years and I have to say the crowds
and all the people over here have been ace. We've all had our fair share of
good and bad luck this year, so I'm absolutely delighted with the result."
Thompson, who had been struggling to keep his car in gear for much of the
race, was pleased to come away from the race with second placed points,
having lost five championship points for installing a fifth engine (of the
permitted four).
The battle for the final podium position was a frantic encounter, mirrored
by numerous other battles all the way down the Touring grid. Howell, who had
put in an impressive performance for Team Atomic Kitten, looked to have the
measure of the attacking Paul O'Neill for Egg Sport and Leslie, but a fuel
pressure problem with just two laps to go put him out of the equation. Using
his many years of Touring car experience, Leslie pre-empted Howell's dramas
superbly - and as the MG slowed dramatically out of Dunlop corner, so the
canny Scot drove past O'Neill to claim third place overall.
Tim Harvey, who was engaged in a tremendous four-way scrap for fifth behind
O'Neill, finally took the flag in seventh place for Team Halfords and so
claimed the Independents' Cup.
The bruising Sprint Race generated just 16 finishers from the 27 starters -
Irish rising star Colin Turkington (Team Atomic Kitten) was unfortunately
taken ill over night and was therefore unable to take the race start and
Aaron Slight failed to get his Barwell Motorsport Vauxhall Astra Coupe to
the starting grid.
The epic scraps and excitement seen in the Touring category seemed to
multiply in the Production Class. Gary Ayles Motorsport's Gavin Pyper
spectacularly drove his Alfa 156 home from the back of the grid to take his
first win and podium finish this season, with Edenbridge Racing's Tom
Boardman claiming second place only 3/10ths of a second ahead of BTC
Production points leader James Kaye (Synchro Motorsport).
The elated young Scot said:
"I had a terrible qualifying session so my aim was to get through the pack
as quickly as I could without having any contact or aggravation. It was the
best race I've had in a long time but very hard work. Everyone was very well
behaved and was just racing each other rather than trying to punt each other
off the track. But I did have a huge smile on my face knowing I had beat
James Kaye. I felt it was wrong that he went on to win the race at Thruxton
after our coming together and was glad to have got one over on him but
fairly and squarely."
Poleman Norman Simon (Edenbridge Racing) had a great start in his rear wheel
drive BMW 320i and managed to open up a gap between himself and the title
chasing pack behind. Team B&Q Jet York City's Peter Cate also had a good
start and moved into second from fourth on the grid on the second lap, just
ahead of the Lotus Elise Champion Mark Fullalove (Tech-speed Motorsport).
Cate's team-mate Jim Edwards Jnr was also pushing hard in fourth until lap
five when Pyper demoted him into fifth place. The front-runners were having
to constantly defend their lines from each other as they negotiated the
twisty and fast corners of the Irish circuit nose to tail. Unfortunately
Cate lost his brakes and had to retire, which was one down for Pyper. On lap
seven, Pyper charged into second place and Kaye, who was carrying 42kgs of
success ballast, joined the fray from the back of the grid and moved into
fourth place. Just before lap nine, going into Dunlop side by side, Kaye
attempted to take Fullalove and the resulting contact knocked the front left
wheel of Fullalove's Peugeot 306 out of position, forcing him to lose his
steering and the race.
The huge lead Simon had made was eroded as the deployed safety car regrouped
the cars together. After the restart, it all went wrong for the German when
the rear axle of his BMW 320i locked, leaving him beached in the gravel at
Turn 3. As the Safety Car came onto the track for the second time, Pyper
took the lead and the now rather battered Honda Civic Type-R of Kaye moved
into second in front of Boardman. The battle between Kaye and Pyper was
electrifying but just before the finishing line Kaye's gearbox failed and
loss of power ensued. Boardman therefore pipped the Harrogate driver over
the line and Kaye was towed home in, for him, a frustrating third place.
Feature Race
Yvan Muller overcame a lowly grid position and arguably the most frenetic
Feature Race of the season to claim his third win of the year - and
hopefully put an end to his recent run of bad luck. James Thompson made it a
one-two for Vauxhall Motorsport with his second podium of the day and Matt
Neal survived a bruising encounter with MG Sport and Racing's Anthony Reid
on the last lap to take third.
Once again this weekend, the weather played a part in proceedings from the
off. A heavy shower as the grid formed up forced a delayed start and
subsequently the majority of Touring drivers changed to wet weather tyres -
the key exceptions being front row men Thompson and Neal for Egg Sport,
together with Team Atomic Kitten's Howell in third. A crucial change of
heart after the warming-up lap saw all three drivers pit for wets, a
decision, which was to prove key as the race progressed. The rolling start,
headed by MG's Anthony Reid, was inevitably incident-strewn as the grid
struggled for traction in the wet conditions. A few laps in and the field
had settled down on a now drying track, with Reid holding advantage over Egg
Sport's Paul O'Neill and Muller, who was already up to third from 10th on
the grid. A superb move on fellow Vauxhall runner O'Neill saw Muller up to
second by lap five and for several laps Muller and Reid ran bumper-to-bumper
around the demanding Mondello Park Circuit. As the round of pit stops began,
so Muller took the pressure off the race leader, completing a great stop
where he took on slick tyres along with the rest of the field. Rejoining in
seventh - and critically still ahead of Thompson - Muller's advantage was
soon eroded when the Safety Car was called out for a Production Class
incident. Master of the rolling start, Muller made a great getaway as the
track went green, repeating the feat when the Safety Car came out again on
lap 20. A cracking final part of the race gave Muller enough of a buffer
back to his team mate, the Frenchman taking the flag just under a second
ahead of Thompson.
A relieved Muller enthused:
"My luck has returned and I really hope it lasts until the end of the
season. Unfortunately we have had some difficult moments this year, but it's
all part of racing. Even when it's frustrating, we have to accept it. I so
nearly started the race on slicks, like James, and I certainly lost time at
the start because Breeze, who was on slicks, was so slow getting away.
However, it all worked out and I am very, very happy!"
Thompson, who was carrying a full 54kgs of success ballast compared to
Muller - thanks to their varied fortunes in the earlier Sprint Race - was
pleased with his brace of seconds from the weekend. Neal, who had started
from the back of the grid along with Thompson due to the late tyre change,
clearly felt more relief than anything else, having "salvaged something out
of nothing", in his own words, with a bruising run to third. Highlight of
the incidents en route to the final podium place was a tremendous battle of
attrition with Honda Racing's Andy Priaulx, Anthony Reid for MG Sport and
Racing, and his own team mate O'Neill. An incident between Reid and Priaulx
left Reid fending off the vehement challenges of Neal over the final few
laps, with O'Neill keeping a watching brief. A furious scrap for places on
the very last lap produced three-abreast action through Paddock bend, with
the result that Reid ran wide onto the grass, allowing Neal through to
secure third - with the now defensive Reid chopping violently across O'Neill
to protect his position. A friendly shake of hands between Neal and Reid
after the race was testament to the 'hard but fair' race action that's
becoming synonymous with the Green Flag BTCC.
Kiwi Aaron Slight, who was in the thick of the action all the way, had a
mature and determined run to claim eighth overall and top honours in the
Independents' Cup, some recompense for being unable to start the Sprint Race
due to technical problems.
The Production category Feature Race also produced a vivid spectacle for the
fans, producing a few surprises along the way. Beacon Motorsport's Spencer
Marsh's luck was in after four of the front-runners spun off the track
during the 30 lap race, allowing the Warwickshire based driver to claim his
second win of the season. Team B&Q Jet York City will also be celebrating
after its two drivers, Jim Edwards Jnr and Peter Cate took the chequered
flag in second and third place respectively.
A beaming Marsh said:
"The start was horrendous. The track was very slippery and everyone was
tip-toeing around to stay on the track. I have to say that my Honda Accord
was performing well and was on the pace but I was very glad that a few guys
fell off in front of me! Gutting for them but great for me!"
Synchro Motorsport's James Kaye powered his Honda Civic Type-R into first
position from the off, pushing Edenbridge Racing's Norman Simon into second
just in front of Tech-speed Motorsport's Mark Fullalove. In a race jinxed
with both wet and dry conditions anything could happen - and it did. Gary
Ayles Motorsport's Gavin Pyper came into play on lap nine when he demoted
the Alfa 156 of Alan Blencowe into fifth place. With his foot flat to the
floor, he was fiercely determined to decrease the rather significant gap in
front of him. His efforts were soon rewarded when the Safety Car was
deployed on lap 12, just as Simon charged into Fullalove's second place,
regrouping the pack and effectively dissolving his disadvantage. Another
Kaye and Pyper tussle was in sight. Fullalove was then pushed back into
fourth place as Pyper rocketed past him through Hewlett Packard corner,
despite carrying the maximum success ballast. On lap 18, the rear axle of
Simon's BMW 320i was overheating, just as in the previous race and at
Paddock bend it once again locked up and fired him off the track and into
the gravel. Pyper moved into second place.
Further dramas followed on lap 20 when Marsh, running in fourth, shut the
door on the Peugeot 306 of Fullalove, resulting in the Tech-speed Motorsport
driver's retirement as he spun and stopped on the track at Birranes Bend.
No-one could predict what would happen after the second restart of the race.
Kaye locked his brakes and spun off the track and out of the race and his
biggest rival, Pyper, soon followed as his battery began to fail on him,
forcing him to pull off at the first corner. Marsh quickly took control of
the pack and remained in the lead to the finish. Edwards Jnr was delighted
to be visiting the podium for the third time alongside his team-mate, Cate,
who popped the champagne cork for the first time this season. Kaye (93)
remains the points leader in the Production Class, followed by Marsh (72)
and Edwards Jnr (67).
Provisional Sprint Race Results
1 Matt Neal GBR Vauxhall Astra Coupe
2 James Thompson GBR Vauxhall Astra Coupe
3 David Leslie GBR Proton Impian
4 Paul O'Neill GBR Vauxhall Astra Coupe
5 Anthony Reid GBR MG ZS
6 Andy Priaulx GBR Honda Civic Type-R
7 Tim Harvey GBR Peugeot 406 Coupe
8 Phil Bennett GBR Proton Impian
9 Tom Chilton GBR Vauxhall Astra Coupe
10 Warren Hughes GBR MG ZS
11 Gavin Pyper GBR Alfa 156
12 Tom Boardman GBR BMW 320i
13 James Kaye GBR Honda Civic Type-R
14 Jim Edwards Jnr GBR Honda Accord
15 Alan Blencowe GBR Alfa 156
16 Dave Allan GBR Honda Civic Type-R
DNF Carl Breeze GBR Peugeot 406 Coupe
DNF Gareth Howell GBR MG ZS
DNF Norman Simon GRB BMW 320i
DNF Dan Eaves GR Peugeot 406 Coupe
DNF Alan Morrison GBR Honda Civic Type-R
DNF Graham Saunders GBR Alfa 156
DNF Spencer Marsh GBR Honda Accord
DNF Yvan Muller FRA Vauxhall Astra Coupe
DNF Mark Fullalove GBR Peugeot 306
DNF Peter Cate GBR Honda Accord
DNF Mark Thomas GBR Honda Accord
Provisional Feature Race Results
1 Yvan Muller FRA Vauxhall Astra Coupe
2 James Thompson GBR Vauxhall Astra Coupe
3 Matt Neal GBR Vauxhall Astra Coupe
4 Anthony Reid GBR MG ZS
5 Paul O'Neill GBR Vauxhall Astra Coupe
6 Alan Morrison GBR Honda Civic Type-R
7 Warren Hughes GBR MG ZS
8 Aaron Slight NZL Vauxhall Astra Coupev
9 Phil Bennett GBR Proton Impian
10 Gareth Howell GBR MG ZS
11 David Leslie GBR Proton Impian
12 Spencer Marsh GBR Honda Accord
13 Jim Edwards Jnr GBR Honda Accord
14 Peter Cate GBR Honda Accord
15 Tom Boardman GBR BMW 320i
16 Dave Allan GBR Honda Civic Type-R
17 Alan Blencowe GBR Alfa 156
18 Carl Breeze GBR Peugeot 406 Coupe
19 Mark Thomas GBR Honda Accord
DNF Gavin Pyper GBR Alfa 156
DNF James Kaye GBR Honda Civic Type-R
DNF Andy Priaulx GBR Honda Civic Type-R
DNF Mark Fullalove GBR Peugeot 306
DNF Norman Simon GRB BMW 320i
DNF Tom Chilton GBR Vauxhall Astra Coupe
DNF Dan Eaves GR Peugeot 406 Coupe
DNF Graham Saunders GBR Alfa 156
Kelvin Fagan, our BTCC photographer, has photographs from every round of the 2002 championship for sale - send us an email for your exact requirements.
2002 BTCC season calendar
30/03 - 01/04 - Brands Hatch GP by KF
20/04 - 21/04 - Oulton Park by KF
05/05 - 06/05 - Thruxton by KF
01/06 - 03/06 - Silverstone by KF
21/06 - 23/06 - Mondello Park by KF
13/07 - 14/07 - Croft by KF
27/07 - 28/07 - Snetterton by KF
10/08 - 11/08 - Knockhill by KF
25/08 - 26/08 - Brands Hatch Indy by KF
20/09 - 22/09 - Donington Park by KF
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